Top Stories
Call for tax on livestock emissions.—reliability
high.
"'Market-based policies, such as taxes and fees for natural resource
use, should cause [livestock] producers to internalise the costs of
environmental damages,' the FAO said in its annual report, The State of
Food and Agriculture." "The FAO said that without fresh measures – from
taxes and fees to cuts in subsidies or a boost in the efficiency of the
sector – 'continued growth in livestock production will otherwise exert
enormous pressures on ecosystems, biodiversity, land and forest
resources and water quality, and will contribute to global warming'." Financial
Times story (may require registration or subscription). PDF of
report here.
Americans favor conservation, but few
practice it.—reliability high.
"Most Americans like the idea of conservation, but few practice it in
their everyday lives, according to the results of a national survey
released today by researchers at Yale and George Mason universities."
For example, "81 percent say it is important to use re-usable shopping
bags, but only 33 percent "often" or "always" do; 76 percent say it is
important to buy locally grown food, but only 26 percent "often" or
"always" do; 76 percent say it is important to walk or bike instead of
drive, but only 15 percent "often" or "always" do; and 72 percent of
Americans say it is important to use public transportation or carpool,
but only 10 percent say they "often" or "always" do." From EurekAlert.
PDF of report here.
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
Sharing the road.—reliability
high.
"In North America, membership in car-share services is expected to
balloon more than eightfold between now and 2016, a trend that could
trim the market for new auto sales by up to one million vehicles. . . .
He predicts car-share membership in North America will reach 4.4
million by 2016, translating into a car-share fleet of more than 70,000
vehicles. But then there's the multiplier effect. 'On average, each
shared vehicle replaced 15 personally owned vehicles in 2009,'
according to Zhao." More anecdotes, quotes, facts & figures. See The
Toronto Star.
Why Bringing Employees on Board Helps
Sustainability Projects Succeed.—reliability high.
About "a new study by the National Environmental Education Foundation
(NEEF), which finds that environmental and sustainability (E&S)
employee education and engagement initiatives can boost the bottom
line, reduce environmental impacts, and help retain and attract
talent. . . . 'The case studies in this report demonstrate that
employee environmental education and engagement helps a business
achieve its sustainability goals while also reducing costs,' Margaret
Lindeman, a sustainability strategist at Lockheed Martin, said in a
statement." More at GreenBiz.
PDF of report here.
Marks & Spencer strikes innovative
council recycling deal.—reliability high.
"Marks & Spencer's high-profile Plan A strategy has moved into a
new phase today with the announcement of a pioneering closed-loop
recycling initiative that will see the retailer fund kerbside
collection for recyclable material, which it will use to make food
packaging for use in its stores. The company said it will invest £1.25m
over five years in a deal with Somerset County Council that will see it
part-fund the kerbside collection of plastics and cardboard. Marks
& Spencer will then use some of the collected recyclable material,
with the excess being sold on to other packaging producers." See BusinessGreen.
Lag In Intelligent Transportation Could Hurt
Economy.—reliability high.
"The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation examined what
world leaders in transportation are doing and found the United States
is far behind in developing vehicle to vehicle and vehicle to
infrastructure communication and telemetry systems. The report found
Japan leads the world in adopting such technology, often called
Intelligent Transportation Systems or ITS. . . . Factoring in all cost
savings, Ezell said, 'ITS systems on average have a benefit to cost
ratio of nine to one – far above putting in additional highway
capacity, which has a ratio of 2.7 to one.' . . . “If we were all able
to have real time traffic information, to deploy such a system would
cost $1.2 billion, but it would deliver a $30.2 billion economic return
over a ten year period in terms of mobility, safety and environmental
savings,” Ezell said." From Wired
story. Access report here.
Government and
Regulation
In Wyoming, Debate Swirls on Taxing Wind
Industry.—reliability high.
"A new bill being pushed by Gov. Dave Freudenthal would change the
state’s renewable energy landscape by levying an excise tax on wind
energy production, the first tax of its kind in the United States,
energy experts say. The proposal, which was approved by the Wyoming
House of Representatives on Thursday and is headed to the State Senate
for a vote, would impose a $1-per-megawatt-hour tax on wind energy
production. Revenue from the tax is projected at a minimum of $4
million annually, to be divided between the counties where the wind
projects are located and the state. The tax would go into effect in
2012. 'We want to make sure that wind developers pay their way in
Wyoming and that the tax burden isn't shifted to the taxpayers,' said
Ryan Lance, deputy chief of staff for Mr. Freudenthal, a Democrat.
'These guys are making a lot of money, and we get all the impact —
environmental and socioeconomic.'" See New
York Times story. [You know a
technology had made it to the big time when politicians start trying to
use it as a cash cow.]
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2010 HaraBara, Inc.]
