Joel Makower: Two Steps Forward

California Puts Green Chemistry Under the Microscope

2008-08-17T16:29:40-07:00

There's a classic, geeky chemistry school joke that "Chemists have all the solutions." That's starting to become true from an environmental perspective, though it remains to be seen whether those solutions will actually come to market.

Carbon-Free Energy, Cutting Poverty in Half: Mr. Gore, Meet Mr. Edwards

2008-08-02T16:32:27-07:00

Over the past few months, former vice president Al Gore has challenged Americans to commit to producing 100 percent of electricity from "renewable energy and clean carbon-free sources" within 10 years. And former senator John Edwards has launched a "Half in Ten" campaign "to reduce poverty in the United States by 50 percent within 10 years." Two bold, audacious goals. Same starting dates. Same decadelong trajectory. Is there any chance that Messrs. Gore and Edwards might possibly join forces?

GM and the New Plug-In Infrastructure

2008-07-24T09:14:02-07:00

This week's announcement by General Motors that it has joined with more than 30 utility companies across the U.S. to work on issues related to electric vehicles got a great deal of media play. But the coverage only began to scratch the surface of the complexity of bringing plug-in electric vehicles to market in mass quantities.

Greenwashing (cont.) and the Need to Loosen Up

2008-07-20T16:12:38-07:00

Jeffrey Hollender, the founder, CEO at Seventh Generation, published a counterpoint to my recent post, How Bad Is Greenwashing, Really? I encourage you to read it here. I just responded on his site, and thought I'd share the conversation here.

How Bad Is Greenwashing, Really?

2008-07-06T17:12:02-07:00

Greenwashing represents the naturalizing of green as a meme. It demands scrutiny by all of us, and action against the egregious actors. But, in the end, it's all good.

Energy Help: A Primer for Smaller (and Bigger) Companies

2008-06-22T22:50:40-07:00

As fuel and electricity prices have ratcheted up, so, too, have the queries about what to do: where can companies, especially smaller ones, go for help? On the one hand, that's a big, vague question. Where you go depends on who you are, where you're located, what you need, and how much, if anything, you're able to spend. On the other hand, there's a lot of help out there, much of it low-cost or free, if only you know where to look.

The Latest Reports: Solar Utilities, Carbon Offsets, and the Emperor's New Clothes

2008-06-17T08:00:00-07:00

The spring rains have yielded a bumper crop of new reports on the business of green. I've been a bit behind in fielding them, given my travels and last week's highly successful Greener by Design conference. Here are five of the latest.

The Greening of Design, from A to D

2008-06-03T03:39:53-07:00

A new report offers insight and a framework for green product design. In the end, the biggest opportunity may be for the company to redesign itself.

Going Down Under, Down Under

2008-06-02T02:08:45-07:00

My life often takes me to amazing places, no more amazing than the Great Barrier Reef, where I've just taken two dives. I'm not an experienced diver, though my two dives off the coast of Cairns, Australia, nonetheless rank high in life experiences. Hovering over almost any spot of the reef yielded an abundance of life, the level of action growing the longer one stays and looks. The same is true for energy and environmental politics in this part of the world.

Office Buildings As Peaker Plants

2008-05-18T18:24:55-07:00

The future of commercial buildings may include scenarios in which groups of buildings can voluntary power down for a few minutes at a time during periods of peak power demand, thereby replacing the need for constructing costly, emitting "peaker" power plants.

Exxon, the Rockefellers, and the Future of Big Oil

2008-05-05T06:59:22-07:00

Last week, the Rockefeller family made an historic challenge to Exxon Mobil Corp., the company founded by John D. Rockefeller and in which dozens of family members still hold stock. The challenge came in the form of a shareholder resolution to require an independent chairman of Exxon's board of directors, so that the company can better maximize long-term shareholder value in a rapidly changing energy environment. Making the board chair independent of the CEO may seem a technical governance matter, but it has great significance.

The 2008 Shareholder Season

2008-04-28T15:06:06-07:00

Some of the most important voting of the year doesn't involve candidates or political parties. It's taking place between shareholders and the companies they own.

GreenBiz and GreenYour: Something Old, Something New

2008-04-28T13:58:35-07:00

Something old, something new -- and something designed green. Read all about it.

Earth Day, Green Marketing, and the Polling of America, 2008

2008-04-20T12:16:01-07:00

It's time for my (second) annual survey of surveys — the bounty of public opinion polls on green topics that seems to sprout every spring in time for Earth Day. A half-dozen or so years ago, there were perhaps a couple such surveys. Today, there are a dozen that range from substantive to silly to self-serving.

A Deeper Dive into the Business of Water

2008-04-03T23:02:25-07:00

Water hasn't yet risen to the level of energy and climate as a pressing issue for most companies, but the conversation seems to be flowing lately. And the conversation includes two concepts likely to enter the green lexicon.

The Death and Rebirth of "50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth"

2008-03-23T21:19:30-07:00

50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth is back in print, updated for the 21st century. If that doesn't send a mild shiver down your spine, then you are under 25 years old.

Where Are All the Clean, Green Jobs?

2008-03-17T20:14:48-07:00

The promise of the green economy and the clean-tech revolution is that they will bring a new wave of job opportunities — productive and respectable jobs at every part of the economic spectrum, from line workers to senior managers. So, where are all these jobs?

Clean Energy Trends 2008

2008-03-11T08:41:00-07:00

The latest annual edition of Clean Energy Trends has just been published. My colleagues and I at Clean Edge have identified five key trends affecting clean-energy markets and produced our annual forecast of markets for four clean-energy technologies. And, working with our partners at New Energy Finance, we've analyzed the investment trends of the past year.

Green Corporate Communications: The Unstoppable Urge to Talk the Talk

2008-02-18T20:39:31-08:00

A spate of new reports on corporate communications shows how talking the green talk is no simple matter, what with the lack of definitions, the high expectations, and the countless critics and watchdogs ready to pounce if you don't get it right.

The State of Green Business, 2008

2008-01-30T11:00:00-08:00

My colleagues and I at GreenBiz.com have just published State of Green Business 2008, an accounting for how, and how much, the greening of business is moving the needle on environmental issues.

Clorox Aims to Show that 'Green Works'

2008-01-13T21:23:15-08:00

Can a major consumer packaged goods company with a name associated with chlorine become a leading light in the green marketplace? That's the hope of Clorox, the Oakland-based company, which this week is launching its first new brand in twenty years: Green Works, a line of cleaning products that are, in the company's words, "at least 99 percent natural."

News Flash: 110% of Consumers Shop Green!

2008-01-10T23:02:49-08:00

This just in: pretty much every consumer is concerned about the environment and is thinking conscientiously about what they buy — how it's made, under what conditions, and by whom. All you have to do is make good, green stuff and they'll buy it! We've reached the tipping point! Sound too good to be true? It is, of course. But you wouldn't know it from the marketing studies I've been seeing — and the breathless headlines that result. As they continue to invade my in-box, I find myself getting increasingly irritated. Can market researchers be accused of greenwash? I'm beginning to wonder.

Gary Hirshberg: Changing the Culture and 'Stirring It Up'

2008-01-06T13:53:55-08:00

A new book by Gary Hirshberg, the idealistic and iconoclastic "CE-Yo" of yogurt maker Stonyfield Farm, is a great read about an inspiring story filled with insights, inspiration, and delicious ironies.

The Hottest Tickets for 2008

2008-01-01T12:16:35-08:00

A new year, a new calendar of green and clean events. Mine is looking awfully busy, with new conferences and events joining old reliable ones.

Introducing . . . The Eco-Friendly Cigarette?

2007-12-17T21:37:34-08:00

What would you say if I introduced you to an environmentally friendly cigarette - one made of organically grown tobacco, with organic cotton filters, rolled in eco-friendly paper, all manufactured with renewable energy, with a portion of proceeds going to environmental charities? I'm guessing you'd call it greenwash. So, what about eco-friendly bottled water?

Leadership Mindset and Sustainability Success

2007-12-09T15:57:09-08:00

What is the stuff from which sustainability leaders are made? A fascinating new study seeks to answer that, and its findings are at times sobering in terms of understanding the challenges that face most companies.

Climate Change and the Cusp of Lost Opportunity

2007-12-02T21:29:27-08:00

On the eve of this week's UN Climate Change Conference in Bali, two new reports show how tantalizingly able we are to reduce our climate footprint -- and how frustratingly far we are from taking the needed steps to do so.

The Six Sins of Greenwashing

2007-11-18T20:21:00-08:00

Is green marketing just a series of lies? That's one conclusion to be drawn from a new study that examines hundreds of environmental labeling claims and found pretty much all of them wanting, suffering from sins of either omission or commission. Is it any wonder that

NBC's "Green Week": Not Media Business as Usual

2007-11-04T16:20:58-08:00

This is "Green Week" at NBC Universal, a seven-day revelry of environment-themed programming spread across the company's various network and cable TV channels and other properties. The 150 hours of programming -- integrated into everything from news and sports to soaps and entertainment -- is certainly a first for a media company. What's really going on here?

The Greening of Travel and Tourism, from Asia to Alabama

2007-11-02T04:31:18-07:00

My travels over the past month have included speeches to two very different audiences on the same topic: The future of travel and tourism, as seen through an environmental lens. Based on these and other calls I'm getting, it seems that this industry is starting to pay attention . . . but only starting.

Wal-Mart and the Greening of Fayetteville

2007-10-29T22:02:45-07:00

Fayetteville, Arkansas, mayor Dan Coody is overseeing a wave of green start-ups in Wal-Mart's shadow.

Green Business, in the Land of the Prius

2007-10-21T16:55:42-07:00

If you had asked me even a week ago whether Japan or the United States was further along in the greening of mainstream business, I'd likely have answered Japan. That country is, after all, the birthplace of the Prius and other eco-efficient vehicles and advanced technologies. It's the homeland of Sharp, the world's largest manufacturer of solar panels. It is a society known for longer-term thinking -- quarters of a century, not quarters of a year -- and for imbuing its citizenry with a sense of national purpose and commitment. But after my visit to Tokyo over the past few days, meeting with companies and thought leaders in the green business sphere, I'm not so sure.

Wal-Mart’s Sustainability Summit

2007-10-14T22:25:21-07:00

It's a messy affair, this sustainability thing. And Wal-Mart has made more than its share of the mess. But maybe, just maybe, that same company, in its dogged pursuit of productivity and profits, can create more than its share of the solution.

Cooler and the Quixotic Quest for Carbon-Neutral Consumption

2007-10-09T22:22:49-07:00

Into the carbon neutral fray comes Cooler, an Oakland, Calif-based start-up founded by a veteran environmental leader, in partnership with some of the largest environmental groups, using a pioneering methodology incubated at one of the nation's leading universities. It's partnering with 400 online retailers -- an impressive list, including Apple, Bloomingdales, Circuit City, Dockers, eBay, Florsheim, Godiva, and on down through the alphabet to Zales, Zappos, and Zones.

The Greening of the CIO

2007-10-08T07:45:17-07:00

The notion of a chief information officer is fairly new -- less than thirty years old -- but the CIO's role has grown in lockstep with the strategic importance of information and knowledge management inside companies. Their ability to think strategically about information technology can help a company innovate, grow markets, streamline operations, cut costs, and generally improve competitiveness. Now, the CIO is poised to help companies be greener.

The Greening of P.R.: Read All About It

2007-09-30T12:14:45-07:00

The world of public relations has discovered green with a vengeance, and the big global firms seem locked, loaded, and ready to fire up their drum beating.

Follow the Money: The (Slow) Rise of Green Financial Services

2007-09-23T18:21:58-07:00

We seem to be on the cusp of a cluster of green financial services -- everything from energy-efficiency mortgages to green consumer banks to climate-friendly credit cards. It's hardly approached a tipping point, but financial services companies seem increasingly interested, almost eager, to cater to green-minded consumers and companies.

What's Behind the Green Consumer Research?

2007-09-16T18:19:34-07:00

I've seen enough research data on green consumers over nearly twenty years that I've become immune to much of it. The recent release of the annual Green Gauge report doesn't change that.

Google's $10 Million Search for the Keys to the Plug-in

2007-09-12T07:46:31-07:00

Google today is launching a fascinating experiment in clean-tech investing in the form of a worldwide search for products, services, and technologies that can advance the market for plug-in electric vehicles. And it plans to invest $10 million in the ones it likes.

Coke's Message in a Bottle

2007-09-08T22:32:55-07:00

The Coca-Cola Company's announcement last week that it had set a goal "to recycle or reuse all the plastic bottles we use in the U.S. market," and invest $60 million in a recycling plant, was a bold, even audacious move, one sure to give the company a new green sheen. Let's hope it won't need to recycle the lessons of the past.