Top Stories
Pepsi Drops Super Bowl Ads in Favor of Cause
Marketing.—reliability high.
"Cause marketing, including asking consumers how they would improve
sustainability and the environment, will take the place of PepsiCo’s
traditional TV advertising that accompanies the Super Bowl, reports
DMNews. This will be the first time in 23 years that the Super Bowl
will not have an ad promoting Pepsi. Last year, Pepsi spent $33 million
advertising its brands during the game." One promotion will involve
giving away millions to fund projects to make the world better,
including environmental projects, proposed and voted on line. From
Environmental Leader. See Pepsi site here.
Eco-officers are moving into executive
suites.—reliability high.
"As companies grapple with climate change, try to attract
eco-conscious customers and develop alternative energy agendas while
complying with regulations, a new kind of administrator is moving into
the executive suite to help out. Sustainability officers and green
supervisors, some say, are successors to the diversity managers and
innovation specialists of the 1990s -- with their focus equal parts
corporate responsibility, public relations and profit." Examples of how
different companies have assigned this responsibility. "Last year,
fewer than 200 positions dedicated to sustainability were spread among
more than 1,200 companies, according to consulting firm Hudson Gain
Corp. With a 'very limited talent pool of experienced sustainability
executives,' many firms plucked internal candidates who were
well-regarded in other fields for the role, the report said."
"President Obama signed an executive order in October requiring federal
agencies to each designate a senior sustainability officer." See
The Los Angeles Times.
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
New Belgium Using Smart Grid to Time Energy
Production.—reliability high.
"By being tied into the smart grid in Fort Collins, Colo., New Belgium
Brewing Co. will know when it makes sense to produce its own power" "a
new 200-kilowatt engine that runs on diesel and/or natural gas will
kick on when the city signals that power demand is peaking" "The city’s
distributed energy generation program is designed to let companies and
organizations that have their own generating capacity to add power back
to the grid during times of peak loads. The program is part of the Fort
Collins Zero Energy District, or FortZED." From
Environmental Leader.
Better sewage treatment is the latest thing
in clean energy.—reliability high.
Discusses increasing extraction of energy from sewage. "Less and less
waste, these days, is actually allowed to go to waste. Instead, it is
used to generate biogas, a methane-rich mixture that can be employed
for heating and for the generation of electricity. Moreover, in an age
concerned with the efficient use of energy, technological improvements
are squeezing human fecal matter to release every last drop of the
stuff." Mentions some technologies and companies. See
The Economist.
Going green: Tata Group's new mantra.—reliability
high.
"If globalisation was the driving factor for Tata Group in the last
decade, going green may well be the buzzword for the present one."
Cites activities of several group companies in the green direction. See
Economic Times.
Jan. 1 Emissions Reporting Deadline Nears.—reliability
high.
"With large emitters scheduled to begin collecting their emissions
data Jan. 1, companies are gearing up to ensure their compliance. But
that hasn't stopped critics from ramping up their rhetoric. On Sept.
22, the Environmental Protection Agency announced it would require
about 10,000 facilities that emit about 85 percent of the nation’s
greenhouse gases to begin collecting their emissions data." "Companies
that emit 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents are subject
to the reporting rule. Failure to measure and report emissions to the
EPA can result in fines of up to $37,500 per day, per violation." Legal
advisors quoted urging companies to develop compliance systems.
"'Companies need to understand that from the standpoint of government
regulation and public opinion, the debate about global warming is over.
That means it’s time for them to develop sustainability plans and
carbon reduction strategies before regulators, environmental advocates,
shareholders and other groups force them to act,' said Saulius
Mikalonis, Senior Attorney at law firm Plunkett Cooney." From
Environmental Leader.
Government and
Regulation
California Climate Law Faces Opposition.—reliability
medium.
An initiative petition drive will begin to put a measure on
California's November 2010 ballot to suspend enforcement of the state's
carbon reduction law. "The 2006 law aims to return greenhouse gas
emissions in California to 1990 levels by 2020, with statewide
reductions starting in 2012. The bulk of the needed reductions would
come from a 33 percent renewable energy standard for power companies,
as well as several measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from
fuels for cars and trucks." Opponents, who include gubernatorial
aspirant Meg Whitman, say such measures would harm employment recovery.
From
New York Times Green Inc. blog.
New Indian govt buildings to comply with
green norms.—reliability high.
"New government and Public Sector Unit (PSUs) buildings will have to
mandatorily comply with new green rating norms to tackle climate change
threats. 'This decision was taken by the Centre two days ago to ensure
that buildings are environment-friendly aiming to achieve high energy
utilisation,' Farooq Abdullah, Minister of New and Renewable Energy,
said" "all new buildings of government and PSUs will have to comply
with the requirement of at least 3 star rating under the Green Rating
for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA)." From
PTI.
Science
New Carbon Footprint Calculation Accounts
For Country of Consumption.—reliability medium.
"Norwegian scientists have created a new method of calculating carbon
footprint that allocates the carbon produced in the country of
consumption . . . ." The new study by Researchers at the Norwegian
University of Science and Technology and the Centre of International
Climate and Environment Research in Oslo is a "trade-linked" analysis. From
CleanTechnica. More here.
[Reveals that when
emissions embodied in imports and exports are taken into account the
U.S.'s total emissions are about double China's.]
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2010 HaraBara, Inc.]
