FEATURES AND NEWS
Could it be that finance folks at big corporations are waking up to the fact that sustainability can be a business driver? An article in the Journal of Accountancy – a publication for accounting and finance professionals from corporations, public accounting firms, government agencies and nonprofits – indicates that the ... Read more »
7-Eleven Japan and Toyota inked an agreement this month to study energy conservation and carbon dioxide emissions reduction in convenience store distribution and operation. To that end, the two companies said they plan to work on developing hydrogen fuel cell trucks and power generators. Currently, 7-Eleven Japan is served by ... Read more »
While the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has decided to put off making a decision about the Clean Power Plan for two more months, it has signaled that its patience is wearing thin.
A range of businesses in Sonoma County, California, are benefitting from implementing seemingly small changes to their sustainability practices, the Press Democrat reports. When companies make shifts in lighting, heating, cooling, and production, the results can make a big difference to their bottom lines. One example is the electronics measurement ... Read more »
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has decided to put off making a decision about the Clean Power Plan for two more months — on top off the delay it had issued in April. Now, though, the US Environmental Protection Agency must file monthly updates with ... Read more »
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Wind power in the country took off in 2016, according to the new annual Wind Technologies Market Report prepared by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and published by the US Department of Energy this month. The US added 8,203 megawatts of wind power last year and saw $13 billion invested ... Read more »
Organizations in West Michigan have come together, thanks to a seed grant from the Michigan Local Food Council Network, to help the local food service industry reduce food waste. The new Western Michigan Food Recovery Council will focus mainly on large grocery operations and the commercial and institutional food service ... Read more »
Reflections from Jen… When I found myself searching cow images (and mulling dairy puns) for the third time in the span of two weeks, I had to stop to think. In all my years writing for Environmental Leader and Energy Manager Today, I’m not sure I ever wrote about dairy ... Read more »
CVS Health, one of CR Magazine’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens in 2016, has joined the dozens of companies that have pledged to reduce product packaging waste by joining the Sustainable Packaging Coalition. The drugstore and pharmacy company says that its expanding environmental footprint – with thousands of retail pharmacies and ... Read more »
Sustainable behavior in the consumer space and a younger generation of investors that believes their investment decisions can make an impact are driving an interest in sustainable investing – that is, investing in companies targeting social or environmental goals – according to a new report from Morgan Stanley. In fact, ... Read more »
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If you’re still struggling to find the best way to measure the results of your environmental management efforts, you can take comfort in the fact that you’re not the only one. In fact, a staggering 46% of companies that responded to Ethical Corporation’s Responsible Business Trends survey said they’re not ... Read more »
Findlay, Ohio-based Cooper Tire and Rubber Company has reduced its energy usage intensity by 18% since 2009 and usage intensity has declined, according to the company’s 2016 CSR and sustainability report published today. Cooper is the parent of a global family of companies specializing in tires for passenger cars, light ... Read more »
The South Central Local Schools in Ohio worked with Energy Optimizers, USA on energy efficient upgrades and retrofits in 2013. Those changes have been paying off. Over the past three years, the school district to the southwest of Cleveland has saved more than $104,000 in utility costs, Energy Optimizers, USA ... Read more »
The Scion Vineyard and Winery in Rutherglen, Australia, is tapping into the local abundant sunshine for more than growing grapes for its wines. Rising infrastructure costs prompted owner and winemaker Rowly Milhinch to install a new hybrid solar energy system for powering the business. Established in 2002, the winery sits ... Read more »
Clothing giant Primark has launched its first line made from sustainable cotton; because identifying the source of materials such as cotton can be difficult, Primark will only use certified sustainable cotton in a single line of pajamas, for now. But as it slowly increases its use of sustainable cotton, the ... Read more »
The last total solar eclipse to pass over parts of the US was in 1979. Businesses have become much more reliant on solar power since then and the eclipse on August 21 could affect the 45 gigawatts of solar capacity installed throughout the country. During the eclipse, it is expected ... Read more »
Valparaiso University’s new 55,000 square-foot science building has been honored by NIPSCO (Northern Indiana Public Service Company) for its energy efficient initiatives, and awarded a $150,000 energy rebate. The Center for the Sciences: Chemistry and Biochemistry, because of the nature of the labs and caustic chemical usage, was in need ... Read more »
Microsoft has announced a new Smart Energy Azure Demonstration platform, which will update data about the emissions-impact of power loads every five minutes. The tech giant has chosen Princeton University as a test location. The Azure system calculates the emissions impact of specific power producers using information generated by the ... Read more »
The Navy Yard in Philadelphia is home to one of the largest microgrids in the United States, and soon it will be home to 6-MW natural gas-fired peaking plant. Officials at the Navy Yard have hired Ameresco, a renewable energy solutions company, to begin work on the plant, which will ... Read more »
Food waste just may be the hottest environmental concern du jour, with particular focus on waste in grocery stores and restaurants, but a new app could help. The Winnow System smart meter helps restaurants measure and analyze the food they toss: it identifies the types of food they tend to ... Read more »
As city infrastructures age, organizations will increasingly face the threat of higher stormwater fees. Case in point: Arlington Heights, in suburban Chicago, is implementing a new stormwater utility fee for businesses to help fund flood control projects throughout town, according to the Daily Herald. While small businesses (up to 40,000) ... Read more »
IoT essentially is the networking of smart devices, buildings and other items with electronics, which enable the collection and exchange of data. IoT has been shown to provide energy efficiency when utilized correctly. Examples of energy efficient IoT are abundant: Things may be simple sensors (e.g. temperature sensor in a ... Read more »
Monroe County School System in Monroeville, Alabama, is taking on a modernization project that is expected to generate $6.2 million in energy and operational savings, reducing the district’s annual utility budget by 32%. The project focuses on LED lighting upgrades, the installation of a district-wide building automation system and upgrades ... Read more »
By Tom Pagliuco, Executive Director, Global Energy Engineering, Allergan There are currently two types of projects that typically have attractive economics for pharmaceutical facilities and we have been focusing our attention on: LED lighting upgrades and chilled water optimization projects. Lighting is a low risk, easy to implement energy savings ... Read more »
A federal court handed climate change advocates a narrow loss on Tuesday when it tossed an Obama-era ruling to phase out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) used in refrigeration and air conditioning.