Green Options » Business http://greenoptions.com/tag/business Posts tagged 'Business' Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:03:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en Ray Anderson: A Revealing Chat with a Radical Industrialist http://sustainablog.org/2009/11/09/ray-anderson-a-revealing-chat-with-a-radical-industrialist/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/11/09/ray-anderson-a-revealing-chat-with-a-radical-industrialist/#comments Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:03:08 +0000 Jeff McIntire-Strasburg http://sustainablog.org/2009/11/09/ray-anderson-a-revealing-chat-with-a-radical-industrialist/ Ray Anderson’s epiphany about his own role in environmental destruction after reading Paul Hawken’s The Ecology of Commerce has taken on mythic status in the fifteen years since. The “spear in the chest moment” he experienced transformed Anderson into a leader in sustainable thought and practice within American industry, and his company, Interface, Inc. (which manufacture modular floor covering primarily for business and institutional customers) is now recognized as a model of transformation. Named a “Hero of the Planet” by Time magazine in 2007, Anderson is constantly sought out for speeches, interviews, and even documentary film appearances (THE CORPORATION, and the new SO RIGHT SO SMART)

In September, Anderson (with Robin White) published his second book, Confessions of a Radical Industrialist: Profits, People, Planet - Doing Business by Respecting the Earth. This wide-ranging work not only tells Interface’s story in detail, but also provides a blueprint for how a large, well-established company can literally reinvent itself as both a profitable enterprise and a business that learns to operate in harmony with natural systems.

The word “confessions” in the title is very appropriate: Anderson is very frank about Interface’s successes and setbacks in its climb up “Mt. Sustainability” (a phrase he coined). He also discusses the efforts of other companies, and makes bold, and hopeful, cases for environmental and social responsibility as pillars of successful business strategy in the 21st century. The book is an engaging and thoughtful read for business people, environmental activists, and consumers concerned about the impact of industry on the planet’s future.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/11/09/ray-anderson-a-revealing-chat-with-a-radical-industrialist/feed/ PETA McCruelty Billboard in SoMa http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/11/09/peta-mccruelty-billboard-in-soma/ http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/11/09/peta-mccruelty-billboard-in-soma/#comments Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:05:57 +0000 Keith Rockmael http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/11/09/peta-mccruelty-billboard-in-soma/ They say that a picture is worth a thousand words but, of course, I’m not going to dedicate 1000 words or even 500 to this picture. My green friend and I spotted this billboard in a not exactly obvious place in the Soma district of San Francisco but we figured that PETA didn’t have or want to spend the big bucks on a billboard right next to the 101 freeway. Still the billboard, for those eyeballs who it, makes its point.

We figured that with all the talk about food and food sources (see the stirring documentary Food, Inc. or read The Omnivore’s Dilemma or Fast Food Nation) that people can make their own decision about where their McNuggets come from and if they want to munch on them.

PETA often creates outrageous ads and they definitely like to stir the pot. Their ads, seen or not, often start a dialogue which we like. Dialogue about our fast food nation – we’re loving it.

]]> http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/11/09/peta-mccruelty-billboard-in-soma/feed/ $4 Million Goes to MIT from French Oil Company for Solar Energy Battery Project http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/07/4-million-goes-to-mit-from-french-oil-company-for-solar-energy-battery-project/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/07/4-million-goes-to-mit-from-french-oil-company-for-solar-energy-battery-project/#comments Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:02:21 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/07/4-million-goes-to-mit-from-french-oil-company-for-solar-energy-battery-project/
Total, a French oil company, recently agreed to give the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) $4 million for a 5-year research project to develop stationary batteries that can more efficiently store solar energy.

More efficient energy storage has been a difficult issue for scientists to crack. It is a major issue preventing more widespread use of renewable energy, and solar energy in particular.

Is this project, one funded by a true oil giant, the one that will make it happen?

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/07/4-million-goes-to-mit-from-french-oil-company-for-solar-energy-battery-project/feed/ New Cycle Capital, Draper Fisher Jurvetson Invest $12.2 Million in PACE Solar Renewable Funding http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/04/new-cycle-capital-draper-fisher-jurvetson-invest-122-million-in-pace-solar-renewable-funding/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/04/new-cycle-capital-draper-fisher-jurvetson-invest-122-million-in-pace-solar-renewable-funding/#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:21:32 +0000 Susan Kraemer http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/04/new-cycle-capital-draper-fisher-jurvetson-invest-122-million-in-pace-solar-renewable-funding/

Renewable Funding’s PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) solar funding, begun by Cisco DeVries with Berkeley First was a breakthrough in making solar affordable. Now VC high-flyers Draper Fisher Jurvetson, New Cycle Capital, and RWE Ventures have just invested $12.2 million in a first round of financing to make this sober and sensible solar funding available to more homeowners.

Renewable Funding is a business in the Common Good. And it could be big too. There’s potentially a gigaton of greenhouse gas reductions to be made, at no cost to local, state, or federal governments from a $280 billion potential market in PACE solar funding in the US, acording to a UC Berkeley study published in Environment Magazine.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/04/new-cycle-capital-draper-fisher-jurvetson-invest-122-million-in-pace-solar-renewable-funding/feed/ Mac ‘n’ Cheese — How Many Wheys? http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/11/04/mac-n-cheese-how-many-wheys/ http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/11/04/mac-n-cheese-how-many-wheys/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:33:18 +0000 Steven Schmitt http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/11/04/mac-n-cheese-how-many-wheys/ The Cheesiest claim has been challengedA recent blog criticized Kraft’s Macaroni & Cheese dinner, a family and kids favorite for decades, for selling a quick meal product made with “cheese products,” not real cheese.

On my next shopping trip, I bought a box to investigate what was in that powdery but tasty cheese sauce.  A blue and gold ribbon printed on the box already told me I was going to get The Cheesiest and the “original flavor.”  The ingredients include CHEESE SAUCE (WHEY, MILKFAT, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SALT, SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE . . . MILK, YELLOW 5, YELLOW 6, ENZYMES, CHEESE CULTURE). The dinner also contains wheat, milk.

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]]> http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/11/04/mac-n-cheese-how-many-wheys/feed/ China Forgets “China-Only Wind Turbines” Policy, but Why? http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/china-forgets-china-only-wind-turbines-policy-but-why/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/china-forgets-china-only-wind-turbines-policy-but-why/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:18:02 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/china-forgets-china-only-wind-turbines-policy-but-why/
A couple weeks ago, I wrote about China’s new policy to focus on buying (almost entirely) “China-grown” wind turbines and wind turbine technologies with Chinese patents. That policy wasn’t a big hit internationally and China is back-tracking.

However, is it changing its stance out of international moral pressure or a major financial incentive (recent deal) in the US? And who is to benefit the most from this shift?

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/china-forgets-china-only-wind-turbines-policy-but-why/feed/ DESERTEC $555 Billion Renewable Energy Project Moving Forward http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/02/desertec-560-billion-renewable-energy-project-moving-forward/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/02/desertec-560-billion-renewable-energy-project-moving-forward/#comments Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:53:31 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/02/desertec-560-billion-renewable-energy-project-moving-forward/
The huge project to build a $555 billion renewable energy “belt” in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, funded largely by German companies, moved another step forward a few days ago.

The articles of association for the DESERTEC Industrial Initiative (DII) were signed by the joint venture group of 12 companies and the DESERTEC Foundation in Munich on October 30.

Additionally, a CEO for DII was appointed — Paul van Son.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/02/desertec-560-billion-renewable-energy-project-moving-forward/feed/ Are Large, For-Profit Corporations Intrinsically Less Ethical? http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/31/are-large-for-profit-corporations-intrinsically-less-ethical/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/31/are-large-for-profit-corporations-intrinsically-less-ethical/#comments Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:43:35 +0000 Steve Savage http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/31/are-large-for-profit-corporations-intrinsically-less-ethical/ Love of Money
In the comment streams on my blog posts there is a recurrent theme from one segment of the respondents - they have a deep distrust in the large companies that are involved in modern agricultural technology.  They don’t believe these companies will behave ethically because they are for profit entities “only answerable to their shareholders.”   

I’d like to speak directly to this as a long-time Ag industry insider whose experience does not support these suspicions. I know that some will dismiss this perspective assuming I am biased, but one has to balance potential for bias with actually having first-hand experience from which to speak.  Over the last 32 years I’ve work for or with most of the companies, large and small, that provide agricultural technologies.  Fourteen of those years have been as an independent consultant so I get to know what is going on inside of many companies in a given year.  I have still only had direct knowledge of a subset of what happens, but in all of that exposure I’ve never witnessed an unethical decision or action - not even the consideration of one.  I’ve seen certain decisions that were short-sighted.  I’ve sometimes seen decision-making processes that are more driven by fear than by opportunity.  I’ve seen missed opportunities because vision was lacking.  I’ve occasionally seen failures to take advantage of synergies that could have been realized between divisions of large organizations. I’ve seen problems, but I believe that some level of dysfunction is inevitable in any organization involving people.  Still, unethical behavior isn’t something I’ve seen so I disagree that it is automatically likely just because of the characteristics of the company.  

On balance I’ve also seen these organizations, large and small, frequently make important contributions to society in terms of the productivity and safety of our food supply.  I’ve seen these companies continue to do that in an environment of constant activist attack and very limited public understanding because so few people farm.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/31/are-large-for-profit-corporations-intrinsically-less-ethical/feed/ Spanish Solar Company SOLARIG Building 8 PV Parks in Italy http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/31/spanish-solar-company-solarig-building-8-pv-parks-in-italy/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/31/spanish-solar-company-solarig-building-8-pv-parks-in-italy/#comments Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:15:24 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/31/spanish-solar-company-solarig-building-8-pv-parks-in-italy/
SOLARIG, a company based in Spain that incorporated about four years ago, just began construction of eight photovoltaic parks in Italy this month. The parks will provide 8 MW of energy in total. Over the next few months, it plans to construct photovoltaic projects producing 30 MW throughout different regions of Italy.

But this is just the beginning. SOLARIG has a more global vision.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/31/spanish-solar-company-solarig-building-8-pv-parks-in-italy/feed/ Last Minute Green Halloween Tip: Iconic Necco Wafers Go All-Natural http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/10/29/last-minute-green-halloween-tip-iconic-necco-wafers-go-all-natural/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/10/29/last-minute-green-halloween-tip-iconic-necco-wafers-go-all-natural/#comments Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:21:18 +0000 Wenona Napolitano http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/10/29/last-minute-green-halloween-tip-iconic-necco-wafers-go-all-natural/ Now here’s a candy you don’t have to special order online or search high and low for. Necco Wafers can be found at most grocery stores in the candy aisle or currently in the Halloween candy section.

Necco Wafers have been around since 1847 but as a sign of the times they’ve gone “green”.

The 162-year-old Massachusetts company has taken Necco Wafers and made them “all-natural” which makes them the largest mass-produced candy line in the U.S. to get rid of artificial flavoring and colors.

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]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/10/29/last-minute-green-halloween-tip-iconic-necco-wafers-go-all-natural/feed/ Hungry For Shrimp? Read This First http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/10/29/hungry-for-shrimp-first-read-this/ http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/10/29/hungry-for-shrimp-first-read-this/#comments Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:36:20 +0000 John Chappell http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/10/29/hungry-for-shrimp-first-read-this/

Finding sustainable sources of seafood is becoming increasingly difficult.  Should you buy farmed or wild caught?  And what are the most sustainable choices?  I’ve talked about sustainable seafood before, and since shrimp is the most commonly consumed seafood in the United States, you might want to have a bit more information about that shrimp cocktail you’re about to eat.

Did you know Americans ate 1.2 Billion pounds of shrimp in 2007, an average of 4.1 pounds of shrimp per person (figures here)?  This figure is actually a decline from the previous year, in 2006, when the average American ate 4.4 pounds of shrimp.  Now if you consider that 85% of shrimp consumed in the US is imported, and since wild caught shrimp are rarer than ever as fisheries are depleted, there’s a good chance that the shrimp you just ate were farmed and imported to the US.

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]]> http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/10/29/hungry-for-shrimp-first-read-this/feed/ Try Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro Now to Help Green Your Company and US Schools http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/27/try-adobe-acrobat-connect-pro-now-and-help-green-your-company-and-schools/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/27/try-adobe-acrobat-connect-pro-now-and-help-green-your-company-and-schools/#comments Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:31:06 +0000 Lucille Chi http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/27/try-adobe-acrobat-connect-pro-now-and-help-green-your-company-and-schools/

Have you ever done the math on commuting to work? Telecommuting saves money, it’s a fact. Yet most folks are fearful of stepping out of the in-person environment. Luckily the barriers have been broken by Adobe as their new Acrobat Connect Pro software has video, audio, and interactivity that create an almost in-person experience for meeting attendees.

In addition, Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro online meeting software is now offering a free trial and every time someone signs up they donate twenty-five dollars to help a school go green. In fact, Adobe has partnered with the U.S. Green Building Council and the mayors of Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco to help schools go green in their communities. Each city will receive up to $100,000 to create classrooms that foster learning alongside smart environmental practices.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/27/try-adobe-acrobat-connect-pro-now-and-help-green-your-company-and-schools/feed/ An Interview With the Director of Marketing of Zumbox, the New Promise for Paperless Mail http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/26/an-interview-with-the-director-of-marketing-of-zumbox-the-new-promise-for-paperless-mail/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/26/an-interview-with-the-director-of-marketing-of-zumbox-the-new-promise-for-paperless-mail/#comments Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:19:45 +0000 Raz Godelnik http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/26/an-interview-with-the-director-of-marketing-of-zumbox-the-new-promise-for-paperless-mail/ This post was originally published on Eco-Libris blog on October14.

If you didn’t hear yet about Zumbox, you need to recheck your news resources.

In the last couple of weeks you hear about them everywhere - from an announcement on two new clients: the cities of San Francisco and Newark (NJ) that will start using their web-based mail delivery system to an announcement on a partnership with New York City for Five Borough Pilot Program.

So what is exactly Zumbox? according to their website “Zumbox delivers paperless mail online – from street address to street address. What used to only be sent as paper mail can now be sent without the paper. How? We’ve created a nationwide paperless postal system with a Zumbox for every street address in the United States, including yours.”

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/26/an-interview-with-the-director-of-marketing-of-zumbox-the-new-promise-for-paperless-mail/feed/ Disturbing Trends in What Americans Believe about Climate Change http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/25/disturbing-trends-in-what-americans-believe-about-climate-change/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/25/disturbing-trends-in-what-americans-believe-about-climate-change/#comments Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:04:52 +0000 Steve Savage http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/25/disturbing-trends-in-what-americans-believe-about-climate-change/ Breakdown of who does not believe warming is real

The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press released results of a major survey tracking what people believe about “Global Warming.”  It is not encouraging!  Across age, gender, race, political affiliation, and religion there have been declines in the number of people who believe that human activity is involved and increases in the number of people who don’t think it is happening.  My own demographic (white, male, 54 years old, political Independent, Evangelical Christian) is among the most skeptical, though the Baby Boom slightly bucks the trend for age.  Some friends and I are working on a strategy to challenge the Church on this issue.

Breakdown of who does not believe humans are responsible

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/25/disturbing-trends-in-what-americans-believe-about-climate-change/feed/ Disney Admits Baby Einstein Does NOT Increase Intelligence http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/10/24/disney-admits-baby-einstein-does-not-increase-intelligence/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/10/24/disney-admits-baby-einstein-does-not-increase-intelligence/#comments Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:20:56 +0000 Jennifer Lance http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/10/24/disney-admits-baby-einstein-does-not-increase-intelligence/ Baby Einstein does not make your child smarterFor parents who were suckered into Disney’s Baby Einstein concept, the company has announced they will give full refunds on up to four videos.  The basis of the refund is to compensate parents who actually believed the videos would make their children smarter.  UPI reports:

The move comes after Disney’s Baby Einstein Co. last month announced “enhanced consumer satisfaction guarantees” after lawyers had threatened a class-action suit for false advertising. “The Walt Disney Company’s entire Baby Einstein marketing regime is based on express and implied claims that their videos are educational and beneficial for early childhood development,” a letter from the lawyers reportedly said.

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]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/10/24/disney-admits-baby-einstein-does-not-increase-intelligence/feed/ Oceanworks Plan to Build San Diego Airport on the Pacific Ocean http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/22/oceanworks-plan-to-build-san-diego-airport-on-the-pacific-ocean/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/22/oceanworks-plan-to-build-san-diego-airport-on-the-pacific-ocean/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:42:17 +0000 Susan Kraemer http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/22/oceanworks-plan-to-build-san-diego-airport-on-the-pacific-ocean/
OceanWorksDevelopment; a group of 40 architects and planners has come up with a pretty wild and grandiose (or brilliant and visionary) solution to San Diego’s siting problems for its much needed new airport. Float the entire thing off-shore.

How serious are they? In a legally unprecedented move, OceanWorks CEO Adam Englund has booked the 40,000 square mile space on the Pacific with this claim holding “airport rights”.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/22/oceanworks-plan-to-build-san-diego-airport-on-the-pacific-ocean/feed/ Whisky - Real Slow Food http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/10/19/whisky-real-slow-food/ http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/10/19/whisky-real-slow-food/#comments Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:57:34 +0000 Keith Rockmael http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/10/19/whisky-real-slow-food/ Before the recent Whisky Fest in San Francisco, a select group gathered for a whisky tasting of the Bowmore whisky which in itself should be deemed a special treat especially when sipping on the 25 year Bowmore single malt and the 44 year old (older than most us in the room) Bowmore Gold, which up until that moment had only been savored by a few ones in the U.S. Toss in the fact that we sampled this whiskey at the classic power lunch spot meets oh la la One Market and everything seemed to be going as smooth as the and Bowmore 12 and the Tombo Tuna (we hope wild caught).

But of course, being in San Fran, we struck up the whole Green thing as far as Bowmore and whisky production. The Bowmore crew being from Scotland aren’t exactly strangers when it comes to Green or sustainable practices. After all, we would have to say that whisky might be one of the ultimate slow foods. A few tastes later only spurred the spirited dialogue. The fact that Bowmore came in second in the Green Apple award a few years ago impressed us. We even liked the fact that they got downright innovative in the fact that they use the waste heat generated from the stills plant to not only dry the barley but heat the local public swimming pool as well. They also use the generated hot water to pre-heat the facility that works like a form of radiant heating.

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]]> http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/10/19/whisky-real-slow-food/feed/ Kite Power Harnesses Unspooling Motion For Energy http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/18/kite-power-harnesses-unspooling-motion-for-energy/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/18/kite-power-harnesses-unspooling-motion-for-energy/#comments Mon, 19 Oct 2009 05:15:43 +0000 Susan Kraemer http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/18/kite-power-harnesses-unspooling-motion-for-energy/
Here’s a radical perspective change for wind power. Instead of harnessing wind power to turn blades tethered to a pole, the KiteGen simply harnesses that rapid unspooling motion of kites reeling out as they release upwards.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/18/kite-power-harnesses-unspooling-motion-for-energy/feed/ 7 African Countries to Get Utility-Scale Solar? http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/17/7-african-countries-to-get-utility-scale-solar/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/17/7-african-countries-to-get-utility-scale-solar/#comments Sat, 17 Oct 2009 09:05:08 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/17/7-african-countries-to-get-utility-scale-solar/

California-based eSolar has just announced that it is expanding into southern Africa now. It has partnered with Johannesburg-based Clean Energy Solutions (CES) to create “eSolarSA” which will sell its concentrating solar power technology throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/17/7-african-countries-to-get-utility-scale-solar/feed/ China Wants China-Grown Wind Turbines, for Itself and Europe http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/17/china-wants-china-grown-wind-turbines-for-itself-and-europe/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/17/china-wants-china-grown-wind-turbines-for-itself-and-europe/#comments Sat, 17 Oct 2009 08:36:57 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/17/china-wants-china-grown-wind-turbines-for-itself-and-europe/

Big shifts seem to be stirring in the wind turbine market. Foreign companies are backing out of China due to China’s move to use more home-grown technology. At the same time, China is looking to expand its wind turbine sales into Europe.

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