Conscious Growth: South Mountain Company
This green building company pursues deliberate rather than maximum growth, thinking about "enough" rather than "more."
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Eco-Cycle Ventures Into Composting
In Boulder, CO, the name Eco-Cycle is synonymous with recycling. Now they hope it will mean composting too.
Cosmetic Ingredients, Getting Safer?
Last year, the European Union banned a range of chemicals widely used in cosmetics, which are either highly suspected or scientifically proven to be carcinogens, mutagens or reproductive toxins. Phthalates, a class of chemicals widely suspected to cause cancer and birth defects, are included.Since the U.S. hasn’t followed suit, the Breast Cancer Fund and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics took up the charge by attempting to convince multinational cosmetics companies to reformulate their products to EU standards. So far, L’Oreal and Revlon have agreed to do so. Says Jeanne Rizzo, executive director of the Breast Cancer Fund, “Regrettably, U.S. law still permits companies to put unlimited amounts of toxic chemicals into cosmetics sold here.” Unilever says its products do not contain phthalates DBP and DEHP, but refrains from committing to cease using the other 1,000 toxic chemicals banned by the E.U. directive.The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is asking all cosmetics companies to sign a pledge to immediately remove all EU-banned chemicals and develop safer alternative ingredients. The group will issue a report card this month grading cosmetics companies on their responsiveness to this request. In the end, many consumer-safety organizations believe the government will need to regulate ingredients. The FDA […]
TerraPass: Students Launch Kyoto for Cars
As part of the MBA program at the University of Pennsylvania, students recently founded a company that allows car drivers to easily and affordably negate most of the environmental impact of their cars. The idea behind TerraPass is simple. TerraPass allows individuals to tap into the growing market for carbon emission credits traded by large companies such as DuPont and IBM. These markets are structured in the same way as as the markets for sulfur emissions that were so successful in reducing acid rain.Although the workings of these markets are complex, the end result isn’t. Car drivers can completely offset the CO2 emissions of their cars for about $50 a year, without having to modify their cars or change their lifestyle. Compare it to a hybrid vehicle, which costs several thousand dollars more than a comparable non-hybrid, and offers a much smaller fuel efficiency gain. It’s kind of Kyoto for Cars. TerraPass grew out of a class project on problem solving and design at the Wharton School. During the six-week span of the class, a team of students created the business – from product design to marketing to sales to fulfillment. The idea sprang from Professor Karl Ulrich, who felt […]
Weekly Clean Energy Roundup:February 16, 2005
News and Events Large Wind Power Plants Slated for North Dakota and Massachusetts Two Companies Get a Boost from Wind Turbine Manufacturing Long Island Aims to Feature a 10-Megawatt Fuel Cell Facility EPA and Four Partners to Build a Hydraulic Hybrid Delivery Van State Energy Collaborative Awards $4 Million to Eight Projects Europeans Join Forces to Develop Organic LEDs Energy ConnectionsKyoto Protocol Takes Effect Today News and Events Large Wind Power Plants Slated for North Dakota and MassachusettsPPM Energy is proposing to build North Dakota’s largest wind plant, a 150-megawatt facility near Rugby, in the north central part of the state. The company submitted a letter of intent to the North Dakota Public Service Commission in late January and plans to build the 100-turbine wind project by the end of the year. North Dakota Governor John Hoeven expressed support for the project, and plans to meet with the company next week. See the governor’s press release.Two smaller wind plants are also under development in northwest Massachusetts. Berkshire Wind Power LLC is planning to build the 15-megawatt Berkshire Project on Brodie Mountain, near the New York border. A group of the state’s municipal utilities and their power supplier – the Massachusetts […]
Weekly Clean Energy Roundup:February 9, 2005
News and Events White House Budget Boosts Funding for Hydrogen 2005 Budget Includes Tax Incentives for Renewables and Clean Vehicles DOE Proposes $1.2 Billion for Efficiency and Renewables in 2006 Bush Administration Pushes Renewable Energy on Public Lands Lexus Hybrid SUV Aims for 30 mpg in City Driving U.K. and China Plan to Build Wave and Tidal Energy Plants Energy ConnectionsEIA: Oil Prices to Stay Above $40 per Barrel Through 2006 News and Events White House Budget Boosts Funding for HydrogenPresident Bush released his proposed federal budget for fiscal year 2006 on Monday, and despite tight constraints on discretionary spending, the budget includes $260 million for the President’s Hydrogen Fuel Initiative, an increase of $35 million over 2005 funding levels. The Hydrogen Fuel Initiative is a $1.2-billion, five-year commitment to develop the fundamental science and technologies to produce, store, and distribute hydrogen for use in fuel-cell vehicles, electricity generation, and other applications. The 2005 budget continues strong support for high-risk, high-payoff basic research that is closely coupled and coordinated with the initiative’s applied research and development programs.Research funded through the initiative has already led to reduced costs for fuel cells, and progress continues on other technological challenges in hydrogen production […]
Business Schools Turn Green, Slowly
Surprisingly, it is titans of American business that are driving changes in MBA curriculum toward sustainable business practices.
Paper Recycling Chase in Asian & European Markets
Curbside recycling may need to be upgraded worldwide to meet China's vociferous appetite for recovered paper.
McDonough Creates Sustainable Templates for China
Architect William McDonough has joined the throngs of architects in the building gold rush currently in progress in China – but, of course, he has a different goal – bringing his cradle-to-cradle protocol there to assist in sustainable development. China’s modernization is proceeding at an almost unfathomable pace. McDonough is trying to spread the word of building sustainably by developing planning templates that can be used for a wide range of projects. He is working with the China Housing Industry Association (CHIA) which conducted a mass-energy study on what would happen if the planned 400 million units were built with brick. They found that China would lose all their soil and burn all their coal! The result would be cities, but without food or energy. That?s how big this is. 174 jurisdictions have already made brick illegal. The Chinese are going to house 400 million people in the next 12 years. Essentially they are rebuilding the housing stock of two Americas – in 12 years. McDonough is working with CHIA and a group of developers to create templates for cities based on the cradle-to-cradle protocol. What we do, he says, is examine sites – some of which are as big […]
Carpet, Fabric & Apparel to Get Greener
Why is it taking so long for sustainable products of all kinds to be integrated into mainstream society? The Institute for Market Transformation to Sustainability (MTS) has taken on the charge to make it happen. Their goal is to transform manufacturing and retail practices worldwide so that by 2015 sustainable products are available in 90% of the global marketplace. Daunting? Yes, but since the 100 largest companies account for more than 90% of the world’s products, MTS believes its mission is attainable. MTS – through a process of consensus – develops product standards, and then puts them into practice by establishing purchasing programs, training, and promotion. They conduct on-going training programs on understanding and implementing their Sustainable Product Standards and Clean Vehicle training. In December, the group unanimously approved by ballot a standard to sustainably manufacture carpet, fabric and apparel, The Unified Sustainable Textile Standard 2.0. Years in the making, the standard covers the entire supply chain, product reuse and reclamation of textiles of all kinds. Its textile rating system is based on the level of sustainability over the course of the life cycle. Maximum credits can be achieved if the following criteria are applied throughout the supply chain: – […]
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