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A poll conducted by Environmental Defense (formerly EDF) finds that a majority of baby boomers and the “Internet generation” interviewed have participated in an Earth Day event (Internet-62%; Boomers-54%), and believe these events have raised their awareness of environmental issues (I-69%; B- 64%). When asked if environmental conditions are better or worse today than on the first Earth Day 30 years ago, 62% of the 500, 18-25 year-olds view conditions as worse today; 29 percent said they are better. From the 500, 45-55 year-olds polled, 52 percent see things as worse and 45 percent see them as better. Both groups believe – by wide margins – that water and air quality continue to worsen. How can we solve environmental problems? The majority of both groups (87% Internet Generation; 88% Boomers) point to individual action and public education as the most effective approaches. While only a third in each group has searched the internet for environmental information, the majority believes that it will have a positive effect on the environment (I-positive 60%/negative 9%; B- positive 55%/negative 5%). Fred Krupp, executive director of Environmental Defense, expressed surprise by the results: “We undertook this effort expecting to find significant differences between the generations […]
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Environmental Data Resources’, Inc. new report summarizes strategies companies are using to compete internationally as well as the forces driving demand for environmental services. Dianne Crocker, Director of Market Research, states, “Success in international environmental markets requires tremendous expertise, patience and capital.” To get a copy of “Environmental Firms Gain Global Reach, Exercise Caution” contact Michele Audet: (800) 352-0050, X252.
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The World Resources Institute (WRI) is hosting a conference called “Creating Digital Dividends: Applying Digital Technology to Sustainable Development” in Seattle, October 16-18. Its aim is to organize the digital industry to become pro-active on social and environmental agendas. They are limiting attendance to 300 participants; the group of leaders will explore untapped business opportunities by expanding digital technologies into regions, industries, and applications where they are most needed. Case studies of innovative business models that apply digital technologies to unconventional markets will be presented and then small groups will explore practical solutions and new business opportunities. Harvard University’s biannual “Internet and Society” conference is May 31 to June 2. The theme is, The Power of Information: Opportunities and Ethical Dilemmas in the Internet Age. How will society keep pace with the changes brought by the Internet? Will cyberspace create a new social elite or lead to further democratization? How will new Internet technology restructure life in the 21st century? The conference is built around four tracks: business, design/technology, politics/law, and society/health. One session is on the effect of the Internet on the built environment: e-Commerce, Remote Presence, Tele-work and the Built Environment. Will the Internet affect sprawl, the number […]
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Gets 2 stands for Greenhouse & Energy Trading Simulation phase 2. More than 30 fictional companies from various industry sectors (utilities, petroleum, steel, cement, and glass are participating in a simulation of trades in CO2 emissions permits, electricity and natural gas over the Internet. The first round of Gets 2 just ended and, according to material on the website, 95 percent of participants reached their emission objectives. The simulation is being conducted from February to June 2000 under the aegis of ParisBourse and Eurelectric, the association of European electricity producers and distributors. PricewaterhouseCoopers acts as simulation organiser. The results will be presented at the sixth Conference of the Parties (COP-6) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The European Commission has published its Green Paper on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading in the European Union. It commissioned a one-year study by the Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development (FIELD) in London, in partnership with the Center for Clean Air Policy in Washington DC. The key policy decisions it analyzed are: which countries and companies will participate? How, and by whom, the allowance allocations be made? How can emissions trading build on existing policies such as technical regulation, environmental […]
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Since 1992, Carnegie Mellon University’s Green Design Initiative has been conducting research to incorporate green design into engineering, manufacturing, and architecture. Three new resources are online: instant lifecycle assessments, end-of-life options for computers, and green design curriculum. It takes only a few seconds to gage the overall lifecycle environmental impact from 500 categories such as doctors’ offices and hospitals, food and tobacco, livestock and agricultural products, and leather and glass. Pick the category you’re interested in and the tool tells you how much the environmental impact changes as more of that item is produced. For example, what is the impact of producing a US$20,000 car? Your answer takes into account the supply chain required to manufacture a car such as metal mining, parts manufacture and final assembly. The model covers only production though, not the impact of gasoline or maintenance. The answer comes in the form of energy use, specific air pollutants, hazardous wastes, toxic emissions, and dollar estimates of external air pollution costs. If you are interested in learning more about this topic, the U.S. EPA’s International Life Cycle Assessment Conference and Exhibition, InLCA will be held in Washington D.C., April 25 – 27, 2000. The Green Design Initiative […]
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Denmark taxes carbon and sulfur dioxide emissions, drinking water, pesticides, sewage and waste, and batteries through user fees and deposit systems. A study produced for the Danish Environment Ministry and the Danish Environmental Protection Agency by Cowi Consulting, using data since the 1970s when Denmark introduced eco-taxes, found they have been effective in protecting the environment. Although the measures tend to affect lower-income groups the most, the country has been able to lower employment taxes as ecotaxes have increased. Denmark Environment Ministry: [sorry this link is no longer available]
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This new book by Jim Motavalli, E Magazine editor and auto syndicated columnist, chronicles the history and future of the coming “transportation revolution” that will bring us vehicles that promise to “not only greatly reduce pollution but also to perform better, be more reliable, cruise farther, and last much longer than anything the public has ever seen.” Jim is an insightful analyst; he gives you a close look at the details of the political and financial forces behind commercialization of clean-technology vehicles. Ford Motor Co. recently announced it will produce a line of hybrid-electric cars in 2003. You can submit your comments on features you would like to see in HEVs at their website and see how the company is presenting the concept to potential customers. The Honda Insight HEV is available for sale on the West and East U.S. coasts. So far, about 400 cars have been sold. Donella Meadows bought one and writes about it on Tidepool, an excellent environmental website geared to the Northwest. If you purchase “Forward Drive,” through the Natural Resources Defense Council’s website or by clicking through this link to Amazon.com, they will receive 5%.
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After a dozen years of lifestyle market research Paul Ray identified a sub-culture 50 million strong in the U.S. - he calls them the Cultural Creatives. This review looks at what sustainable businesspeople need to know about marketing to Cultural Creatives.
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The United Nations Environment Programme is accepting nominations for the 2000 UNEP Sasakawa Environment Prize valued at US$200,000. The Prize is awarded each year to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the management and protection of the environment at the global level. Some of the past winners are: Chico Mendes, the Brazilian rubber tapper; Lester Brown, Director, World Watch Institute; Dr. Swaminathan, founder of the ecological economics; and last year, Ian Kiernan, founder, Clean Up the World Campaign. (rallied 40 million people from 120 countries in a progressive clean-up effort!). Nominations must be received by April 30 and will be reviewed by an international panel in July. The award will be presented at a ceremony in New York in November. Elisabeth Guilbaud-Cox, Secretary, UNEP Tore J. Brevik, Director, Information & Public Affairs http://www.unep.org/unep/per/ipa/sasakawa
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If forests can be certified, why not fish? The Marine Stewardship Council is learning from its cousin, the Forest Stewardship Council, and is offering its label for seafood that is harvested sustainably. MSC certified its first two fish: herring fished in the Thames estuary in the UK by independent fisherman, and Australian rock lobster. The World Wide Fund for Nature, which founded the Forest Stewardship Council, and Unilever, a multinational frozen fish retailer, spearheaded the MSC. It operates similarly to forest certification; a third party auditor verifies that fish are harvested to maintain long-term sustainable yield and a certification label is affixed to the product – in this case, packaging and restaurant menus.
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