 | January 19, 2010 |  |  | | | | THIS ISSUE'S SPONSOR
 |
Taking Care of Business
By Joel Makower
Twenty-ten has gotten off to a pretty good start, from the perspective of green business news. The holiday lull has given way to a steady stream of stories about innovation, from cars to computers to cleaners. January's Consumer Electronics Show and Detroit auto show both offered an impressive line-up of green-minded products. At CES, as we report this week, attendees found residential fuel cell systems, projectors made without mercury and outlets that can be controlled through the Web.
But it was another announcement last week that caught my attention. A small, innovative company called Method rocked the staid laundry world with its 8x detergent -- a product so concentrated that Method was able to pack eight times the conventional amount in a bottle. Deploying what it calls its patent-pending Smartclean technology, the new Method detergent, which is a plant-based formula made with 95 percent natural and renewable ingredients, requires 33 percent less energy and oil to produce and is packaged in 36 percent less plastic.
This wasn't Method's first innovation (see here, here and here, for example), and Method isn't the only maker of home cleaning products that's on an innovation streak (see: Seventh Generation). What I like about Method is that its whole brand is focused around cool design and innovation, not green; you can barely find the g-word on its website. That's a recipe for success, in my book: make products that are better, and happen to be greener.
There's lots more this week: BSR's Ryan Schuchard on 10 Climate Trends That Will Shape Business in 2010. (Note that only a couple of them have to do with climate policy or global accords.) Ecosystem Marketplace's Steve Zwick on How Forest Carbon Markets Fared in 2009. (Its one of the few good things to come out of Copenhagen.) Serious Materials CEO Kevin Surace's testimony last week before Congress on how to help small business succeed in the green economy. (Incentives that require people to use products substantially made in America.) Senior contributor Marc Gunther on the Worldwatch Institute's 2010 State of the World report. (Western consumer culture is killing us.) And my post on what it will take to fund the cleantech revolution. (A new breed of investment banks.)
|
Sponsored Content How Energy efficient is your facility? Find Out Here.
A Simple Switch helps business professionals in their efforts to save energy. You will answer questions about energy use in order to discover the "energy color" of your facility and compare with other facilities in your area. You will immediately receive recommendations to improve and cut costs. Click here for more information. | | GreenBiz Radio |  The Presidio and the Evolution of the Green MBA
By Joel Makower
| | Since its founding six years ago, the Presidio Graduate School has been at the forefront of sustainability business education, and Seyed Amiry, the head of the school, talks about the future of green business education, especially in tough economic times.... Listen
| | 
| Sponsored Content Carbon Management – EHS Compliance – Sustainability
See It All – Manage It All. With a comprehensive, integrated view of your programs, you can attain sustainable development. Dakota Software enables you to globally coordinate and locally execute your initiatives. Compliance assurance is driven by real time, relevant content. Click here for more information. | | Columns and Blogs | | |
| | | | | FEATURED RESOURCES
A Blueprint for Greening New York City's Buildings
New York City's buildings are responsible for 66 percent of energy use and 77 percent of the metropolis' greenhouse gas emissions. This report looks at the challenge posed by green buildings and strategies to address it.
Guide to Greener Electronics, 14th Edition
In Greenpeace's latest Guide to Greener Electronics, Nokia and Sony Ericsson retain top spots on the list while Samsung falls for not meeting a chemical-elimination goal. Greenpeace is now also rating companies based on their support, or silence, on changes to a European Union chemicals law.
BROWSE BY TOPIC
FEATURED JOBS
Senior Vice President of Marketing
Reston, Va.
Environmental Project Manager
Northbrook, Ill.
Director of Business Development
San Francisco, Calif.
» Browse All Jobs
FEATURED EVENT
The State of Green Business Forum 2010
Date: Thu, 4 Feb
Location: San Francisco, CA and Chicago, IL
Mark your calendars for two 2010 State of Green Business Forums, in San Francisco and Chicago. These one-day information-packed events coincide with the release of GreenBiz.com’s “State of Green Business 2010,” the acclaimed annual status report on corporate environmental trends and progress.
|
|  | Become a GreenBiz.com® Sponsor
Reach tens of thousands of businesses every month by placing your ad here. Contact us to receive more information. |
GreenBiz.com® is a registered trademark of Greener World Media, Inc.
©Greener World Media, Inc. All rights reserved. |
| |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please do not promote businesses that are not about keeping the environment clean or renewable energy via comments on this blog. All such posts will be reported as spam and removed.