- Home
- Articles posted by: Rona Fried (Page 2732)
Should carbon sequestation (using vegetation to absorb carbon) get the same credit as reducing emissions to meet a country’s Kyoto Protocol obligation? The U.S. argues it should; Europe is against it. The Gallon Letter published an Internet discussion amoung several scientists on the validity of sequestation. Folke Bohlin, professor, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Dept. of Forest Management: “Carbon sequestration in biomass (CSB) is a dead issue for three major reasons and many lesser ones. 1) Carbon sequestered in biomass will be let loose eventually. To start building “CO2 bombs” might be considered a desperate measure when all other avenues are closed, not now while we still can do more effective things like getting rid of the carbon altogether. 2) CSB is exceedingly expensive, the opportunity cost of not harvesting at the appropriate time is very costly. Nevertheless one can always find many cases when this opportunity cost is less obvious, e.g., on low producing “waste lands” in the tropics, or, in the forests left uncut in the North. Those waste lands are being used by for grazing or other purposes, and as soon as the timber price goes up those forests will be cut down.” 3) Even with millions […]
Read More
Bristol-Myers Squibb received the top environmental performance rating among the 23 U.S. pharmaceutical companies from Innovest Strategies Value Advisors. Innovest ranks public companies by first analyzing over 60 criteria including: environmental management systems; emissions; compliance records; superfund site remediation; and corporate oversight. Then it looks at the top 12 companies’ stock performance over the past year. BMS was number one. The company also received the Green Star Award from the Environmental Action Coalition for urban environmental stewardship for reducing: water use (43%), fuel use (28%), worldwide electricity use (31%), greenhouse gas emissions (21%), ozone emissions (73%), solid waste (42%), toxic air emissions (92%) and toxic water emissions (93%).
Read More
On June 13, Senator Bob Smith (R-NH) introduced the Energy Efficient Buildings Incentive Act (S.2718) to Congress. The bill would provide tax deductions for residential and commercial energy efficiency improvements: whole-building performance, PV systems, certified solar hot water systems, and high-performance water heaters, heat pumps, and central air conditioners. The proposed maximum deduction is $2.25 per square foot for commercial buildings, $2000 for principle residences that are 50% more energy efficient than the standard, and $500-$6000 for specific equipment. What makes this bill more compelling than other building efficiency legislation is its level of specificity and emphasis on building and equipment performance. It sets the stage for competition among suppliers of energy efficient equipment. Requiring third party certification for equipment and building performance will encourage market development of these service industries, which have long suffered from a lack of critical mass. It sets government-approved methods for estimating energy costs and savings and as well as methods to incorporate this value into property assessments. The standard for certification of solar hot water systems will come from the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation; for PV systems, the bill cites two ASTM standards. The Department of Energy will be required to set standards […]
Read More
Use of recycled paper in Europe has increased by 55 percent since the early 1990s. Recycled paper now accounts for 25 percent of papermaking capacity in Europe. The increase is attributed to citizen pressure.
Read More
After years of lawsuits and legislative battles, the Northern Plains Resource Council (north of Yellowstone Park) took matters into its own hands and negotiated a legally binding “Good Neighbor Agreement” with the Denver-based Stillwater Mining Co. This first-of-its-kind agreement includes standards that go beyond those required by law and are legally binding for the life of the mining operation (which could be decades), regardless of who owns the company. Top management and an 11-person community team hammered out an agreement that calls for zero wastewater discharge and measures that will greatly reduce the need for waste dumps. Two such dumps are under construction, each the size of 90 football fields. SMC also agreed to fund independent environmental audits (and implement their recommendations), and put thousands of acres of land into conservation easements. Citizens’ groups will have access to company environmental information, and the right to inspect operations with independent consultants. SMC CEO Bill Nettles calls it a “win-win” for all parties. “We have set the stage for a long-term, positive relationship in which we can openly communicate to resolve any future issues.” Issues will be dealt with through meetings between management and a “Citizens Oversight Committee.” Ted Lange, Northern Plains […]
Read More
As part of the effort to make September’s Olympics environmentally responsible, the Sydney Olympic Committee is contracting with Biocorp, Inc. to supply the eating utensils. The California company manufactures biodegradable, compostable plastic food service utensils and trash bags. Biocorp will supply over 45 million spoons, forks, knives, coated cups, cup lids, straws, and plates. After they are used they will be put in their starch-based trash bags (along with food scraps) and composted, resulting in 70 percent less landfill waste. Biocorps products cost 2-3 times more in first costs than non-biodegradable alternatives, but overall waste disposal savings counterbalance the initial cost. Biocorp combines cornstarch and other biodegradable materials to produce compostable plastic. The food utensils are made from cornstarch and cellulose from cottonseed. The trash bags are 65 percent cornstarch, 10 percent other natural substances, and 25 percent polycaprolactone, a completely biodegradable petrochemical. [sorry this link is no longer available]
Read More
Keep America Beautiful Inc. presented Ford with the 1998 Vision for America award which honors achievements in recycling and use of recycled-content materials and for innovative reuse of cast-off and scrap materials. Recycling initiatives established by Ford include a “Carpet to Car Parts” project, where recovered carpeting is screened, pelletized, and combined with virgin resin to make engine air cleaner housings for nearly 3 million vehicles annually. The company also uses 50 million recycled soda bottles each year to make grille reinforcements, door padding, and roof liners. Ford cars and trucks made in the U.S. and Europe are, on average, 75 percent recyclable. And Ford recycles its own tires, using them to manufacture ergonomic floor mats. FROM Waste Age’s Recycling Times
Read More
How environmentally conscious are the nation’s top 50 business schools? Almost nine in 10 have one elective course in environmental management – but only 16 percent have integrated the topic into core requirements. Only 21 percent offer a degree in environmental management (as a dual degree with natural resources or forestry). Those are the findings of a study by the Management Institute for Environment and Business (MEB), a program of the World Resources Institute. The study ranked eight schools as offering the best environmental focus: George Washington University New York University (Stern) Northwestern University (Kellogg) University of Michigan University of North Carolina/Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler) University of Tennessee/Knoxville University of Virginia (Darden) University of Washington To order the report, Grey Pinstripes With Green Ties: [sorry this link is no longer available] To see the survey results: [sorry this link is no longer available] FROM Business Ethics
Read More
Honda Motor Co. will be offering the Civic model, the best selling small car in the U.S., as a hybrid-electric. It will first be sold overseas and is expected to enter the U.S. market in model year 2002 or 2003. All Honda four-cylinder gasoline engines worldwide will meet California’s super-ultra-low-emission (SULEV) vehicle standard worldwide by 2005. Beginning in the 2002 model year, General Motors will build full-size sport utility vehicles with the E85 engine, giving it flexible fuel capability. All Chevrolet Suburbans, Tahoes, Yukons and Yukon XL’s will be able to run on varying blends of ethanol and gasoline – from 100 percent gasoline to 85 percent ethanol. The Chevy S-10 and GMC Sonoma – small pickups – went into production with flexible fuel capacity in late 1999. By the end of the 2004 model year, GM will have produced over one million trucks with flex-fuel capability. On the fuel cell front, General Motors made an announcement in May that it is partnering with Giner Inc., a fuel cell technology research firm to facilitate commercial introduction of GM’s fuel cells. DaimlerChrysler promises that 20-30 fuel cell buses will be on the road by 2002, followed by passenger cars in 2004. […]
Read More
Tony Blair, UK Prime Minister, appointed Jonathon Porritt, one of the country’s best known environmentalists, to chair the new Sustainable Development Commission. The Commission will be charged with integrating sustainable development throughout the economy. Porritt was formerly director of the UK Friends of the Earth and co-chair of the Green Party, and most recently founded Forum for the Future, a respected sustainable business NGO. His first order of business in his new role will be to appoint 15 commissioners who reflect the range of stakeholder interests throughout the country.
Read More
Page 2,732 of 2,804« First«...102030...2,7302,7312,7322,7332,734...2,7402,7502,760...»Last »
Loading...