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Dell has launched a long-term Zero Carbon Initiative that, according to the company, will maximize the energy efficiency of its products and offset their carbon impact over time.

The company has also committed to reducing the carbon intensity of its global operations by 15 percent by 2012 and has extended its "Plant a Tree for Me" program to Europe, allowing computer users to offset the emissions associated with the electricity their computers use. Dell will donate the funds it collects to plant trees in professionally managed reforestation projects.

Dell is also asking customers for their ideas to build the "greenest PC on the planet." More information is available at Dell’s IdeaStorm Web site, www.ideastorm.com.

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All of the sculptures in the competition are made from scrap metal from American Iron’s yard. Contestants are allowed one hour to select their raw materials from the yard and have five weeks to create their artwork.

Entries were on display in downtown Minneapolis at Nicollet Mall July 17 and 18. The juried competition is held in conjunction with the Minneapolis Aquatennial celebration.

The winning artists in the large sculpture category were:

The winning artists in the small sculpture category were:

More information is available online at www.scrappy.com.

OfficeMax Inc., based in Naperville, Ill., has launched a new recycling program through its MaxPerks membership program.

The OfficeMax MaxPerks Recycling Program provides customers with a system to collect and redeem recyclable office items, such as used ink and toner cartridges and cell phones with rechargeable batteries. After enrolling in the program, customers can select a recycling container size that best fits their needs and it will be shipped to them at no cost. When a full container is returned, a new container is automatically shipped to the customer.

For every qualified ink cartridge and cell phone with a battery returned to OfficeMax, customers will earn a $3 reward in their MaxPerks accounts. The MaxPerks online tracking feature provides a record for each return and redemption, which is, according to the company, particularly beneficial for business accounting or fund raising activities that require regularly updated results.

Through its retail store recycling program, OfficeMax has already collected and remanufactured more than 13 million ink cartridges since 2005. But cartridge recycling is just one component of the complete OfficeMax ink solution. OfficeMax claims it is the first office product retailer to provide an ink cartridge refill service, using a state-of-the-art computerized kiosk that analyzes cartridge quality and print performance. When customers recycle their used printer cartridges at one of OfficeMax’s retail stores, the company provides a $3 instant discount on any in-store purchase.