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The Time Warner Center is under construction at Columbus Circle, one of the most prominent corners in New York City. Its 2.1 million gross square feet will be a showcase for energy efficient design. It will house the AOL Time Warner headquarters, CNN broadcast studios, 6 floors of high-end retail stores and restaurants, luxury condominiums, a hotel and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Steven Winter Associates is the project’s green building consultant and is advising the team of architects and engineers on efficient energy practices and green building materials.The project will fulfill the requirements to earn a LEED green building rating and the recently established NY State Green Building Tax Credit. The project will incorporate a wide range of energy conservation strategies including premium efficiency motors and chiller, occupant controlled daylight dimming and lighting, demand-based ventilation in large retail areas and auditoriums and carbon-sensor-based garage ventilation. Dozens of commercial projects have registered as LEED-rated buildings in the six months since its launch. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is now building the organizational infrastructure to support it, hiring staff to assist with technical support and program outreach, and establishing project database and tracking systems. A 250 page Reference Guide and other […]
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Until now, measuring how the social dimension contributes to a company’s shareholder value has been elusive. Although CEOs often refer to employees as ‘a company’s most important asset’ companies have lacked a method to include such important considerations in their balance sheet. The method is in the report, “What is Stakeholder value? Developing a Catchphrase into a Benchmarking Tool.” In it, the authors, from the University of Leneburg and the Swiss Private Bank Pictet & Cie ( in association with the United Nations Environment Programme) propose a method to define and calculate stakeholder value, or social efficiency. Since stakeholders (groups in the vicinity of companies) can have significant impact on a company’s valuation, the value of stakeholder relations from the company’s perspective must be known and thus assessed. The study shows how much value is created or destroyed for leading European car manufacturers for each 100 units of personnel. It reveals how efficiently automobile producers manage stakeholder relations in absolute terms and relative to the industry’s average. Order the report at http://www.sustainablevalue.com or via email: Stakeholder@SustainableValue.com
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According to the IRRC (Investor Responsibility Research Center), there has been a substantial increase in shareholder resolutions for the 2000 proxy season. Out of 108 socially-oriented proposals over 90% exceeded the 3% of the vote required to submit again in 2001. The highest performing resolutions call on companies to diversify their boards of directors. At American Power Conversion, the vote was 30.1% in favor. The second highest level of support went to resolutions calling on companies to implement the MacBride Principles on Northern Ireland. Resolutions on genetically modified organisms were hot this year, filed with 21 companies (2000 was the first year for GMO resolutions). They commonly call on companies – such as Monsanto, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Campbell’s, Heinz, General Mills, Kellogg – to stop sales of products with GM ingredients pending further safety tests. Some of the annual meetings are set for the coming months, but of those where the vote has been taken, only two, McDonald’s & Kellogg, did not achieve 3%. On the other hand, votes only garnered an average of 4%. Among other environmental shareholder resolutions, “Report on global warming emissions & misinformation” was the most popular with 11 resolutions. Companies included Alleghany Energy (8.87%), Chevron (8.7%), […]
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“Ten Shades of Green,” a highly acclaimed exhibit of green buildings from the U.S. and Europe, is traveling around the country over the next year. Organized by the Architectural League of New York, its title reflects the various degrees of ‘greenness’ in architecture today as well as the 10 key issues the field addresses: low energy/high performance; renewable sources; recycling; embodied energy; long life, loose fit; total life cycle costing; embedded in place; access and urban context; health and happiness; and community and connection. The buildings – mostly from Europe – represent a variety of building types and architectural and engineering approaches. The buildings were chosen as examples of “complete works of architecture: buildings in which environmental responsibility is fully integrated with an enlightened vision of community life.” The UK’s Jubilee Campus, for example, brings together a wide range of green strategies. Built on a brownfield site, it combines mechanical and wind-driven ventilation. The building is embedded into the landscape such that it filters and cools the air approaching the buildings, improves insulation and prevents build-up of reflected heat. The exhibit demonstrates the myriad faces of green design and its compatibility with the highest levels of architectural excellence. It shows […]
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Owners and occupants of commercial buildings spend over $80 billion a year on heating, cooling, lighting, and other energy services. This guide provides commercial building owners and occupants with practical information on how to make the right purchasing decisions to reduce energy consumption, improve building systems performance, and increase worker comfort and productivity. Energy-efficient options are readily available for virtually all the products covered, and optimum energy performance can be achieved without compromising other attributes. The guide includes case studies to illustrate practical examples of energy and cost savings, and other performance benefits of more efficient equipment. It also lists the most efficient equipment for products such as luminaires, central air conditioners, heat pumps, chillers, furnaces, boilers, motors, and ice makers. Contact ace3pubs@ix.netcom.com or visit the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy website: http://aceee.org.
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Voluntary agreements with corporations are all the rage these days, but a new book proposes that while good voluntary environmental measures well carried out can be better than regulations, most don’t work. They cost more to implement and create more delays than well-planned performance based regulations. The book, Voluntary Initiatives, The New Politics of Corporate Greening includes articles by Canadian leaders on the subject and analyzes the Forest Stewardship Council, the Whitehorse Mining Initiative, and the DOFASCO Steel Covenant signed with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Environment Canada. Dr. Robert Gibson, the Editor, writes, “Government enthusiasm for the concept has coincided suspiciously with the rise of political devotion to deficit reduction.” Contact: rbgibson@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca
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Of five European Union countries reviewed in a Pew Center on Global Climate Change report, “The European Union and Global Climate Change: A Review of Five National Programmes,” only the United Kingdom is on track to meet its Kyoto Protocol commitment. reduction target. Germany is the largest EU emitter in the EU and is committed to reducing emissions 21% 1990 levels. Emissions are down by 17%, largely due to dramatic reductions in the former East Germany. The report concludes that despite likely additional programs and strong political commitment, reductions are unlikely to continue at the same pace, and it will be difficult for Germany to reach its Kyoto target. Germany has a varied program to reduce emissions ranging from green taxes to renewable energy. The United Kingdom has committed to reducing emissions by 12.5% below 1990 levels and emissions are down 14.6%, primarily from shifting from coal to natural gas. The UK program encourages renewable energy, encourages fuel-efficient vehicles through green taxes and plans to introduce an emissions trading system. The Netherlands committed to reduce emissions by 6% below 1990 levels, but CO2 emissions have increased by 17% despite strong political will. The country plans to purchase half its reductions […]
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“Environmental Tax Reform in the States: A Framework for Assessment,” argues that a broad shift in the U.S. tax base is necessary to address environmental problems. The authors examine education reform, utility restructuring and climate change as drivers of tax reform, and barriers to environmentally motivated taxes at the state level. The report introduces models of broad shifts in the tax base, targeted environmental tax models, as well as a hybrid model that emphasizes environmental priorities. The European Environment Agency draft report, Recent Developments in the Use of Environmental Taxes in the European Union,” covers recent developments in green taxes in Europe, noting that environmental taxes are increasing. Nine members currently levy waste disposal taxes, and by 2001, eight will apply carbon taxes. Overall, 95% of tax revenue comes from the energy and transport industries, but new tax bases – agricultural inputs, chemicals, aviation and tourism – are being explored. The report points to a shift among EU members from “polluter pays” to “user pays,” evidenced in such taxes as on groundwater use to encourage increased efficiency. The authors discuss the effectiveness of environmental taxes at the member state level. Another report, “Environment-Energy Taxation and Employment Creation” by the European […]
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CLASP’s (Collaborative Labeling and Appliance Standards Program) new website shares comprehensive information on energy efficiency standards and labeling in countries around the world, and provides a clearinghouse of technical resources and government-based programs to implement appliance and equipment standards and labeling. Among their useful offerings is a database where you can read concise, well thought-out descriptions on the country of your choice. You’ll be an expert before you know it. [sorry this link is no longer available]
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Environmental Business International Inc. released an 80-page report on e-commerce and the environmental industry. It includes results from their survey of 35 environmental consulting & engineering firms on their use of the internet; profiles of e-commerce initiatives; and a directory of websites. They conclude that C&E companies are latecomers to the Internet and few firms use the Internet to benefit their business (beyond building a website). With the exception of a few well-capitalized ventures in the water business, most environmental industry segments lack any significant strategy. Only six percent of C&E firms process on-line orders and only three percent accept on-line payments. A number of B2B start-ups in the industry offer such services as post/bidding on projects, connecting customers with service providers, auctioning and exchanging waste and recyclables, trading emission credits, managing subcontractors and specialty service providers, providing news and updating regulatory compliance information and forms, and selling excess inventory and equipment. You can download EBI Report 1810 (for a fee): “E-Commerce & the Internet in the U.S. Environmental Industry” at: http://www.ebiusa.com
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