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United Natural Foods Announces Acquisition of Select Nutrition Distributors

United Natural Foods, Inc. (Nasdaq: UNFI) announced it will acquire Select Nutrition Distributors, Inc., a privately owned distributor of health and beauty aids, vitamins, minerals and supplements Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Select Nutrition carries and distributes over 14,000 products, representing over 450 manufacturers, to approximately 5,000 customers nationwide from two warehouse facilities in Philadelphia, PA and Visalia, CA. Founded in 1975, Select Nutrition distributes branded vitamins, herbs, dietary supplements, health and beauty aids to health food stores, pharmacies, practitioners, sports clubs and spas. Said Steven Townsend, United Natural Foods' Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, "Select Nutrition has been a long-standing partner and its franchise is a terrific complement to the United Natural Foods organization. We believe the combined resources of our two organizations will result in enhanced presence and increased market share and serve to rationalize distribution for the Company in the HBA and VMS categories." United Natural Foods expects the acquisition will be slightly dilutive for the current quarter, neutral to the full year fiscal 2005 earnings per share and accretive thereafter. United Natural Foods, Inc. is the largest natural products distributor in the U.S., carrying and distributing over 35,000 products to more than 18,000 customers […]

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Plug Power Receives Contract to Provide Hydrogen at DTE Power Plant

Plug Power Inc. (Nasdaq: PLUG) has received a contract to provide on-site hydrogen generation to The Detroit Edison Company's Saint Clair Power Plant. The hydrogen will be used to provide cooling to six generator units currently in operation at the Saint Clair facility. "This is a great opportunity for Detroit Edison to test and prove on-site hydrogen generation technology in a demanding, industrial application," said Guy Harris, Detroit Edison Director, Fossil Generation Performance. Plug Power will install a GenSite(TM) hydrogen generator at the St. Clair Power Plant located in East China, Michigan. The GenSite system has been shipped to the Saint Clair facility and is expected to be fully operational early next year. The Plant produces about 1,400 megawatts of power for the Detroit Edison system. The GenSite system will augment Saint Clair's existing liquid hydrogen infrastructure and provide a significant portion of the hydrogen needed for the Power Plant's daily operations. GenSite(TM) hydrogen generation systems provide reliable and economical on-site generation of pure, compressed hydrogen gas for industrial gas applications. Based on Plug Power's auto thermal reforming technology, which has been proven in more than 400 field installations and two million hours of field run time, GenSite systems reduce […]

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Last Minute Green Holiday Gifts!

by Rona FriedWant to avoid the crowds while getting your last minute green holiday gifts? I always find a great assortment of gifts at my local health food store – from natural cosmetics to exquisite soaps and other beauty care products (even after shave for men) to unusual oils like walnut oil and organic wine. Or order online, from companies like Bluemonkeyherbal.com. Many of these products feel like expensive, luxury purchases for everyday shoppers but make modestly priced gifts. Everyone enjoys a gift certificate to a great restaurant. You may know of a local “green” restaurant; if not, look for leads at the Green Restaurant Association or Thimmakka’s list of participating eateries (Read our article about Thimmaka). EcoFish ships its sustainably harvested seafood nationwide, as does Diamond Organics for fresh organic produce, soups and nuts. How about a beautiful bouquet of organic flowers? or organic mushrooms – yum! And there’s always Fair Trade organic coffee (try www.peacecoffee.com) or green tea, available almost everywhere these days. Perhaps you would like to introduce someone to renewable energy – buy them Green Tags as a gift! Your purchase goes directly to support new renewable energy facilities including wind farms, solar and bioenergy. Native […]

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On Energy-Saving Standards, States Lead, DOE Lags

A coalition group praised the states of California and New Jersey for advancing new energy-saving appliance standards this week. Meanwhile, in Washington, U.S. DOE announced yet another round of delays for new national standards for natural gas furnaces and other products. "The states are leading the way," said Andrew deLaski, Executive Director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project. "California's and New Jersey's new standards will cut energy waste, save consumers and businesses money, and reduce pollution starting as soon as 2006." On Wednesday, the California Energy Commission set new energy efficiency standards for 17 different products ranging from light bulbs to swimming pool pumps to large air conditioners. According to the CEC, the new standards will reduce energy costs for California businesses and consumers by more than $3 billion over fifteen years and will eliminate the need for three new power plants within ten years. "At their full effectiveness, these standards will save enough energy to power all the homes in San Francisco and eliminate global warming carbon pollution equivalent to taking 320,000 cars off the road," stated Noah Horowitz, Senior Scientist at the Natural Resources DefenseCouncil. In New Jersey, the State Senate on Monday approved legislation passed by the […]

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Nuclear Plants Say They Deserve Credit for 'Green' Energy

by Beth Daley As the nuclear power industry stages a nationwide comeback, New England is emerging as a major battleground in the industry's campaign to be recognized as a ''green" energy source. Last year, the Seabrook reactor in New Hampshire became the first nuclear plant in the country to win credits for not polluting the air. Emboldened by that success, nuclear plant owners are now pressing to receive similar credits under a nine-state plan to reduce greenhouse gases. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative may include clean-air credits for low-polluting power plants, and nuclear lobbyists have been pushing to be included. Many environmentalists oppose the idea, saying it would give a seal of approval for an industry that presents serious threats to the environment, including radioactive waste. "There is tremendous interest in what's happening here because [the regional plan] would stand as a model for other parts of the country," said Daniel Sosland, executive director of Environment Northeast, an advocacy group that opposes giving nuclear power any clean air credits. For years, states and the federal government have relied on market-based systems for reducing the pollutants that cause smog and acid rain. The systems place limits on power plants' total emissions, […]

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