GreenBiz.com Green Business News

Kraft Trims Millions of Shipping Miles Through Smarter Logistics

GreenBiz Staff — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:50:37 +0000

A focused effort on making its distribution network more efficient has allowed Kraft Foods to save more than 50 million miles since 2005.

Wells Fargo Expands Green Financing with Cleantech Practice

GreenBiz Staff — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:37:28 +0000

The banking giant's new commercial banking group focused on clean technology firms will add to the $600 million the company has already dedicated to the market.

Climate Counts and the Green Race to the Top

Marc Gunther — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:17:28 +0000

If climate regulation will burden businesses or increase costs, then why are so many companies strengthening their voluntary response to the climate crisis in the midst of an economic downturn?

New, Green 'Safe Spoon' Goes Where Normal Utensils Can't

GreenerDesign Staff — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:12:22 +0000

SpoonLidz has developed a new, paperboard spoon touted as an alternative to plastic or bio-based spoons and which cannot be used to cause harm.

In a Rare NGO Merger, GreenBlue and Metafore Join Strengths

GreenBiz Staff — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:08:17 +0000

GreenBlue, which focuses on facilitating sustainable product design and materials sourcing, has acquired Metafore, a nonprofit that specializes in sustainable paper purchasing, are joining forces to further influence sustainable design and procurement.

US Uses Less Water Than It Did a Generation Ago As Global Concern Grows Over Scarcity

GreenBiz Staff — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:00:16 +0000

The United States is using less water than it did 35 years ago, which is a good thing given the rising concern about water issues among investors and stakeholders worldwide, new information released this week shows.

How Silver Can Bring a New Element to Green Chemistry

Michael L. Krall — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:54:33 +0000

A number of innovative bio-technologies are on the market today that offer highly effective alternatives to traditional chemical formulas, proving that products don't need to be toxic to be effective. Case in point are silver-based technologies.

SocialCycling Program Launched To Reuse Non-Recyclable Products, Materials

GreenerDesign Staff — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:45:00 +0000

The new SocialCycling program from consultant firm DMD Green will route non-recyclable products and materials out of waste streams and toward companies and artisans that can reuse them to make new products.

Survey to Explore Keys to Winning Employee Engagement Programs

GreenBiz Staff — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:57:01 +0000

A new survey from online social networking firm Brighter Planet will examine how employers and workers interact on sustainability.

What Does It Mean When Procurement Goes Green?

John Davies — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:57:10 +0000

Our recent survey of business leaders across industries found a huge increase in green purchasing in the last 12 months, but there are plenty of gray areas where uncertainty lie.

AU Optronics Helps Create a Frisbee-Shaped Solar Roof at Taipei Playground

GreenerBuildings Staff — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:15:20 +0000

AU Optronics Corp., Taiwan's largest manufacturer of thin film transistor liquid crystal display panels, has helped craft a “Solar Frisbee Roof” to canopy playground equipment at a Taipei schoolyard.

Post Office's First Sustainability Report Charts Agency's Green Path

GreenBiz Staff — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:48:12 +0000

In releasing its first-ever sustainability data, the U.S. Postal Service shows that it has cut total energy use by 9 percent in the past three years, while making strides in e-waste recycling and energy intensity.

Real Climate Leadership and the Rules of Policy Engagement

Ryan Schuchard and Laura Ediger — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:59:22 +0000

As negotiators gather in Copenhagen next month to discuss a global climate policy framework, there has never been a better time for companies to influence the policy instruments that could dramatically affect the future of climate change.

RSC Equipment Rental Rolls Out Emissions Tracking Service

Leslie Guevarra — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:25:18 +0000

While the push is on to green buildings, the RSC Equipment Rental firm has devised a new service to help reduce the environmental impact of a key component of construction: It tracks the emissions of every diesel unit that rolls out of its lots around the country.

Rolling Towards Greener Tires

Jonathan Bardelline — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:35:00 +0000

By making tires better at overcoming the resistance they face from the road, tire makers are helping vehicles increase their fuel economy and discarding the long-held principle that says any increase in rolling resistance would lower tire durability and grip in wet conditions.

How a Soft Energy Path Could Put China on the Right Track to Sustainable Growth

Aris Yi and Jonah Taylor — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:41:27 +0000

China is putting forward aggressive policies to reduce energy intensity while still maintaining rapid development. But transformative sustainable development in China needs to respect some unique conditions to be successful.

50 Companies Add U.K.-Specific Recycling Label to Packaging

GreenerDesign Staff — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:35:00 +0000

Fifty companies have signed up to use a standard, U.K.-specific recycling label for packaging since the label was introduced seven months ago. The program is an attempt to have one type of recycling label on all packaging in the U.K. and to increase recycling rates by making it clear what parts of a package are widely recycled.

The Language of Sustainability: Why Words Matter

David Jaber — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:40:32 +0000

To create a world that works for all, we need to change the language we use to frame our mindset. Language has real power. It communicates the concepts that shape thought, and we need to be vigilant about the terms we use.

Nike, Unilever, HP Top Latest Climate Counts Scorecard

GreenBiz Staff — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Climate Counts has compiled its third scorecard rating 90 major corporations on their efforts to measure and reduce their climate impact, support or oppose climate legislation and disclose their actions. Nike retained the top score for the second year in a row as some companies that previously had low scores shot up in the rankings.

JCPenney to Cut Paper Use by 25 Percent, Break Children's Hearts

Matthew Wheeland — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:04:11 +0000

JCPenney's new paper-reduction strategy will save millions of pounds of paper, and likely an equal amount of shipping and manufacturing costs, but that's just the silver lining to a sadder development.

When Behavioral Economics Meets Climate Change, Guess What's Coming for Dinner?

Marc Gunther — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:30:42 +0000

When a meat-based entrée is being served and people are offered a vegetarian alternative, about 5 to 10 percent will request it. But what if the choices were reversed?

How Energy Modeling Can Create 'Model Prisoners' & Closing Thoughts on Greenbuild 2009

Rob Watson — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:00:39 +0000

The good news: The ultimate environmental footprint of green buildings will become much clearer in the future. The bad news: In the short run, it'll be much more complicated -- especially if professionals keep falling prisoner to tools meant to help them.

Dell Protects Laptops With Bamboo Packaging

GreenerDesign Staff — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:52:00 +0000

Dell is introducing bamboo cushioning with its Inspiron Mini 10 and Mini 10v netbooks, part of its broader goal to reduce its packaging by 10 percent and use more recyclable material.

U.S. Climate Bill Could Boost Economy by $111B, Study Says

Cath Everett — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:50:20 +0000

As Republican senators try to stall climate change legislation on grounds that it could harm the U.S. economy, a major study from three universities suggests a robust climate bill would do just the opposite and boost GDP by $111 billion by 2020.

The Carrots and Sticks of Proposed Climate Policy

Terry Moore — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:30:14 +0000

Motivational experts have for years argued about whether incentives or threats are more effective, and we're seeing an array of both being applied to mulish Congressional opponents of major climate legislation.

Clean Energy and Climate Policy for U.S. Growth and Job Creation

ClimateBiz Staff — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:37:12 +0000

This study finds that a robust climate bill could boost the U.S. economy by about $111 billion by 2020 and create as many as 1.9 million jobs.

USGBC Honors JLL, Transwestern SVP, Army, NGOs

Leslie Guevarra — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:37:01 +0000

U.S. Green Building Council closed its annual conference with awards to industry leaders, as the region's convention bureau hailed the estimated 28,000 building professionals who came to town for boosting the local economy by some $30 million.

Americans' Interest in Green Sags During Downturn

GreenBiz Staff — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:20:25 +0000

The latest Green Confidence Index shows a dip in consumer commitment to buying green as more individuals tell Obama to "focus on the economy first."

Green Seal's New Business Certification Aims to Catalyze the Green Marketplace

Matthew Wheeland — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:31:23 +0000

Marking a shift in tactics after 20 years of certifying individual products or services, the nonprofit green certification group has launched a new project that will measure and seek to improve the impact of a company's entire operations.

Making A Big Deal of Small Wind

Marc Gunther — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:10:49 +0000

Why is wind-power behemoth GE bothering to invest a relatively tiny amount of money in a small company that makes backyard wind turbines?

B Corp Expands Certification to Building Industry

GreenerBuildings Staff — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:53:50 +0000

B Lab, the nonprofit that created the sustainable business certification, launched its building industry addenda at the Greenbuild conference Thursday, the product of 18 months of development by more than two dozen industry leaders.

Searching for Greenwash at Greenbuild

Joel Makower — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:56:00 +0000

I had expected the conference to be a showcase of how, when green goes mainstream, good intentions and high standards give way to the lowest common denominator of the mass market. Happily, I was wrong.

What's Better for Green Design: Glass or Ceramic?

Travis Lee — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:58:11 +0000

When a design project requires a material with a cold, smooth, high-quality feel, what's better -- ceramic or glass?

Take Care Using the Word 'Sustainability'

Roberto Piccioni — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

The terms and concepts of sustainability and corporate social responsibility seem to have entered our everyday vocabulary and lifestyle, but these terms are packed with contextual meaning -- and not everyone can have a conversation with a common understanding of these issues.

Autodesk Draws Up a New Way to Set Carbon Footprint Goals

ClimateBiz Staff — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:15:26 +0000

The Autodesk team announced this week it has devised a new way of setting goals to reduce its carbon footprint. It's called the Corporate Finance Approach to Climate-Stabilizing Targets, or C-FACT, and the company hopes other businesses will adopt it and even help Autodesk make it better.

Heinz On Track to Reduce Waste, Water, Energy Impacts by 20 Percent

GreenBiz Staff — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:04:25 +0000

The company's 2009 sustainability report shows that not only has the company passed the half-way point on its goals, but that its reductions are picking up speed year over year.

Marriott to Launch Prototype for Green Design of Courtyard Hotels

Leslie Guevarra — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:38:19 +0000

In the latest move to expand its sustainability efforts, Marriott International Inc. says its green hotel portfolio will grow tenfold in the next five years with the introduction of a design prototype for new green properties.

Ford Mixes Wheat Waste With Plastic in 2010 Flex

GreenerDesign Staff — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:30:00 +0000

The 2010 Ford Flex will include the auto industry's first use of wheat straw, a waste byproduct from wheat production, expanding Ford's use of bio-based and alternative materials.

How Companies Manage the Sustainability Tradeoffs

David Marks — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:15:19 +0000

The director of MIT's Laboratory for Energy and the Environment considers the decisions companies have to make if they want to be sustainable -- and challenges some of the conventional wisdom.

Vetrazzo Gets a Green Audit to Back Its Product Claims

GreenerBuildings Staff — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:10:20 +0000

The manufacturer of recycled-glass surfaces announced during Greenbuild 2009 that it had published an Environmental Product Declaration, allowing customers to verify the reduced impacts of its product line.

Nanotube Sponge Promises Improved Pollution Mop-up

Danny Bradbury — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Chinese researchers say new carbon nanotubes will make oil spill clean-ups quicker and easier.

Greenbuild 2009: Gore Lauds USGBC for 'Leading the Charge' to Battle Climate Change

Leslie Guevarra — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:46:54 +0000

Nobel Laureate and former vice president Al Gore welcomed thousands of building professionals to Phoenix, praising the U.S. Green Building Council and its members for being the vanguard of the movement to green the world's buildings.

The Companies Mixing Up Greener Cement

Jonathan Bardelline — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:00:09 +0000

Cement and concrete companies are using a range of strategies to lower the impacts of their industry, which contributes 5 percent or more of CO2 emissions. Using a power plant byproduct, secret ingredients and mixtures that make concrete waterproof are just some of their methods.

NRDC Leader Says The Time is Now to Act on Climate

Marc Gunther — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:18:13 +0000

Frances Beinecke's new book -- a straightforward, easy-to-read argument -- attempts to connect the climate issue to everyday concerns like jobs, the economy and national security.

The USGBC's 2009 Green Jobs Report

GreenerBuildings Staff — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:25:58 +0000

This study, conducted by the U.S. Green Building Council and Booz Allen Hamilton, predicts that the green building industry will be responsible for the creation or support of 7.9 million jobs, contributing $554 billion to the U.S. GDP, in the next four years.

BD+C's Green Buildings and Water Performance Report

GreenerBuildings Staff — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:41:54 +0000

This report is seventh in an annual series looking at impacts in the green buildings market, and explores how water use and water conservation pose daunting challenges to building owners and the environment.

Greenbuild 2009: Research Explores Buildings' Impact on Jobs, Water, Real Estate

GreenerBuildings Staff — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:21:16 +0000

A slew of reports released during Greenbuild 2009 explore how green buildings are impacting resource use, the job market, facility management and more.

Greenbuild 2009: Of Certifications, Solar and Smart Grid

GreenerBuildings Staff — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:14:54 +0000

The first 24 hours of Greenbuild 2009 brought a flurry of announcements, including the latest version of the Living Building Challenge standards, the largest city-sponsored residential solar financing program in the country, and a big push from Electric lighting control firm Lutron to revamp its technologies to take advantage of potential energy savings and smart grid development.

Greenbuild 2009: Conference Opens the Doors to Its Largest Expo Yet

Leslie Guevarra — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:20:15 +0000

Day 1 of the world's largest showcase for green building products and innovation brought together more than 1,800 exhibitors and tens of thousands of attendees; here is a look at some of the companies holding court on the showroom floor.

Putting Business Growth and Emissions on Separate Tracks

Tilde Herrera — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:37:02 +0000

With climate scientists warning that greenhouse gas emissions must decline upwards of 80 percent by 2050 to avoid catastrophic climate change, some like Salvatore Gabola are calling for businesses to move past normalized reduction targets to lower their total carbon footprints.

Putting the Triple Bottom Line to Work

Mark McElroy — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:38:24 +0000

Although a recent article on GreenBiz.com questioned the usefulness of the triple bottom line concept, four key insights show how TBL can benefit organizations of any size and in any industry.

Is 'Buy American' Bad for America?

Marc Gunther — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:12:41 +0000

Regulations included in the stimulus bill passed earlier this year required American-made products to be used in stimulus-funded projects. But in a world dominated by global supply chains, a "buy American" rule is simply bad business.

Where Does IT Fit in IBM's Top Green Innovations?

Matthew Wheeland — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:37:34 +0000

The technologies that made IBM's list of its top five green innovations in the past year -- and what didn't make that list -- highlight the shift that Big Blue is making toward the green.

Financial Crisis Offers Narrow Window to Take Climate Action, IEA Warns

GreenBiz Staff — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:57:24 +0000

The International Energy Agency on Tuesday called on world leaders to strike a deal to address climate change, warning that the current business-as-usual scenario is unsustainable and will lead to skyrocketing energy demand, price spikes and up to a 6 degree temperature rise.

Smart Commuting Could Save 4.6 Million Work-Hours per Day

GreenerComputing Staff — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:20:57 +0000

A study published during National Commute Smart Week finds that not only are Brits wasting huge amounts of time on their daily commutes, but that technology-assisted remote working plans can make businesses more productive.

Perkins+Will Launches First Chemical Blacklist for Building Designers

Jonathan Bardelline — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:50:00 +0000

Architectural firm Perkins+Will has unveiled its Precautionary List, which includes 25 chemicals commonly used in buildings, explains why they are a threat to humans and the environment, and lists safer alternatives.

Thinking Outside the Box on Packaging Design

Dave Douglas — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:50:49 +0000

Although many people think of packaging -- especially wasteful packaging -- as an afterthought, as more and more environmental regulations begin to address packaging's impacts, manufacturers are starting to design their packages with more care than products themselves.

How Second Place (or Third) Can Mean a Win for Designers Everywhere

Jess Sand — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:21:10 +0000

The Cooper Hewitt People's Choice Award was the only category in the Smithsonian Institution's recent National Design Awards to be opened to public voting, and over 6,000 designers, consumers, and interested citizens spoke up. Some of the biggest design names in the country were nominated. But it was an independently produced sustainable design website that managed to squeeze past the designerati to place in the final three.

TV Recycling Picks Up Speed with LG, Waste Management Partnership

GreenBiz Staff — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:35:29 +0000

The two companies are teaming up to recycle televisions and computer monitors at hundreds of locations around the country as hotels upgrade displays to flat-panel and HDTV systems.

Companies More Likely Than Ever to Invest in Efficiency Retrofits, Study Says

GreenerBuildings Staff — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:03:33 +0000

Seventy-four percent of corporate real estate executives now say they would be willing to pay a premium to retrofit office space they own to achieve sustainability goals, according to results of a new survey by CoreNet Global and Jones Lang LaSalle.

Sainsbury's CEO Demands New Focus on Green Economy

Luke Walsh — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:07:28 +0000

The chief executive of a leading supermarket has demanded the government tackle a lack of trained workers with green skills.