Cereplast enters distribution
agreement with Alphani Intl.
Cereplast Inc., a manufacturer of proprietary biobased, sustainable plastics in
El Segundo, Calif., has entered into an
exclusive distribution agreement with
Thailand-based Alphani Intl. Co. Ltd. to
supply bioplastic resins to Thailand.
The resins will enable Alphani Intl. to
supply its customers with new biobased
materials to fulfill their growing demand
for environmentally friendly products.
This agreement follows a series of distribution agreements overseas, including Europe, South America, Malaysia,
and southern China.
LVD Group reduces carbon
footprint
LVD Co. nv, a manufacturer of sheet
metalworking machine tools and of-fline software in Gullegem, Belgium,
has installed solar electrical cells on
10 sq. miles of the rooftops of two of
its Belgian facilities in a proactive drive
to reduce the group’s energy costs and
offset its carbon footprint.
By using the recently installed solar
energy panels, LVD is able to generate
up to 15 percent of its yearly electricity
consumption in renewable solar energy, reducing CO2 emissions cumulated
over the next 20 years by up to 12 million lbs.
With a power generation capacity of
just less than 700 k Wp, LVD is able to
reduce its own power consumption from
the national grid and provide green power back to the grid during weekends and
holidays.
As part of a 20-year commitment to
using and providing renewable energy,
LVD has entered into a contract with
Enfinity of Waregem, Belgium, which
is providing LVD with a turnkey system
for renewable-energy generation. All
equipment, installation, configuration,
maintenance, and management of the
system is handled by Enfinity.
Elon Musk receives Automotive
Executive of the Year Innovator
Award
The 2010 Automotive Executive of the
Year Innovator Award
has been presented
to Elon Musk, chairman, product architect, and CEO of
Tesla Motors.
The award is presented in recognition
of Musk’s technology leadership and
innovation, as well as his vision for the
automotive industry’s future. Based in
California’s Silicon Valley, Tesla Motors is
the only automaker selling electric vehicles that are both highway-capable and in
serial production. The company has been
credited with pushing the entire automotive industry toward electric vehicles.
Musk co-founded Tesla and continues to oversee the company’s product
strategy, including the design, engineering, and manufacturing of more affordable electric vehicles for mainstream
consumers. He helped design the Tesla
Roadster and guides development
of the Model S, the all-electric family
sedan that will be produced in Southern
California in an assembly facility that
will employ about 1,000 workers.
Alabama law firm files lawsuit
against BP
Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis &
Miles P.C., Montgomery, Ala., has filed a
class-action lawsuit against British Petroleum and several other companies with
ties to the Deepwater Horizon oil leak.
The firm seeks to represent individuals and businesses that have incurred
damages related to the disaster, including real property damages, personal
property damages, loss of profits and
earning capacity, loss of commercial and
subsistence use of natural resources,
increased costs of public services, and
loss of revenues.
Ogihara America wins award for
energy savings
Ogihara America Corp., Howell, Mich.,
a Thai Summit Group company, has
been chosen as the winner of the 2010
Energy Saving Commercial Project of
the Year, presented by DTE Energy and
The Engineering Society of Detroit. The
award recognizes a company that has
made the most effective contribution in
reducing energy use by implementing a
significant project through hard equipment or technology installed in 2009.
Ogihara America’s winning project
was the installation of a remote laser
welding cell for the upper door of a two-piece door assembly. While a traditional
spot weld consumes more than 70,000
W of electricity per second, a remote
laser weld consumes about 94 percent
less electricity to produce a comparable weld.
Recycling Gala honors Sen.
Thomas Carper for recycling
leadership
During the NRC’s annual Recycling Gala
in Washington, D.C., in July, the National
Recycling Coalition (NRC) and the Institute
of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) honored Sen. Thomas R. Carper, D-Del., for
his leadership on key recycling issues.
In addition to serving as co-chair of
the Senate Recycling Caucus, Carper
was instrumental in successfully incorporating important recycling amendments
in recent climate change legislation,
including S.2191, the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2007,
and S.1733, the Kerry-Boxer Clean
Energy Jobs and American Power Act of
2009.
Carper also was an early and strong
supporter of the Recycling Investment
Saves Energy Act of 2008, which provides accelerated depreciation of eligible recycling equipment in the first year
it is placed in service.
