- Home
- Featured (Page 135)
Featured
BP Amoco has been in the sustainable business limelight since CEO, Sir John Browne announced major commitments to solar energy and to reducing the company’s contribution to climate change through internal emissions trading and other measures. Yet the company continues its lobbying efforts to open the Arctic to oil exploration through its Northstar project and by opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Now, the company’s policies will put to a shareholder vote at the annual meeting on April 13. A shareholder resolution calls on BP Amoco to cancel its Northstar Arctic project and invest the proceeds in the solar energy market. The U.S. social investment firm Trillium Asset Management filed the resolution with SANE BP, a group that includes Greenpeace, the US Public Interest Research Group and socially responsible investors in the U.S. and Britain. Simon Billenness, a senior analyst with Trillium says, “With this resolution, shareholders in the U.S. and Europe are telling the company to put policy into practice. They can choose between funding dirty arctic oil or clean and green solar energy.” BP Amoco insists the Northstar plan protects the environment. Construction schedules avoid whale migration, there are state-of-the-art spill prevention features, and elevated onshore pipelines allow […]
Read More
When Bob Vila, CBS Early Show home improvement expert, toured the White House in December he learned how the Greening of the White House initiative has saved taxpayers $1,400,000 since 1993. During the show, Bill Clinton made an appearance and made a pitch to individuals – it’s not just Congress that has to be convinced, “we have to convince ordinary people that you can actually cut your energy use and improve the economy; that you don’t have to hurt the economy.” You can watch the video online.
Read More
In 1994, the most recent year for which figures exist, the world spent $124 billion to support a fishing industry that generated revenues of only $70 billion while chasing every last fish in the sea. Last year, the 80 member countries of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) signed a non-binding agreement to reduce the size of worldwide fishing fleets by 2005. The question is how to do it in a way that allows the fish population to recover without destroying the livelihoods of millions of fishermen. The most common proposal is three-pronged. First, buy the boats from fishermen giving them cash to either retire on or help them pursue other careers. Second, decommission the boats by scrapping them or using them for other purposes. Third, buy a boats allotted quota of fish to prevent fewer ships chasing the same number of fish. These methods combined effectively reduce the size of the fishing industry while allowing the remaining fishermen the ability to earn a decent livelihood harvesting a sustainable level of fish. For economic incentives to work, according to buy-back experts John Gates of University of Rhode Island Natural Resource Economics Department and Gert van Santen, senior fisheries […]
Read More
The U.S. EPA recently added 18 recycled-content items to the government’s buy-recycled program. Once a product is designated, procuring agencies are required to purchase it with the highest recovered material content level practicable. The new products are: carpet cushions, flowable fill (used for filler around pipes and in trenches), railroad grade crossing surfaces, park benches/picnic tables, playground equipment, food waste compost, plastic lumber landscaping timbers/posts, solid plastic binders, plastic clipboards, plastic file folders, plastic clip portfolios, plastic presentation folders, absorbents, industrial drums, award plaques, mats, signage and manual-grade strapping. Building products such as insulation, carpet, and paint have already been designated. You can apply to have EPA include your company in the vendor list by substantiating the recovered content of your product in a letter (see website). You can also propose products for designation. [sorry this link is no longer available]
Read More
Life cycle analysis of Electrolux washing machines shows that the majority of environmental impact occurs when the machine is used. How can a company control the use of its equipment once it’s in the customer’s hands? Electrolux has started a pilot on the Swedish island of Gotland, wiring 7000 home washing machines to track when they are used. Homeowners don’t pay Electrolux for the machines, they pay for how much they wash their clothes. Customers have the incentive to wash more efficiently, which brings down energy and water usage. After 1000 washes, customers may exchange their machine for a new one.
Read More
In 1999, over a third of U.S. Senators (37) voted against the environment, the highest number since the League of Conservation Voters started tracking votes in 1970. Deb Callahan, president of LCV says, “Rather than heading off environmental attacks, in 1999 the Senate spearheaded efforts to benefit special interests at the expense of the environment and taxpayers. While the House was not devoid of its share of anti-environment legislation, Republicans and Democrats alike did make an effort to block some of the anti-environment efforts of the Senate.” Last year was the fifth consecutive year that Congressional environmental scores averaged below 50 percent (Senate: 41%; House: 46%). The League is especially concerned by the zero score earned by Senator Robert Smith (R-N.H.) who took over as chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works committee. He replaced environmental leader John Chafee (R-R.I.) (70% lifetime environmental average) who recently died. The presidential profiles section on the LCV website offers insight into candidates’ environmental records and positions on such issues as public lands, endangered species, energy and transportation, and more. These are in depth profiles. http://www.lcv.org
Read More
You’d think that given the striking performance of The Dow Jones Sustainability Group World Index which is up 33 percent year-to-date (outperforming the Dow Jones Global Index) and the outstanding performance of many renewable energy stocks of late, that social mutual funds would contain these stocks. Yes, social mutual funds are winners. The Domini 400 Index has outperformed the S&P Index for nine years by 2 percentage points annually. Citizens Global Equity Fund’s one-year performance is a jaw-dropping 74 percent. All three of Citizen’s equity funds brought in three-year returns of 35 percent or better. In fact, Credit Suisse found in a recent survey that the world’s 20 largest social mutual funds averaged returns five percentage points higher than the S&P 500 Index. Interestingly, they found they achieved this sterling performance by investing in many of the same stocks favored by the conventional investing community. The top five holdings in many of the funds are not the Ben & Jerry’s of the world, but familiar large tech companies that have been pushing the stock market forward in general: Microsoft, Intel, IBM, Cisco, Lucent, AOL (The current issue of Tomorrow Magazine lists the top 30 stocks held by over 200 social […]
Read More
In a June 1999 workshop, U.S. photovoltaics industry leaders gathered to analyze technology barriers and research needs of the industry and to create a roadmap for the industry to reach its full market potential. The PV Roadmap Steering Committee suggests an aggressive growth strategy with a goal of providing 15 percent of new U.S. peak generating capacity by 2020, at a growth rate of 25 percent a year. Some of the areas selected as high priorities include creating an effective industry coalition, educating the public, and long-term, low interest financing. In a thoughtful paper,
Read More
Over the last few months, SustainableBusiness.com has been contacted by more than a dozen venture capital funds forming to invest in sustainable business worldwide. As a result of our long term healthy economy and stock market venture capital firms are proliferating around the world with sustainable business the recipient of a small, but rapidly growing share of investor interest. The capital markets are finally starting to take notice of sustainable business, with the renewable energy currently at the center of attention. Yes, folks, even the president of the Trends Institute named “Energy” – the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy – as THE most significant trend of the coming century. Clean energy is on the verge of becoming commercially successful. Can renewable energy companies become the darlings of Wall Street? Steve Oshinsky, who just launched a VC group, The Fuel Cell Venture Capital Fund, says, “the growth of the fuel cell industry is anticipated to be as great as the growth of the PC.” FAC Equities First Albany, an investment bank, recently announced a new research and investment team dedicated to alternative energy and power technology. Eric Prouty, who heads up the new group, believes this sector “could provide […]
Read More
At a recent retreat, members of the Chefs Collaborative discussed how to measure their progress toward running a sustainable restaurant (partner with farmers, choose food based on the seasons, compost, recycle) and how to purchase fish from well-managed sources. This group of 1500 chefs promotes sustainable cuisine by teaching children to connect what they eat and where it comes from, supporting local farmers, educating each other, and inspiring the public to choose good, clean food. Among their many activities, they publish Chef guides that cover issues such as Buying Clean Food, Running a Green Restaurant, Purchasing Sustainable Fish, and Working With Farmers. One source for a reliable fish vendor (Chefs Collaborative Meet EcoFish!) is a new company called EcoFish. Some of the featured fish for sale on the EcoFish website are: Dungeness Crab from the sustainably managed low by-catch trap fishery in Oregon; Pacific Halibut from the well-managed quota-based Alaskan long-line fishery; and environmentally friendly farmed Blue Mussels from Prince Edward Island Canada. That’s a mouthful, but it reflects the complicated issues involved in sourcing seafood obtained responsibly. By providing people with “environmental quality control,” EcoFish’s goal is to reduce pressure on depleted and threatened species and guide individuals toward […]
Read More
Loading...