PA Speaker of the House Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) is praising a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals which will uphold the traditional practice of having a session-opening prayer. “We are pleased that the Third Circuit has found that our prayer complies with the United States Constitution,” Turzai said, “and has issued a precedent setting decision entirely in the House’s favor. As a result, we expect the House to be able to resume its tradition of welcoming guest chaplains as it has in the past.” In 2016 a group of atheists and other non-believers sued the House, claiming their exclusion as guest chaplains violated the Constitution. The plaintiffs also challenged the presiding officer’s traditional request to rise for the prayer and the pledge to the flag. Last year, a federal judge in Harrisburg ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and limited the practice to member-led prayers. But the House appealed. Late last month a three-judge panel of the Third Circuit ruled in the House’s favor on all counts. “By a 2-1 vote the panel held the House’s prayer practices were constitutional because they fit within the long history of legislative prayer in this country,” Turzai said. “The majority explained that ‘only theistic prayer can satisfy the historical purpose of appealing for divine guidance in lawmaking.’” Turzai said the panel ruled 3-0 that it is constitutional and not coercive to request that guests stand for the prayer and the pledge.              

Assistant Professor of Humanities Aidan Wong from SMU’s School of Social Sciences has researched on the areas of development and sustainability, in particular on electronic waste, informal labour and economic development. In recent years, he has published a paper on ‘Waste’, Value and Informal Labour: The Regional E-Waste Recycling Production Network in Malaysia and Singapore” and is seeking to update it. In this podcast, Assistant Professor Wong discusses the value of electronic waste recycling and sustainability in Singapore.

Associate Professor of Humanities Winston Chow from SMU’s School of Social Sciences has researched on the areas of urban vulnerability to climate change; sustainability in urban climatology; and perceptions of environmental and climate change in tourism. In recent years, he has published papers on the impact of weather extremes on urban resilience to hydro-climate hazards and trans-boundary variations of urban drought vulnerability and its impact on water resource management in Singapore and Johor, Malaysia. In this podcast, Associate Professor Chow will discuss the continued economic growth of a city by adopting sustainable urban development measures.

Singapore is a small and open economy, with its economic growth highly dependent on international trade. With the momentum of global trade growth being buffeted by increased economic uncertainties and rising trade tensions, does Singapore’s position in the global value chains, or GVCs, stand it in good stead to navigate choppy waters ahead? In this podcast, Associate Professor of Economics and Lee Kong Chian Fellow Chang Pao-Li from the SMU School of Economics, discusses the key findings of her research jointly conducted with Phuong T. B. Nguyen, Postdoctoral Research Fellow from SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business. They evaluate how intensively the Singapore economy has participated in the GVCs, and characterise Singapore’s key upstream and downstream trade partners in the international production network. They also analyse the position of Singapore in the GVC, and how its position has shifted over the years. The pattern of Singapore’s position is compared with those of major regional exporters including China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the US, and the world as a whole.

As the effects of climate change continue to grow, the world is more aware than ever about the concept of being sustainable. Most people's entry point to sustainability consists of the ‘Three R’s’, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. The question is, what makes waste reusable and recyclable? And what role does informal labour have to play in this journey to sustainable living? In this podcast, Assistant Professor of Urban Studies (Education) at the Singapore Management University, Aidan Wong, explains his research on the value creation process within e-waste recycling networks, including the role of the karang guni, in Singapore and Malaysia. [About the SMU CP Podcast Series] SMU City Perspectives brings together researchers from Singapore Management University (SMU) for insightful conversations exploring the pivotal trends in digital transformation, growth in Asia, and sustainable living. Get inspired and discover solutions that will help you drive more impact in your work and shape the future of cities.

11/14/2024 - 6:30 PM - Venue: National Guard Armory

11/13/2024 - 3:00 PM - Venue: SRDA The Joseph H. Edwards Active Adult Center

11/13/2024 - 10:00 AM - Venue: Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum

I've never been to Greenland or the North Pole—but one of my guilty pleasures is investigating how I'd get there if I went. This week's #AntarcticLog is a product of this kind of woolgathering. 

The post #AntarcticLog: On the trail to science appeared first on The Plainspoken Scientist.

In recent days, multiple landslides have been triggered by intense rainfall in South Korea. killing many people.

Record heat, devastating storms, punishing drought. Our world continues to see the unrelenting impacts of climate change. It clearly requires urgent action but as the research community increasingly investigates climate intervention methods to address this challenge, we see an alarming lack of ethical guidance.   This is why, powered in partnership and driven by broad collaboration, AGU facilitated the Ethical Framework Principles for Climate Intervention Research. Through a two-year process that included an open …

The post Ethical Framework Aims to Counter Risks of Geoengineering Research appeared first on AGU Blogosphere.

Global warming has affected the entire planet’s surface, except for one particular area of the ocean, which until 2015 had bucked the trend. A research team has now unraveled what was going on.

The post Going against the trend appeared first on GeoSpace.

On Thursday, 25 July, the full Senate Appropriations Committee began marking up their spending bills for fiscal year (FY) 2025, starting with the Commerce-Justice-Science and Interior-Environment bills, which will be followed by the Energy-Water and Labor-HHS bills later this week. These bills collectively set the spending amounts for U.S. federal science agencies, including NASA, NOAA, NSF, USGS, EPA, the Department of Energy, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. …

The post Senate Aims to Preserve Scientific Progress in FY25 Spending Bills: Part 1 appeared first on The Bridge: Connecting Science and Policy.

In this Bridge post, continued from our Senate FY25 Appropriations Overview Part 1 blog, we’ll cover the Senate’s Interior-Environment, Energy-Water, and Labor-Health and Human Services (HHS) spending bills for fiscal year (FY) 2025—detailing relevant funding levels and sharing committee report highlights that impact the Earth and space sciences.   Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations bill and accompanying report.   United States Geological Survey (USGS) FY2024 President’s Budget Request FY2025 AGU Request FY2025 …

The post Senate Aims to Preserve Scientific Progress in FY25 Spending Bills: Part 2 appeared first on The Bridge: Connecting Science and Policy.

More than 19,000 people attended the events, which were held simultaneously at McCormick Place in Chicago Nov. 3-6. The Food Processing Suppliers Association (FPSA) and the International Dairy Foods Association say they will again co-locate these events in 2015.

Dairy companies and students were honored for innovation and new products.

The Food Processing Suppliers Association (FPSA), the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and NürnbergMesse today announced that registration and housing are now open...

The Food Processing Suppliers Association (FPSA) today announced the launch of the 2015 Defeat Hunger℠ campaign which is scheduled to run from the spring of 2015 through the last day of PROCESS EXPO, September 18th at Chicago’s McCormick Place.

Partnering with WMG, University of Warwick, Sustainable Packaging Technologies will lead efforts to commercialize FlexSea’s seaweed biopolymer material.

All three structures have been tested for recyclability according to the PTS RH 021/97 Cat II method.

Chile recently passed a law that will ban all single-use plastic in several fields. The industry has been searching for materials that are non-plastic but that still have all the characteristics of plastic.

The Alloyd Division of Sonoco has introduced its first, all-paper retail blister package. 

Collaboration includes sharing knowledge on packaging technologies to reduce the environmental burden.

The 105mm wipes canister is made with Altium’s Dura-Lite technology that uses 23% less plastic, and the disinfecting formula is made from citric acid-based botanicals.

We caught up with Darek Lewis, director of packaging for Veritiv, about innovations helping to bridge the sustainability gap with from-home shopping.

In this episode, we talk with Ron Basak-Smith, Co-Founder & CEO, and James Eichner, Co-Founder & CSO, of Sana Packaging — a sustainable packaging brand that designs and develops differentiated, sustainable and compliant cannabis packaging solutions for a circular economy by using 100% plant-based hemp plastic, 100% reclaimed ocean plastic and other sustainable materials.

From filling to sterilizing, flexible packaging must be handled differently than rigid containers.

Ries products are reusable, recyclable and made of earth-kind (and non-toxic) materials.

Leading manufacturer and supplier of rigid plastic-molded packaging products seeks to use M&A as a strategic tool to drive inorganic growth – as a complement to continued organic growth – with the goal of doubling sales by 2030.

The new TamperFlag rigid containers, made by Novolex brand Waddington North America (WNA), feature a tamper-evident “flag” that pops up and stays raised once opened. The feature alerts consumers that the container has been unsealed.

Despite the steady drumbeat of “less is more” when it comes to packaging, Eldon Schaffer of TekniPlex Consumer Products makes a case for the continued use of container liners, citing several of their invaluable contributions.

Businesses are seeking innovative ways to reduce their environmental impact and invest in sustainability. A Gartner survey found that 87% of business leaders plan to increase their sustainability investment in the next two years. There is pressure from investors, supply chains, and consumers to make more sustainable decisions.

This annual awards program recognizes leaders across the healthcare industry who are embracing and driving sustainability throughout the packaging lifecycle.

The bio-based medical-grade PVC compounds utilize resins and plasticizers manufactured with renewable energy and bio-attributed classification. 

This innovative film concept is seen as a pioneering packaging solution for solid pharmaceutical products or nutraceuticals. 

These new grades offer a significant moment for cosmetic industry packaging as well as the plastics industry.

Businesses can order quantities as low as 5,000 pieces, providing an ideal solution for start-up operations, SMEs, and new product development trials.

Improved rating – from Gold to Platinum – validates the company’s business sustainability commitment and performance.

Available in sizes from one to 30 liters, Politainer comprises a polyethylene container held within a sturdy cardboard outer.

The event is expected to attract more than 70,000 visitors and 2,000 exhibitors, making it an excellent opportunity to connect with industry leaders and explore the latest developments in the Middle East’s beauty industry.

The Better With Less – Design Challenge had an international jury including packaging design experts from various fields related to packaging, design, brand strategy and innovation. After the judging concluded and the finalists chosen, a roundtable panel discussed what they saw as well as the challenges facing the packaging community.

The new packaging for toilet cleaners is made with less plastic and more recycled material.

Targeted plastic placement results in a lighter, stronger container that maximizes performance and minimizes environmental impact.

Packaging Recycling Summit, September 16–18 in Anaheim, Calif., features a multi-day educational program for all stakeholders in packaging’s circular supply chain.

Bubble cushioning, inflatable air pillows and bubble mailers supplied by Sealed Air all include recycled content.

The Home Depot has spent the past several years reducing waste by eliminating hard-to-recycle materials, and those efforts continue.