Agriculture

Kraft Foods to Purchase 30,000 tons of Sustainable Cocoa by 2012

Bolstering its commitment to sustainable cocoa farming, Kraft Foods has launched the first mainstream chocolate products in Europe to carry the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal. ...

Sweden Mandates Carbon Emissions Labels on Food

New labels listing the carbon dioxide emissions associated with the production of foods, from whole wheat pasta to fast food burgers, are appearing on some grocery ...

Verdegaal Bros. Offsets 99% of Energy Bill With Solar

A new fixed-mount solar installation at a California agricultural company should save the company about $60,000 a year in energy costs. The new 188-kilowatt system at Verdegall ...

UN Launches Satellite Forest Health Tracker

As more and more companies begin buying and selling forest carbon offsets, the United Nations has launched an online forest health tracker. The tracker uses ...

Dairy Farm Ties Into Grid With Methane Plant

Westminster Farms, a Vermont dairy company, partnered with Green Mountain Power to build an on-site plant to convert methane into electricity. The project, which ...

Rodney Strong Vineyards Goes Carbon Neutral

Already using a 766 kW solar system, Rodney Strong Vineyards has gone the extra step of becoming carbon neutral via purchase of offsets. As ...

Restored Wetlands Considered for Carbon Offsets

As landowners increasingly market forest lands for their carbon offsets, other sources are being considered. Enter wetland restoration projects, which are known for helping absorb carbon ...

Goldman Sachs Sells $12M in Carbon Offsets in Largest Such U.S. Deal So Far

Goldman Sachs marketed $12 million worth of carbon offsets to CE2 Carbon Capital in what Goldman Sachs is calling the largest publicly announced U.S. ...

Staples, Dogwood Alliance Promote Forest Carbon Offsets

Once upon a time at loggerheads, Staples and the Dogwood Alliance have come to an agreement that should help protect forests by ...

NRDC Criticizes 7-Eleven Banana Packaging

C-store giant 7-Eleven thought it was onto something good when it began testing individual plastic packaging designed to a keep banana yellow and firm for five ...

New Produce Carton Uses 21% Less Fiber

A new breed of fresh produce carton from Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. uses 21 percent less fiber and has as good or better stacking ...

PepsiCo Reveals Method for Calculating Carbon Footprint of Products

PepsiCo, which has been calculating the carbon footprint of its Walkers Crisps potato chips in the UK since 2007, revealed some of the secrets behind ...

Seventh Generation Commits to Sustainable Palm Oil by 2012

Seventh Generation aims to exclusively use certified sustainable palm oil for its household products by 2012. Palm oil is used in foods, drugs, personal care ...

Groups Ask EPA to Regulate Air Pollution at Factory Farms

A group of environmental and public health organizations have filed a legal petition with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for regulation of air pollution at factory ...

Global Dairy Industry to Pledge Emissions Cuts

Dairy industry associations are poised to promise emissions cuts with the coming signing of the Global Dairy Agenda for Action (PDF) during the ...

Aussie Winery Goes Carbon Neutral

Wakefield Wines has completed a life-cycle analysis of its Eighty Acres wines, resulting in a rating that the wines ...

Kyocera Reduces AC Bill With Natural ‘Green Curtain’

By encouraging climbing plants to climb trellises placed in front of windows, Kyocera has lowered the load on its air-conditioning systems. The new initiative, in place ...

Solar Cuts Barsotti Juice’s Power Bill in Half

By adding solar arrays, Barsotti Juice Co. has reduced its electricity bill by 50 percent. Barsotti, known for its apple juice products, added dual axis ...

Rooftop Farm in New York Supplies Restaurants

A rooftop farm in Brooklyn, N.Y., is commercially growing fruits and vegetables. Area restaurants are flocking to the farm, which cost $60,000 to build, Reuters ...

McDonald’s Testing 10 ‘Green’ Restaurant Models

In an effort to test various energy saving and waste-reducing methods, McDonald's is evaluating 10 prototype "green" restaurant locations. The restaurant is treating the 10 locations as ...