Guide to Restoring Our World & Stewardship for Everyday Environmentalists
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What Can You Do?

Every person can have an impact on the world.

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World Population

As our population grows, how does it impact everything around us?

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Power to the People

Sometimes the news can make you feel small. Read here how you can make a difference!

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Ocean Health

From pollution to warming waters, the oceans are changing.

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Climate Change

It's real and its impacts can be seen every day.

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Pollution

Look into the past, present, and future of pollution.

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What's New?
Today's Headline:

August 19, 2024

Mixed Material Textile Recycling Breakthrough!

A new process has been discovered that could revolutionize the way textiles (clothing, bed linens, curtains, seatbelts, upholstery, etc.) are recycled. Currently less than 0.5% of postconsumer textile waste is recycled globally. That means any textiles thrown away are incinerated or end up in landfills. That is because most postconsumer textiles are mixed fibers, unable to be mechanically recycled due to material blends and contaminants. The new process published by engineering researchers last month (July 2024) is a chemical conversion of the textiles into their base materials. This process works by rapidly depolymerizing polyester and spandex into their monomers in just 15 minutes! This is followed by a simple solvent to separate cotton and nylon. By removing the oil derived materials (polyester/spandex/nylon) from the plant-based materials (cotton), the textiles can be “decontaminated” and recycled into new materials. This discovery is a huge breakthrough in the world of recycling!

Source:

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ado6827

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