Earth Profit
News
November 16, 2008
- useful social media tools: interview with Francisco Dao
Here is a link to the interview on social media I conducted for my television show. Francisco Dao covers technology and emerging trends and buzz for Fast Company and Inc. publications.
(The first episode of Bizness Insider is scheduled to air on cable in Pasadena, Burbank, Hollywood, Arcadia, Monrovia)
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source: (4 entrepreneur) - Patagonia’s Ongoing Recycling Program
The goal of Patagonia’s Common Threads program is to sell only recycled and recyclable products by 2010. It’s becoming a difficult challenge
The idea seems so simple. Why can’t apparel be as recyclable as, say, plastic bottles or newspapers? After all, many garments hang around in closets long past the point when anyone wants to wear them, only to wind up in landfills.
Patagonia has spent years tackling this problem—and is making progress. As of this fall, the outdoor clothing company has taken back 12,000 kilograms of clothing to be recycled. Some 47% of Patagonia’s products are recyclable today. And the goal is to boost that to 100% by 2010, meaning everything from luggage to ski parkas will be both recyclable and made from recycled materials. But experts inside and outside the company say that to hit the new target, Patagonia has to overcome daunting technical challenges.
Patagonia’s efforts date back to 2005, when it launched Common Threads, the first global recycling program for apparel. The company began with modest goals. It asked people to mail in or drop off at stores used Capilene brand underwear made from polyester. Patagonia was able to recycle these goods into new “base layer” shirts and pullovers. Encouraged by customer feedback and partnerships with clothing recyclers, it expanded the program to include organic cottons and fleece polyester products.
It’s true that recycling cottons and polyesters adds to costs. But Patagonia executives say prosperity shouldn’t come at the expense of the environment. And besides, they say, there is an economic payoff in the end: Using recycled polyester to produce goods that are recyclable reduces waste and leads to a 76% reduction in energy use, compared to identical processes that rely on new polyester. “The idea is to take responsibility for our products at the end of their lives,” says Jill Dumain, director for environmental analysis at Patagonia.
Closed Loop Systems
And yet, as the retailer grows more ambitious in recycling, the hurdles get higher. The buzzwords in this area are “closed loop systems” and “cradle-to-cradle” design. Popularized by environmental architect and design guru William McDonough, these terms express the goal of turning castoff goods and industrial waste into new products that are just as desirable as the original goods. For example, rather than fuse plastic bottles into building materials that will wind up in landfills, the producer might turn old plastic bottles into material for new plastic bottles. That way, raw resources aren’t needed to produce the same amount of goods. Environmentalists find this idea inspiring. But pioneers in the green business sector say closed loop systems are very much works in progress.
Patagonia realized that, in order to increase the supply of recycled materials for its own products, it needed to get other big apparel companies onto the same page. About two years ago, it teamed up with two of its biggest competitors, REI and Timberland (TBL), to discuss reducing all the companies’ environmental “footprints” through recycling and other methods. “We view this as a collective challenge,” says Kevin Myette, director of product integrity at REI. “Patagonia gets a lot of credit, but for this to move ahead it has to be a group effort.”
Nothing highlights the challenges better than Patagonia’s struggles with nylon, the fabric used in 15% to 20% of Patagonia’s goods, from yoga gear to ski pants. Nylon turns out to be a real stumper. When Patagonia began looking at recyclable and recycled nylon, the one producer that could meet its requirements was Toray, a Japanese textile maker. But having just one supplier proved problematic.
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Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite
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source: (4 entrepreneur)
November 15, 2008
- The Call of the (Green) Entrepreneur
This story contains additional media. Click here to view the media.
Bad economy got you down? If you’re looking for some inspiration, this trailer for a new documentary might just do the trick. Often down economy’s are the best time to start a new business -especially a green one.
According to McKinsey: “most companies in most sectors have profitable opportunities to save money by cutting energy consumption and gas emissions. Our studies indicate that a lot of companies can reduce them by 20 to 50 percent.”
Read more of this story - about 1 month
source: (Ecopreneurist) - Obama’s latest online innovation
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source: (4 entrepreneur) - Looking For Eco Customer Gifts? Try Bamboo
This is a guest post by John Simonetta, owner of ProformaGreen, an eco-friendly promotional items consultancy. John’s blogs are designed to keep us up to date on the “greening” of his industry.
A number of clients and readers have asked us about ideas for eco-friendly customer gifts - it’s the season after all. I wanted to write a couple of posts talking about items that have done well in the past for clients or that are new for this year and doing well so far.
I also wanted to break this blog into categories so I will start out with BAMBOO.
Top 3 Bamboo Ideas.
1) Flash Drives - Bamboo flash drives, along with their less green brethren in maple, cherry and walnut have been very popular as client gifts this year. At about $9.50 for a 1GB drive with your company or organization’s logo they are a low cost high perceived-value gift. Some clients have gotten very creative and recorded greetings or short videos to their customers and placed them directly on the drives. Again, no one ever throws away a flash drive, they are very useful for office and home, business and recreation.
Read more of this story - about 1 month
source: (Ecopreneurist)
November 14, 2008
- Dell Partners With Staples On In-Store Recycling Program
Dell announced that it will be extending its free recycling program to 1,500 U.S. Staples’ stores, and will be accepting Dell branded computers, printers, monitors and peripheral items.
Dell’s new service expands Staples’ current in-store recycling program. Staples is a member of the EPA’s Plug-in to eCycling Partnership.
Eco International will handle the recycling of equipment, following [...]- about 1 month
source: (Environmental Leader) - HK Companies Top CSR Disclosure Among Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand
The CSR Asia Business Barometer 2008 (PDF) - which compares the corporate social responsibility disclosure of the 20 largest listed companies in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand – found that companies listed in Hong Kong demonstrated a superior quality of CSR disclosure across all of the report’s six indicator sections (company codes and policies; [...]- about 1 month
source: (Environmental Leader) - RecycleBank Expands Operations
RecycleBank announced it is expanding its operations and is partnering with waste haulers, material recovery facilities and municipalities to bring rewards for recycling to local residents.
The company plans to launch its recycling rewards program in Montgomery, OH, Sioux Falls, SD, Eden Prairie and Maple Grove, MN, Carrollton and Plano, TX, North Miami, FL, Wichita, KS, [...]- about 1 month
source: (Environmental Leader) - Alternative Energy Use For Manufacturers Promising, Cost Still A Hurdle
James Lee, an associate professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology, recently spoke with IndustryWeek about the pros and cons of alternative energy use in manufacturing.
Lee says that manufacturers are investing in combined heat and power systems that allow them to produce electricity directly from biofuels, hydrogen and solid municipal wastes. Companies are also burning [...]- about 1 month
source: (Environmental Leader) - Crisis Wire – Stay Informed During A Catastrophe
I just found about this new tool as the fires burned in Santa Barbara. And when I say, “brand new’, I mean it launched yesterday. Crisiswire’s goal is:
CrisisWire.com gathers information about crises. This site is contains real-time info about what’s happening during a crisis.
A bit brief right now, but hey, they’ve been up less than 24 hours. Let’s give them a break. Here’s the basic concept as I found out on Mashable, from site founder Nate Ritter:
“During a disaster people spend valuable time searching the Internet and waiting for the media to report on their city, their neighborhood, their street,” Nate told us. “While main stream media serves a vital role during disasters, it is impossible to update the population on everything that is happening during a crisis.”
From a green and social responsibility standpoint, this is important news if it takes off. Each year disasters claim hundreds of thousands of homes, wilderness, animal habitats and businesses. This may turn out to be the best early response system we will have. Already MSM news sources are using it to update their reports.
Read more of this story - about 1 month
source: (Ecopreneurist) - Downturn In Market Equals Downturn In Recyclables
As the global economy slows down, demand for recyclables is also dragging. This has caused scrap dealers from Sacramento to San Diego to stockpile collections and some even charge walk-in customers for their throwaways, according to the Sacramento Bee. It’s not isolated to California either - reports are coming in from around the country, including [...]- about 1 month
source: (Environmental Leader) - Green Jobs On The Rise
Sustainability initiatives are leading to the rise of the environmental manager, the Independent reports.
Russell Foster, chief executive of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment, told the Independent that “there are more and more people getting into the environment as a career and more and more companies realizing they have to do more to demonstrate [...]- about 1 month
source: (Environmental Leader) - GreenBacks #3
The third post in a comic series about business and the environment. Click to enlarge.
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source: (Ecopreneurist)
November 13, 2008
- FedEx Cuts Aircraft Emissions, Increases Vehicle Fuel Efficiency
FedEx released its 2008 Global Citizenship Report (PDF) and announced that it plans to reduce aircraft emissions and increase vehicle fuel efficiency by 20 percent over the next 12 years.
FedEx reported it reduced aircraft CO2 emissions by 3.7 percent per available ton mile over the past three years. The company also announced that it has [...]- about 1 month
source: (Environmental Leader) - Most Efficient Data Center - The One That’s Not Built
Kenneth Brill, executive director of the Uptime Institute, told the New York Times that companies should build fewer data centers during tough times, and that the most efficient data center is the one that a company decides it doesn’t need to build.
A new study from the institute estimates that behind every $2,500 server for a [...]- about 1 month
source: (Environmental Leader) - Carbon Capture And Storage Faces Hurdles
European regulatory and financial support has allowed it to push ahead with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. But the technology is facing economic hurdles and criticism from environmentalist, who say CCS is being used to justify building inefficient coal-fired power stations, BusinessWeek reports.
European companies are at the forefront of CCS development. If they can [...]- about 1 month
source: (Environmental Leader) - Environmentalists Say IUCN Risking Reputation For Corporate Donations
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature is increasingly turning to corporate donors for more of their funding. The organization projects that the percentage of funding from the private sector will jump from 7.7 percent in 2009 to 11.9 percent in 2012. But several grassroots groups say the relationship allows companies to greenwash their [...]- about 1 month
source: (Environmental Leader) - Greenpeace: Certified ‘Sustainable Palm Oil’ Not Eco-Friendly
Greenpeace said the first shipload of palm oil certified as “sustainable oil” from United Plantations, does not meet the criteria set for an environmentally friendly product. Greenpeace says the company does not comply with local Indonesian laws that protect the environment and has land conflicts with locals.
United Plantations is the first company to receive the [...]- about 1 month
source: (Environmental Leader) - EcoDrive: A Backseat Driver With the Planet and Your Pocketbook in Mind
When I say the name Fiat, what comes to mind? If you’re American, the words, “Fix It Again, Tony” may come to mind, recalling the days when Fiats were a more common sight on these shores, and had a less than stellar reputation for reliability. But if you’re in Europe, a very different set of words may come to mind: Efficient. Stylish. Innovative.Really?
Yes. The latest example of that is EcoDrive. What is it, aside from a catchy name? It’s an application that analyzes how you drive, and tells you how you can improve it. This backseat driver has a motivation: Helping you save gas, money, and reduce emissions, on vehicles whose average CO2 emissions are the lowest in Europe.
How?
Read more of this story - about 1 month
source: (Ecopreneurist) - NY Times Building Cuts Lighting Energy Needs 70%
The New York Times Building is seeing a 70 percent energy savings in lighting with the installation of a Lutron Electronics’ Quantum lighting management system. The energy savings are expected to save the Times Company about $315,000 annually and avoid about 1,250 metric tons of CO2 emissions each year.
“We designed our building to use 1.28 [...]- about 1 month
source: (Environmental Leader)