Earth Profit
News
November 12, 2008
- Marketplace Radio Show Wants to Hear from Green Businesses
Marketplace Radio wants to hear from green business owners about how they are doing in the down economy. Looking at their Web survey form, it seems that they are looking for companies to feature in stories as much as they are in taking the pulse of green business at the moment.Perhaps it is an opportunity to get some publicity for your business.
Regardless of whether you are able to get any free PR, by participating, you will also be contributing to a discussion about issues that may be critical to your green business’ success.And, Ecopreneurist will watch/listen for the resulting story(ies) on Marketplace and will post here with some ideas on what green businesses can do to not just survive but to thrive in challenging times.
* * To participate in Marketplace’s survey, click here. * *
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source: (Ecopreneurist)
November 11, 2008
- Incite / Insight Event on Green Design in Chicago
AIGA Chicago is organizing an event called Incite / Insight 2008: Addressing the significance of green design, November 20 in Chicago. AIGA, the professional association for design, is the oldest and largest professional membership organization for graphic & communications design. The organization has been at the forefront of promoting the shift to sustainable design practices through their Center for Sustainable Design.Green business owners are realizing that green marketing and design is a business asset that’s here to stay as momentum in the green movement builds. The graphic design industry is responding by opening more and more dialogues about sustainability and greening their practices. In this vein, Incite / Insight 2008 in Chicago focuses on the importance of green design.
Read more of this story - about 1 month
source: (Ecopreneurist) - Building a Virtually Integrated Life Sciences Company
The traditional business model dominating the pharmaceutical industry for over 100 years is rapidly eroding under new drivers for innovation and increasing financial pressures. Big Pharma as an integrated business from basic scientific research all the way through to marketing, manufacturing, and distribution is rapidly changing as more biotechnology innovation is coming straight from the laboratories of universities and independent research institutions. Smaller companies, often startups, are also using technologies developed at non-profit institutions to develop new lead compounds, new manufacturing methodologies, and new drug delivery vehicles, rather than invest in their own in-house early stage research.
Financing, too, can be a serious challenge. The almost total absence of an initial public offering market requires that venture capital firms reserve money for later rounds and require companies in which they do invest to make that money last much longer than before. Accordingly, today’s biotech companies need to build a company around their core strengths and forge relationships with other businesses that provide complementary goods and services in order to conserve resources. The result is no longer the Fully Integrated Pharmaceutical Company, but really more of a Virtually Integrated Pharmaceutical Company. Moreover, this model is being used, not just for pharmaceuticals, but for a wide variety of life science products and services, including diagnostics and devices.
The December 6, 2008 session of the Caltech/MIT Enterprise Forum will focus on the new business model for the biotechnology entrepreneur. What is the essential core of a life sciences business? What parts of the business can be delegated to others? How, and when, does the fledgling company develop relationships with other companies with complementary strengths? What are the nature of the relationships between new companies and the large life sciences companies? Which relationships are advantageous and which are potentially dangerous? Even more important, who invests in these virtual companies and what criteria are they using?
Our panel of speakers will include representatives of two different kinds of research institution, a contract manufacturers, a clinical research organization, a pharmaceutical company, and the venture capital community.Date
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Saturday morning, December 6, 2008
Location
Registration and Continental Breakfast: 8:00 a.m. at Baxter Hall, Caltech
Program: 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Baxter Lecture Hall
Networking: 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon at Baxter Hall, Caltech
Directions/Maps: Directions to the Forum; Caltech’s Interactive Map
source: (4 entrepreneur) - Nexamp Says Corporate Office Is ‘Beyond Zero Net-Energy’
Nexamp Inc. recently completed green energy upgrades at its corporate office in the East Mill building, in Massachusetts. The company says the green improvements make the office a “beyond zero net-energy” workplace.
The upgrade includes a 67-kilowatt solar system designed and installed by Nexamp, which the company says generates about 200 percent of the power needed [...]- about 1 month
source: (Environmental Leader) - Carlson Hotels Issues Guide On Greening Hotels
Carlson Hotels Worldwide recently issued its “Practical Guide to Greening Your Hotel,” which outlines the hotelier’s sustainability strategies and steps towards environmental responsibility.
The hotelier says it is focusing on specific issues such as reducing, recycling and reusing solid waste; reducing the use of harmful chemicals, conserving energy and water; and improving indoor air quality.
According to [...]- about 1 month
source: (Environmental Leader) - ICT Industry Slow To Embrace Low Carbon Economy
According to a study by Gartner and the World Wide Fund for Nature, the information and communication technology industry has been slow to embrace the low carbon economy and are missing out on opportunities.
Gartner and the World Wide Fund for Nature invited 24 global ICT providers to participate in a five- section study on their [...]- about 1 month
source: (Environmental Leader) - Japan’s Emissions Almost 10% Above 1990 Levels
According to Japanese government data, the country’s CO2 emissions from energy production rose 2.7 percent last year, totaling 1.2 billion metric tons. Energy-related CO2 emissions account for nearly 90 percent of Japan’s overall GHG emissions. This means total emissions last year are expected rise 2 to 3 percent, putting the nation’s total emissions almost 10 [...]- about 1 month
source: (Environmental Leader) - Lack of Executive Sponsorship, Accountability Hurt Green Programs
Nearly 77 percent of respondents to a recent HydroPoint Data Systems Green Leaders survey believe that environmental issues pose an economic threat to their businesses. As a result, more than two thirds of companies are moving forward to implement a range of conservation practices that they believe will lead to significant financial and environmental gains.
The [...]- about 1 month
source: (Environmental Leader) - E-Waste Recycler Refutes Damaging ‘Electronic Wasteland’ Report
Colorado e-waste recycler Executive Recycling markets itself as recycling e-waste in the U.S. in an environmentally correct way, but according to a 60 Minutes investigation, The Electronic Wasteland, the company actually ships some e-waste to China, where it gets dumped. This practice has been banned by the EPA.
In response, Executive Recycling has posted on [...]- about 1 month
source: (Environmental Leader) - Wal-Mart To Expand Packaging Scorecard Despite Economy
At the Pack Expo 2008, Wal-Mart announced that it plans to expand its commitment to packaging source reduction and its Packaging Scorecard, despite a downturn in the economy, Packworld.com reports.
Wal-Mart plans to roll out its Packaging Scorecard at most of its international locations in 2010. The time frame for rollout in the U.K. and Argentina [...]- about 1 month
source: (Environmental Leader) - Xerox Cut GHG Emissions 21% Since 2002
Xerox Corp. released its 2008 Report on Global Citizenship, and announced that it has achieved a 21 percent worldwide reduction in GHG emissions since 2002. The company says it’s well on the way to achieving a 25 percent reduction in GHG emissions by 2012.
Between 2002 and 2007, the company reported a 19 percent reduction in [...]- about 1 month
source: (Environmental Leader) - Haigh’s Chocolates Launches Biodegradable Packaging
Haigh’s Chocolates announced that its White Ballotins Chocolate Box will now be packaged in Plantic trays, a biodegradable packaging from Plantic Technologies Limited (PDF).
The company says these Plantic trays are made from non-GM corn starch and have about 85 percent renewable bio-content. The trays are also fully biodegradable, water dispersible, home compostable and meet European [...]- about 1 month
source: (Environmental Leader) - Xerox Details Its Environmental Ups and Downs
In its latest global citizenship report, Xerox shows where it's making progress on environmental issues and how it's designing equipment to last longer.
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source: (GreenBiz.com Green Business News) - Wells Fargo Financing of Green Buildings Gallops Beyond $2 Billion
Wells Fargo & Company has doubled its commitment to high performance, LEED-certified buildings in the past 19 months, bringing its total financing of green structures to more than $2 billion, the firm said today.
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source: (GreenBiz.com Green Business News) - Clean Tech Open 2008 Tees Up Six Winning Startups
Startups ranging from a firm that helps data centers operate with greater energy efficiency to a maker of "high performance, consumer friendly diapers" are among the six winners of the 2008 California Clean Tech Open.
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source: (GreenBiz.com Green Business News)
November 10, 2008
- Corporate Responsibility Budgets Decreasing
While 43 percent of respondents to the BSR/Cone 2008 Corporate Responsibility survey say their corporate responsibility budget will stay the same in the face of the current economic conditions, 31 percent say it will decrease and 26 percent say it’s too early to determine.Still, 77 percent remain optimistic that global business will embrace responsible business [...]- about 1 month
source: (Environmental Leader) - Green On Display At International Housewares Show
Reduced product packaging, energy conservation, and recycling were on center stage at the 2008 International Housewares Show.- about 1 month
source: (Environmental Leader) - 100% Organic Caps with Eco-Friendly Screen Printing
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.
Proforma Green got our samples in today of the new 8650 V Natural™ Organic Cap by Vitronic Promotional Group, one of our manufacturers.
These caps are great. The 8650 V is a casual unstructured cap made from 100% organic cotton with a Velcro closure and a 3.25″ crown.
The bonus is that they come in multiple colors - Green, Natural (as shown), Soft Blue, Soft Pink and Soft Yellow - and Vitronic can use a sustainable process for dyeing and finishing on these 100% organic cotton caps, so you can show your commitment to the environment.
Read more of this story - about 1 month
source: (Ecopreneurist) - Tesco Signs Lighting Retrofit Deal with Nualight
Tesco announced that it has signed a deal with Nualight to implement energy saving LED lighting products in its stores in Ireland. The deal’s worth approximately $1.27 million
Nualight will retrofit 111 Tesco’s Ireland stores with its Vantium Proto products in all doors in the frozen display cases. The retrofit is expected to save Tesco about [...]- about 1 month
source: (Environmental Leader) - Mass. Plans ‘Emission Performance Label’ For New Cars
The Massachusetts’ Department of Environmental Protection is proposing plans to require all new cars, beginning with the 2010 models, to bear a “Emission Performance Label.” The sticker aims to help consumer identify new vehicles’ smog and GHG emissions.
The label, which is identical to the one developed by California, scores each vehicle’s smog and global warming [...]- about 1 month
source: (Environmental Leader)