GREENBUZZ :: March 24, 2008

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March 24, 2008 News, Tools & Resources from GreenBiz.com Hot Topics   |   News   |   Resources   |   Job Link   |   Our Sites   |   About GreenBiz.com   Taking Care of Business "How will the recession affect the green economy?" I've been hearing that question, or some version thereof, for months now, from reporters, associates, and others. The askers all seem to have the same concern: that an economic downturn will slow, perhaps even stop, the growth of green business practices and strategies. Will it? No one really knows, of course. On the one hand, a slowing economy could make products that charge a premium -- hybrid cars, organic foods, and rooftop solar panels, for example -- out of reach for some newly budget-strapped consumers. On the other hand, Wal-Mart is pushing hard to make energy-efficient, organic, and less-toxic products available and affordable to its lower-income shoppers, potentially shrinking the premium and making some products more affordable. What about the greening of company operations -- for instance, investments in energy efficiency and waste reduction -- as well as R&D into new cleaner, greener technologies and products? They certainly could be slowed or stopped by tough economic times, but there are mitigating forces there, too. For one, companies just might be incentivized to make such investments now: what better time to become more efficient than during tough times? And R&D budgets tend to operate on longer time horizons, potentially less susceptible to the vagaries quarterly earnings cycles. However, as our U.K. colleague James Murray reports this week, the tightening credit markets could become a short-term problem for some early-stage clean-tech companies. As I said, no one really knows. Do you? I'd love your thoughts or observations on how tightening credit and slowing economic growth is affecting your company, sector, or customers. Send them to me at editor@greenerworldmedia.com. -- Joel Makower, Executive Editor New on GreenBiz Radio: Tapping the Potential Within an Inspired Workforce Judah Schiller of Saatchi and Saatchi recently joined GreenBiz Radio to talk about the tools his company is using to inspire Wal-Mart's employees to embrace sustainability, and offer advice to companies looking for ways to engage workers. You can listen to GreenBiz Radio online, download programs to your desktop, or subscribe to the GreenBiz Radio RSS feed. THIS ISSUE'S SPONSOR Want to be a GreenBuzz sponsor? Click here. Subscribe to GreenBiz.com RSS Headlines The Latest News on Business and the Environment Dynegy Agrees to Report on Climate Change Challenges Under pressure from its shareholders, Texas utility Dynegy agreed to disclose the feasibility of adopting greenhouse gas reduction targets. Wal-Mart's Latest Green Store Slashes Energy Use Wal-Mart unveiled a new store prototype Tuesday that will use nearly half as much energy as a conventional Supercenter. Its HE.5 prototype is the first to be designed around a specific climate. Automotive X PRIZE Collects 60 Potential Contestants -- And a Sponsor Progressive Insurance stepped up Thursday to fund the $10 million prize purse of the Automotive X Prize competition designed to inspire the next generation of fuel-efficient vehicles. Tandberg Aims to Cut Air Travel and Energy Use by 10 Percent Videoconferencing technology company Tandberg has pledged to cuts its air travel and energy use worldwide. Rival Cisco boasts it has cut its air travel costs by 10 percent through increased videoconferencing. Ecolab Expands Green Options for Carwashes Ecolab will reportedly introduce a new environmental initiative to certify carwash operators and help them market their services to green-minded consumers. HSBC Bank Pledges £100 Million for Renewable Energy Projects The company is investing in Partnerships for Renewables to help fund public sector renewable energy projects. Henkel Takes Steps to Reduce Energy and Water Consumption During the last five years, Henkel, the maker of Dial soap, has seen its sales rise while its energy use dropped 21 percent. Steelcase Makes Five-Year Committment to a Texas Wind Farm Office furniture manufacturer Steelcase Inc. bought all of the renewable energy produced by a Texas wind farm for the next five years -- and a golden branding opportunity. JCPenney's Green Line to Focus on Recycled, Organic Materials The department store launched a new Simply Green label to highlight the company's house-brand clothing and home accessories products that consist of organic, recycled or renewably made materials. In related news, Swedish automaker Saab this week also launched an eco-clothing line. Clover Technologies Joins USPS for E-waste Program Clover Technologies Group will partner with the United States Postal Service to offer consumers free postage for recycling certain products, such as inkjet cartridges, iPods and digital cameras. Fulton Provision Co. Earns Certification for Sustainable Business Practices For its efforts in reducing waste, energy and fuel, the non-profit Food Alliance certified Fulton for sustainable agricultural and production practices based on third-party audits. Experts Warn Bear Stearns Crisis Could Curb Clean Tech Growth As share prices around the world continued to fall sharply in the wake of the weekend collapse of U.S. investment bank Bear Stearns, experts on Monday warned that clean tech projects could soon find it significantly harder to raise project financing as a result of the expanding credit crisis. Survey Sets Benchmarks for Tracking Book Industry Sustainability A large chunk of the book industry is embracing green publishing, and sustainability is steadily spreading through the book publishing world, says a new report. Put GreenBiz news on your site for free! Learn more... > MORE NEWS HEADLINES Featured Resource A Wealth of Hands-On Help Greener Pathways This report describes the kind and quality of jobs in the clean energy economy, the skills needed to fill those jobs, and how existing plants and their workers -- especially those in the beleaguered industrial heartland -- can move to the center of the clean energy economy. > MORE TOOLS     > MORE WEB SITES Columns and Features Insight and Inspiration from the Experts B Corporations: Verified Sustainability by Anne Moore Odell, SocialFunds.com B Labs takes the guesswork out of which companies are actually working for the future by certifying companies that aim for more than just supplying a sustainable product or service, but put the creation of a 'public benefit' at the core of their business plans. Companies Take Eco-Concerns Seriously at ECO:nomics Conference By Revi Schlesinger At the Wall Street Journal's first sustainability-themed conference last week, the heads of dozens of industry-leading companies that climate change was going to have a major impact on business, even if a discussion of how to implement much-needed changes was missing from the meeting. GreenBiz Blogs Joel Makower's Two Steps Forward: Where Are All the Clean, Green Jobs? > More from Joel Makower Marc Gunther on Corporate America: Starbucks: Monetizing Nature > More from Marc Gunther Wanna write for GreenBiz? GreenBiz is looking for guest and regular columnists and feature writers. We're seeking contributions from business leaders as well as the journalists who write about them. If you're interested, send a brief query to managing editor Matthew Wheeland, at editor@greenbiz.com | Read our editorial guidelines > MORE COLUMNS     > MORE FEATURES Send This Newsletter to Colleagues Spread the Word! Amaze Your Friends! Win Our Gratitude! Your Name: Your E-mail: Colleague's E-mail:   Separate each address with a comma (,) View our Privacy Policy    FEATURED BOOK Profiting from Clean Energy by Richard W. Asplund Investment analyst Richard Asplund provides an in-depth explanation of the technology and industry structure behind clean energy and discusses what it takes to effectively invest in the sector. > BUY IT! > READ MORE FEATURED EVENT Leveraging Stakeholder Engagement for Winning EHS & Sustainability Communication Host: NAEM Date: April 24, 2008 Location: The Grand Hotel Marriott, Point Clear, Ala. This event will examine how leading corporate innovators are driving home the value of their investments in sustainability through innovative communication and by showcasing their accomplishments to create a competitive advantage for their firms. > SUBMIT YOUR EVENT NEW GREEN JOBS > Chief Financial Officer GreenOrder New York City > Customer and Community Relations Coordinator Sustain Dane Madison, Wisc. > Safety Manager Solarcity Foster City, Calif. > Marketing & Communications Manager The Climate Trust Portland, Ore. > Development Director Tuolumne River Trust San Francisco or Modesto, Calif. > MORE JOB LISTINGS News Releases from the World of Green Business > Johnson Controls Discovers Future Green Leaders by Igniting Creative Energy > NESEA's Building Energy Conference and Trade Show Pushes Green and Renewable Energy > Green Business Innovations Help the Environment-and the Bottom Line > New World-Class Consumer Label Brings CarbonFree(R) Sugar to Shelves > More from the Wire > Submit Your News Release > About this Service YOUR AD HERE! 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