Archive for July, 2012

In this election year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking a lot of heat as being the enemy of American manufacturing, but some companies are actually approaching the EPA for assistance. The latest organization to form a cooperation with the agency is consumer products giant Procter & Gamble, which is in the early stages of setting and meeting goals for an ambitious corporate sustainability plan. Read the rest of this entry »

Copper mine in Nevada. Credit: Jessica Spengler, CC BY 2.0

A new paper from the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), “MMSD+10: Reflecting on a decade,” reports on the mining sector’s sustainability progress over the past 10 years. In the report, IIED researcher Abbi Buxton reviews the implementation of the 2002 recommendations by the industry-sponsored Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD) initiative.

The MMSD process led to the adoption by the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) of its Sustainable Development Framework, which consists of 10 principles: Read the rest of this entry »

Did you know that United Arab Emirates is building its first nuclear power plant? We didn’t either. Did you know that the United States has approved the construction of what will be its first new nuclear power plant in a generation? Same here.

And it’s probably little known that nuclear energy still accounts for as much as 20 percent of all U.S. electricity generated.

In fact, here are the top five stories you’ve heard about nuclear energy this past year: Fukushima, Fukushima, Fukushima, Fukushima, Germany is cutting back on nuclear power due to Fukushima. Read the rest of this entry »

As workers schedule vacation time before summer ends, they can take an eco-approach to their trips. The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a checklist of green tips and resources for travelers who can practice green lifestyles away from home. Here, Green & Clean breaks down eight helpful tips. Read the rest of this entry »

Recently, Time magazine wondered what, exactly, is the point of high-powered “green” sports cars?

I can answer that in one word: greenwashing. People want powerful sports cars but also want to feel good about themselves and how well they’re doing in environmentalism. That’s the short answer. Read the rest of this entry »

Everyone wants to know what’s going to happen in the future.

Corporations spend millions of dollars each year trying to figure out what will be the next trend, the next big thing and whether business will go up, down or stay exactly the same (thereby rendering the money they spent on projections kind of a waste, if you think about it.)

The field of energy is no different from any other in this regard; every year the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the statistical and analytical agency within the U.S. Department of Energy, releases its “Annual Energy Outlook” report. Read the rest of this entry »

While the U.S. Green Building Council continues to hammer out the specifics of the next iteration of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), the go-to standard for green and sustainable buildings, it may face a formidable opponent. A new lobbying group called the American High-Performance Buildings Coalition is gearing up to challenge LEED version 4. Read the rest of this entry »

Credit: mrpbps, CC BY 2.0

Recent extreme weather in the United States and other parts of the world prompted many commentators to evoke the specter of global warming once again. “This is what global warming looks like,” said one climate scientist who was quoted in a Associated Press story.

Weather events affect the stability of supply chains, workforces, markets and the economy, so business decision-makers are naturally concerned about weather-related risks associated with climate change.

Agriculture is one of the industrial sectors most vulnerable to extreme weather, and the effects of the current drought on U.S. grain crops show how supply chains can be disrupted by climate effects. Read the rest of this entry »

Credit: J. N. Stuart, CC BY NC ND 2.0

If you’re keeping score at home, another green tech firm funded by you, courtesy of the Obama administration, has gone belly up, taking your money along with it. This time, it’s Indiana-based Abound Solar, which, according to CBS News,was “number 17 on the White House’s 100 Recovery Projects That Are Changing America list.” The company recently filed for bankruptcy.“Abound Solar was approved for a $400 million dollar taxpayer loan guarantee under the same program, as did now-bankrupt Solyndra,” CBS News reported, noting that fortunately, not all of the $400 million was paid out, but $70 million is very likely gone. Read the rest of this entry »