FEATURES AND NEWS
An Illinois clean-coal project that was tabled by the Bush Administration may get a second life under the new president. The FutureGen project gained prominence for its promise to sequester CO2 emissions underground, and notoriety for a ballooning budget. Shortly before President Bush left office, the Department of Energy pulled ... Read more »
Aimed at helping reduce traffic congestion, vehicle emissions and commuter expenses, Enterprise-Rent-A-Car plans to expand its Atlanta Rideshare program by nearly doubling its metro area fleet of 110 vanpool vehicles over the next year. This vanpool capacity is equivalent to taking 2,200 cars off the road, says the company. Enterprise is ... Read more »
Half Price Books, a new and used bookstore chain in Texas, has signed a three-year contract with Green Mountain Energy Company to supply wind energy for 30 retail stores and other facilities in the state. The Dallas-based bookstore chain is purchasing about 11.3 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of wind power annually ... Read more »
Manufacturers of small and medium aircraft have together resolved to tackle sustainability. Hawker Beechcraft, Spirit AeroSystems, Cessna Aircraft and Bombardier Learjet, along with Wichita State University in Kansas, are partnering toward environmental sustainability, according to AviationWeek. For about a year, Hawker Beechcraft has been working with the Kansas university to ... Read more »
Dow Chemical Co. is challenging other firms in the packaging supply chain to convert to recyclables. If 100 percent of packaging were recyclable, some of society’s great challenges could be addressed, said Glenn Wright, commercial vice president for Dow’s North American Basic Plastics business, in a press release. Wright said ... Read more »
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A study of consumers, from Boston Consulting Group, finds that people generally rate “green” products as being of higher quality than conventional products. BCG released its Green Products Report in late January. Chart courtesy of Boston Consulting Group.
Boeing, Coca-Cola and General Mills say cleaner, safer and more energy-efficient manufacturing practices are a necessity during economic downturns, according to a new white paper released by Rockwell Automation. “Perspectives on Sustainable Production: Delivering Economic Value and Serving Greater Good” (PDF), features viewpoints from sustainability executives at Rockwell Automation and ... Read more »
Yum! Brands, parent of Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC, has opened a green store in Northampton, Mass. The restaurant will be the company’s first effort to seek LEED certification. The dual-branded KFC/Taco Bell store uses 30 percent less energy and water than a conventionally built restaurant. It also uses solar ... Read more »
“Survival of the fittest” is often attributed to Darwinism. More accurately, however, Darwin was describing “survival of the flexible” as those species most rewarded with longevity. In the midst of an economic crisis stacked on top of an environmental crisis, it is this agility that is quickly defining the business ... Read more »
The display industry has moved beyond green talk and is taking action – 80 percent of global electronic display companies have adopted environmental/sustainable practices, according to a survey from iSuppli Corp., CIOL News reports. The global survey of 520 professionals revealed 83 percent of respondents said their companies have “green ... Read more »
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In response to growing demand from investors for environmentally focused indices, Standard & Poor’s has launched the S&P U.S. Carbon Efficient Index that will measure the performance of large cap U.S. companies with relatively low carbon emissions, while closely tracking the return of the S&P 500. S&P says organizations are ... Read more »
In step with the Obama Administration goal to reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuels and to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, Con Edison of New York has filed a proposal with the Public Service Commission (PSC) for an 18-month solar energy pilot program, with the goal of generating 12 megawatts ... Read more »
Good Housekeeping magazine, renowned for its Seal of Approval, is adding a Green Seal of Approval, according to various news reports. The seal will be available to consumer products that meet certain eco-friendly standards. The magazine will have more information in its forthcoming April issue. The site already features 41 ... Read more »
By 2019, AT&T plans on having deployed 15,000 alternative-fuel vehicles to its corporate fleet. AT&T Chief Executive Officer Randall Stephenson said March 11 the company would invest $565 million toward the goal. Over the next five years, AT&T will replace about 8,000 gasoline-powered vehicles with transport that runs on Compressed ... Read more »
Activist and green jobs visionary Van Jones will be joining the Obama Administration March 16 as a special adviser for green jobs, enterprise and innovation, announced the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Jones will work with agencies and departments to advance the administration’s climate and energy initiatives, with a ... Read more »
Businesses wanting to educate consumers about their “greener” side can do so via a mobile phone application from 3rdWhale. Consumers who download the application to their mobile phones, including iPhones and other devices, can learn about everything from yoga centers to bicycle shops to organic restaurants right around them, according ... Read more »
A debate from the BBC Series “Develop or Die.” Asian countries are challenged in their need to develop further while at the same time facing the need to do so sustainably and in an ecologically friendly way.
Clothing manufacturer Patagonia is still working to meet its goal of recycling 100 percent of its products by 2010, according to the company’s latest report. In 2005, Patagonia announced a new line of recyclable Capilene Performance Base Layer garments, together with a five-year goal to make all Patagonia products recyclable ... Read more »
Keds is rolling out a new sneaker line called Keds Green Label, reports GreenDaily.com. The sneakers’ uppers are made from 100% organic cotton and non-toxic inks and dyes. The sneaker outsoles use 20-percent recycled rubber and the shoelaces are made from 100% recycled PET. In addition, the Arbor Day Foundation ... Read more »
Corporate leaders across all industries now face growing pressures to become more sensitive to their companies’ energy consumption and environmental impact. While environmental concerns may start with the CEO, they quickly filter down to other C-suite executives and line-of-business leaders, who are being asked to quantify and reduce corporate energy ... Read more »
Save the Planet and Win, a social network dedicated to raising global carbon awareness, is helping to neutralize the carbon footprints of newspaper readers. The network is inserting “Gallon of Gas” Carbon Offset cards in 20,000 Berkeley Daily Planet newspapers every week for two months. When readers visit Save the ... Read more »
By agreeing to increase power plants’ free allowances for carbon-dioxide emissions, New York Governor David Patterson has broken with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a pact signed last year by 10 Northeast states. From Maryland to Maine, the states last fall agreed to cap power plant emissions and make them ... Read more »
The Walt Disney Company released its first comprehensive corporate responsibility report. Previously, the company reported its environmental progress in its annual Enviroport. The new report includes a set of strategic environmental goals and three-to-five-year goals to reduce emissions, waste, electricity and fuel use, as well as its impact on water ... Read more »
From the penalty box to the top of the list, Bristol Myers-Squibb rises above all other corporations on the 2009 Top 100 Best Corporate Citizens list from Corporate Responsibility Officer. With a weighted average score of 50.45, pharmaceuticals giant Bristol Myers-Squibb edged General Mills (51.085), IBM (51.685), Merck (54.12) and ... Read more »
In a far-reaching move, the Environmental Protection Agency is proposing that all major sources of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions be reported into a national database. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson announced the proposal March 10. “Through this new reporting, we will have comprehensive and accurate data about the production of greenhouse ... Read more »