FEATURES AND NEWS
Honda’s North American sales and distribution arm is testing a hybrid diesel truck built by Paccar Inc., incorporating a Peterbilt Model 386 truck, according to IndustryWeek. Honda claims the truck should reduce carbon dioxide emissions about 45 tons a year, as compared to its diesel counterpart. Honda hauls service parts ... Read more »
The Bay Area’s Climate Change Compact could spur further growth and development in sustainable and cleantech businesses. Mayors of San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose signed on to the public-private compact March 6. The San Francisco Chronicle ran a column in favor of the compact, jointly penned by Ron Dellums, ... Read more »
Preparing for the future, Cisco is sizing up the world market for technology that is more efficient and less polluting. On March 6, Cisco signed a memorandum of understanding with Metropolis, a consortium of 106 large cities mostly outside the United States, to help cities use technology that is more ... Read more »
JCPenney is the first retailer to earn the ENERGY STAR Award for Sustained Excellence in Energy Management by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE). The retailer says effective energy management is part of the company’s environmental goals under its JCPenney C.A.R.E.S. corporate social ... Read more »
The six largest makers of baby bottles will stop manufacturing baby bottles in the United States made with bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical widely used in plastics but increasingly linked to a range of health problems, reports the Washington Post. In addition, several retailers, including Babies R Us, told suppliers ... Read more »
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The Natural Marketing Institute reports that awareness of the term “carbon offset” is low among U.S. survey respondents. Less than a third have heard of the term and just 9 percent of those aware of it have purchased carbon offset in the past year, ammounting to about 6 million U.S. ... Read more »
When it comes to carbon footprint, packaging matters most. That has to be the largest lesson from a study by Coca-Cola of its carbon footprint in the UK market. A 330ml can of Coke sold in Great Britain accounts for a carbon footprint of 170 grams. A can of diet ... Read more »
The United Kingdom will allow its Environment Agency to fine UK airlines that don’t meet strict emissions standards, according to a news report. Recently, the UK had indicated the Environment Agency would supervise a scheme to cap aviation emissions in England and Wales. For all of the European Union, starting ... Read more »
The U.S. General Services Administration presented 2009 Evergreen Awards to Teknion, Bentley Prince Street and Kyocera Mita for their green efforts in the business categories of furniture, furnishings and technologies and electronics, respectively. The award program was developed to support the federal government’s environmental initiatives and assist GSA’s customers to ... Read more »
StalkMarket Products, a provider of compostable tableware and food packaging, has unveiled what it calls the world’s first Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) certified compostable Ingeo hot cup and lid system. BPI certification is based on standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). Replacing petroleum-based products with ... Read more »
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In 2008, businesses in the Green-e Marketplace program voluntarily purchased more than 2.8 million megawatt-hours of Green-e Energy Certified renewable energy, which is a record, according to the Center for Resource Solutions. Intel made the largest purchase of renewable energy in history, with a 1.3 million megawatt-hour purchase in January. ... Read more »
IBM is now offering a consulting service which it says is designed to help government organizations better understand their overall performance on environmental issues, identify improvements that can increase energy efficiency, reduce environmental impact including greenhouse gas emissions and help ensure public institutions meet their own rising environmental standards. The ... Read more »
Verizon Communications has announced new initiatives, standards and an energy management guide that the company will undertake in an effort to save energy in its communications network, Green Technology reports. The company will be implementing strict standards governing the energy efficiency of new network equipment. It will also test geothermal ... Read more »
GE Consumer & Industrial plans to introduce a suite of “smart” appliances, or energy-management-enabled appliances, that are enabled to receive a signal from local utility companies that are participating in tiered rate programs to help consumers manage their peak energy usage. This will help shift some of the energy load from peak ... Read more »
ECO:nomics, a conference hosted March 4-6 by The Wall Street Journal in Santa Barbara, Calif., has generated much discussion. Here is a smattering of the coverage so far. Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally admitted that his company has some work to do to win back customers. He said Ford’s ... Read more »
By embracing environmental cleanup and slashing carbon emissions, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown believes his nation can add 400,000 jobs over the next eight years. Brown spoke March 6 in London, where he launched a Low Carbon Industrial Strategy. “Today, we are publishing independent research which shows that in Britain, ... Read more »
Google chief executive Eric Schmidt says the clean-energy revolution does not cost, it pays. A complete roundup of the event is here.
Tesla Motors has begun selling its electric cars in Canada, and hopes to begin deliveries to the Great White North starting this fall. Tesla, which has delivered more than 200 cars to U.S. customers, views Canada as a great showcase for its cars because the nation derives a majority of ... Read more »
Cadbury plans to achieve Fairtrade certification for Cadbury Dairy Milk by the end of summer for the whole of the British and Irish markets. The move, which also includes Cadbury’s hot chocolate beverage, will result in the tripling of sales of cocoa under Fairtrade terms for cocoa farmers in Ghana. ... Read more »
A UK investors group is urging the public disclosure of carbon emissions by companies that supply goods and services to the government. The Carbon Disclosure Project is working with eight public sector insitutions to sequester data on their suppliers’ environmental performance. Nearly 2,500 suppliers to the Office of Government Commerce, ... Read more »
At 36 percent, the number of Americans who say they “almost always” or “regularly” buy green products remains unchanged, according to recent Mintel consumer survey data. This lack of growth comes after tripling from 12% in 2007 to 36% in 2008. Some news organizations are seizing on the study, with ... Read more »
At a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing March 5, Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu promised to work with Congress to implement President Obama’s cap-and-trade system to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Under the system, a cap on carbon emissions would be imposed on U.S. power plants, oil refineries ... Read more »
Automakers declined to attend an Environmental Protection Agency hearing March 5 on whether to allow California and 13 other states to set their own standards on automotive tailpipe emissions. In perhaps a sign of acquiescence, automakers, who are receiving billions in government bailout aid, did not appear in person at ... Read more »
“The Responsible and Sustainable Board,” a white paper from consulting firm Deloitte, highlights reasons why corporate boards are expected to pay more attention to risks and opportunities associated with corporate responsibility, sustainability and climate change. According to a press release, the report, based on a survey of 220 directors of ... Read more »
Kraft Foods Inc. has put into operation the first of its “green” truck fleet, touted as the first-of-its-kind diesel-electric hybrid delivery truck equipped with a RouteMax refrigerated truck body. This is part of the company’s commitment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and one more step forward in its transportation sustainability ... Read more »