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Two New Sustainable Business Trade Associations:Renewable Energy & Biobased Products

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Welcome ACRE!It’s time for Renewable Energy to go mainstream and that’s the charge of the brand new trade association, the American Council for Renewable Energy (ACRE). The trade association covers all renewable energy technologies: solar, wind, hydro, biomass, geothermal and waste energy, and biofuels and hydrogen systems; and secondarily, related technologies such as energy efficiency, energy storage, and hybrid energy systems that enhance the value of renewable energy. Most importantly, ACRE plans to “open up a gateway” to the media and to the financial community long needed in the renewable energy community. An organizing conference convened on July 10-11 in Washington DC. to develop a common vision for the Renewable Energy industry. Much of the discussion at the conference focused on creating incentives for using renewable energy through the best methods to date – Federal Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) and extending Production Tax Credits (PTC) beyond wind energy. Representatives from the investment community believe these incentives coupled with strong, continued government research and development funding for promising new renewable technologies will facilitate financing and investment in new firms and large scale projects. The bottom line, though, for strong growth in this sector is the price of the technologies. American Council […]

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Whole Foods Market Unionizes

The July 13 Wisconsin State Journal reports that the Whole Foods Market in Madison, Wisconsin voted 65 to 54 in favor of joining United Food and Commercial Workers union Local 1444. This is a first for Whole Foods, the nation’s largest natural supermarket chain with 135 stores. The company’s philosophy is that it’s “a culture that makes representation unnecessary.” John Mackey, Whole Foods’ founder and chief executive officer, is an outspoken opponent of unions. The Madison store openned in 1996. Brendan O’Sullivan, a union organizer and produce employee, says workers voted for the union to give them a voice in the workplace. Company spokesperson Kate Lowery expressed their “surprise and disappointment” in a published statement. “We firmly believe that with our new regional and store leadership in place, our Madison team members would have soon realized our firm commitment to our founding core values that include team member excellence and happiness.” She also said the company remains “committed to creating and providing a work environment where our team members can flourish and succeed to their highest potential.” According to the National Labor Relations Board, Whole Foods can file an objection to the election until Friday. Local 1444 will then have […]

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