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A City Committed to Recycling Is Ready for More

Topic

By Felicity Barringer
New York Times

Mayor Gavin Newsom is competitive about many things, garbage included. When the city found out a few weeks ago that it was keeping 70 percent of its disposable waste out of local landfills, he embraced the statistic the way other mayors embrace winning sports teams, improved test scores or declining crime rates.

But the city wants more.

So Mr. Newsom will soon be sending the city’s Board of Supervisors a proposal that would make the recycling of cans, bottles, paper, yard waste and food scraps mandatory instead of voluntary, on the pain of having garbage pickups suspended.

“Without that, we don’t think we can get to 75 percent,” the mayor said of the proposal. His aides said it stood a good chance of passing.

How does he describe his fixation with recycling dominance? “It’s purposefulness that could otherwise be construed as ego,” Mr. Newsom said. “You want to be the greatest city. You want to be the leading city. You want to be on the cutting edge. I’m very intense about it.”

In a more businesslike tone, Jared Blumenfeld, the director of the city’s environmental programs, addressed one of the main reasons the city keeps up the pressure to recycle. “The No. 1 export for the West Coast of the United States is scrap paper,” Mr. Blumenfeld said, explaining that the paper is sent to China and returns as packaging that holds the sneakers, electronics and toys sold in big-box stores.

Not that Mr. Blumenfeld does not have a competitive streak of his own. San Francisco can charge more for its scrap paper, he said, because of its low levels of glass contamination. That is because about 15 percent of the city’s 1,200 garbage trucks have two compartments, one for recyclables. That side has a compactor that can compress mixed loads of paper, cans and bottles without breaking the bottles. (These specially designed trucks, which run on biodiesel, cost about $300,000 apiece, at least $25,000 more than a standard truck, said Benny Anselmo, who manages the fleet for Norcal.)

Another major innovation in the past decade was the development of infrastructure for turning food wastes — a major part of the waste stream in a city with thousands of restaurants — into baggable compost that is used in California’s vineyards and the vast farms of the Central Valley.

The garbage from San Francisco’s 750,000 residents is picked up on the pay-as-you-throw principle — the more garbage bins you need, the higher your monthly fee. (The average customer pays $23.58 a month.) Also, in the past couple of years, it has banned plastic grocery bags and permitted the recycling of hard plastic toys.

The city has 12 recycling streams, or programs, devoted to different materials, including regular garbage, construction debris, furniture and paint.

“When we look at garbage, we don’t see garbage, O.K.?” said Robert Reed, a spokesman for Norcal Waste Systems, the parent company of Sunset Scavenger and Golden Gate Disposal and Recycling Company, the main garbage collectors in the city. “We see food, we see paper, we see metal, we see glass.”

The recycling rate for this curbside collection from homes, hotels and the city’s 5,000 restaurants is considerably lower than the overall rate, Mr. Reed said, in part because the rates on other waste streams — construction debris or material, like batteries and compact fluorescent bulbs, that the public brings in to special centers — is much higher.

Much of the concrete from demolished buildings, for instance, is recycled in new sidewalks. Another recycling stream is born of the community’s design sensitivities. “People are doing very well here,” Mr. Reed said. “They remodel, and they paint. On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, people line up to bring us paint” at a facility built for the purpose.

“We separate it into flat and latex, screen it to take out the chunks, and blend it in 55-gallon drums,” he said.

The three resulting colors — off-white, beige and green — are packed in five-gallon tins and sent to local nonprofit organizations, schools or charitable institutions in Mexico.

Norcal’s subsidiaries handle 3,545 tons of waste a day in San Francisco, out of about 7,800 generated citywide, Mr. Reed said. About 55 percent of Norcal’s total goes to the landfill; the rest is recycled. These figures become part of the calculation of the city’s overall diversion rate of 70 percent, which is the figure it just reported for 2006.

As John Sitts, of the state’s integrated waste management board, said, “the diversion rate includes recycling, composting and source reduction” — the last term representing “everything businesses and residents do to reuse things rather than throwing them out.”

The Los Angeles region most recently reported a 59 percent diversion rate, a number still being audited by state regulators. San Jose, at 62 percent, claims the best-in-class crown for cities of 900,000 or more. Statewide, the figure for 2006 was 54 percent.

With the exception of Chicago, which boasted a 55 percent rate in 2006 — the most recent year for which national comparisons are available — Eastern and Midwestern cities lagged well behind their California counterparts. According to the most recent annual survey of the trade magazine Waste News, in 2006 New York City was at 30.6 percent, Milwaukee at 24 percent, Boston at 16 percent and Houston at 2.5 percent.

San Francisco’s system is being noticed overseas. Mr. Blumenfeld’s calendar is full of meetings with officials from Germany and China, most of whom visit Norcal’s facilities, including the food-waste composting centers.

His visitors are learning, Mr. Blumenfeld said, that “you can recycle almost anything.”

Firms Adjust to Health-Care Law

Talking Points

By Phred Dvorak
Wall Street Journal

An innovative San Francisco health-care law is prompting some businesses to raise prices and curtail hiring. But it also is showing early signs of doing what it was intended to do: push employers to defray medical costs for more workers.

The ordinance, approved in 2006, puts San Francisco among a growing number of regions experimenting with universal health care. A 2006 Massachusetts law requires residents to buy coverage; attempts by Maryland and Suffolk County, N.Y., to require employers to expand coverage of workers were overturned in court last year.

San Francisco's law aims to provide affordable health care to the city's estimated 73,000 uninsured residents, roughly half of whom work. It requires businesses with 20 or more employees to spend a minimum amount toward their health care, either by providing insurance, reimbursing medical expenses or contributing to a municipal health-services program. The first payments by big companies to the city's program were due last week.

"They've made more progress than anyone expected," said Larry Levitt, a vice president at health-policy think tank Kaiser Family Foundation who has tracked health-care legislation for 20 years. If the city prevails in a lawsuit challenging the law, Mr. Levitt says, it would embolden other localities to attempt similar programs.

The ordinance has forced businesses with big populations of uninsured workers to adjust. San Francisco's restaurants estimate that the added costs will cut into profit. A restaurant group sued the city, saying the law violates federal benefits legislation. The restaurants won an initial decision; the city appealed, and the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments April 17.

The employer mandate took effect for businesses with 50 or more employees in January. Many businesses soon began passing the cost on to customers -- with varying degrees of subtlety. Legal staffing agency Kearney Boyle & Associates Inc. bills clients a "San Francisco health ordinance fee" of $1.17 per hour. The Steps of Rome Caffe adds a 5% surcharge to bills, and hands diners fliers describing the city's "landmark solution" to health care. The Globe restaurant raised prices in odd increments, so customers might ask why a braised pork shoulder costs $22.20.

"None of us know what the h- we're doing," said Eric Rubin, general manager of Mexican eatery Tres Agaves, whose menu notes a 3.5% charge for "San Francisco affordable health care legislation."

Mr. Rubin estimates that Tres Agaves is setting aside about $5,000 per week, equivalent to about one-third of its operating profit, for its 85 workers who previously had no health insurance; only managers had coverage before. Mr. Rubin crafted an explanation of how the restaurant is complying with the ordinance that servers distribute to diners who ask about the added charge. In an informal survey of other restaurants, Mr. Rubin found some adding a surcharge, some a per-head charge and others absorbing costs until the court's decision.

Cole Hardware, a three-store chain, has a different challenge. It offers enough insurance coverage for a midsize business, which San Francisco defines as between 20 and 99 employees. But with staffing at 95, it is afraid to enter the large-business category, in which it would have to set aside more money. So President Rick Karp says he is slowly replacing part-timers with fewer full-time workers, and not replacing employees on maternity leave.

Despite the challenges, public-health experts say San Francisco's ordinance is making headway. About 18,000 people -- one-quarter of the uninsured -- have enrolled in the city's health-services program, and local businesses are seeking ways to cover health-care costs for hard-to-insure workers.

The Gap Inc. has 1,000 part-time workers in San Francisco. The retailer, based in San Francisco, offers all of its part-timers a group-insurance plan, but doesn't contribute any of the cost. The company says it initially will comply with the law by paying into the city's program, and is considering expanding health-care coverage for all its part-timers.

Cynthia Fassler, president of staffing agency TSS Personnel Agency Inc., says she offered health insurance to her 45 temporary employees earlier this year. Only two expressed interest; the others didn't want to commit to a longer-term plan, she says. Ms. Fassler said she is considering reimbursing medical expenses directly.

At Tres Agaves, Mr. Rubin says he is negotiating with a health-care provider to offer insurance to his workers. That could make a difference for waiters such as Dino Moreno, 26, who isn't concerned enough about health coverage to look for insurance on his own, but has joined group plans offered by previous employers.

"If there's a positive about this, it's focusing the industry to address something they haven't wanted to address," said Chip Conley, chief executive of boutique-hotel chain Joie de Vivre Hospitality Inc. Mr. Conley is waiting to see what the court decides before deciding how to handle health care for the uninsured workers in the San Francisco restaurants it manages.

- Cholesterol: List of Foods High in Cholesterol Content

misjoined39

Cholesterol">Cholesterol is a fatty substance that is found throughout the body and circulates in the bloodstream. It is vital to the normal functioning of the body and is an important constituent of body cells. It is an essential ingredient of vital body chemicals such as hormones produced by various glands, eg the thyroid and ovaries. It is also a component of certain chemicals such as bile acids, which help in the natural digestive processes of fat taken in the diet. However, when the level of Cholesterol">cholesterol in the bloodstream is high, it becomes one of the causes of furring up of the arteries of the body (a process more correctly called atherosclerosis). The arteries of most concern are those supplying blood to the heart, the brain and the legs, since these are the ones most likely to cause serious problems for the individual if they become narrowed or blocked. Nearly all of the Cholesterol">cholesterol in the body is manufactured by the liver, whilst a small amount is derived from the diet, formed from digesting foods which contain fat. This diet-derived fat is of two types, namely saturated and unsaturated. The saturated form is found mainly in the following foods:

The The more saturated fats that are eaten the higher the blood Cholesterol">cholesterol is likely to be, and therefore the higher the risk of developing coronary heart disease (as described later).

What constitutes a high Cholesterol">cholesterol level varies from person to person and is explored later in this fact sheet but there are a number of causes of abnormally raised Cholesterol">cholesterol levels. These are set out below. An inherited tendency: These are called familial hyperlipidaemias and there are many different types but they all result in the inheritance of abnormally high levels of Cholesterol">cholesterol or another group of fats carried in the blood called the triglycerides. Familial hyperlipidaemia is to be suspected in anyone who has a close family history of heart disease such as angina or heart attacks at an early age.

Certain conditions which are often, but not always, associated with high Cholesterol">cholesterol levels

: These include diabetes, under activity of the thyroid gland, excessive alcohol consumption, kidney failure and certain conditions of the pancreas (the gland in the abdomen involved with the production of insulin). These account for about 10 to 20 per cent of high Cholesterol">cholesterol levels and are called secondary hyperlipidaemias, as they are secondary to another condition. Poor diet: A diet rich in fatty food and carbohydrates such as cakes, biscuits, sweets, etc., is liable to increase the Cholesterol">cholesterol level. However, as mentioned at the beginning, diet only plays a moderate part in the overall level of Cholesterol">cholesterol in the blood. If Cholesterol">cholesterol is present in abnormally high quantities in the circulating blood, the body is unable to process this amount of fat and so excess Cholesterol">cholesterol builds up in the body. It may be deposited in various parts of the body, especially on the walls of the arteries where it forms clumps, or plaques. These can severely narrow and eventually block off the blood supply in the arteries. This results in a loss of oxygen and glucose supply to tissues and muscles supplied by these arteries, which can then become damaged. The most important area where this build up can occur is in the coronary (heart) arteries. These arteries form a network of blood vessels around the heart. If they are narrowed from Cholesterol">cholesterol deposition, this causes the heart muscle to become starved of oxygen. Oxygen starvation may occur temporarily during exercise (resulting in angina pain on exertion) or there may be permanent loss of blood supply that results in a heart attack due to heart muscle damage. A similar problem can occur in the arteries in the legs, where impaired circulation can lead to pain when walking (called intermittent claudication), and if very severe can actually stop the circulation altogether. The significance of the different types of Cholesterol">cholesterol is that LDL is bad since it tends to carry Cholesterol">cholesterol around the body, high levels of which then result in the depositing of fat onto the artery walls as described above. On the other hand, HDL Cholesterol">cholesterol is thought to be good because this tends to carry fats from the body to the liver where it is broken down into other substances and is eventually eliminated from the body. Therefore, when Cholesterol">cholesterol levels are measured, the doctor sometimes asks for the result to be divided into HDL and LDL fractions to assess a more accurate measurement of the harmful LDL type. However, high Cholesterol">cholesterol levels are most likely to consist mainly of the LDL type. There is no doubt that lowering of the blood Cholesterol">cholesterol level will reduce the risk of developing coronary heart disease but the lowest Cholesterol">cholesterol level which is desirable is, as yet, unknown. There are often no symptoms associated with high Cholesterol">cholesterol and there is ongoing debate as to whether routine measurement should form part of the health screening examinations. There are, however, groups at risk who should be screened: This involves a simple blood test. It is traditional to ask for the sample to be taken when the patient has fasted for at least 12-14 hours. This is partly because the reading is slightly more accurate when it is performed on a fasting blood sample but also because it is almost always done in conjunction with measurement of the other type of fats carried in the blood, the blood level of which is very much affected by whether the person has just eaten or not. These other fats are called triglycerides, which have a similar effect on the arteries as Cholesterol">cholesterol if they are found in increased amounts in the blood. If the Cholesterol">cholesterol level is found to be increased, the test is usually repeated to ensure that the original result was an accurate one. At the same time, the doctor may check for any likely contributory causes for the high Cholesterol">cholesterol, such as thyroid failure or diabetes as mentioned above. If it is thought to be helpful, the LDL and HDL fractions may also be requested. Since the discovery of the significance of raised Cholesterol">cholesterol levels in the blood, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding this question and over the years the advice seems to have changed. However, a consensus of opinion is forming which is based on the fact that the Cholesterol">cholesterol level has to be seen as only one of several risk factors for heart disease and atherosclerosis. There are now methods of assessing each persons level of risk. This is based on such things as a persons age, their sex, whether or not they smoke, their blood pressure and Cholesterol">cholesterol level. Whether or not treatment of the Cholesterol">cholesterol level is required is now based on that persons level of risk. Therefore, an acceptable level of Cholesterol">cholesterol for one person will be a level that requires treatment in another person. There is no longer one single Cholesterol">cholesterol level above which everyone would need treatment. The experts in this field advise that the level of Cholesterol">cholesterol should be measured. If the level is above five mmol per litre of blood it should be lowered in the following groups of people:

In those people listed above, the level of Cholesterol">cholesterol aimed for is below 5 mmol per litre of blood or a reduction of 30 per cent (whichever is greater). There is some discussion amongst specialists as to whether these levels should be even lower in certain groups of people.

There is a small group of patients whose raised Cholesterol">cholesterol level is due to another condition, as mentioned above, such as thyroid gland failure or excessive alcohol intake. In these people, the initial treatment is of the underlying condition, since this will almost always result in a natural return of the Cholesterol">cholesterol level to normal. In those people with primary hypercholesterolaemia (ie high Cholesterol">cholesterol which is not the result of another illness), which make up the majority of cases, treatment involves dietary modification and where necessary, tablets to control obesity and reduce the Cholesterol">cholesterol level. Dietary modification: Research has shown that the amount of fat in the diet, and particularly the amount of saturated fat, has a greater effect on the level of Cholesterol">cholesterol in the blood than the actual amount of Cholesterol">cholesterol in the food someone eats. Therefore there are some foods which, although high in Cholesterol">cholesterol, are alright to eat in moderation. These include eggs and prawns both of which are high in Cholesterol">cholesterol but low in saturated fat. Seafood also contains healthy fatty acids called omega 3 fatty acids. Therefore weight reduction and avoidance of saturated fats in the diet are the main factors which will reduce the level of Cholesterol">cholesterol in the blood. The following measures will aid in this:

Foods high in saturated fats and therefore best avoided or eaten in small amounts include: Food high in unsaturated fats can help to reduce Cholesterol">cholesterol levels and include: All these drugs work by lowering the blood Cholesterol">cholesterol, but each may be used appropriately in different circumstances.
Visit foods high cholesterol related site to get more info.

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Brian Purchia

The Greening of San Francisco

Act Locally SF

Watch Video

Check out this excellent video about San Francisco's environmental initiatives.

SFPUC Gives Blessing to Solar Incentives

Taking Action

By John Upton
San Francisco Examiner

The heavens will power Grace Cathedral — with help from The City — if supervisors vote to bankroll solar-panel installations, according to an environmental and religious leader who joined others Tuesday in endorsing the program.

The City’s public utilities commissioners Tuesday unanimously endorsed the proposed solar incentive program, announced last month by Mayor Gavin Newsom. If approved by the Board of Supervisors, the program will provide grants of up to $10,000 per building to help meet solar-panel installation costs.

“We’ll be taking advantage of it,” the Rev. Sally Bingham, environment chair of the diocese of California and president of California Interfaith Power and Light, told commissioners before their vote. “We are looking right now at putting solar on our Grace Cathedral roof at the top of Nob Hill.”

Homeowners in the Bayview- Hunters Point, Potrero Hill and Dogpatch neighborhoods will be eligible for up to $5,000 in assistance under the solar incentive program because they are in environmental justice districts, according to SFPUC Assistant General Manager for Power Barbara Hale.

Other city homeowners will be eligible for up to $3,000, according to Hale, or up to $4,000 if they hire a local company. Businesses will be eligible for up to $10,000.

The SFPUC will begin accepting applications for the $3 million program on a first-come, first-served basis after the program is approved by the Board of Supervisors, according to Hale.

She said she expects supervisors in February to approve the program, which will be funded largely with money from hydroelectric power sales.

Supervisors are also considering providing interest-free solar installation loans to property owners, which would be repaid using money saved on future power bills, according to SFPUC spokesman Tony Winnicker.

2/11/08

Brian Purchia

Khaleej Times
Eco-backlash against bottled water

Drugs and Gangs

Smart Solutions

Run a campaign to boycott gangs: "If you have to buy, buy from someone other than gangs." It won't get rid of the drug problem but it will disperse the violence and murders cause by gangs.

For drugs, try licensing (medicinal) drug use like marijuana; legalize low-dosage drugs for recreational use.

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