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Coca-Cola is on the short list of companies that formally endorse the CERES principles. Although the company uses recycled and refillable plastic bottles in other countries, it has failed to fulfill its 1990 promise to use recycled plastic in the U.S. Coke is producing more plastic bottles, and fewer made from glass and aluminum, which are made with recycled materials and widely recycled. Four years ago, Coke stopped using any recycled plastic in the U.S., citing higher costs as the reason. Yet, using the material would add a fraction of a cent per bottle. It would cost the company one-half of one percent of Coke’s profits, the equivalent of CEO M. Douglas Ivester’s 1998 stock options. Source: United Nations Association of the USA
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EPA’s Small Business Gateway offers everything a small business needs to know environmentally speaking: laws, technical assistance resources, and sources for financing. Energy Tips is an informative website offered by the U.S. DOE. It walks small businesses through the energy efficient steps they can take to save money. There are quick tips as well as detailed information about how to implement a long-term energy conservation plan. Since January, federal procurement contracts between $2500-$50,000 are set aside for very small businesses in 10 pilot areas. To qualify for the “Very Small Business Set-Aside Program” a business must have 15 or fewer employees or less than $1 million in average annual revenue. Register your business profile on the Small Business Administration website. Small Business Gateway: [sorry this link is no longer available] Energy Tips: [sorry this link is no longer available] SBA: [sorry this link is no longer available]. Contact Kathy Hyatt for more information.
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The state of New York may be setting a precedent as it prepares to sue 17 midwest coal power plants to force them to upgrade their equipment. According to a New York Times article, this action would be the first taken by a state against individual power plants that send air pollution across state lines. Eliot L. Spitzer, New York Attorney General, gave notice in a letter to the defendants, that he intends to sue them on the grounds that although they have made large unrelated investments in the plants, they have not upgraded equipment to standards required under the Federal Clean Air Act.
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Another find! This important website contains extensive information on financial incentives available for renewable energy, (with an emphasis on biomass) offered by the European Commission, national governments and regional authorities. It details subsidies, low-interest credit possibilities, pay-back arrangements, fiscal incentives, feed-in regulations, set-aside regulations, and more. The site also lists more than 200 banks, venture capital funds and other organizations that provide funds for renewable energy projects in Europe. Online, information can be obtained on country-specific instruments, including eligibility criteria. [sorry this link is no longer available]
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Another find! This important website contains extensive information on financial incentives available for renewable energy, (with an emphasis on biomass) offered by the European Commission, national governments and regional authorities. It details subsidies, low-interest credit possibilities, pay-back arrangements, fiscal incentives, feed-in regulations, set-aside regulations, and more. The site also lists more than 200 banks, venture capital funds and other organizations that provide funds for renewable energy projects in Europe. Online, information can be obtained on country-specific instruments, including eligibility criteria. [sorry this link is no longer available]
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Is it possible to have a healthy economy and substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Presidential candidate George Bush told the “Houston Chronicle” (September 1) he is against ratifying the Kyoto Protocol because, “It’s going to cost the U.S. jobs. … I also don’t appreciate the fact the United States bears the brunt of the goal of Kyoto while developing nations are really excluded from cleaning up the environment … It’s a bad deal for America and Americans.” Data is accumulating which shows the opposite. A new study from the Pew Center on Global Climate Change shows that increasing the use of natural gas and renewable sources of energy, as well as energy efficiency in developing countries can significantly reduce emissions while spurring growth. And, as we reported in last month’s Briefs, the U.S. Energy Information Administration found that despite economic growth of almost four percent, U.S. CO2 emissions rose only .4 percent in 1998, the smallest increase since 1991. Since then, Worldwatch released a fairly dramatic finding: For the first time since 1993, global carbon emissions of carbon fell by 0.5 percent to 6.32 billion tons. At the same time, the world economy expanded by 2.5 percent. This, according to […]
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The spread of the suburb – sprawl – continues to gobble up the landscape and diminish quality of life. It’s gaining nation attention as evidenced by Al Gore’s Livability Agenda and now, two major studies have been released on the subject. One study by the National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals (NALGEP) presents examples of what business leaders are doing to curb sprawl. It also identifies the institutional barriers, tax policies, and local and federal government regulations that must be overcome if “smart growth” practices are to become widespread. DaimlerChrysler, for example, sited a new engine plant near downtown Detroit. The company invested $1.6 billion to purchase and redevelop a brownfield site, which has contributed to revitalization of downtown Detroit. Consumers Energy, Michigan’s largest investor-owned utility helped establish the Consumers Renaissance Development Corporation, a non-profit which promotes brownfield development throughout Michigan. Smart growth practices make economic sense since its much less expensive to locate customers along existing power lines than to build new infrastructure. Two south Florida developers, the Arvida Company and the Pulte Home Corporation, are leading a group called “Eastward Ho!”. It is redirecting growth away from the environmentally threatened Everglades back east toward established communities. The […]
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This looks like a “find.” USAID’s Global Technology Network is a free service that provides small and medium- size U.S. companies with business opportunities from the developing world. GTN’s goal is to transfer sustainable technology from the U.S. to the developing world. Leads generally fall into these categories: equipment purchases, agent/distributor relationships, and joint ventures. There are a number of very useful services including one- on-one counseling to help position companies, and even travel grants to further business relationships. You can register online. GTN focuses on four industry sectors: Agricultural Technology Communications & Information Technology Environment & Energy Technology Health Technology [sorry this link is no longer available]
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In a survey of SUV owners, 83 percent were unaware their vehicle is allowed to pollute up to three times more than regular cars. The majority of people surveyed (87%) believe they should be held to the same standards as regular cars. Engineers at the Union of Concerned Scientists are ready to help. They have designed an Ford Explorer with existing technology that gets 50 percent better mileage (28.4 mpg), pollutes 75 percent less (meets 2004 standards), and has a lower total cost. In another poll, the “Detroit News” found that many people (66%) the federal government needs to play a greater role to help alternative fuel vehicles penetrate the market. Almost half of the respondents preferred positive incentives like tax credits or rebates; 38 percent suggested subsidizing automakers to develop the technology. A minuscule five percent favored raising gas prices. Finally, Nissan North America is hoping to debut the world’s first gasoline, super ultra low-emission vehicle (SULEV) for the 2000 model year. The company is in the final stages of applying for California certification. A version of the “Sentra” model will meet the state’s most stringent standards other than a ZEV – a zero emissions vehicle. Relatively few vehicles […]
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It’s a little known fact but New York state is the second largest wind resource in the northeast (Maine is the first) and has as much energy potential as California. 13 wind energy companies have formed a new coalition, “Wind Power New York,” to direct wind projects to the state. New York has a potential 5,000 MW of wind capacity. $1 billion has been spent to locate windfarms in 12 states totaling 1,000 MW, none of them in New York. To encourage windfarms to locate here, the group is lobbying for a Renewables Portfolio Standard (sets a minimum percentage of electricity that must come from renewables), tax credits, and equitable transmission and connection rules for wind projects. Contact: David Wooley: dwooley@igc.org [sorry this link is no longer available]
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