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/2012/05/25/inexact-computer-chip-15-times-more-energy-efficient/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/25/inexact-computer-chip-15-times-more-energy-efficient/#comments Fri, 25 May 2012 14:43:59 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=77375 Researchers have designed an “inexact” computer chip (pictured) that they say is up to 15 times more energy efficient than today’s chip technology. The prototypes cut energy use by allowing processing components – like hardware for adding and multiplying numbers – to make a few mistakes. By managing the probability of errors and limiting which [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/25/inexact-computer-chip-15-times-more-energy-efficient/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/23/accenture-44-of-senior-execs-say-sustainability-critical-to-business/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/23/accenture-44-of-senior-execs-say-sustainability-critical-to-business/#comments Wed, 23 May 2012 07:30:46 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=77227 Forty-four percent of senior executives say that sustainability is critical to their businesses, according to an Accenture report, and that figure rises to 64 percent in emerging markets. The consulting firm surveyed 250 senior executives in the United States, Japan, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, as well as China, Brazil and India, about sustainable [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/23/accenture-44-of-senior-execs-say-sustainability-critical-to-business/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/21/policy-enforcement-briefing-g8-summit-wastewater-treatment-electricity-capacity-prices/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/21/policy-enforcement-briefing-g8-summit-wastewater-treatment-electricity-capacity-prices/#comments Mon, 21 May 2012 13:12:13 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=76968 Here’s the latest policy, enforcement and legal news affecting corporate environmental and energy executives. Today’s briefing includes eight items. President Obama and G8 Summit world leaders reviewed Iran’s impact on the global oil supply, saying that they would involve the International Atomic Energy Agency if the country continues to cause disruptions to the world’s oil. The [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/21/policy-enforcement-briefing-g8-summit-wastewater-treatment-electricity-capacity-prices/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/17/mining-industry-to-spend-20bn-on-renewable-energy-and-conservation-by-2020/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/17/mining-industry-to-spend-20bn-on-renewable-energy-and-conservation-by-2020/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 14:19:46 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=76801 Worldwide investment by the mining industry in renewable energy and energy conservation will reach about $8.4 billion by 2016 and nearly $20 billion by 2020, according to a new report from Pike Research. And under a more aggressive scenario, in which the global economy expands more rapidly and policy mandates pertaining to climate change are [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/17/mining-industry-to-spend-20bn-on-renewable-energy-and-conservation-by-2020/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/11/pepsico-wal-mart-partner-to-manage-ecosystem-risks/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/11/pepsico-wal-mart-partner-to-manage-ecosystem-risks/#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 16:45:19 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=76364 Anglo American, Grupo Andre Maggi, PepsiCo, Vale, Votorantim and Walmart have partnered to develop business strategies that protect the ecosystems in which they operate in Brazil. The newly formed Parceria Empresarial pelos Serviços Ecossistêmicos, or Brazilian Business and Ecosystem Services Partnership, is an initiative to show how biodiversity and ecosystem services – the benefits that [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/11/pepsico-wal-mart-partner-to-manage-ecosystem-risks/feed/ 2 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/08/microsoft-commits-to-carbon-neutrality-in-fy-2013/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/08/microsoft-commits-to-carbon-neutrality-in-fy-2013/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 07:33:47 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=76032 Microsoft will charge an internal carbon offset fee starting in fiscal year 2012-2013 in its effort to be carbon neutral beginning July 1, according to the company’s blog. The carbon price will be based on market pricing for renewable energy and carbon offsets, and Microsoft will apply it to operations in more than 100 countries. [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/08/microsoft-commits-to-carbon-neutrality-in-fy-2013/feed/ 4 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/07/diageo-stops-heartland-donations-after-unabomber-billboards/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/07/diageo-stops-heartland-donations-after-unabomber-billboards/#comments Mon, 07 May 2012 06:32:09 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=75908 Drink giant Diageo says it will no longer fund the Heartland Institute, a free-market think tank that denies global warming, the Guardian reports, following a controversial ad campaign by the non-profit. On May 3, a Heartland billboard appeared over the Eisenhower Expressway in Illinois showing a picture of Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, with the slogan: [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/07/diageo-stops-heartland-donations-after-unabomber-billboards/feed/ 2 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/04/policy-enforcement-briefing-keystone-xl-korea-ets-fracking-rules-clean-energy-standard/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/04/policy-enforcement-briefing-keystone-xl-korea-ets-fracking-rules-clean-energy-standard/#comments Fri, 04 May 2012 14:15:25 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=75763 Here’s the latest policy, enforcement and legal news affecting corporate environmental and energy executives. Today’s briefing includes 10 items. TransCanada is expected to reapply for its US permit to build the Keystone XL pipeline as soon as today, with a new route planned through Nebraska. The company has previously disclosed plans to construct a segment [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/04/policy-enforcement-briefing-keystone-xl-korea-ets-fracking-rules-clean-energy-standard/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/04/20/water-conservation-initiatives-flow-at-kimberly-clark-and-perdue-farms/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/04/20/water-conservation-initiatives-flow-at-kimberly-clark-and-perdue-farms/#comments Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:20:21 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=74730 Kimberly-Clark and Perdue Farms are using well drilling, increased processing speeds and weekend plant inspections to reduce their water use and consumption. As part of the company’s ongoing Sustainability 2015 strategy, Kimberly-Clark, whose brands include Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, has named its efforts Water for Life. K-C says it uses about 34 [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/04/20/water-conservation-initiatives-flow-at-kimberly-clark-and-perdue-farms/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/04/10/smart-grid-spending-to-reach-46-4bn-in-2015-software-and-it-valued-at-2-9bn-by-2017/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/04/10/smart-grid-spending-to-reach-46-4bn-in-2015-software-and-it-valued-at-2-9bn-by-2017/#comments Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:25:53 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=73916 Global smart grid spending will grow at a CAGR of 17.4 percent from 2010 to 2015 to reach $46.4 billion, while the smart grid software market will hit $2.9 billion by 2017, according to two reports released this week. Smart Grid IT Systems from Pike Research said that the global smart grid software market will [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/04/10/smart-grid-spending-to-reach-46-4bn-in-2015-software-and-it-valued-at-2-9bn-by-2017/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/28/un-global-compact-to-shake-out-more-free-riders-from-membership-ranks/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/28/un-global-compact-to-shake-out-more-free-riders-from-membership-ranks/#comments Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:40:50 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=72973 More than 750 businesses, including major European and American corporations, are expected to be ejected from the United Nations Global Compact in the next six months, and a few hundred more after that, as the group evaluates whether its members are upholding its principles, the Guardian said. Global Compact says is the largest voluntary corporate [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/28/un-global-compact-to-shake-out-more-free-riders-from-membership-ranks/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/23/adidas-nike-hm-clothing-emit-hazardous-chemicals-when-washed-greenpeace-says/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/23/adidas-nike-hm-clothing-emit-hazardous-chemicals-when-washed-greenpeace-says/#comments Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:39:13 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=72572 Clothing from H&M, Adidas, Ralph Lauren and Nike, among others, discharges a significant amount of hazardous chemicals into water systems when washed by customers, according to a Greenpeace report. Among the samples that Greenpeace tested, those companies’ clothes emitted the highest percentage of nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) on the first wash, according to “Dirty Laundry: Reloaded: [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/23/adidas-nike-hm-clothing-emit-hazardous-chemicals-when-washed-greenpeace-says/feed/ 1 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/21/johnson-controls-hikes-battery-prices-cites-environmental-costs/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/21/johnson-controls-hikes-battery-prices-cites-environmental-costs/#comments Wed, 21 Mar 2012 06:39:28 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=72306 On the heels of a Johnson Controls’ China battery factory being ordered to suspend production after the Shanghai Environment Production Bureau found that the company was the main polluter in the region, the company has announced that it will implement an eight percent price increase on lead-acid batteries sold in the US and Canada for [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/21/johnson-controls-hikes-battery-prices-cites-environmental-costs/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/16/unilever-bt-13-others-top-corporate-responsibility-index/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/16/unilever-bt-13-others-top-corporate-responsibility-index/#comments Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:30:09 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=71983 KPMG, Unilever, EDF Energy, BT Group, Heineken UK, Marks & Spencer, PwC, J Sainsbury and seven other companies earned the Platinum Plus rating for corporate responsibility, retaining their status from last year, in rankings from U.K. non-profit Business in the Community. Platinum rankings, for scores of 95 percent and up, were earned by 42 companies [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/16/unilever-bt-13-others-top-corporate-responsibility-index/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/07/policy-enforcement-briefing-shipping-emissions-standstill-citys-feed-in-tariff-china-misses-2011-target/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/07/policy-enforcement-briefing-shipping-emissions-standstill-citys-feed-in-tariff-china-misses-2011-target/#comments Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:59:21 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=71403 The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has yet to come up with a plan to cut carbon dioxide emissions from international shipping, after concluding a week of committee-level talks. Discussions on market-based measures will resume in October when the Marine Environment Protection Committee meets again. The EU has threatened to enforce its own shipping regulations if the [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/07/policy-enforcement-briefing-shipping-emissions-standstill-citys-feed-in-tariff-china-misses-2011-target/feed/ 0