Keep Mississippi Beautiful (KMB) has announced that they are now accepting applications for their 2012 State Awards. To be eligible for a KMB Statewide Award, a program mush show successful results in one of the following environmental leadership areas:

• Litter Prevention
• Beautification and Community Improvement
• Minimizing the Impact of Solid Waste on Communities
• Recycling (our favorite)

For more information or to apply, download an application from KMB's web site.

The Mississippi Development Authority-Energy Division has announced that they are accepting applications for its U.S. Department of Energy State Energy Program funds. For additional information on the Sustainable Communities Mini Grants please see the funding opportunity announcement (FOA). Questions will be received through Thursday, January 26, 2012, at 2:00 P.M. Central Time. Responses will be posted within 5 business days. No questions received after this date will be answered. A total of $50,000 has been set aside for these mini grants. Applicants may request a grant amount between $5,000 and $20,000. For more information contact Mike McCollough or Lynn Johnson Burris at procurement@mississippi.org

The U.S. EPA has announced the first webinar in the 2012 series of Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Webinars will be held on January 19, 2012 from 12:00 -1:30 PM CST. The topic for this webinar will be "e;Universities and teh Food Recovery Challenge."e;In this session, you will learn about EPA's Food Recovery Challenge (FRC) and accomplishments from some partnering schools such as:

• University of Missouri-Kansas City's experiences as their dining operations strive for zero waste,
• Ohio State University's organics recycling across campus and in their staduim, and
• Havard University's strategies for reducing, densifying, de-watering, and composting food scraps in an urban environment.

Registration for this webinar is free and required.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) recently announced that they are now accepting entries for their 2012 Recycling Awards. Each year the AF&PA Recycling Awards recognize outstanding paper recycling efforts. Enter your business, community, or school program today for the chance to win a $2,000 cash prize, original framed artwork, and recognition in local and national media. For more information, see the AF&PA Recycling Awards web page.

Earlier this month, Waste Management released their online Diversion and Recycling Tracking Tool (DART) to help project planners, contractors, architects, and building owners measure their green performance during a construction, renovation, and demolition project. The service, which is available across the US operates online and is accessible 24-hours a day to monitor C&D recycling, tabluate total diversion rates, and provide documentation to support LEED^© certification.With so many substances to manage, calculating total diversion has traditionally been a time-consuming process, involving extensive labor, math and excel sheets.

In similar news, earlier this year AECOM announced the introduction of their Supplier Tracking and Assessment tool for Sustainability (STATS). STATS collects, analyzes, and reports data on supplier economic, social, and environmental performance. Using STATs, companies can rank their suppliers and encourage suppliers to adopt more sustainable practices and standards. Developed in response to client requests, STATS is a low-cost, flexible Microsoft™ Excel tool ideal for companies taking first steps to add sustainability assessments to their vendor management programs. STATS is easily customized to measure and report on chosen criteria over time across a broad range of operational standards.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be holding a webinar for grocers to learn more about EPA's Food Recovery Challenge (FRC) and to hear success stories from FRC partners on Thursday, December 15, 2011, from 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM CST. The FRC challenges participants to reduce as much of their food waste as possible — saving money, helping communities, and protecting the environment — and recognizing partner accomplishments. Speakers include Michael Hewett, Manager of Sustainablity and Environmental Compliance for Publlix Supermarkets, Inc.; Kasey Harris, Environmental Specialist for Hannaford Supermarkets; and Heather Schmidt, Sustainability Manager for New Seasons Market. Registration is free but required.

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) andEnvironmental Defense Fund (EDF) announced earlier this week the "The Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) Challenge: New Uses for Recycled Glass," to develop a compelling economic and environmental solution for the challenge posed by recycling old CRTs that have been phased out in favor of liquid crystal and plasma displays.

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The Mississippi Recycling Coalition (MRC) and Mississippi Beverage Association (MBA) are pleased to announce the recipients of their thirteenth annual scholarship awards as part of our observance of America Recycles Day. This year, MRC and MBA awarded eight, $750 scholarships to students at Mississippi public or private colleges and universities who are enrolled in disciplines related to recycling and environmental management. These scholarships are available to currently enrolled freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

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In conjunction with our observance and promotion of America Recycles Day today, the Mississippi Recycling Coalition (MRC) is pleased to announce our 2011 Environmental Hero award winners. Each year, MRC seeks nominations of organizations, businesses, agencies, schools, and local governments from around the State of Mississippi that have excelled in their recycling and environmental program efforts. The nominees are then evaluated based on the following criteria: promotion of recycling as a way to create a better community, duration of environmental project(s), practicing and improving awareness of environmental stewardship, and improving community waste handling and environmental practices.

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The National Archives and U.S. EPA recently announced Documerica-Inspired Student Multimedia Contest "Document Your Environment" to run through January 6, 2012

Students ages 13 to 18 and college and graduate students are invited to create any type of graphic art, a short video, or a poem using a Documerica photo as a prompt. The grand prize for this contest will be $500, courtesy of the Foundation for the National Archives. Finalists and the grand prize winner will be announced in February 2012. Finalists may be featured in an upcoming exhibit at the National Archives and a traveling exhibit with the EPA.

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