The Pyramid and the Pie:Corporate Involvement in Sustainable Development
Is selling shampoo to the poor in developing countries the solution?
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Slow Money
Few of the sustainable businesses that need investment meet the criteria of "fast" venture capital.. maybe it's time for Slow Money.
Novozymes:A Company for the Future That Is Here Now
This company is a sterling example of sustainable business and profits going together!
Greening Hospitals
When Boulder Community Hospital (Colorado) received its certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for a LEED silver rating, the hospital not only joined a select group of LEED buildings, but it also became the first and only hospital so far to get a LEED certification. There will likely be more hospitals but not without a struggle. There are 27 health care facilities registered with LEED waiting for word on whether they will receive certification. While that’s a good start, health care facilities comprise 30% of the new construction market. Given that, experts say nearly one-third of the 1800 projects registered with LEED should be hospitals. Because it’s so difficult to make those facilities green, however, less than two percent are. Hospitals operate on a 24 hour basis and have volumes of special regulations to adhere to. Just moving air around takes more energy in a hospital than in most other facilities. Lighting levels are higher and elevators operate all day and night. This makes designing a green hospital more difficult. “I’m not aware of any state that enforces energy code compliance on hospitals,” says Kim Shinn, an engineer with TLC Engineering. “I believe the underlying reason for the […]
Panel Source International:Sustainable Building Materials
Panel Source International (PSI), headquartered in Alberta, Canada, has been in the panel products business for more than 60 years. About five years ago PSI committed itself solely to the manufacturing and sales of sustainable building materials. As part of that, PSI received FSC certification in 2003.James McLeod, Project Manager, said they sought out FSC certification because it is, “the only certification program that is truly independent of the forest products industry and able to provide unbiased information and direction. It is also the only certification program that is accepted by the US Green Building Council’s LEED program. We were very impressed with FSC’s holistic approach to forest management, the chain-of-custody system, and the certification by independent third parties. With these reasons, we believe that FSC will be the program of choice for the future.” Scientific Certification Systems granted PSI’s certification.PSI is engaged in the manufacture and distribution of building materials that offer key environmental attributes, and are suitable for use in the LEED program. These attributes include products that are urea-formaldehyde free, moisture resistant, recycled and/or rapidly renewable raw materials, and products that are FSC-certified. Although headquartered in Canada, their manufacturing and warehouse operations are centralized in Tacoma, Washington […]
Recycled Water Seen as Opportunity
In California, the San Diego City Council recently approved a study to evaluate recycled water opportunities, launching a Master Plan Update. The objectives, developed with local environmental groups, include evaluation of all aspects of water reuse as well as information concerning potential impacts of the wastewater stream on water quality and public health. San Diego’s municipal golf course, Torrey Pines, takes about 400,000 gallons of reclaimed water daily for landscaping purposes. The San Diego campus of the University of California uses around 300,000 gallons of reclaimed wastewater a day to satisfy 40% of its irrigation needs. Meanwhile, the city of Corona, CA. began pipeline construction on its recycled water system expected to be completed in mid-2005. The system will include reservoirs, two pump stations, and about 30 miles of underground pipeline to carry recycled water from the wastewater treatment plant to irrigation connections. Recycled water will be used to irrigate landscaping at schools, parks, churches, freeway medians and homeowners’ associations-governed landscaped areas reports Water Reuse News.In Atlanta, Georgia, 24 wastewater treatment facilities generate reclaimed water to irrigate golf courses. The latest system to come online is in Denver, Colorado, where 30 million gallons of water a day will be pumped […]
Weekly Clean Energy Roundup:December 1, 2004
News and Events Dow and GM to Build One-Megawatt Fuel Cell Installation Universities and Companies Aim to Convert Biomass to Energy Kansas Governor Halts Wind Power in Tallgrass Prairies West Coast States Strengthen Greenhouse Gas Reduction Efforts FedEx Uses Hybrid Trucks for Holiday Charity Deliveries Car-Sharing Company Plans Nationwide Expansion Site NewsState Technologies Advancement Collaborative Launches New Site Energy ConnectionsNew Technology Uses Nuclear Power to Produce Hydrogen News and EventsDow and GM to Build One-Megawatt Fuel Cell InstallationDow Chemical Company and the General Motors Corporation launched the second phase of their joint fuel cell demonstration project on Monday. The companies will now build a one-megawatt fuel cell pilot plant and integrate it into Dow’s Texas Operations facility in Freeport, Texas. The system will be fueled with hydrogen that is produced as a byproduct at the chemical plant, and will feed power into the plant’s power distribution grid. According to GM, the new facility will provide valuable experience in “learning to work with real-world hydrogen that has some impurities in it, and not the pure hydrogen you get in a lab setting.” See the Dow press release and Web site.Another one-megawatt fuel cell installation is in the works for California: FuelCell […]
Weekly Clean Energy Roundup:November 24, 2004
News and Events United States and 13 Other Countries Form Methane Energy Partnership Solar “Utilities” and Credit Trades Boost Solar Water Heating Study: Worldwide Use of Solar Thermal Energy Underestimated Wind Power Brings Jobs to Nevada, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin Ethanol Fuel Industry on Building Spree in the Midwest American Chemistry Council Honors Energy Efficiency Efforts News and EventsUnited States and 13 Other Countries Form Methane Energy PartnershipThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced last week that 13 countries have joined the Methane to Markets Partnership, an international effort to capture methane emissions and convert them into energy. In the United States, the major source of methane emissions is landfill gas, but the partnership also focuses on recovering methane from coal mines and from natural gas and oil systems. Methane to Markets has the potential to reduce net methane emissions by up to 50 million metric tons of carbon equivalent annually by 2015, equivalent to eliminating the carbon emissions from 50 500-megawatt coal-fired power plants. Representatives from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom joined the United States in signing a document to formally create the Methane to Markets Partnership. See […]
Weekly Clean Energy Roundup:November 17, 2004
News and Events Shell Adds Hydrogen Refueling to a Retail Gas Station Sandia to Help Build a 150-Kilowatt, Six-Dish Solar Facility Idaho PUC Gives Go-Ahead to State’s Largest Wind Power Plant German Company Erects Prototype 5-Megawatt Wind Turbine China Supports Plan to Build World’s Largest Tidal Power Plant Lexus to Launch Hybrid SUV in April 2005 Site NewsGermany’s Agency of Renewable Resources Tackles Biomass Energy News and EventsShell Adds Hydrogen Refueling to a Retail Gas StationSecretary of Energy Spencer Abraham joined representatives of Shell and General Motors Corporation (GM) last week in the opening of the first hydrogen refueling station in Washington, D.C. The Shell station?the first in North America to offer both gasoline and hydrogen?will be used to refuel GM fuel cell vehicles as part of DOE’s Vehicle and Infrastructure Learning Demonstration and Validation Project. The station is the first in a potential hydrogen corridor running from the capital to New York City. See the DOE and Shell press releases.Secretary Abraham announced the Vehicle and Infrastructure Learning Demonstration and Validation Project on April 27th as an opportunity to assess important data under real world environments that will refocus research efforts. See the story from the April 28th edition of […]
General Electric & Florida Power & Light: Sustainable Investments?
So, you want to invest in renewable energy! What choices are on the stock market?
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