USM bans use of ‘white coffins’

By NIK KHUSAIRI IBRAHIM

PENANG: Polystyrene food containers have been banned in Universiti Sains Malaysia's main campus here with immediate effect.

USM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dzulkifli Abdul Razak said all the 32 cafeteria operators would stop using non-biodegradable styrofoam food containers as part of the university's green campaign.

“We have also prohibited the use of styrofoam and other forms of polystyrene material,” he said after opening the Sejahtera Cafe at the campus here yesterday.

Better choices: USM staff members Nur Aida Hamin (left) and Nurul Huda Abdullah showing biodegradable containers to be used at the university.

“From now on, the cafeteria operators must use eco-friendly biodegradable containers made of oil palm waste,” he said.

A study carried out on Saturday showed that of the 7,000 food containers used in the campus daily, only 1,000 were biodegradable.

Prof Dzulkifli said the operators had agreed to absorb the cost, adding that the biodegradable containers cost about 20 sen each while styrofoam containers cost about three or four sen each. There would be no increase in food prices at the campus.

“We encourage students to eat at the cafeteria using washable plates instead of opting for take-away,” he said.

Prof Dzulkifli said the ban on styrofoam would later be extended to the USM health campus in Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, and engineering campus in Nibong Tebal, Seberang Prai Selatan.

The initiative to stop the use of styrofoam was mooted by the students to promote a better future.

“All 30,000 USM staff and students are the catalyst for the initiative,” he said.

During the function, “The White Coffin” signature campaign was launched for USM students and staff to pledge their commitment to support sustainable initiatives to reduce adverse impact on the environment.

“We are also seriously conducting research to produce biodegradable plastics. Our aim is to eliminate all types of substances that are unfriendly towards Mother Nature,” Prof Dzulkifli said.

He said 25 students from Taiwan who visited USM recently had shown that a change in attitude and mindset was possible.

“The Taiwanese students brought with them reusable chopsticks and foldable containers. The students did not even have to use the plates provided during meals.

“They simply washed the containers and chopsticks for subsequent use,” he added.

Turn Your Old Trash Into Money!

If you're like most Americans, you probably have a stockpile of old cell phones, laptops, or other electronics taking up valuable space in your home. It's hard to know what to do with working gadgets you no longer need.

Luckily there are more options than ever for those who don't want to fill landfills with stuff that others can use. In fact, it's possible to earn a few extra bucks in the process.

How? A growing number of websites allow you to easily sell your old electronics for cash. They all work in the same basic way, although there are differences in details such as which products they buy, and, of course, in how much they're willing to shell out.

Here's how it generally works:

• Search for the product you want to unload.
• Answer a few simple questions about its overall condition and which additional accessories you have.
• Company will calculate an offer for you.
• If you decide to sell, you can print out a pre-paid shipping label. Some will send a box for you to ship in.
• Payment options vary, but most allow you to choose between receiving a check in the mail or a credit to your PayPal account. In some cases, you can choose to donate the payment to charity.

Some tips before you get started:

• Shop around to find the best prices. For an iPhone 3G, 8GB, in good condition bids ranged from $119 to $186, so it's definitely worth the extra time it takes to visit a few websites.
• Be sure to check what the terms are if the item you send isn't in the expected condition. Some websites will offer you the chance to change your mind and have the product sent back to you. Others will send products with no value to be responsibly recycled.
• Don't wait too long to sell your old gadgets because the prices decrease as they get older.
• Remove your personal data before shipping out your product.

Below is a sampling of websites that will pay cash for your castaways.

Gazelle buys a large assortment of products -- everything from cell phones, PDAs, and MP3 players to laptops, digital cameras, gaming systems, and more. You can even sell old movies, games, and camera lenses.

Choose between a check, credit to your PayPal account, an Amazon gift card (pays an extra 5%), or a donation to a charity (you choose from a list of organizations). If a gadget has no value, they'll recycle it for you. Gazelle says it removes all personal data from every item it receives (you may still choose to erase data before you drop it in the mail). The company also has a program with Costco where you can receive a Costco cash card in exchange for old devices.

You Renew buys or recycles cell phones, MP3 players, digital cameras, calculators, laptops, gaming devices, external drives, and tablet eReaders. If your device has no value, you can still ship it for free to YouRenew for safe recycling. As an added bonus, the company will either plant a tree or give a donation towards a domestic renewable energy product.

NextWorth purchases iPods, iPhones, cell phones, cameras, e-Readers, laptops, video games, game console, GPS, DVD, and movies. Your choices for payment include: PayPal, check in the mail, Target gift card, or donation to the Red Cross for Haiti relief. The site tells you exactly how to remove all the data from your iPhone, which is a nice touch.

Flipswap offers a set price for cell phones only. No questions are asked, but the company says phones need to be in "working condition." If they don't meet conditions, Flipswap will either pay you a portion of the money promised or they'll recycle it.

Payment choices include: Check or donations to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Sierra Club, or ASPCA. Several cell phones are listed as "no value," in which case the company pays your postage to send it back for recycling. It plants a tree for every phone that's recycled.

Cell for Cash, as its name suggests, only buys old cell phones. They offer a set price without asking questions, but expect the phones to be in good condition. It wasn't entirely clear in the terms and conditions how the company handles phones that don't meet its expectations, so it's worth checking out before you commit. Cell for Cash will send you a check in the mail.

Just interested in recycling your old electronics?

• Search for local recycling events or visit Earth911.

• Major manufacturers will often take back their products, and some will even offer you a discount on buying a new product. Apple, for example, will give you a 10 percent discount on a new iPod when you bring in your old one to be recycled.

• Several retailers will allow you to bring in your gadgets for free recycling. And some, such as Radio Shack, allow you to trade in old devices for store credit.

Environmental journalist Lori Bongiorno shares green-living tips and product reviews with Yahoo! Green's users. Send Lori a question or suggestion for potential use in a future column. Her book, Green Greener Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-smart Choices a Part of Your Life is available on Yahoo! Shopping and Amazon.com.

Check out Yahoo! Green on Twitter and Facebook.

Planet remain GOOD while using a gadget

Make your electronics batteries last longer

Taking good care of your electronics batteries can pay off. The financial rewards of longer lasting batteries are obvious: You won't be forced to render a perfectly good gadget obsolete before its time or have to shell out money for a replacement battery.

It's also better for the planet since disposing of electronic waste is a growing problem.

Experts say there are plenty of easy things you can do to prolong the life of electronics batteries. They also dispel some common myths.

Here is general advice from Dell, Nokia, and Apple that can be applied to other brands:

• Avoid extreme heat. It's the single-most important thing you can do to protect your battery. For example, don't leave your laptop in the car on a really hot day, says a Dell spokesperson. If you must leave electronics in the car, then don't leave them on the dashboard. Also don't close them up in the trunk or glove compartment -- the coolest place is probably under a seat. Apple recommends that you remove your iPod or iPhone from any extra case if it gets hot while you charge it.

• Take precautions in cold weather. Bring your battery up to room temperature before turning it on if it's been exposed to very cold temperatures, recommends a Dell spokesperson.

• You don't need to totally discharge your battery periodically to make it last longer. That was true of older batteries, but not for today's lithium-based models. In some systems, it does help with how accurately the battery reports how much energy it has left, says a Dell spokesperson. Apple suggests that you go through at least one charge cycle per month for laptops, iPhones, and iPods. (It's also no longer necessary to charge your battery for an extra long time for the first charge, says Petri Vuori of Nokia.)

• Unplug your cell phone from the charger when the battery is fully charged. This saves energy and protects the battery, according to Vouri. Don't forget to unplug the charger from the wall. There's absolutely no difference between car and wall chargers, according to Vuori. The only potential problem with car charging is if you leave your cell phone in the car on a hot day (as noted above).

• Leave your battery in your laptop. Some websites recommend taking your battery out of your laptop when you're using it as a desktop computer so that your battery doesn't get worn out. That's not such a good idea, according to a Dell spokesperson, because your battery is more likely to be damaged if you take it out. Besides, he says, it's not necessary since the microprocessor inside the battery manages the charge automatically. So the battery will stop charging on its own when it's fully charged.

Looking for ways to extend the life of your battery between charges? Change your settings, turn off anything you don't use, switch your cell phone off when you're in low coverage areas, update your software, and follow the specific tips from Dell, Nokia, and Apple. -By Lori Bongiorno-