Top Stories
Obama steps up nuclear investment for
climate fight.—reliability high.
"President Barack Obama announced $8.3 billion in loan guarantees on
Tuesday to build the first U.S. nuclear power plant in nearly three
decades, a move designed to help advance climate legislation in
Congress. . . . By reaching out to Republicans on the nuclear issue --
a top priority for key opposition lawmakers such as former presidential
candidate John McCain -- the Obama administration hopes support for the
stalled climate bill will grow. . . . 'We're not going to achieve
a big boost in nuclear capacity unless we also create a system of
incentives to make clean energy profitable,' Obama said. 'As long as
producing carbon pollution carries no cost, traditional plants that use
fossil fuels will be more cost-effective than plants that use nuclear
fuel.'" More in Reuters
story.
Toyota and the Future of Green Marketing.—reliability
medium.
"What does Toyota's travails mean to green marketing? . . . Toyota
seemed to have done it the right way: with products that weren't just
greener, but better -- in this case, high-aesthetic, high-performance,
affordable cars." But now we have "a massive global regulatory
undertaking, media-fanned anxiety on the part of Toyota vehicle owners
— and more than a little handwringing on the part of environmentalists,
who aren't sure what to think of a company that had come to be seen as
a corporate hero." Asks whether "The recalls will severely damage
Toyota's credibility", "Toyota's brand leadership and reputation for
quality and environmental leadership will survive intact",
"Toyota's plight will be a setback for green products in general and
green vehicles in particular", or "The Prius recall will prove that
greener cars are just like any other". Read more of Joel Makower's post
at GreenBiz
blog. [Another
possibility: Toyota's temporary setback will ease the way for Nissan
and others who are introducing greener cars later this year, thus
expanding the market for low-carbon vehicles.]
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
Slow Trip Across Sea Aids Profit and
Environment.—reliability high.
"By halving its top cruising speed over the last two years, Maersk cut
fuel consumption on major routes by as much as 30 percent, greatly
reducing costs" and greenhouse gas emissions. " 'The previous focus has
been on "What will it cost?" and "Get it to me as fast as possible," '
said Soren Stig Nielsen, Maersk's director of environmental
sustainability, who noted that the practice began in 2008, when oil
prices jumped to $145 a barrel. 'But now there is a third dimension,'
he said. ' "What’s the CO2 footprint?" ' " More about "slow steaming".
See New
York Times story.
Wal-Mart Canada Improves Distribution Center
Efficiency 60%.—reliability high.
Wal-Mart Canada says "a new refrigerated distribution hub being opened
in Alberta in late 2010 will be 60% more energy efficient than their
traditional distribution centers. The new center will utilize energy
efficiency measures across all operational areas, including hydrogen
fuel cell powered forklifts that will replace lead battery powered
machines. Low energy LED lighting installed throughout the facility
will use significantly less energy and have a longer life span than
compact fluorescents and 16 photovoltaic panels installed on the roof
will be used to meet the facilities hot water needs. A 225
kilowatt on-site wind turbine will also be utilized to help meet the
facilities energy needs." Story at Sustainable
Life Media.
Nike and Starbucks Among Large Companies
Trying to Build Climate Bill Momentum.—reliability high.
"A group of companies and nonprofits that includes Nike, Starbucks and
Ceres launched a virtual coast-to-coast race Tuesday in a bid to create
momentum for passing U.S. climate change legislation." "The race is
sponsored by "We Can Lead," a campaign launched by the Clean Economy
Network and Ceres' Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy
(BICEP), whose members include Nike, Levi Strauss & Co., Starbucks,
Sun Microsystems, The Timberland Company, Aspen Skiing Company, Clif
Bar & Company, eBay, Gap Inc., Jones Lang LaSalle, The North Face,
Seventh Generation, Ben and Jerry's, Eileen Fisher, Stonyfield Farm
Inc., and Symantec." More on race here.
See story at GreenBiz.
But on
the other hand: Oil firms drop group lobbying for U.S. climate
bill.—reliability high.
"BP and ConocoPhillips will drop out of a group lobbying for the U.S.
climate bill as proposed legislation would hurt the motor fuel and
natural gas industries, the companies said on Tuesday. . . . BP said it
still supports the blueprint which called for a cap-and-trade market on
emissions blamed for warming the planet, but that the current
legislation is plagued with problems that would penalize the petroleum
industry." More at Reuters.
6 Nuclear Power Startups To Watch.—reliability
medium.
Lists some entrepreneurial companies trying to ride the renewed
interest in nuclear or fusion technologies: NuScale Power, Helion
Energy, Hyperion Power Generation, TerraPower, General Fusion,
and Tri-Alpha Energy. Brief profiles of each. Read more
at earth2tech.
Green Building trends.—reliability
medium.
Summary of several initiatives in green building materials from
members of the chemicals industry. Also "other green building links
that I came across the past few weeks". More at Green
Chemicals.
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2010 HaraBara, Inc.]
