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There are now more than 10 million hectares of forest independently certified to meet the Forest Stewardship Councils (FSC) criteria. And in only two years after the first certification body was accredited. More than 115 forests in 25 countries meet FSCs standards. The largest area of certified forest is in Sweden. The 3.3 million hectares there are owned by AssiDoman. Muzama Crafts in Zambia owns 1,273,700ha. Notes FSCs executive director Tim Synnott, Many companies enrolled when it was clear FSC was on a roll, thats why the area of certified forest doubled in the first half of 1998. There are 3,000 certified wood products available. One of Europes largest forest owners, SCA, recently secured FSC-endorsed chain-of-custody certification for a UK paper mill. The World Wildlife Fund announced a new target – 25 million hectares by 2001. In the U.S., Scientific Certification Systems (a certifier) has seen requests for chain-of-custody certifications triple in the last year. Debbie Hammel, program director, observed that two years ago, there was more supply than demand for certified products. Now the situation is reversed and demand is easily outstripping supply. For a listing of companies that sell certified products: [sorry this link is no longer available] […]
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The Energy Outreach Center, a nonprofit organization based in Washington State, has established an Internet-based building materials exchange system available for use by governments anywhere. The Reusable Building Materials Exchange operates as a bulletin board where users can post materials they have available or are seeking. Local government offices or solid waste jurisdictions can subscribe to the service for a sliding scale fee, depending on the population. There are four counties in western Washington using the system so far. There seems to be an even balance between available and sought materials, across a wide range of categories. Among the available materials is used pressure-treated wood – since reuse may be the only environmentally viable way to handle this material, this listing shows the value of such exchanges. Contact Paul Horton, Energy Outreach Center: [sorry this link is no longer available]
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Over the next few months, 250 people working in the Canadian Governments Office of the Auditor will receive training in The Natural Step (TNS) to raise awareness of sustainable development. “Our objectives are to stimulate auditors to think about their work in the context of the 4.5 billion years of evolution of planet Earth, and, hopefully, to encourage them to think systemically about sustainable development with the help of the four system conditions of The Natural Step, says Ron Bergin, a Board member of TNS Canada and a Director on the Commissioner of Environment and Sustainable Developments staff. Collins Pine, a certified wood products company, and Norm Thompson Outfitters have trained 600 and 200 employees respectively. In September, Nike launched its environmental policy at a rally for 2,000 employees, where they announced the integration of TNS into their employee education programs. As a result of TNS, Nike announced its intention to eliminate PVC from its products. Bornt Family Farms, one of the oldest and largest organic farming operations in the U.S., trained its entire management team. Interface is in the process of training every staff member through One World Learning, its coaching and consulting company. One World Learning: Nicole Armstrong […]
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After building several pilot projects using green building principles, the U.S. Navy has made such practices policy. The Naval Facilities Engineering Commands Whole Building Guide defines sustainability, details the principles involved, and lists 14 criteria to use when evaluating architectural and engineering firms, including energy-efficient design, life-cycle analysis, and indoor air quality. The first pilot, in 1993, was a $19 million, 156,000 square foot conversion of the Washington D.C. Naval Yard, Building 33. Through improvements such as increased insulation and efficient lighting they reducee the chiller size and amount of ductwork. These savings paid for other improvements. Building 33: [sorry this link is no longer available] Source: GreenClips
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As the problematic impacts of tourism developments become evident, developers face the challenge of creating a balance between economic growth and the environmental sensitivity. Twin Share: Tourism Accommodation & the Environment is an Australian government website; its comprehensive information, however, is universal. It’s a primer for the tourism industry on sustainable principles, environmental construction materials, design, eco-management, energy, waste, and water technologies. There are 12 case studies of successful Australian businesses where innovative technology and environmental practices have been implemented. [sorry this link is no longer available]
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The Pew Center on Global Climate Change released a plan to help resolve one of the most contentious issues to be debated at this month’s international climate change conference (November 2-13) in Buenos Aires – the relative obligations of countries. It divides the obligations of countries into tiers based on three criteria: responsibility for emissions, standard of living or ability to pay for mitigation, and the opportunity countries have to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “We cannot begin to address the climate change issue until we resolve what is fair to expect of each country,” said Eileen Claussen, Pew Center executive director. “Until now, people assumed there would be one standard for the industrialized countries and another for developing countries. Tier one: 30 countries with the greatest obligation to act because of their high emissions, standard of living, and opportunity to improve energy efficiency. It includes most industrialized countries including the U.S. and European nations, but also countries like Argentina and South Korea. Tier two: 52 countries with a standard of living below the world average. Both developed and developing countries fall into this tier including China, India, Brazil, Russia, and Bulgaria. Tier three: 74 countries which contribute less to the […]
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The plan presented in a new book, Corporate Social Investing: The Breakthrough Strategy for Giving and Getting Corporate Contributions, could pour another $3 billion a year into non-profits. It substitutes the term “corporate social investing” for “corporate philanthropy”. It turns non-profits from supplicants to potent business allies. And it converts corporate philanthropy into a strategy that can open markets, recruit employees, and improve customer relations. For example: * The American Cancer Society rents its name to SmithKline Beecham’s NicoDerm antismoking patch and to the Florida Department of Citrus for $2 million a year. * The NY-based retail company, Stonehenge, donates four percent of revenues from the sale of its “Cocktail Collection” of men’s ties to Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Corporate Social Investing: The Breakthrough Strategy for Giving and Getting Corporate Contributions, by Curt Weeden. Berrett-Koehler.
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Social and economic information about any country in the world is available through the United Nations: [sorry this link is no longer available]
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The first seven of 133 windmills started turning in early October at the Le Nordais Wind Farm, Quebec. At a cost of C$160 million, the windmills can produce 100 megawatts, enough to power 16,000 households, making it the largest such development in Canada. “Only about four other projects in the world were built to be this size,” says Yvan Dupont, president of Axor International Inc., one of a consortium of builders. The group, which includes MEG Micon of Denmark and Japan’s Nichimen Corp, won a 25-year contract from Hydro Quebec to generate wind power at 5.4 Canadian cents a kilowatt-hour. The largest such projects in Canada to date are in the windswept western prairie province of Alberta, which generates 21 megawatts. With Quebec accounting for more than half of Canada’s wind energy potential, Axor hopes to build more sites that can produce up to 3,000 megawatts of windpower. The Gallon Environment Letter
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If homeowners bought the complete line of energy-efficient products currently available, they would save 33 percent on energy bills. The typical homeowner pays $1,300 in energy bills, so this would amount to a yearly savings of more than $400. A household that buys energy-efficient equipment instead of standard new equipment can have a pollution savings equivalent to taking a car off the road for seven years. When it’s time to replace appliances, buy energy-efficient products. Beginning this year, many major manufacturers are producing Energy Star TVs and VCRs too. Look for EPA’s Energy Star label, which means the appliance exceeds government energy-efficiency requirements, often by 20 percent and sometimes by as much as 75 percent. To locate stores in your area that Energy Star products: http://www.energystar.gov/products/store-locator.phtml
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