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11th National Solar Tour: Oct. 7

This is the 11th year for the U.S. National Solar Tour, organized by the American Solar Energy Association (ASES). On Oct. 7, homes and businesses that run on renewable energy open their doors to the public to spread the word about how it works and to experience it in action. As more and more buildings are running on renewables, there are opportunities to visit and meet your progressive neighbors in most areas of the country. Last year, 72% of surveyed tour guests attended their first solar or green-building tour. Visitors talk with hosts about the energy efficiency strategies they chose, learning about how various strategies work, what it costs and why it makes sense. Although the focus of the tour was initially on solar installations it has broadened over recent years to include a range of renewables and green building features. This year’s tour includes LEED-certified buildings, Energy Star homes and net-zero energy homes. The tour began in 1991, when John Schaeffer, president of Real Goods Trading Co. in Hopland, California, launched the National Off-Grid Day. John handed the reins to ASES in 1996, when national attendance was 5000. In 2005, attendance was estimated at 68,000, a 34% increase over […]

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Canada Close to Organic Regs

Although Canada has had a voluntary organic standard since 1999, it is only now close to being codified into law. The Canadian organic community seeks mandatory national organic standards to ease the way for trade of organic products both within Canada and with other countries. Pre-publication of Canada’s organic regulation appeared recently in the Canada Gazette (Vol. 140, No. 35, Sept. 2, 2006) marking the beginning of a 75-day comment period for international and domestic stakeholders. The government will review the comments and make any necessary revisions prior to final publication and enactment.Certification of organic producers and handlers as well as accreditation of certifiers have been voluntary except in the province of Quebec, which requires certification to the Quebec organic standards by certifying bodies accredited by the Conseil des appellations agroalimentaries du Quebec (CAAQ).A national regulation will pave the way for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to secure equivalency agreements with other countries, thus facilitating markets for Canadian-produced organic products. When the regulation is finalized, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will establish a Canada Organic Office (Bureau canadien du biologique).The US Organic Trade Associaton (OTA www.ota.com) played a central role on the Organic Regulatory Committee (ORC), which helped shape the […]

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European SRI Market Valued at 1 Trillion Euros

Eurosif, the European Social Investment Forum, has just published the “European SRI Study – 2006.” This unique study highlights the scale and progress of European Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) across nine countries (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom). Based on a survey of funds under management, the report reveals that the Broad European SRI market is currently estimated to be up to 1 trillion Euros and representing as much as 10-15% of the total European funds under management. This represents a 36% growth since December 31, 2002. SRI is growing in many countries and is particularly booming in Spain and Austria. Eurosif’s Executive Director Matt Christensen states: “Readers of the Study will find a European SRI market that has considerably changed since 2003, when we last published our report. Across Europe, there are signs of robust SRI strategies, increased mandates from institutional players and the growing involvement of more traditional financial services providers. The one constant in the field is that European SRI continues to be an area of diversity and innovation.” The research shows that the three key drivers of the growth in SRI are the increased credibility of the business case […]

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