South America

G8 Summit Roundup: Climate Progress Hastens

The G8 Summit in Italy has resulted in a flurry of developments on climate change, including a pledge to cut global emissions 50 percent by 2050, ...

Marriott: Green Your Hotel Stay For $1 Per Day

Marriott International, Inc. last week announced its latest environmental initiative in a five point plan to improve the planet, giving customers a chance to "green" ...

Computer-Sharing Project to Save Brazilian Schools 80% in Power

Using its desktop-sharing software, which allows up to 10 desktops to run from one computer, Userful and ThinNetworks have been selected to supply ...

Wal-Mart Pushes Green Outside U.S. Borders

Wal-Mart announced this week goals to reduce phosphates in products in the Americas region by 70 percent by 2011. The move is part of a larger environmental plan for the ...

Wal-Mart Unveils Largest PV Installation in Latin America

A Wal-Mart store in Aguascalientes, Mexico has installed a solar power system that will generate 20% of the store's energy needs. With over 1,056 solar panels totaling 174 kW installed, ...

Global Hospitality Industry Taking Green Steps

Government agencies, developers, and operators in the hospitality industry have numerous opportunities to jump on the green bandwagon, found Ernst & Young in Global Hospitality Insights (pdf). Highlights from the report: In Asia, resort brands and ...

68% Of Businesses Unfamiliar With The Term ‘Carbon Footprint’

Harris Interactive recently conducted an international study on alternative energy trends for Dow Corning and found that nearly 40 percent of companies globally have either implemented or are actively investigating alternative energy ...

Ericsson Solar Cell Solution Deployed In South America

A solar radio-site system from Ericsson will provide enough clean energy to power Digicel's network coverage in remote areas of Suriname, the company announced. The system will help Digicel, the largest mobile ...

Marriott Promo Benefits Amazon Rainforest

Marriott announced that it will contribute funds to protect the endangered Brazilian Amazonas rainforest on behalf of its customers who book meetings between July 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009. Marriott says it is following ...

Alcoa, Ford, Arcelor Mittal, Wal-Mart Among Brazil GHG Protocol Members

Twelve founding members of the newly launched Brazil Greenhouse Gas Protocol Program have voluntarily agreed to report their global-warming emissions, the World Resources Institute reports. The Brazil GHG Protocol Program will serve as a voluntary ...

Dole Offsets Transport of Bananas and Pineapples in Costa Rica

Dole says that its operating division in Costa Rica will purchase carbon offsets from the Costa Rican Government's program in amounts equal to the carbon dioxide emissions generated by the inland transport ...

Marriott Steps Up Green Efforts With $2M Rainforest Pledge

Marriott International has signed an agreement with the state of Amazonas to help protect 1.4 million acres of endangered rainforest. It's one of the first partnerships between government and the private sector ...

Carbon Disclosure Project Asks 3000 Companies for Eco-Info

For 2008, The Carbon Disclosure Project has issued a request to over 3,000 of the world's largest corporations to measure and disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and report their strategy for ...

Coke Greens Up in Europe and South America

Coca-Cola's second largest bottler, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company, has reached an agreement with ContourGlobal to build 15 new combined heat and power plants by the end of 2009. They will ...

Beluga Skysails Prepares For Maiden Voyage

"MV Beluga Skysails" cargo ship has been fitted with a giant kite, which is attached to a 15-metre high mast and guided by a computer. The ship will make its maiden voyage from Germany ...

Sustainable Design Agency Shrinks Washing Machine’s Footprint

A Sao Paulo design agency, Chelles & Hayashi, aims to help companies create products that reduce the amount of raw material needed in their production process. A washing machine from Mueller that uses ...

Yahoo Picks Offset Projects

Yahoo has decided to offset its 250 thousand metric ton carbon footprint from 2006 through hydropower in rural Brazil and wind turbines in India, according to Chris Page, Yahoo's director of climate and energy ...

Global Energy Roadmap Published

The InterAcademy Council released a report today commissioned by the governments of Brazil and China identifying and detailing the scientific consensus framework for directing global energy development. "Lighting the way: Toward a sustainable energy ...

GE Dims Lights On Incandescents

General Electric is restructuring its lighting business to help the company "better respond to customer and industry demands -? particularly the global market move to more energy-efficient products." The move directly affects the companies ability ...

Coalition Turns Up Heat On AES Hydro Projects

AES Corporation is facing increased pressure from The Center for Biological Diversity, along with more than 50 indigenous and environmental groups, that are demanding it to withdraw from three proposed hydroelectric projects on ...