As I was reviewing the financial headlines of the day, I noticed Nike’s Q2 earning posting and decided to peruse their corporate website for more information … on their progress in sustainability. Nike has been a leader in tackling all dimensions of sustainability, including those across their supply chain. I was a little disappointed when I couldn’t find an updated version of their Corporate Sustainability Report online and the first word that pop in my head was: marathon.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Sustainability = Profitability
In a challenging global economy, a growing number of corporations are turning to sustainability to keep competitive, according to a Tuesday report from MIT Sloan Management Review and The Boston Consulting Group.
Solar and wind energy storage is the holy grail for alternative energy
Storing solar- and wind-generated energy may prove nearly as important as creating it, according to the chairman and chief executive officer of Idealab, a technology venture-capital firm. “If you ever want to have round-the-clock solar, which the whole world does want to have, you have to have storage,” Bill Gross, who founded Idealab in 1996, said in a telephone interview before traveling to Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum. “Anything that can make it so that we have more on-demand power, especially with renewables, is going to be a big factor.”
Japan and Sweden Lead Green Bond Underwriters
Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (SEBA) and Daiwa Securities Group Inc. (8601) have underwritten the most green bonds since the securities were first issued in 2007, indicating the dominance of Swedish and Japanese banks in the market. Five of the 10 top underwriters on about $7 billion of the bonds issued by international finance institutions were drawn from the two countries, according to a ranking by Bloomberg New Energy Finance released today. London-based HSBC Bank Plc and JPMorgan Chase (JPM) & Co. of New York took third and fourth place.
Is that a sustainable banana in your pocket or . . . .
The Kenya Agricultural Research Institute is banana paradise. The artificial sun shines on plants for 16 hours a day and hides for eight. Tender green shoots luxuriate in pint jars containing a milky liquid that’s rich in all the nutrients a growing banana needs. It’s a sterile environment, devoid of the pathogens and nematodes that stunt and kill bananas. Through a mask, researcher Susan Muli shushes me when I open my mouth with a question: “There are microbes!”
Joint action likely against EU on airlines tax
Countries opposed to the European Union’s tax on airline carbon emissions are meeting early next month to discuss retaliatory action, a top Indian official said. The meeting may take place either in Delhi or in Moscow and will discuss a joint action plan against the EU measures, which have angered most countries.
Kookabura sits on the old gum tree while GE makes aviation biofuel from it
A consortium of local and global companies is behind a move to develop the use of Australia’s gumtrees to produce an aviation biofuel.
Carbon emissions increase despite economic downturn
Worldwide carbon emissions increased by record levels in the aftermath of the global financial crisis (GFC), contrary to expectations, according to a new report just published.
Sustainable development takes over from climate change as summit agenda
(Reuters) - Representatives from around the world gather in Rio in June to try to hammer out goals for sustainable development at a U.N. conference designed to avoid being tripped up by the intractable issue of climate change. But there is concern in the lead-up to the conference, known as Rio+20 or the Earth Summit, that it risks ending up as all talk and little action.
New VCS-Thailand Label Tags VCUs with Crown Standard
VCS and Thailand’s Greenhouse Gas Management Organization (TGO) have established a mechanism for linking VCS credits to TGO’s Crown Standard. Effective immediately, projects that meet the requirements of both standards can issue Verified Carbon Units, or VCUs, specially tagged with a Crown Standard label.
RPower secures funds for 40 MW solar PV plant in India
Reliance Group firm RPower has received an $87 million loan from the US Ex-Im Bank for a 40-MW solar plant being set up in Rajasthan.
Sustainability Discovers Social Media
CHICAGO, IL and PARIS, Jan 24, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Wizness, the online network dedicated to sustainability professionals, today announced it has partnered with the Social Media Sustainability Index (SMI) to identify social media sustainability best practices and trends. The newly released report, "The SMI and Wizness Social Media Sustainability Index," http://socialmediainfluence.com/SMI-report/ found that the number of companies embracing social media for their sustainability initiatives more than doubled in 2011 and predicts further increases in 2012. Today, more than 250 brands are using social media as a key tool to communicate sustainability initiatives and bring audiences together for the greater good.
Manhattan's tallest solar rooftop
Sun rises on Manhattan’s highest rooftop solar scheme - 24 Jan 2012 - News from BusinessGreen
Towering 225 metres above the ground, the skyscraper at 60 Wall Street has just become home to Manhattan's largest rooftop solar scheme.
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