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Looking for ways to justify sustainable business practices? The new report by the Aspen Institute, “Uncovering Value: Integrating Environmental and Financial Performance,” can help. As more firms incorporate environmental factors into their basic decisions, they also are developing more efficient processes and creating new products. Many leading edge companies now see an opportunity to gain a competitive edge by integrating environmental factors into their core business strategies. Some examples of companies that have taken environmental concerns into their business strategies include: o Anheuser-Busch: concern about recycling aluminum prompted the company to develop a can that’s 33 percent lighter. Its recycling effort saves about $200 million a year. o DuPont: developed a family of herbicides that dramatically reduced herbicide application per acre with no drop in crop yields. More than 200 million fewer pounds of chemicals are applied to the soil each year. DuPont jumped from eighth to second in market share in the crop protection chemical industry. o Volvo: increased its market share in one truck segment by 35 percent over three years by differentiating its trucks on environmental factors like fuel efficiency and lower emissions. Its truck operations jumped from 30 percent to 56 percent of the company’s operating […]
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The Canadian government will invest $5.8 million in partnership with Stuart Energy Systems Inc. to develop the infrastructure for refueling hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles. The total price tag of the project is estimated at $17.7 million. Canadas investment support the development of a system to refuel buses, such as those being developed by Ballard Power Systems. The high-volume refueling system will enable fuel-cell buses to refuel overnight, reducing costs by taking advantage of off-peak electricity rates. The technology will be a step toward making fuel cell-powered vehicles more widely available.
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The Solar Energy Research and Education Foundation has compiled a collection of State Guides on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency online. They were funded by the U.S. EPA and U.S. DOE. They contain tips and key contacts, specific to each state. [sorry this link is no longer available]
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DaimlerChrysler, EcoEnergy Ltd., Norsk Hydro, and Royal Dutch/Shell Group are jointly investigating the potential to replace fossil fuels in Iceland with hydrogen, creating the world’s first “hydrogen economy.” The initial $1 million investment will test hydrogen-burning fuel cells that can replace gasoline-power in motor vehicles. Ultimately the goal is to convert public and private transportation sectors, including fishing vessels, in a country where 67 percent of energy consumption is supplied by hydro- and geothermal sources, the highest percentage share from renewables among OECD countries. Sustainable Energy Coalition Weekly Update: kbossong@cais.com
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The U.S. could increase the share of electricity generated from renewable sources (wind, solar, plants and geothermal) to about 10 times current levels over the next 20 years, and still see a 13 percent decrease in electricity prices, according to Union of Concerned Scientists study, “A Powerful Opportunity: Making Renewable Electricity the Standard.” Expanding renewable electricity use to these levels would freeze power plant emissions of carbon dioxide at about year 2000 levels, making a major contribution to meeting the US reduction targets under the Kyoto global warming treaty. Another report, “Powerful Solutions: 7 Ways to Switch America to Renewable Electricity,” UCS details methods to switch America to renewable electricity: renewable portfolio standards, public benefits funding, net metering, fair transmission and distribution rules, fair pollution rules, consumer information, and putting green customer demand to work. ucs@ucsusa.org The reports are available online: [sorry this link is no longer available]
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The U.S. could increase the share of electricity generated from renewable sources (wind, solar, plants and geothermal) to about 10 times current levels over the next 20 years, and still see a 13 percent decrease in electricity prices, according to Union of Concerned Scientists study, “A Powerful Opportunity: Making Renewable Electricity the Standard.” Expanding renewable electricity use to these levels would freeze power plant emissions of carbon dioxide at about year 2000 levels, making a major contribution to meeting the US reduction targets under the Kyoto global warming treaty. Another report, “Powerful Solutions: 7 Ways to Switch America to Renewable Electricity,” UCS details methods to switch America to renewable electricity: renewable portfolio standards, public benefits funding, net metering, fair transmission and distribution rules, fair pollution rules, consumer information, and putting green customer demand to work. ucs@ucsusa.org The reports are available online: [sorry this link is no longer available]
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The British company Zevco and U.S. company EVX will jointly build fuel cell powered vehicles in New York City. At the recent opening ceremony of the plant, which goes into full production this fall, they unveiled a fully-functioning prototype, Zevco’s zero-emission Millennium Taxi. It has the same performance as the diesel version, but is non-polluting, virtually silent, and cheaper to run. The prototype was built in Belgium, at the only fuel cell factory in Europe. info@zevco.co.uk [sorry this link is no longer available]
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The Centre for Sustainable Design (CfSD) has developed a checklist to help companies plan, develop, and implement electronic environmental reporting. It is designed to support the development of internet, intranet, and extranet-based environmental reporting. Download it: [sorry this link is no longer available]
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An executive order in Ecuador closes off a large section of its forest to oil drilling, mining, lumbering and colonization. Oil is Ecuador’s largest export, but drilling has polluted large areas of its forest, and has recently moved into remote land belonging to indigenous peoples. The decree prevents economic exploitation of the Cuyabeno-Imuya and Yasuni national parks, which located closely together total 2.7 million acres, and are home to 10,000 Indians.
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The “Green Guide to Cars and Trucks: Model Year 1999” assesses the health impacts, estimated annual fuel expenses, and greenhouse gas emissions for every new passenger car, minivan, sport utility, and pickup truck sold in the United States. It notes that “American cars and light trucks alone account for more fossil fuel CO2 emissions than the total nationwide emissions of all but three other countries in the world.” The General Motors EV-1, a zero emission electric car, ranks as the greenest vehicle of the 1999 model year. Other high ranking vehicles are, of course, also EVs: GM EV-1, Nissan Altra, Toyota RVA4, and Honda Civic GX. The Cadillac Escalade, a 5.7L 8 cyclinder, four wheel drive vehicle that gets 16 mpg on the highway is ranked the lowest. American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy: ace3pubs@ix.netcom.com [sorry this link is no longer available]
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