Earth Profit
News
November 13, 2008
- 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 [...]- 7 days
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?
- 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 [...]- 7 days
source: (Environmental Leader) - IBM Reports 4% Energy Savings, Net CO2 Emissions Up 5%
IBM released its 2007-2008 Corporate Responsibility Report (PDF) and reported that it exceeded its corporate goal of 3.5 percent energy saving and cut 3.8 percent of its total energy use. However, IBM reported a 5 percent increase in its net CO2 emissions due to business growth.
IBM’s conservation projects cut electricity use by almost 180 kilowatt [...]- 7 days
source: (Environmental Leader) - Keep America Beautiful Comments On 60 Minutes Story - Offshoring E-Waste Is Not Green
I often have email exchanges with ecopreneurs, non-profits, NGOs and various business folks that don’t necessarily end up as a blog post. Sometimes I start in one direction and end up in another. That’s what happened here when I received an email from Rob Wallace at Keep America Beautiful.Rob had one of those ironic moments. He sent out an email and press release to us asking:
How can recycling wireless phones support the new administration’s energy policy? Our recycling partner, ReCellular, is a reuse-oriented recycler of cellular equipment, and we’re confident that their structure and operations support zero-waste wireless recycling.
Great email pitch. Bookmark this page for next time you send out a press release. However, this pitch landed on my screen the day after I wrote this post on 60 Minutes and Executive Recycling. I immediately asked Rob if he’d be interested in commenting on the whole issue of dumping of e-waste in China instead. And he was and here is what he had to say:
- Marks & Spencer Reports Progress on Its Eco-Friendly Agenda
British retailer Marks & Spencer says it has already hit the mark on 20 of the 100 environmental goals of the ambitious green plan the company launched just 22 months ago with a target date for completion of 2012.
- 8 days
source: (GreenBiz.com Green Business News) - FedEx, IBM and Office Depot Report Green Progress
The three heavyweights released CSR reports this week that offered new environmental goals and their progress in cutting greenhouse gas emissions and energy use.
- 8 days
source: (GreenBiz.com Green Business News) - Demand for Recyclables Drops, Causing Stockpiles and Slashing Prices
International demand for recyclable materials has sunk, leading companies to warehouse materials or sell them for drastically less than what they were making just months ago.
- 8 days
source: (GreenBiz.com Green Business News) - Nanobama: World’s Tiniest Candidate Portrait
The presidential candidates have been under a microscope for the last year, but today, the focus on Sen. Barack Obama’s face reached the nanoscale.
Sculpted using nanolithography by University of Michigan mechanical engineer, John Hart, each Obama face is composed of 150 million carbon nanotubes and measures half a millimeter across.
“We can make pretty much any 2-D pattern by this technique,” Hart said.
But in honor of the election, Hart’s lab applied their technique to the now-ubiquitous image of Obama’s face created by Shepherd Ferry.
The only overtly political text that accompanies the images on nanobama.com is the tagline, “vote for science.”
When he and the rest of the nation don’t have election fever, the focus of Hart’s more serious research is finding ways to use nanomaterials to build useful electronics.
“The nanotubes themselves are perhaps the strongest molecule known to man, and also have fantastic electrical and thermal properties,” Hart said. “However, effective methods of organizing large numbers of nanotubes are needed to realize many unique commercial applications.”
Read the full story
Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite
- 8 days
source: (4 entrepreneur)
November 12, 2008
- Power Grid Not Ready For Renewable Energy Strain
The North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) released a report on the electric industry’s concerns on the reliability impacts of climate change initiatives.
The report identifies four key reliability issues associated with climate change initiatives that NERC says need to be addressed as policies progress:
1. Broad-scale fuel switching from coal to natural gas
The switch over a [...]- 8 days
source: (Environmental Leader) - BNSF Railway Looks To Reduce Pollution
Government officials and BNSF Railway executives are looking into ways of reducing air pollution after the company was criticized for elevating cancer risks for nearby residents, the Sun reports.
BNSF executives are already cutting back air and diesel pollution emitted by trucks and locomotives by using engines that automatically shut down after idling for five minutes. [...]- 8 days
source: (Environmental Leader) - Japan’s Solar City As Model For The Future
A Japanese solar-powered city offers a model for future self-sufficient energy communities, producing electricity with rooftop panels, according to this Reuters’ video.- 8 days
source: (Environmental Leader) - Shaklee To Offset 100% GHG Emissions
Shaklee Corp. will offset 100 percent of its annual direct and indirect GHG emissions through the purchase of 12,000 wind energy renewable energy credits from Green Mountain Energy.
The company will also purchase 1,000 metric tons of carbon offsets from methane capture projects located within the U.S. to offset direct emissions associated with fuel consumption in [...]- 8 days
source: (Environmental Leader) - REI Completes Five Solar Arrays In California
REI announced it has completed five solar arrays at locations in Arcadia, Santa Rosa, San Carlos and San Diego, where the photovoltaic installations are generating 20 to 30 percent of energy required at the stores.
Blue Oak Energy installed and designed the solar systems using Sharp solar modules. REI says its solar systems in Sacramento and [...]- 8 days
source: (Environmental Leader) - Wells Fargo Surpasses $2 Billion In LEED Building Financing
Wells Fargo has surpassed $2 billion in lending for LEED-certified buildings. Of the buildings the company finances, 28 percent are LEED-rated, 37 percent have LEED-silver certification, 21 percent have LEED-gold certification, and 9 percent have LEED-platinum certification.
Since 2007, the company says it has doubled its commitments for LEED buildings from $1 billion to $2 billion; [...]- 8 days
source: (Environmental Leader) - UPS Expands Electric Vehicle Fleets In UK, Germany
UPS announced that it is expanding its green fleets in the UK and Germany after nine months of successful trials. The company placed orders for 12 custom-built electric vehicles, and will deploy them in the two countries in early 2009.
The vehicles were developed by British manufacturer Modec and will operate out of UPS’ Camden facility. [...]- 8 days
source: (Environmental Leader) - Al Gore’s 5 Step Plan To Repower America
In a recent New York Times op-ed piece, Al Gore suggests that with the election of Barack Obama, the time is ripe for changing not just our political direction, but also our environment. Certainly this is not a unique idea, both Obama and McCain made alternative energy a prominent and integral part of their platforms. In this op-ed piece, however, Gore lays out what he calls a 21st century technology plan.First, Gore calls for investing and incentivizing for solar, wind, and geothermal energies. Second, he suggests we create a national smart grid that will aid in more efficient utilization of energy as well as the (third) development of PH/EV technologies. Fourth, Gore states we should retrofit older buildings with better insulation, energy efficient windows and better lighting. And finally, replace the Kyoto treaty with a more effective treaty that caps global carbon dioxide emissions and encourages nations to invest together to reduce global warming pollution quickly, including reducing deforestation. In this piece, Gore addresses not only the environmental benefits to his 5-step plan but also the geopolitical benefits. One can almost hear the chanting echo, “Yes, we can…yes, we can…”
- 8 days
source: (Ecotality Life) - Desktop Workstations Serious Power Drain For Big Companies
According to a recent survey of 250 professionals, enterprises with 10,000 desktop workstations waste $1.26 million in energy costs annually.
The survey, developed by analysts at EMA and sponsored by Kaseya, found that 69 percent of respondents used more than one workstation and that 24 percent keep their stations powered on all the time.
In addition, the [...]- 8 days
source: (Environmental Leader) - Are Retail Carbon Offsets Working?
There’s no doubt that carbon offsets are in the news. Just this morning, the New York Times reported that Goldman Sachs jumped on the offsets bandwagon with investments in two offset companies. But, you still don’t hear too much about retail carbon offset efforts, beyond voluntary add-on programs for airline and rental car companies. TerraPass, a leading originator and retailer of carbon credits and carbon offsets, however, just released its 2009 carbon offset “portfolio,” including products for purchase through the TerraPass website. They also still host voluntary offset program for various travel and retail industry partners.But, possibly more significantly, TerraPass also just announced the formation of TerraPass Carbon Management Services that has already signed 10 long-term contracts representing over 2.5 million metric tons of carbon reductions, and has built “a robust pipeline of new projects:”
The TerraPass CMS team focuses on originating small scale, U.S.-based projects such as landfill and agricultural methane abatement efforts, and plans to expand into related methodologies. Credits from the portfolio will be used both to satisfy TerraPass’ retail carbon offset purchase obligations and to help companies in the voluntary and pre-compliance carbon markets achieve their carbon footprint management goals. The TerraPass 2009 carbon offset portfolio is the first to be drawn from a TerraPass-originated set of carbon credit projects, and as such represents a watershed moment in the company’s transformation from a consumer carbon offset retailer into a U.S.-based carbon credit originator.
Looks like TerraPass wanted to make its supply chain a bit more vertical. Is this good or bad for its retail offset program? Does it signal that its flagship retail offset program is flagging? That its unsustainable as a stand-alone program? That its resources are going to diverted to investment projects? I’d like to know if this movement is a natural progression supporting a robust retail program or whether its a reaction its limitations. I suppose it all remains to be seen.
On a brighter (or possibly simply just clearer) note, University of Wisconsin-Madison senior Ted Durkee recently launched Powered Green, a company that sells an Energy Seal sticker (or in their words “an aesthetically appealing visual representation”) that adheres to the outside of a laptop and boldly displays the words ‘Powered Green.’ The seal includes in its price enough renewable energy credits to offset the lifetime power consumption of a laptop computer: 690 kilowatt-hours of Green-e certified renewable energy credits from wind turbines. Powered Green says that this is enough renewable energy to power the average U.S. home for a month and stop more than 1000 pounds of CO2 and other pollutants from reaching the atmosphere.
So, the question is out: can retail offsets, in the words of Ted Druckee, popularize and foster the growth of renewable energy in the same way that Livestrong bracelets did for cancer research? I’m not sure. What do you think?
Photo: Powered Green
- 9 days
source: (Ecopreneurist) - Evolve Travel Mug - Norwood Gets into Green
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.
Norwood has launched two new tumblers under their Evolve line, the Evolve(TM) Traveler Mug - 16 oz and the Evolve(TM) Infinity Tumbler - 16 oz.
Both units come in a variety of colors, both are Prop 65 compliant, both are top rack dishwater safe, both are microwave safe, and both are packaged in eco-friendly packaging for shipment.
The Evolve line is also made in the US and is “designed to biodegrade within 1-5 years in a managed landfill” according to the Norwood website. With one color imprint the units both run under $2.75.
I wanted to write about the Norwood Evolve line because, if you look again at the bullet points offered in the sales material, it seems Norwood developed these mugs to specifically address issues that Ecopreneurist has raised regarding eco-friendly promotional items.
Let us look at some of that list again.
1) Dishwasher safe - 9 days
source: (Ecopreneurist)
