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Supply Chain Companies Dread Potential Impact Of Emissions Legislation
May 16, 2008 09:32 AM - , Triple Pundit
A recent annual survey into the carbon reduction efforts by suppliers has revealed that business leaders dread the potential impact of emissions legislation on their activities. The survey, carried out by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a transatlantic not for profit organization, covered responses of 144 supply companies to multinational corporations.
$2 Billion Wind Turbine Order Is Largest Ever
May 16, 2008 09:04 AM - , MetaEfficient
Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens has placed an the largest ever order for wind turbines: he ordered 667 wind turbines from GE, each costing $3 million dollars, making the total order $2 billion. Picken plans to develop the world’s largest wind farm in the panhandle of Texas. The $2 billion order is just one quarter of the total amount he plans to purchase.
Brazilian Companies Announce Global Warming Game Plan
May 16, 2008 08:56 AM - , The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
The Brazil Greenhouse Gas Protocol Program was launched today and its 12 founding corporate members have voluntarily agreed to report their global-warming emissions. “The program provides options for sound measurement and allows members to take action to reduce their GHG emissions,” said Thelma Krug, secretary of climate change, Brazil Environment Ministry, at the launch event here in the IBAMA Auditorium.
Green Jobs Find International Support
May 15, 2008 09:12 AM - , Worldwatch Institute
Sitting in a warm Capitol Hill office building last week, a panel of green-collar job activists attempted to rally support among a room of sleepy Congressional staffers. At the end of the briefing, Van Jones, a civil-rights lawyer-turned-green jobs champion, delivered the message that jolted many audience members out of their afternoon haze. "We are about to enter stagflation," Jones said. "That means people get voted out of office."
Could Rising Food Prices In Poor Countries Trigger Change Among Western Economists?
May 15, 2008 09:07 AM - , Triple Pundit
The ongoing food crises in 36 countries around the globe are a cause of worry for major institutions such as the World Bank because the problems signal profound problems of disbalance in the world economy. The main reasons behind the high food prices in poor countries are the high oil price and market liberalization shocks. Biofuel crops are hardly a factor. Climate change is something that has played a role for as long as everyone can remember and it's only being recognized now.
UPS Running on CNG and Hybrid
May 15, 2008 09:01 AM - , Earth 911
Did you know that UPS trucks have a “No Left Turn” policy on deliveries? The company has taken another step toward energy conservation by ordering 500 more hybrid and compressed natural gas (CNG) delivery vehicles. UPS calls its trucks the Green Fleet, and is expanding from 50 hybrid electric trucks to 250 (the largest commercial order of such trucks by any company). The CNG-run fleet will increase from 800 to 1,100 as well.
OPINION: Water Trading in China: A Step Toward Sustainability
May 14, 2008 09:09 AM - , Worldwatch Institute
In recent years, scarcity and pollution of water have become the paramount environmental woe in China. Numerous reports and books have exposed China's water crisis, depicting a nation suffering in the face of black-running rivers and dried-up waterways. Nationwide, the per capita availability of fresh water is only one-quarter of the world average.
IdleAire: Reducing Trucker's Environmental Impact
May 14, 2008 09:07 AM - , Triple Pundit
If you've ever been on a road trip, you've probably seen this sight at a rest stop: one, or many big rig trucks, just...idling. Not going anywhere. What is this, like a computer on "sleep," ready to go? No. The answer may surprise you. At least in the US, truck drivers are required to rest 10 hours for every 11 driven. A reasonable thing, but this often necessitates them sleeping in their cabins. And that requires power for the heating or cooling, and other comforts of "home" on the road. Power that comes from a running truck.
Nokia Now Offers Free Cell Phone Recycling
May 14, 2008 08:51 AM - , Earth 911
The average cell phone life is only 18 months. Many obsolete phones find their final resting place in a landfill, where hazardous chemicals pose a threat to the environment. Nokia’s new We: Recycle Program allows consumers to send in old cell phones to be properly recycled. The company mails the donor a prepaid envelope so the process is completely cost-free.
How new U.S. biofuel legislation will subsidize oil consumption
May 14, 2008 08:42 AM - Cornell Chronicle Online
New U.S. energy legislation mandates the use of renewable fuel but calls for continuing current biofuel subsidies that will cost taxpayers billions of dollars. The subsidies -- tax credits -- by themselves encourage ethanol production as a replacement for oil-based gasoline consumption. Instead, the tax credits will play a major role in unintentionally subsidizing gasoline consumption. This contradicts the new energy bill's stated objectives of reducing dependency on oil, improving the environment and enhancing rural prosperity.