Nov 18 2008
Story of Stuff
This is a great video giving a non-technical and entertaining explanation on how our “materials economy” is incomplete and based on unsustainable principles:
Archive for the 'Environment' Category
Nov 15 2008
GreenBiz Feed
The Case Against the Case Against CSR
Contrary to a recent opinion article in the Wall Street Journal, corporate social responsibility is not only a good idea but -- like breathing -- somewhat necessary.
A Call for Serious Debate and Action on Our Energy Future
Contemporary energy security demands a mixed basket of energy sources. A move from the current carbon energy usage, to a more balanced energy portfolio, delivers this as well as opening up almost unlimited business opportunities and a pathway to creating thousands of green jobs.
Ford Opts for Liquid Cooling to Maximize Battery Life
Ford Motor Company's all-electric Focus will use liquid instead of air to cool and heat the car battery in order to maximize the battery's life and driving range.
Banks Back Away from Financing Mountain Top Removal
The environmentally destructive coal mining practice, for years a target of shareowner activists, faces new regulatory restrictions and limited financing from major banks.
Fairground Dung and Leftovers Tested in Waste-to-Energy Project
Which waste is the best to convert to energy -- animal dung or leftover funnel cakes, corn dogs, cotton candy and other fairground favorites? That's what a Midwest scientist and a group of researchers are exploring at the Minnesota State Fair.
Burger King Drops Controversial Palm Oil Supplier
Burger King has become the latest company to stop buying palm oil from Sinar Mas, an embattled Indonesian company its critics accuse of deforestation.
Marketing to Consumers: Don't Think Green
In most cases, brands and organizations should have long since crossed the line from needing to point out their green-ness to working to integrate it throughout their operations.
Climate Risks That Every Executive Should Know About
When it comes to a company’s impact on climate change, does directors and officers insurance cover executives? While companies say yes, the insurance industry is saying no. We’re talking millions -- perhaps billions -- in legal liability here, so someone will end up holding the bag.
eBay Gives Away 100K Reusable Green Shipping Boxes to Sellers
The company's latest green initiative encourages sellers to reuse shipping boxes made of recycled materials as a way of promoting greener shipping methods.
ComEd Creates 'Smart Grid Innovation' Corridor Near Chicago
The company, a subsidiary of utility giant Exelon, launched what it is calling a "Smart Grid Innovation Corridor" in 10 Northern Illinois communities where there are already smart meters installed in 130,000 homes. Five pilot tests will take place in the corridor, using the smart meter technology as the foundation.
Nescafé Targets Coffee Sustainability with $350M Investment
Nestlé is investing nearly $350 million over the next decade to expand its reach into sustainable coffee farming, make its factories more efficient and reduce its packaging. Beyond the Cup: The Nescafe Plan is the company's global project that adds onto the nearly $200 million already spent on coffee project in previous years.
Spotlighting the Green Benefits of LEDs
Since the first humans carried a torch to provide light, heat has been a by-product of producing light. Traditional electric lights give off more heat than light. But LEDs are twice as efficient as fluorescents at converting electricity to light, generate very little heat, are nearly maintenance free and provide a high quality of light. So what's standing in the way of their broad adoption?
Why We're Asking the Wrong Questions on Cap-and-Trade
Instead of asking how much cap-and-trade will cost, we should be asking how much it saves us. The glacier in the room is that the real costs won't come from cap-and-trade, but from climate change itself.
How the Fate of PACE Could Influence the Clean Energy Economy
PACE financing is a potentially revolutionary way to retrofit commercial, residential, and industrial properties with energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. The program overcomes one of the largest hurdles to investment in clean energy -- the upfront cost. This post, the first of a three-part series, looks at how the fate of PACE programs could determine the future of the clean energy economy.
New Rainforest Alliance Standard Targets Cattle Farming
The Rainforest Alliance has launched a new certification aimed at helping cattle farms improve their environmental and social performance.
How the FTC Will Tame the 'Wild West' of Green Marketing
The Federal Trade Commission's forthcoming 'green guides' for making environmental claims promise to shake up how green -- and not-so-green -- products promote themselves. Here are four things you need to know.
Concerns Arise Over Sudden Changes to Calif. Chemical Review Panel
Five of the nine members on a panel that reviews chemicals and helped get diesel emissions labeled as toxic have been dismissed. Those that have been hoping to see turnover on the panel say it's a matter of putting in fresh eyes, while others feel the sudden changes are a result of pressure from industrial interests and will harm the panel's credibility and effectiveness.
'Dry Water' Could Make Commercial Waves in Storing Carbon
U.K. scientists have unveiled a super powder called 'dry water' which could help tackle global warming by storing carbon dioxide.
U.N. Climate Change Panel Gets Tips to Boost Credibility
The InterAcademy Council recommends that IPCC improve review processes and transparency in wake of attacks on climate science.
EPA Unveils New Grading System for Fuel Efficient Vehicles
The Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have proposed new fuel economy labels for cars and light trucks that will score each vehicle with a grade from A+ to D, aiming to encourage adoption of more fuel-efficient vehicles.
Climate Corps 2010: A Search for Leaks Lands Savvis $6M in Savings
A blast of cool air far away from the servers in a Savvis data center triggered a hunt for iar leaks and ended with the discovery of $6 million in savings
UL Acquires TerraChoice in Green Standard Consolidation
ULC Standards, part of the Underwriters Laboratories family of companies, has acquired the managers of Canada's EcoLogo program in a move that will expand both group's reach in the universe of green certifications.
Staying Sane for Sustainability's Sake
As we approach what will be for many in the U.S. a long, vacation-filled weekend, it's time to reflect on something those leading the sustainability movement need more than almost anything else: Some down time.
France Injects $1.7B Into Renewables, Green Chemistry, Carbon Capture
France's Environment and Energy Management Agency has launched a program to pump €1.35 billion ($1.71 billion) into green chemistry, solar and other renewable power, biofuel and carbon capture and storage research.
SF Hits Waste-Reduction Target Two Years Early
Recycling and composting helped San Francisco divert 77 percent of its garbage from landfills in 2008, which it hailed as a national record and the highest of any city in the U.S.
TVA Outlines Plans for Idling Coal-Fired Units
The Tennessee Valley Authority plans to begin idling nine coal-fired power generation units in the next fiscal year as it moves toward cleaner sources of energy.
10 Must-Answer Questions When Mulling Third-Party Certification
Is third-party certification right for your company's products or processes? It's essential to consider your firm's requirements, impacts and capacities. Here are 10 questions that will help you focus when mulling whether to pursue certification.
The View from the C-Suite: Diversey's Ed Lonergan
Diversey President & CEO Ed Lonergan talks about the Johnson family legacy of sustainability; innovations that save water, energy and labor; and how his team has reinvented his first summer job: waxing grocery store floors.
Climate Corps 2010: Four Ways to Plug in PC Power Management
Simple steps, such as power management software and using available green ratings can lead to big savings in energy and money for companies large and small.
How Can 'Power IT Down Day' Help Your Company Save Money?
Today is Power IT Down Day, a global effort to get workers to turn off their computers, monitors, printers and other peripherals before they go home. And though it may be a small action to take, the rewards are potentially huge.
German Army Enlists Johnson Controls to Boost Energy Efficiency
As the U.S. military musters efforts to lighten its environmental bootprint, the German Army also is striving to march down a green path and has enlisted Johnson Controls Inc. to retrofit the Oranienstein base in Diez.
Selling Sustainability to Whiskey Drinkers
If I were to say, "Quick -- name five green products!" I'm betting Jack Daniels wouldn't be at the top of your list. It should be.
NEC Makes Cashew-Based Bioplastic for Electronics
Electronics company NEC has developed a bioplastic made with an extract from cashew nut shells and plant cellulose that is twice as strong as another bioplastic typically made from corn starch.
Minding the Sustainability GAAP
Limited transparency around corporate sustainability risks can lead to investments that are bad for the environment, and investors’ bottom lines.
U.K. Waste Company Adds Plastic Trucks to Its Fleet
A waste firm will introduce plastic vehicles to its fleet which are lighter than traditional trucks and could each save up to 11 tonnes of carbon a year.
Employees Losing Confidence in Companies' Green Commitments
The monthly Green Confidence Index shows that employers are losing ground among major institutions' green commitments , while confidence in other institutions is holding steady.
Recovery Act Keeps U.S. on Clean Energy Path
The Recovery Act has kept the country on track to halve the cost of solar power and has helped lay the foundation to double renewable energy generation and renewable equipment manufacturing in the U.S., according to a White House report.
Climate Corps 2010: Shining a Light on Energy Savings
A little knowledge on lighting goes a long way. EDF Climate Corps fellow Sarah Will has helped REi identify almost $900,000 in potential energy savings, and lighting improvements account for a big chunk of the money. Now she can’t help eyeing commercial lighting wherever she goes and contemplating possible savings.
How Businesses Can Plan for the Unpredictability of Climate Change
While climate science provides evidence of general trends, we are still a long way from predicting specific climate events. In lieu of precise predictions, a key to effectively managing the physical effects of climate change is preparedness: developing literacy, identifying plausible impacts, evaluating priorities, and building resilience.
10 Ways to Make Your Message Resonate with Green Consumers
So many businesses want to jump on the green bandwagon -- but too often there’s a lot of room for improvement in the ways they focus their messaging. Effective green messaging successfully combines education with marketing. Here are 10 guideposts for formulating those dual-purpose messages.
Shooting the Messenger Over CSR -- Again
While legitimate criticism of corporate responsibility is healthy and welcome, suggesting it will destroy the free enterprise system is nothing more than hyperbole.
Four CSR Myths Debunked
Whether out of ignorance or malevolence, two recent op-eds in major daily newspapers have cast a critical eye on CSR as a tool for good. But there can be no doubt about the benefits responsible companies bring to people and the planet.
NextEra Credits Renewable Energy for Small Carbon Footprint
The electric utility formerly known as FPL Group has one of the industry's smallest carbon footprints due to a steady shift to low-carbon sources since the 1990s.
Cintas' Recyclable Shirt Made from Plastic Bottles, 'Eco-Charcoal'
Used Full Circle Eco Polo shirts can be sent back to the company to be repurposed for other uses, which Cintas said is new for the uniform market.
How Shoddy Chemical Regulations Hurt U.S. Businesses
Successful and responsible business owners support new U.S. chemicals laws because they know that they will support innovation and a marketplace with integrity, transparency and safe products, which will give U.S. businesses a competitive advantage.
How to Move Green IT From Defense to Offense
The industry is by and large playing a defensive tactic of improving its energy efficiency, while failing to take advantage of the coming huge market opportunities like the smart grid, which use IT for green.
Rechargeable Fabric Batteries to Charge the Army of the Future
A team working on lithium-ion battery technologies that can be poured into any shape or woven into fabrics reported progress in using a non-harmful virus to develop high-efficiency rechargeable batteries for military use.
The Perils of Oversimplifying CSR
An article laying out a case against corporate social responsibility has prompted a swift response from a former sustainabilty chief for a major Silicon Valley firm.
Kyocera's Edible 'Green Curtains' Take a Bite Out of Energy Use
Kyocera Group has planted edible "green curtains" stretching thousands of feet across facilities in Japan, Thailand and Brazil in a bid to keep its buildings cool and greenhouse gas emissions low.
Plan Seeks 100 Pct Renewable Energy in Australia in Ten Years
A report from Beyond Zero Emissions asserts that Australia's energy needs can be fully met by renewable sources within 10 years with technologies that are already available.
Royal Caribbean Charts Incremental Progress on Cruise Ship Impacts
Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited, the world's second largest cruise operator, has cut fuel consumption by about 4 percent with better designed ships, smarter sailing practices and energy efficiency measures that include installing solar window film in every ship in the fleet.
Climate Corps 2010: News Corp Cleans Up with Telepresence, Lighting Retrofit
In his final filing from the 2010 class of EDF's Climate Corps, Jonathan Stone looks at the successes from his 10-week fellowship at News Corp.
Are Chemical Companies Gaming the Carbon Credit System?
A controversy is brewing over whether some chemical companies are abusing a program that gives them carbon credit revenues for destroying a potent greenhouse gas created as a by-product in their operations.
Shrinking Packages Help Dell Cut Material Use by Nearly 9M Pounds
Dell has reduced its packaging by 8.7 million pounds in the past year, neared its goal to add more recycled content and is well over halfway to making the majority of its packaging recyclable in most places.
Is Your Product Good for the Climate? Here's How to Prove It
Rigorous environmental product declarations are relatively new in the U.S., and Bekaert Specialty Films is among the early adopters of the practice. BSF completed a climate declaration with the lifecycle analyses of 32 of its solar window films.
