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GreenBuzz :: Tips to for New CSOs, A Web-Based Tool to Track Stimulus Spending, and More...


GreenBuzz :: June 29, 2009
June 29, 2009
In This Issue GreenBuzz
  » The Latest News: Baxter and Siemens' Green Boom, Big Bucks for Green Jobs, and More
  » Featured News: Eight Tips for Getting Your Sustainability Project Off the Ground
  » Expert Insight from Our Bloggers
  » GreenBiz Radio: Tracking the Stimulus Spending with Recovery.org
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Taking Care of Business

By Joel Makower

The watchwords this week seem to be "efficiency," "productivity," and "stimulus."

Not that the three necessarily go hand in hand; there is little indication that President Obama's economic stimulus efforts are enhancing productivity and profits at the company level. But the presence of several stories on these topics this week provide a glimpse into the Zeitgeist of business and the environment.

The fact that many companies are focused like a laser on productivity and efficiency is not surprising, given the perilous state of the economy. What's encouraging is how much companies are (finally!) tapping their energy and resource use as a font of efficiency gains. Healthcare giant Baxter reported last week that water conservation, energy efficiency, green building projects and other eco-friendly initiatives yielded nearly $12 million in environmental income, savings and cost avoidance last year, helping to ensure the company's health. Meanwhile, Cisco reported that telecommuting has saved the company $277 million by allowing employees to telework. (Of course, Cisco sells technology used by telecommuters. Not to discount its impressive experience, but can any company not selling such equipment cite similarly impressive savings? I'd love to know.)

And then there's the economic stimulus, about which Marc Gunther reports on a web-based tool to track how the $787 billion in federal government largesse is being spent. The website is a private-sector effort that, Gunther reports, is doing a better job than the government itself in keeping us apprised of where all that money is going.

Of course, it's not just the U.S. ... Read More


   The Latest Green Business News
House Passes Landmark Climate Change Bill, Now Heads to Senate
By ClimateBiz Staff

Windmill-Capitol -- CC licensed by Flickr user Mr. T in DC

The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a sweeping climate change bill today that will significantly change the way Americans use and produce energy. The American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES), which passed on a 219-212 vote, now moves to the Senate, where experts predict another battle.... Read More



$500M in Labor Department Grants Available for Green Job Training Programs

IBM Sharpens Focus on Business and Battery Efficiency

Canada to Reward Pulp and Paper Mills for Efficiency Improvements

Green Technology Will Make Up 40 Percent of Stimulus Orders From Siemens

Cisco's Telecommuting Program Boosts Productivity, Cuts Costs and Emissions

Baxter's Green Practices Yield $11.9 Million in Environmental Savings and Income

AMF Bowling Centers Roll Out Lighting Retrofits for Energy Savings

Nespresso's Ecolaboration Project Offers Lifecycle-Wide Green Efforts

P&G, Eastman Chemical Among Winners of Green Chemistry Awards


   Featured News
Eight Tips for Getting Your Sustainability Project Off the Ground
By Deborah Fleischer

Now that you've made the the business case for going green in your company's operations, whether you're the new CSO or just part of a green team, there are a few basic steps that can help move your company toward success in its green goals.... Read More


         
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   GreenBiz Radio
Tracking the Stimulus Spending with Recovery.org
By Marc Gunther

GreenBiz.com's senior writer Marc Gunther speaks with Eric Gillespie, the CIO of Onvia about how his firm's website, Recovery.org, is helping companies track federal stimulus spending -- and get a slice of the pie.... Listen


         
Sponsored Content

Webcast: How Doubletree Stays Green


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   Columns and Blogs
Joel Makower
Breaking the Barriers and Seizing the Moment
> Read more...
Richard Liroff
Why the Adage 'the Dose Makes the Poison' Can Be Toxic to Corporate Chemicals Policy
> Read more...
Carolyn Mansfield
The Key to Cracking the Tight Job Market: Expanding Green Skills, Knowledge
> Read more...
Marc Gunther
A Web-Based Tool to Follow the Stimulus Dollars
> Read more...

      FEATURED RESOURCES

The Gigaton Throwdown

The executive summary to this report asks: What would it take to aggressively scale up clean energy to have a major impact on job growth, energy independence and climate change over the next 10 years?

The Economic Benefits of Investing in Clean Energy

This report from the Center for American Progress and the University of Massachusetts explores how investments of $150 billion per year in energy efficiency, building retrofits, clean technologies and public transportation can create 1.7 million new jobs in the United States.



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