http://www.environmentalleader.com Environmental Leader Fri, 25 May 2012 17:41:13 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/23/winning-app-helps-commercial-buildings-get-energy-star-benchmark/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/23/winning-app-helps-commercial-buildings-get-energy-star-benchmark/#comments Wed, 23 May 2012 06:14:44 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=77224 Melon, an app that simplifies the process of getting an Energy Star benchmark for a commercial building, was one of the big winners in the US government’s Energy for Apps competition. The Melon app delivers an Energy Star score and suggest next steps to improve efficiency and reduce waste, once a building manager supplies basic [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/23/winning-app-helps-commercial-buildings-get-energy-star-benchmark/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/07/marriott-ranked-least-efficient-as-budget-hotels-show-the-way/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/07/marriott-ranked-least-efficient-as-budget-hotels-show-the-way/#comments Mon, 07 May 2012 14:20:49 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=75855 A sustainability study of 46,000 US hotels by tech company Brighter Planet found budget hotels had greater energy efficiency than more expensive establishments, with upscale chain Marriott ranking 75th out of 75 chains. The study also discovered that newer hotels are less efficient, use more energy and use dirtier energy sources than their older counterparts. [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/07/marriott-ranked-least-efficient-as-budget-hotels-show-the-way/feed/ 10 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/04/north-america-has-capacity-to-store-500-years-of-co2-emissions/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/04/north-america-has-capacity-to-store-500-years-of-co2-emissions/#comments Fri, 04 May 2012 14:29:59 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=75782 North America’s geological formations have the capacity to store 500 years of carbon dioxide emissions, according to an atlas produced by the United States, Canada and Mexico. The North American Carbon Storage Atlas was created through the North American Carbon Atlas Partnership, a joint cross-border mapping initiative by the US Energy Department, Natural Resources Canada [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/04/north-america-has-capacity-to-store-500-years-of-co2-emissions/feed/ 3 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/02/public-executives-doubt-companies-environmental-commitment/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/02/public-executives-doubt-companies-environmental-commitment/#comments Wed, 02 May 2012 14:50:06 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=75596 Only 21 percent of the American public and 25 percent of executives believe the majority of businesses are making efforts at sustainability, according to the 2012 Gibbs & Soell Sense & Sustainability Study. But while the percentages may seem low, they’re an improvement over 2010′s figure of 16 percent. The third annual study by global [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/02/public-executives-doubt-companies-environmental-commitment/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/01/coca-cola-china-plant-shuttered-over-chlorine-contamination/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/01/coca-cola-china-plant-shuttered-over-chlorine-contamination/#comments Tue, 01 May 2012 06:35:55 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=75454 Coca-Cola was reportedly forced by regulators to temporarily stop production at a bottling plant in north China, after inspectors allegedly found chlorine in a batch of drinks. Media had earlier reported that a batch of drinks contained water with chlorine, prompting the food, safety and quality regulator in Shanxi province to inspect the plant, according [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/01/coca-cola-china-plant-shuttered-over-chlorine-contamination/feed/ 3 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/04/23/green-fleet-briefing-gm-explosion-honda-toyota-usps-ibm/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/04/23/green-fleet-briefing-gm-explosion-honda-toyota-usps-ibm/#comments Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:26:10 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=74822 Here’s the latest alternative fuel and energy-efficient vehicle news affecting environmental and energy executives. Last week’s explosion at a General Motors electric battery-testing facility could end up costing the company $5 million in property damage, The Detroit News reports. GM said last week that the explosion happened during a test designed to damage, but not [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/04/23/green-fleet-briefing-gm-explosion-honda-toyota-usps-ibm/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/04/23/coca-cola-carbon-trust-study-investigates-personal-carbon-allowances/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/04/23/coca-cola-carbon-trust-study-investigates-personal-carbon-allowances/#comments Mon, 23 Apr 2012 07:30:17 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=74809 A study by Coca-Cola Co. and The Carbon Trust that investigated how people might respond to personal carbon allowances found while easy-to-understand environmental information changed behavior, consumers were still reluctant to give up certain high-carbon choices in their lifestyles. The group this month published a white paper outlining the study and conclusions. Carbon Trust and [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/04/23/coca-cola-carbon-trust-study-investigates-personal-carbon-allowances/feed/ 4 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/04/20/earth-day-briefing-coke-pepsi-whole-foods-target-caribou-coffee/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/04/20/earth-day-briefing-coke-pepsi-whole-foods-target-caribou-coffee/#comments Fri, 20 Apr 2012 13:15:19 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=74716 It’s that time of year again. In celebration of Earth Day on April 22 companies have been unveiling green initiatives all over the place. Here’s a selection of those that caught our eye. Whole Foods Market has announced that it will become the first national retailer to no longer carry “red-rated” wild-caught seafood in its [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/04/20/earth-day-briefing-coke-pepsi-whole-foods-target-caribou-coffee/feed/ 1 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/27/gm-to-replace-volt-charger-cords-says-problem-is-consistency-not-overheating/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/27/gm-to-replace-volt-charger-cords-says-problem-is-consistency-not-overheating/#comments Tue, 27 Mar 2012 06:40:43 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=72770 GM is to replace the 120-volt charger cords in most of the 9,500 Chevrolet Volts it has sold since late 2010, according to reports. Stories of overheating and melting 120-volt charging cords first surfaced four months ago on Yahoo Autos. At the time GM said the issue was most likely a problem with wiring in [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/27/gm-to-replace-volt-charger-cords-says-problem-is-consistency-not-overheating/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/23/green-button-energy-data-initiative-targets-commercial-market/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/23/green-button-energy-data-initiative-targets-commercial-market/#comments Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:15:02 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=72542 Smart grid firms Itron, OPower, Oracle, and Silver Spring Networks have announced their support for the White House’s online Green Button initiative, which aims to allow consumers and businesses easy access to information on their energy consumption. The open data Green Button initiative aims to set a standard data format for recording the hourly or [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/23/green-button-energy-data-initiative-targets-commercial-market/feed/ 2 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/09/bridgestone-targets-guayule-shrub-as-rubber-source/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/09/bridgestone-targets-guayule-shrub-as-rubber-source/#comments Fri, 09 Mar 2012 15:15:58 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=71532 Bridgestone Group is to conduct research dedicated to developing the guayule shrub as a commercially viable, renewable source of high-quality natural rubber for the company’s tires. If successful, guayule (pictured), pronounced “why-u-lee,” would become an alternative source of rubber to the hevea tree. Natural rubber from the bark and roots of guayule has almost identical [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/09/bridgestone-targets-guayule-shrub-as-rubber-source/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/02/johnson-johnson-expands-green-product-range/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/02/johnson-johnson-expands-green-product-range/#comments Fri, 02 Mar 2012 15:00:06 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=70997 Johnson & Johnson now has 30 products in its Earthwards portfolio of environmentally conscious health care and pharmaceutical products. The company added 19 products to the range in 2011. It is how halfway towards its goal of having 60 products in the line by 2015. However, Earthwards is not a certification seal and will never [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/02/johnson-johnson-expands-green-product-range/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/02/29/sc-johnson-expands-concentrated-cleaning-products-range/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/02/29/sc-johnson-expands-concentrated-cleaning-products-range/#comments Wed, 29 Feb 2012 14:55:55 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=70806 Household products manufacturer SC Johnson has expanded the range of concentrated refills for its cleaning products. The refills, branded as SC Johnson’s “Mini” line, allow customers to fill up their existing, empty trigger bottle of cleaning product with a bottle of concentrate, topped up with water from the faucet. The Mini bottles require 79 percent [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/02/29/sc-johnson-expands-concentrated-cleaning-products-range/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/02/24/aceee-details-smart-grid-savings-up-to-19-5/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/02/24/aceee-details-smart-grid-savings-up-to-19-5/#comments Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:55:14 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=70621 Residential smart grid projects have resulted in energy savings of up to 19.5 percent, and produce average savings of 3.8 percent, according to research by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Recent smart grid policy initiatives in the United States and the EU have led to large-scale research projects investigating the use of real-time feedback [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/02/24/aceee-details-smart-grid-savings-up-to-19-5/feed/ 1 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/02/14/fleet-briefing-mass-ev-stations-hertz-endesa-toyota-and-chevy-volt/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/02/14/fleet-briefing-mass-ev-stations-hertz-endesa-toyota-and-chevy-volt/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:09:21 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=69931 Electric and gas company National Grid is installing more than 30 electric vehicle charging stations throughout Massachusetts under charging station manufacturer Coulomb Technologies’ “Charge America” program. Through the program, Coulomb is providing the charging stations at no cost to participating cities. National Grid is funding the installations and the hosting location partners will fund the [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/02/14/fleet-briefing-mass-ev-stations-hertz-endesa-toyota-and-chevy-volt/feed/ 1