The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal

GREENBUZZ for November 22, 2004 Taking Care of Business Extra, extra, read all about it! Last week GreenBiz was proud to launch an exciting project -- an environmental printing service. The new GreenerPrinter.com offers high-quality printing from a certified "green printer," state-of-the-art environmental papers, and climate-neutral shipping. Visit the site today. Also: This week we bring you a two-fer on how to score company funds for new energy-efficiency projects at your facility. Get the big picture with the feature "Selling Energy Projects," then review the companion "How to Gain Top Management's Support for Energy-Efficiency Projects" for practical actions steps. Headlines The Latest News on Business and the Environment New Eco-Friendly Printing Service Combines Quality with Sustainability GreenerPrinter.com, a new environmentally friendly printing service, offers businesses the first online, certified "green" printer to ship products in a "climate-neutral" way -- having a zero net-impact on the earth's climate. Starbucks Brews Up First FDA-Approved Recycled-Content Cup Starbucks Coffee Co. has received approval from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to use recycled content in food packaging, specifically Starbucks hot beverage cups. Following successful testing, Starbucks expects to convert its hot beverage cups to 10% recycled material, an industry first. New Razor Has Environmental Edge A leading environmental consumer products company has introduced the first environment-friendly alternative to the disposable razor. Federal Agencies Commit to Environmental Stewardship of Electronic Assets The White House and 11 federal departments and agencies have committed to advance the federal government's electronics stewardship goals and practices. U.S. Manufacturers Reach Landmark Agreement on Air Conditioner Efficiency Standards If enacted by federal regulators and Congress the new standards will avoid the need for 25 new power plants, advocates say. Put GreenBiz news on your site for free! Learn more... More Headlines... Resources and Tools A Wealth of Hands-On Help How to Gain Top Management's Support for Energy-Efficiency Projects Convincing senior executives to buy into energy projects takes more than numbers. Employer TeleCommuter Hire Savings Calculator Shows that getting cars off the road can help drive down the cost of employment. Cost Analysis for Pollution Prevention Tool for calculating cost/benefit ratios for pollution prevention projects. More Tools... | More Web Sites... Columns and Features Insight and Inspiration from the Experts Selling Energy Projects Convincing senior executives to buy into resource-efficient energy projects takes more than numbers. Context and relevance are critical. By Loren Snyder Wanna write for GreenBiz?Let us know if you'd like to write a guest column or feature reflecting your experiences or opinions in the environmental business world. Send a brief query to Editor@greenbiz.com | Read our editorial guidelines More Columns... | More Features... GREENBUZZ for November 29, 2004 Taking Care of Business As sustainable building practices quite literally gain ground all over the world, the U.S. Green Building Council's efforts to "walk the walk" show no signs of slowing down. Look no further than USGBC's recently revamped Washington D.C. offices, which serve as an impressive showcase for the organization's latest offering -- a green-building rating system for commercial interiors. Announced last week, LEED-CI addresses building performance in areas such as indoor environmental quality, energy and water efficiency, and resource optimization for interior building systems and furnishings. Take a peek inside the building with this week's feature. Headlines The Latest News on Business and the Environment 13 Countries Join United States in Launching Methane to Markets Partnership The new global initiative serves to advance international cooperation on the recovery and use of methane as a valuable clean energy source. American Chemistry Council Honors Energy Efficiency Efforts ACC announced a total of 19 awards to these companies for their company-wide or plant-specific progress. Health Care Groups Launch First Green Building Guide for Hospitals With the health care sector in the midst of a major construction boom, a new tool has arrived to aid hospitals in their efforts to build facilities that are healthy for people and the environment. United States and China Launch Clean Diesel Retrofit Program The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, China's State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau and other organizations have launched a project to retrofit a select fleet of existing buses and trucks in China with clean diesel technology. U.S. Green Building Council Creates New Rating System for Commercial Interiors USGBC is pleased to introduce the brand new LEED Green Building Rating System for Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI). Put GreenBiz news on your site for free! Learn more... More Headlines... Resources and Tools A Wealth of Hands-On Help P2 Gems Search the database for pollution-prevention case studies and technical information. Sustainable Design Resource Guide A well-researched and well-presented introduction to some of the key issues in sustainable building design. Corporate Social Responsibility Reputation Effects on MBA Job Choice This Stanford survey found that a substantial number of MBAs were willing to forgo some financial benefits to work for an organization with a better reputation for environmental and social responsibility. More Tools... | More Web Sites... Columns and Features Insight and Inspiration from the Experts A Showcase for Sustainable Design The U.S. Green Building Council's own renovated office space targets the LEED rating system for commercial interiors. By Michelle Clark Hucal, LEED AP Wanna write for GreenBiz?Let us know if you'd like to write a guest column or feature reflecting your experiences or opinions in the environmental business world. Send a brief query to Editor@greenbiz.com | Read our editorial guidelines More Columns... | More Features... GREENBUZZ for December 6, 2004 Taking Care of Business Gone are the dot-com glory days of free snack machines and in-house dry cleaning services, but last week some workers in Silicon Valley got an exciting -- and encouragingly eco-conscious -- job perk. Employees at software developer Hyperion have been offered $5,000 toward the purchase of a new hybrid vehicle as part of the company's just-launched "Drive Clean to Drive Change" program. Also this week: How does a small or medium-sized company decide whether or not to align itself with corporate responsibility standards such as the Global Reporting Initiative and the U.N. Global Compact? A new tool from the WBCSD Accountability and Reporting Working Group helps you answer the tough questions. Headlines The Latest News on Business and the Environment Universities and Companies Aim to Convert Biomass to Energy The University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center has successfully generated electricity from biomass with a cost-effective gasification technology in a diesel engine. Power Companies Fail to Chart Clear Course to Combat Climate Change, Says WWF A new report by the World Wildlife Fund shows that the power sector is failing to act responsibly in the face of the greatest threat confronting the world in the 21st century. Office Depot Releases Industry's First Independently Audited Environmental Stewardship Report The report focuses on the key policy and infrastructure initiatives undertaken by Office Depot during the past year and details the resulting environmental benefits. New U.K. Program to Help Waste Industry Meet EU Targets The U.K. waste sector has launched a new joint initiative to meet its targets by tracking recycling levels and identifying best practices. Hyperion Offers Employees $5,000 Toward Purchases of Hybrid Cars Hyperion Solutions, a Silicon Valley software company, has launched a first-of-its-kind initiative to help its employees purchase fuel-efficient cars for their personal use. Put GreenBiz news on your site for free! Learn more... More Headlines... Resources and Tools A Wealth of Hands-On Help Issue Management Tool: Codes and Standards A practical and user-friendly tool on a few key corporate responsibility codes, standards, and frameworks relevant to the sustainability agenda. Primer on Bioproducts Booklet is designed to make readers aware of bioproducts, and to help them participate in a public dialogue on the potential risks and benefits of using these products. High 5! SME Handbook A beginners' guide to corporate reporting guide for small- and medium-enterprise businesses. More Tools... | More Web Sites... Columns and Features Insight and Inspiration from the Experts Sustainability's Labor Gap It is all too common for discussions on sustainability to focus entirely on how to make our resource consumption more efficient, and very little on how people can work and earn a living without destroying the world. By Kumar Venkat Wanna write for GreenBiz?Let us know if you'd like to write a guest column or feature reflecting your experiences or opinions in the environmental business world. Send a brief query to Editor@greenbiz.com | Read our editorial guidelines More Columns... | More Features... GREENBUZZ for December 13, 2004 Taking Care of Business It was a banner week for "greenbiz" news as companies hurried to get the word out on new initiatives before the business community packs it in for the holiday season. A major bank pledged to go carbon neutral, a fast-food chain took on waste reduction, a Japanese brewery shaved CO2 emissions thanks to new technology, and a U.S. auto insurer put environmental, health, and safety first. Oh yeah -- and corporate green power purchases got a big boost, too. Also this week: News affiliate E/The Environmental Magazine reports on the brave new world of clean-tech investment. Headlines The Latest News on Business and the Environment Allstate Connects Safety, Pollution Prevention, and Quality Allstate, the nation's second largest auto insurer, is asking the more than 3,200 auto body repair facilities across the country that participate in its direct repair program to complete an autobody-specific environmental and safety-training program. WRI Announces Green Power Purchases by Major Corporations The World Resources Institute and members of its Green Power Market Development Group have announced 62 megawatts of new renewable energy purchases and projects. Sapporo Succeeds in Cutting CO2 by 60% in Spent Grain Treatment Test One of Japan's major brewers has announced the success of an experiment in liquefying spent grain left over from beer brewing in which its volume was reduced by about 50% by using a hydrothermal treatment. McDonald's Pilot Project Minimizes Fast Food Waste in U.K. A project run by fast food giant McDonald's has proved that the U.K.'s voluntary code of practice for reducing litter really does work. HSBC Earns Credit for Being First 'Carbon Neutral' Bank HSBC has announced its intention to be the first major bank to go "carbon neutral" in a program that may cost up to $7 million in the first year. Put GreenBiz news on your site for free! Learn more... More Headlines... Resources and Tools A Wealth of Hands-On Help Emerging Energy-Saving Technologies and Practices in the Buildings Sector as of 2004 This analysis reviewed 200 building technologies and practices (T&Ps) in order to select those that promise to save energy, money. Strategic Energy Management Managing energy does not necessarily require a formal system; any firm can improve their energy performance by following a few simple techniques. By Andrew Parish, Sustainable Energy Ireland Water-to Air-Models for Agricultural and Urban Areas Excel-based models give water managers a better understanding of the relationship between water management decisions, energy consumption, and air quality. More Tools... | More Web Sites... Columns and Features Insight and Inspiration from the Experts The Greening of Venture Capital: Clean Technologies Could Be the Next New Thing With surging demand for renewable energy, clean tech has emerged as one of the hottest new investment sectors. By Roddy Scheer Wanna write for GreenBiz?Let us know if you'd like to write a guest column or feature reflecting your experiences or opinions in the environmental business world. Send a brief query to Editor@greenbiz.com | Read our editorial guidelines More Columns... | More Features... GREENBUZZ for December 20, 2004 Taking Care of Business As our experts-in-residence tackle corporate procurement of old-growth wood, we bring you this week a pair of resources highlighting the benefits of sustainable, environmentally responsible forestry. The first is a hard-hitting report on climate-related risks facing the industry. The second is an excellent how-to targeting wood buyers for green-building projects. Also this week, regular columnist Brad Allenby wraps up his three-part series titled "Free Will and the Anthropogenic Earth." PLEASE NOTE: GreenBuzz is taking a week off over the holidays. We'll be back on Monday, January 3rd. Headlines The Latest News on Business and the Environment Office Depot Pioneers Transparency System in Paper Sourcing The system enables Office Depot to ensure that paper used in its printed marketing materials is "environmentally preferable" and establishes a new level of transparency in the process of paper procurement. Pepsi Plant Uncaps Solar System for 'Net Zero' Energy Use Pepsi Cola of Klamath Falls has installed the Northwest's largest solar electric system, 172 kilowatts at three locations -- a system that will generate all the energy the facilities will use over the course of a year. Forest Stewardship Council Logs $1 Million with First Alcan Prize Alcan Inc. and the International Business Leaders Forum have awarded the first-ever Alcan Prize for Sustainability to the Forest Stewardship Council. The FSC will receive a $1 million cash prize. EPA Roars Approval for Food Lion's Energy Practices More than 200 Food Lion stores in eight states have earned the Energy Star designation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Gap, Dell, and Clif Bar Cited by Business Ethics Awards Business Ethics magazine has named Gap, Dell, Clif Bar, and two other companies as winners of its annual Business Ethics Awards. Put GreenBiz news on your site for free! Learn more... More Headlines... Resources and Tools A Wealth of Hands-On Help A Value Chain Assessment of Climate Change and Energy Issues Affecting the Global Forest-Based Industry Report is designed to help businesses in the forestry industry understand the costs and benefits of proactively managing their carbon emissions. Wood for Building Green -- A Practical Guide Designed for architects, designers, developers, and builders, this tool features purchasing and specification information for salvaged wood, recycled content, and certified wood products. Questions and Answers for Investors on Climate Risk December 2004 report aims to provide investors worldwide with information to help them respond to the financial risks and investment opportunities posed by climate change. More Tools... | More Web Sites... Columns and Features Insight and Inspiration from the Experts Free Will and the Anthropogenic Earth: Part III If 'free will' depends in large part on context, how do we get from where we are to where we want to be? By Brad Allenby Wanna write for GreenBiz?Let us know if you'd like to write a guest column or feature reflecting your experiences or opinions in the environmental business world. Send a brief query to Editor@greenbiz.com | Read our editorial guidelines More Columns... | More Features...