The Japanese government has launched the first satellite to monitor greenhouse gases worldwide. This tool will help scientists better ascertain where global warming emissions are coming from and how much is being absorbed by the oceans and forests. The U.S. will launch a similar orbiter next month. The Japanese satellite represents a big step in getting such data on carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere, which is now compiled from scattered ground stations.

There are normally 100 observations every two weeks, but with the satellite, there be about one million. This enormous leap is an integral part of understanding greenhouse emissions and to see which countries are emitting more than others. Global warming is one of the most dire issues facing the international community, and Japan’s actions show that it is fully committed to reducing CO2.

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Coca-Cola Enterprises, the largest bottler of Coca Cola beverages, will more than double the size of its hybrid electric delivery fleet to about 327 green truck on U.S. and Canadian roads. The company plans to add 185 hybrid electric trucks and is also launching a new vehicle that is much larger than those in its existing fleet.

The majority of the hybrid vehicles currently in its fleet are 12-bay box trucks with a 33,000 gross vehicle weight. With a gross combination vehicle weight of 55,000, the new hybrid electric tractors are comparable to standard bulk delivery trucks used by the company. Coca-Cola Enterprises said that the jumbo hybrids use 30 percent less fuel and produce about 30 percent fewer emissions than standard tractors. The tractors were developed by the Eaton Corporation, Kenworth Truck Company and Cummins Engine Company.

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Leather manufacturer ISA Tan Tec will spend $8.7 million on its new, Vietnam-based tannery aimed at producing leather using fewer resources than industry standards. The German/Chinese company was founded by CEO Thomas Schneider, who said that the demand from its clients for ecologically friendly leather is increasing rapidly. The Ho Chi Minh City location, set to open in mid-2009, will have 280 employees churning out two million square meters of leather a year, supplying companies including Timberland, Rockport, New Balance, Simple and Hush Puppies.

The Vietnam facility will employ many of the same resource-saving and energy-cutting procedures in place at its tannery in Guangzhou, China. At that location, in a span of 18 months, the company reduced electricity used for retanning by 76 percent and reduced heavy oil use by 28 percent.

The company’s overall process for making its Low Impact To the Environment, or LITE, leather uses 30 percent less energy and 50 percent less water, and emits 35 percent less carbon dioxide, than industry standards derived from the British Leather Technology Center. The company’s LITE concept calls for continuous monitoring of the company’s energy and water use. The amount of water used is recorded daily and the company analyzes it for where they can make reductions.

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They are are using coconut fibers in place of currently used synthetic fibers to make compression-molded composites for automobile parts such as bed liners, floorboards, sun visors and inside door covers. The idea for new uses of the coconut grew out of a desire to aid poor coconut farmers in coastal regions in countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Ghana and Sri Lanka. In most developing countries, the coconut husk is basically a throwaway material.

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The agreement will enable the company to implement a program to provide training, assessment and related assistance to farms that produce poultry for the company. By signing this agreement, the company has shown that its commitment to restore and protect surface and groundwater is paramount.

The runoff from improperly managed poultry farms can have an adverse effect on water quality, as well as destroy plant and fish life. Perdue contract growers must be in compliance with regulatory requirements and reduce their impact on the local waterways. The firm has reinforced its commitment to environmentally responsible practices by signing this agreement. The company has also published its Environmental Stewardship Information, which describes the company’s commitment to environmental responsibility and current activities as well as summaries of selected environmental partnerships. Perdue Farms was among the first poultry companies to implement a dedicated Environmental Services department. The company was also the first poultry company to develop a large-scale alternative use for surplus poultry litter, operating the first-of-its kind facility to convert poultry litter into organic fertilizer product.  Perdue AgriRecycle has handled more than 500,000 tons of litter in its first seven years of operation.

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