Top Stories
Top British firms drag their feet to reduce
carbon footprints.—reliability high.
"Greenhouse gas targets set by many of Britain's largest companies are
too weak to meet UK commitments on climate change, a new analysis
shows. A report from the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) says a lack of
ambition from companies in the energy, materials and utilities sector
threatens government plans to cut emissions by 2020. The CDP report
found that 77% of FTSE 100 companies said they have a target to reduce
emissions, with an average annual reduction rate of 2.5%. That compares
well with the 2.4% annual reductions on overall emissions that Britain
needs to make to achieve a legally binding target of 34%-42% reductions
by 2020, relative to 1990 levels. However, the average annual emissions
reductions planned by the firms in the energy, utilities and materials
sectors total 1.2%. There are only 24 of these companies in the FTSE
100, but they account for 87% of all FTSE 100 reported emissions." From
The Guardian.
The Shrinking American Car Fleet.—reliability
medium.
"The auto fleet in the United States shrank by an estimated 2 percent
in 2009, as 14 million cars were scrapped and only 10 million new cars
were sold, according to a new report by the Earth Policy Institute, . .
. . The decline – the first seen since World War II – was driven in
large part by the recession, which sharply curbed new car sales. But
broader social and economic forces were also at work, including the
saturation of the American market and a declining interest in cars by
the latest generation of young Americans, Mr. Brown argued." From
The New York Times Green Inc. blog. Access report here.
["Japan may offer
some clues to the U.S. future. Both more densely populated and highly
urbanized than the United States, Japan apparently reached car
saturation in 1990. Since then its annual car sales have shrunk by 21
percent. The United States appears set to follow suit." As the nation
becomes more urbanized, more people can get along without cars.]
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
Building Retrofit Results in 70% Drop in
Energy Use, 70% Increase in Staff Utilization.—reliability
high.
"After a radical retrofit, a dilapidated 1960s-era office building in
Winchester, England, boasts a 70 percent drop in energy consumption, a
70 percent increase in staff utilization and a 30 percent reduction in
overall office space needed, meaning that excess office space can be
leased out. . . . The project cost more than $65 million. Whereas it
previously housed more than 600 workers, it now is occupied by 1,100
workers after the space was reallocated more efficiently." More about
this "Sustainable Project of the Year". From
Environmental Leader. [Reveals an
obvious truth: making your people more efficient (so you need fewer)
improves your energy efficiency (since you need less space).
Productivity = energy efficiency.]
Carbon Market Grew as Prices Fell in 2009.—reliability
high.
"In spite of the global economic slowdown, the market for trading
carbon dioxide jumped by 68 percent last year compared with the
previous year, but the value of the market remained roughly unchanged
after carbon prices fell. The global carbon market rose to 8.2 billion
metric tons — or gigatons — of carbon dioxide equivalent, according to
the consulting firm Point Carbon, mainly because of an increase in
trading activity in Europe." See
New York Times Green Inc. blog. [Economics 101:
law of demand. When the price of a good goes down, people buy more of
it.]
Best Practices in Sustainability at
Foodservice.—reliability high.
The IFMA Foundation and ARAMARK have put together a report on best
practices for "Sustainability in the Food Service Environment". "t’s
estimated that up to 80 percent of the $10 billion spent in energy at
U.S. restaurants is wasted." See
Environmental Leader. PDF of report here.
[Could have big
impact: Small businesses consume a major fraction of energy, and
restaurants are among the most common types of small business. Also,
every big company has a canteen.]
Government and
Regulation
EU launches wide-ranging battery recycling
rules.—reliability high.
"Manufacturers of batteries will for the first time be legally
required to provide collection and recycling facilities for their
disposal under new European Union regulations to be introduced in the
UK at the end of this month. Modelled on the EU's existing Waste
Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), the legislation shifts the
bulk of responsibility for safely disposing of batteries from the user
to the manufacturer. The legislation covers the disposal of all
batteries, including industrial and automotive batteries, of which
190,000 and 800,000 tonnes respectively enter the EU market each year,
as well as consumer batteries, of which 160,000 tonnes are disposed of
annually." From
BusinessGreen.
The 14 Winners of the DOE Data Center
Efficiency Funds.—reliability high.
"While it’s only $47 million, the 14 data center efficiency projects
that won grants from the DOE and the stimulus package this morning,
hold the keys to some real computing power innovation." Lists the
recipients, from IBM and Yahoo to Federspiel Controls, and gives
funding amounts and thumbnails of their IT energy saving projects. See
earth2tech.
Air board, port truckers agree on upgrading.—reliability
high.
"A last-minute deal between California air pollution regulators and
Port of Oakland truckers Monday will allow hundreds of big rigs to
operate at the port for two weeks while they work to meet stricter
requirements on diesel emissions that officially took effect for the
new year Friday. . . . Under the agreement, brokered by Oakland Mayor
Ron Dellums, drivers whose grant applications were turned down through
this fall have two weeks to apply for the new funds, which will provide
$5,000 toward a new filter or $50,000 toward a new truck." $11 million
in new funds will be made available. From
San Francisco Chronicle. [This will save
lives.]
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2010 HaraBara, Inc.]
