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After building several pilot projects using green building principles, the U.S. Navy has made such practices policy. The Naval Facilities Engineering Commands Whole Building Guide defines sustainability, details the principles involved, and lists 14 criteria to use when evaluating architectural and engineering firms, including energy-efficient design, life-cycle analysis, and indoor air quality. The first pilot, in 1993, was a $19 million, 156,000 square foot conversion of the Washington D.C. Naval Yard, Building 33. Through improvements such as increased insulation and efficient lighting they reducee the chiller size and amount of ductwork. These savings paid for other improvements. Building 33: [sorry this link is no longer available] Source: GreenClips
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The plan presented in a new book, Corporate Social Investing: The Breakthrough Strategy for Giving and Getting Corporate Contributions, could pour another $3 billion a year into non-profits. It substitutes the term “corporate social investing” for “corporate philanthropy”. It turns non-profits from supplicants to potent business allies. And it converts corporate philanthropy into a strategy that can open markets, recruit employees, and improve customer relations. For example: * The American Cancer Society rents its name to SmithKline Beecham’s NicoDerm antismoking patch and to the Florida Department of Citrus for $2 million a year. * The NY-based retail company, Stonehenge, donates four percent of revenues from the sale of its “Cocktail Collection” of men’s ties to Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Corporate Social Investing: The Breakthrough Strategy for Giving and Getting Corporate Contributions, by Curt Weeden. Berrett-Koehler.
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The Pew Center on Global Climate Change released a plan to help resolve one of the most contentious issues to be debated at this month’s international climate change conference (November 2-13) in Buenos Aires – the relative obligations of countries. It divides the obligations of countries into tiers based on three criteria: responsibility for emissions, standard of living or ability to pay for mitigation, and the opportunity countries have to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “We cannot begin to address the climate change issue until we resolve what is fair to expect of each country,” said Eileen Claussen, Pew Center executive director. “Until now, people assumed there would be one standard for the industrialized countries and another for developing countries. Tier one: 30 countries with the greatest obligation to act because of their high emissions, standard of living, and opportunity to improve energy efficiency. It includes most industrialized countries including the U.S. and European nations, but also countries like Argentina and South Korea. Tier two: 52 countries with a standard of living below the world average. Both developed and developing countries fall into this tier including China, India, Brazil, Russia, and Bulgaria. Tier three: 74 countries which contribute less to the […]
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Social and economic information about any country in the world is available through the United Nations: [sorry this link is no longer available]
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The first seven of 133 windmills started turning in early October at the Le Nordais Wind Farm, Quebec. At a cost of C$160 million, the windmills can produce 100 megawatts, enough to power 16,000 households, making it the largest such development in Canada. “Only about four other projects in the world were built to be this size,” says Yvan Dupont, president of Axor International Inc., one of a consortium of builders. The group, which includes MEG Micon of Denmark and Japan’s Nichimen Corp, won a 25-year contract from Hydro Quebec to generate wind power at 5.4 Canadian cents a kilowatt-hour. The largest such projects in Canada to date are in the windswept western prairie province of Alberta, which generates 21 megawatts. With Quebec accounting for more than half of Canada’s wind energy potential, Axor hopes to build more sites that can produce up to 3,000 megawatts of windpower. The Gallon Environment Letter
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Dedication ceremonies took place October 27 in Cape Charles, Virginia, unveiling the nations first eco-industrial park. The first phase of the Cape Charles Sustainable Technology Park is fully leased to solar-energy, food-processing and environmental consulting and technology firms. The park will accommodate its tenants early in 1999. For more information contact Ed Cohen-Rosenthal, Cornell U. Work & Environment Inst. or Greg Manter, Eastern Shore, Virginia Economic Development Commission. [sorry this link is no longer available] [sorry this link is no longer available] To learn more about eco-industrial parks: [sorry this link is no longer available]
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If homeowners bought the complete line of energy-efficient products currently available, they would save 33 percent on energy bills. The typical homeowner pays $1,300 in energy bills, so this would amount to a yearly savings of more than $400. A household that buys energy-efficient equipment instead of standard new equipment can have a pollution savings equivalent to taking a car off the road for seven years. When it’s time to replace appliances, buy energy-efficient products. Beginning this year, many major manufacturers are producing Energy Star TVs and VCRs too. Look for EPA’s Energy Star label, which means the appliance exceeds government energy-efficiency requirements, often by 20 percent and sometimes by as much as 75 percent. To locate stores in your area that Energy Star products: http://www.energystar.gov/products/store-locator.phtml
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A team of New York University researchers conclude the Earth’s atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) content can be stabilized only with a tenfold increase in non-carbon emitting power sources over the next 50 years. The current 1.5 terawatts of clean power generation must increase to 15 terawatts by 2050, from its current 15 percent of the global total to at least 50 percent. “Stabilizing CO2 at twice pre-industrial levels without untenable economic disruptions implies a massive shift to carbon-free power, particularly in developing nations,” said physicist Matin I. Hoffert, leader of the research team. “There are no energy systems technologically ready at present to produce the required amount of carbon-free power. Fission and fusion concepts now at early research and development stages could, in principle, provide the needed carbon-free power. Without policy incentives to overcome socioeconomic inertia, these could take more than 50 years to penetrate to their market potential. He called for an international effort pursued with the same urgency as the Manhattan Project or the Apollo space program.
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The Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy produced the Business Guide to Environmental Performance and Competitive Advantage. It offers advice on why and how business should measure and report environmental performance. It demonstrates how addressing environmental issues in a systematic way can provide new opportunities to focus on core business objectives such as improved productivity, increased market share, enhance corporate image, higher share value and reduced cost of environmental compliance. For a copy, contact Abdi HusseinOntario Ministry of the Environment: [sorry this link is no longer available]
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Two active members of the group, New Mexico Friends of the Natural Step, were instrumental in getting the Santa Fe City Council to set up a Sustainable Santa Fe Task Force that will ultimately include five city departments and representatives from the environmental and business communities. The New Mexico Friends of The Natural Step has also published a three-year strategic plan for the state, available upon request, and is working hard on community sustainability issues. They are also collaborating with the city of Santa Fe on a construction waste re-use center. For more information contact Bruce David. There are regional working groups around the country. To get involved contact: tns@naturalstep.org [sorry this link is no longer available]
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