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Hospitals Finally Move Toward Organic Food

The tradition of serving low-grade, tasteless and nutritionally deficient food at hospitals is finally beginning to change. More than 2,000 hospitals in the U.S. now have access to natural and organic foods, thanks to a deal between MedAssets, a leading group purchasing organization for the health care industry, and United Natural Food (Nasdaq: UNFI), the largest publicly traded wholesale distributor to the natural and organic foods industry. The deal, which is the first contract between a major health care buyer and organic food distributor, reflects the growing demand in the health care industry for healthy food options. MedAssets purchased over $200 million worth of food and supplies for 2,400 hospitals in the U.S. in 2005. Says Jamie Harvie, Healthy Food Coordinator for non-profit Health Care Without Harm, an international coalition working to reduce the environmental impact of the health care industry, “Hospitals are starting to recognize that how our food is produced and distributed affects the health of people and communities. Hospitals are demanding food that is not only more nutritious, but is also grown in ways that are better for the environment and equitable for farmers and farm workers.”To date, steps that hospitals have taken include: purchasing milk produced […]

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Investments in Cleantech Companies Reach Record High

Investments in privately held cleantech companies reached a record high in the second quarter 2006, according to the Cleantech Venture Network. Investment in North American companies rose for the eighth consecutive quarter -reaching $843 million, up from $513 million in the first quarter. 88 deals were signed, up from 66 in the first quarter. Venture capital investing in general hit a four-and-a-half-year high of $6.73 billion, according to Ernst & Young and Dow Jones VentureOne, and cleantech companies captured several of the top deals. Thin-film solar manufacturer, Nanosolar Inc. tied for second, with a $75 million round closed in June. Nanosphere Inc. ranked fifth, with a $57 million round in May, and Altra Inc. came in 11th place with a $50 million deal in April. U.S. biofuel plant developer Panda Ethanol closed a $90 million placement to fund a manure-powered ethanol plant in Texas. Private Investment in Public Equity (PIPEs) also surged in the second quarter with $556 million placed – up from $21 million in the first quarter. Small companies are increasingly using PIPEs to fund expansion, avoiding the effort of a full secondary offering. Plug Power raised $217 million from Interros, a major Russian investment house, and Norilsk […]

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Plastic from Plants, Not Petroleum

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Part of kicking the oil habit is to make plastic from plants - Marin County, Sam's Club, Wild Oats, and Newman's Own are among those using plant-based take-out dishware.

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SolarWorld on DAXglobal Alternative Energy Index

SolarWorld AG is one of three solar companies to be admitted to the new Deutsche Brse DAXglobal Alternative Energy Index. The DAXglobal Alternative Energy Index (ISIN DE000A0C4B67) tracks the 15 largest companies worldwide in the areas of natural gas, wind energy, solar energy, ethanol and geothermal energy. Within the index, the five sectors are weighted with 20 per cent each, each containing three companies. To be included in the index, companies must be at the top of their business segment in terms of market capitalization and average trading volume. “The strategy of vertical integration along the entire solar value chain has propelled us to the top,” says Frank Asbeck, Chairman and CEO of SolarWorld AG. “With our strong growth in sales and earnings SolarWorld AG represents the German solar industry in this international index.” The three solar companies in the index are: Motech Industries Inc./Taiwan, Tokuyama Corp./Japan, and SolarWorld AG/Germany. Website: http://www.solarworld.de     

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Q-Cells AG Publishes Half-Year Report

For the first half year of 2006, Q-Cells AG (QCE; WKN 555866) increased production to 112.6 MWp from 66.6 MWp a year earlier. This reflects growth of approximately 69%. Sales, earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) and net income for the period rose significantly in the first half. Sales increased 108% to EUR 243.1 million from EUR 116.7 million in the prior-year period. EBIT and net income grew even more than sales at rates of 138% and 153%, respectively, to EUR 55.9 million (EUR 23.5 million) and EUR 37.4 million (EUR 14.8 million). Based on these figures and the expected second half results, Q-Cells AG is raising its forecast for fiscal 2006. The company continues to expect that it will increase production to approximately 255 MWp (2005: 165.7 MWp). Based on continued progress in optimizing products and production processes as well as somewhat improved sales conditions and cost ratios, Q-Cells now anticipates sales of approximately EUR 525 million for fiscal 2006 (2005: EUR 299.4 million), EBIT of approximately EUR 115 million (2005: EUR 63.2 million) and net income of approximately EUR 75 million (2005: EUR 39.9 million). The export ratio increased significantly compared to the prior-year period. In the first […]

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