The Coca-Cola Company and Keep America Beautiful have opened the spring grant cycle for the Coca-Cola/KAB Recycling Bin Grant Program. Applications for this effort to promote and support community recycling are open until March 12, 2010. Find out more at www.bingrant.org.

Grants are open to government agencies, civic organizations, schools, nonprofit groups and for-profit companies. Successful applicants will be notified on or before April 22.

Grant recipients have the benefit of receiving both donated recycling bins and expertise on how to set up recycling programs from KAB. The grant program is part of Coca-Cola’s significant investment in recycling programs and initiatives in the U.S.

In a Senate-floor speech Senator Murkowski stated that the Clean Air Act was written by Congress to regulate criteria pollutants, not greenhouse gases, and its implementation remains subject to oversight and guidance from elected representatives. Senator Murkowski also expects court challenges to raising the regulatory thresholds under the Clean Air Act to encompass larger emitters.

In comments to the EPA and in communications with Members of Congress, GPI and its member companies have maintained that the only appropriate avenue to regulate greenhouse gas emissions is the U.S. Congress. They have also worked diligently with Members of Congress and their staff to ensure that all economic and environmental aspects are taken into account when considering emissions reductions regulation of glass container manufacturing facilities and their suppliers.

Read Senator Murkowski’s Senate floor statement and resolution of disapproval

Nathan Sahr, a member of the winning team from GPI’s 2008 Packaging Design Competition, has landed an internship this winter and spring at Diageo, the world’s leading premium drinks business. Nathan, who will graduate with a bachelor’s degree from MSU’s School of Packaging this December, says in addition to his studies, his knowledge from GPI’s guest lectures on glass container production and marketability, and his experience at O-I’s Glass University helped him secure this prestigious internship.

“I really enjoyed working with glass for the GPI design competition because of its premium look and high quality,” said Nathan. “From GPI, O-I, and my Michigan State classes, I basically decided I wanted to work in the beverage industry and Diageo was definitely at the top of my list for places I’d want to work.”

After 18 months of research and development, SGD N.A., the world leader in glass bottle manufacturing for the perfume and cosmetics industries, has launched the first incarnation of its Infinite Glass line, Gaïa, which boasts glass jars and bottles made from 100% post-consumer recycled glass or “cullet.” In Greek mythology, Gaïa is a goddess personifying earth and symbolizing the ecosystem.

“The goal was to create ecological glass packaging with all of its performance advantages—compatibility, barrier quality, stability—while maintaining limitless decoration possibilities,” said Sheherazade Chamlou, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for SGD North America. “By addressing environmental issues, Infinite Glass is the perfect synergy between being green and glamorous.”

GPI spoke with Professor Dennis Young and undergraduate students Mike Rowe and Zack Werner, winners of GPI’s 4th Glass Packaging Design Competition held fall semester 2009 at Michigan State University School of Packaging. Mike and Zack share a little about the creative process, and details about the winning 12-ounce glass package design for Lucini Premium Olive Oil. Professor Dennis Young provides listeners with ‘a look inside’ the GPI design competition and how it benefits his students. Listen to the podcast or read the text.

An elegant tear-drop shaped bottle for olive oil (at left) took first place in GPI’s Glass Packaging Design Competition held fall semester 2009 at Michigan State University School of Packaging.

The winning 12-ounce glass package was created by the team of Mike Rowe and Zack Werner, beating out 32 other MSU student teams. “My idea about glass has changed not only from our design, but from seeing the other innovative ideas,” says Zach Werner.

“The winning design makes excellent use of the material characteristics and design flexibility of glass containers. "Good use of shape and color produces a great shelf impact," says Dennis Young, MSU Instructor. The competition is part of Young’s Glass and Metal Packaging course. “We had an excellent quality of projects from all the teams of students,” says Young.

The winning design is a spherical body with a gradual sloping neck and a bulky base for overall support. “The form is based on an Old Italian wine bottle shape, with a rustic paper label,” says Mike Rowe. The amber color reduces the amount of sunlight entering the bottle, and the flint lower half provides a “window” so consumers can view the product.

Ratified in January 2009, “Students for Bar Recycling” took on the challenge of establishing recycling at all the bars in Lawrence, KS, where the University resides, with a focus on glass containers.

The student organization was started by Andrew Stanley and Ben Hornung, University of Kansas seniors. “We were watching a game at a sports bar and asked them what they do with all the empty bottles, and they said they didn’t recycle them,” says Hornung. They checked with other bars and restaurants and found none were recycling. “Lawrence is pretty progressive with respect to the green movement, so we we’re blown away that there wasn’t recycling in place.”

But starting November 2009, thanks to the efforts of the student organization, Ripple Glass began a trial run with a bar in Lawrence called The Barrel House, a piano bar, where they now have drop-off bins for glass containers. “We want to do whatever we can to make it a successful pilot,” says Hornung. That is the focus this semester, along with adding more local bars.

Governor Markell vetoed legislation at the end of 2009 that would have repealed the state’s container deposit program, H.B. 201, which was opposed by GPI. The Governor’s new proposal would need to be introduced and pass the Delaware General Assembly to become law.

GPI also requests that the EPA raise the facility threshold from 25,000 tons per year (tpy) to 100,000 tpy. This change would reduce the major sources in their proposal by almost two-thirds, but only decrease the total quantity of GHG emissions subject to regulation by 4 percent. Finally, GPI asks that the EPA leave emissions regulations to Congress, who has been actively working on cap-and-trade and other climate change proposals for two years, to ensure that all economic and environmental aspects are taken into account. For a copy of GPI’s comments, contact Bryan Vickers at bvickers@pacellp.com.