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Many states are filling in the gap left from weak federal incentives for energy efficiency investment. States offer sales tax waivers or income tax credits for purchases of energy-efficient equipment, for example. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s new report, Opportunities for State Action: Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency in the Private Sector, is a state-by-state analysis of tax incentives.Stressing the diversity of state approaches, co-author Harvey Sachs commented, “States have shown remarkable savvy in tailoring programs to meet the needs of their citizens and businesses. These programs address everything from green buildings and alternative fuel vehicles to better appliances.” The report analyzes vehicle efficiency programs in Arizona, Maryland, and Oregon, and building-related programs in Hawaii, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Oregon. The report also notes common features of effective state tax incentive programs. They stimulate market acceptance of advanced technologies by establishing appropriate criteria and allow enough time for credits to affect the market. The programs are flexible with respect to who receives the credits and complement other policy initiatives (state public benefit charges, federal, and municipal programs).Opportunities for State Action: Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency in the Private Sector is available online: www.aceee.org/pubs/e021full.pdf
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Dry cleaners are the single largest users of Perchloroethylene (Perc) – an organic solvent of known human toxicity and suspected carcinogen. It can cause short-term health effects such as respiratory distress and sore throats, and is a precursor to ground level ozone (smog). Once PERC enters the body it is stored in fat tissue. It is usually released into the air, but makes its way into groundwater. There are 25,000 – 35,000 dry cleaners in the U.S. using Perc. Most are small businesses owned by people for whom English may be a second language. They often have technical difficulty understanding our environmental regulations. Virtually every garment labeled “dry clean only” can be cleaned with Perc substitutes such as “wet” cleaning or “recyclable carbon dioxide.” The Professional Wetcleaning Network is a new trade association that promotes environmentally sensitive alternatives to Perc. Visit their website for a list of wet cleaners in your state. There are a half dozen or so in Canada too. And don’t forget to return your hangers! Some wet cleaners will also take your plastic.www.tpwn.net
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The Hockerton Housing Project is the UK’s first earth-sheltered, self-sufficient ecological housing development. The group now offers services to help people create their own communities, based on the Hockerton experience. They offer tours, presentations, and the publication, The Sustainable Community – A Practical Guide. Setting up a sustainable community involves challenges related to planning, legal and financial issues, as well as new building techniques and technologies. Living in a sustainable community involves many other attributes including new skills and ways of relating to others. The 52-page guide is designed to help others plan and set up their own sustainable projects. The main sections include: * Key Issues: it identifies 28 key issues, including community, legal, financial, planning and design subjects. For each issue, the guide presents an explanation of the main considerations, tips, and details of how they managed the issue. * Directory of contacts of organizations linked to key issues.* Directory of useful resources* General information about sustainable communities and key barriers to developing them.[sorry this link is no longer available][sorry this link is no longer available]
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Many marketing trends favor sustainable businesses: wellness, comfort, partnership with customers, and a surge in consumer idealism and loyalty for companies with sincere passion and integrity.
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A study published in the August issue of Management Science reports a statistically significant and positive correlation between company adherence to the most rigorous global environmental standards and higher corporate market value. Selecting 89 mining and manufacturing firms from the S&P 500 during the period of 1994-97, authors Dowell, Hart and Yeung compared companies that demonstrated consistently strong environmental practice to those that met different standards at each location, as established by the varying regulations of local governments. The prevailing wisdom argues that operations in less demanding countries enables companies to:1) save costs by avoiding expensive pollution controls and by continuing to use old equipment that would otherwise have been upgraded; and 2) generate revenue by continuing to manufacture products that are no longer acceptable in the more developed world. The authors instead found, using Tobins “q” as a measure (market value/replacement cost of tangible assets), that the companies that applied the same stringent standard throughout their operations had higher market values. Possible explanations include:1) state-of-the-art technology, with the best environmental practices embedded in it, is also the most productive; 2) global standardization provides consistent processes and products worldwide; 3) companies do not have to make incremental investments every time […]
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The number of shareholder resolutions is rising steadily each year, as are the votes in favor of them. This year, about 150 out of the 200 filed will be voted on. 10 percent or so are dropped because companies successfully show the SEC they affect day-to-day business, not policy. Another 25 percent are dropped as a result of a successful negotiation with the company. Resolutions must win 6 percent or more of the vote to be raised again the following year. Most resolutions don’t garner more than 6-12 percent of the vote. No matter how much of the vote they get, resolutions are always advisory. So, why bother? Companies are sensitive to potential bad publicity. Bringing a resolution to the floor often brings company officials to the table. Here’s a sample of some of recent successes: * Mitsubishi decided against a planned salt factory in a gray whale calving site in Baja, California; * Citigroup and other retail lenders ended certain predatory lending practices and the industry is phasing out mandatory credit insurance;* Ames Department Stores is ending all purchases of goods made in Burma;* Coke is increasing its level of recycled content in new plastic beverage containers to 10% […]
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According to a survey published by Prepared Foods (January, 2002), sourcing organic food ingredients is the most time intensive part of the entire product development process. Is there an entrepreneur that would like to make the process easier?The survey looks at which ingredients will become more or less important to companies’ products in the next two years – natural and organic ingredients are at the top of the list, along with ethnic flavors, soy protein and antioxidants. “There is not an abundance of organic ingredient manufacturers in the field, which made it a challenge to search for them,” says Jerry Santo, director of corporate purchasing, Eatem Foods, a manufacturer of organic food bases. Santo adds that value-added or further processed organic ingredients are needed in the food industry. “Many of them are simply not available because this is such new territory. The ‘organic whole food’ segment is growing in volume and variety. But to develop organic products, we must complete the circle — starting with fresh organic food, adding basic organic flavor systems/processing aids and ending with organic convenience products. More organic value-added ingredients would make work a lot easier for developers of organic products and also speed up their […]
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Aspen Skiing Company is out to prove sustainability in the ski industry is not an oxymoron.
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To protect the treasure trove of herbal medicines from pirates, Brazil’s environmental agency, IBAMA, is creating a country-wide database and research center to map its medicinal plants. So far, the agency has cataloged 300 species – less than 10 percent – hidden in the vast Amazon jungle or submerged in wetlands. IBAMA estimates the global market for plant medicines is worth many billions of dollars annually so it is no surprise Brazil wants to protect and profit from its home-grown cures. Bio-pirates frequently coerce poor Amazon tribespeople into extracting plant remedies for export. In an area larger than Western Europe that’s easy to do. “They receive a pittance for their work,” says IBAMA President Hamilton Casara. More than 85 percent of the medicines used by over 80 percent of the developed world come from some 250,000 medicinal plant species, according to the World Health Organization. The United States and Germany are among the top importers of Brazilian medicinal plants. IBAMA’s push to protect its plants will include sustainable development projects for far-flung communities to provide them with alternative income, Casara says. The agency is working with 2,000 people to form nationwide networks that will work with police to stop plant […]
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Conferences are big money-makers with an equally big environmental footprint. Here's a guide to greening the hospitality industry and what the leaders are doing.
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