Top Stories
We Can't Wish Away Climate Change.—reliability
medium.
Opinion piece by Al Gore. "I, for one, genuinely wish that the climate
crisis were an illusion. But unfortunately, the reality of the danger
we are courting has not been changed by the discovery of at least two
mistakes in the thousands of pages of careful scientific work over the
last 22 years by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change." In The New
York Times. [Worth reading. A
call to action in difficult times. If you still think there is no such
thing as climate change, maybe you should skip it--it might make you
mad.]
UN proposes WTO-style environment watchdog.—reliability
high.
"A global environmental watchdog modelled on the powerful World Trade
Organisation (WTO) could be formed as part of any international climate
change treaty, according to environment ministers meeting in Bali last
week who agreed to form a new working group to investigate proposed
reforms to environmental governance procedures. Speaking to reporters
at the close of the meeting, Achim Steiner, executive director of the
UN Environment Programme (UNEP), signalled there was growing support
for the formation of a new World Environment Organisation (WEO)." See
story at BusinessGreen.
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
Utah Data Center Uses Evaporative Cooling
Along Way to 80% Energy Savings.—reliability high.
"Voonami’s new data center uses a giant evaporative cooler, along with
other technologies, to deliver energy savings of 80 percent compared to
the typical data center. . . . Ralph Yarro, CEO of Voonami, said the
new one was built specifically to cater to the 'high-end, green data
center' market." See story in Environmental
Leader. [But
doesn't evaporative cooling have a big water footprint, especially in
the Utah desert? How green is this really? See next item.]
Green IT: CIOs Can Demand Sustainability
from Vendors.—reliability high.
"Pamela Rucker doesn't want to spend money with IT vendors that waste
water or energy, or that have large carbon footprints. After all, she
says, as vice president of IT for environmental services firm PSC, it
would be hypocritical to not hold vendors to high standards. When
considering a deal with a software, hardware or services provider,
Rucker demands to see its written policies governing sustainability. On
top of that, IT staff might walk through vendor facilities to verify a
company's green claims: How high heat density is in the data center;
how water consumption is minimized; whether renewable energy sources
are used; how old computers are recycled. Rucker and team don't just
take such claims at face value, they look for proof. " More about how
CIOs can verify vendor claims. From CIO.
Framework for Responsible Environmental
Marketing Communications.—reliability high.
"the International Chamber of Commerce has produced a new global
Framework for Responsible Environmental Marketing Communications. The
framework responds to a call from industry stakeholders for guidance on
how to better engage in, and evaluate, environmental marketing
communications to ensure consumer confidence in these claims is
safeguarded. . . . Developed by the ICC Commission on Marketing and
Advertising, the framework includes a practical checklist aimed at the
creators of marketing communications campaigns around environmental
claims, as well as a chart that provides an easy reference to relevant
provisions of the global advertising code and interpretations on
current issues related to environmental marketing." From GreenBiz. PDF
of framework here.
M&S Product Portfolio to be 100% 'Eco,'
'Ethical' by 2020.—reliability high.
"UK retailer Marks & Spencer is stepping its plans to sell only
items that have at least one 'eco' or 'ethical' attribute. By 2015, the
retailer aims to have half its products meet that standard. By 2020,
the goal is 100 percent. . . . To meet the standard, products should
carry a certification such as those performed by the Marine Stewardship
Council, Forest Stewardship Council or Fair Trade, or they should
otherwise exhibit elements of sustainability." From Environmental
Leader.
Sustainability Rankings for ICT Industry Put
Vodafone, Nokia, HP on Top.—reliability high.
"A new ranking from Tomorrow's Value Rating, a tool developed by
London-based sustainability consultance Two Tomorrows, puts those
efforts into perspective, and highlights which ICT firms are best
prepared to move into the low-carbon future -- and which firms are
lagging behind. Overall, Vodafone scored the highest in the rankings,
given 62 percent for its "strong, all-round sustainability leadership."
. . . AT&T and Verizon were the two lowest-ranked ICT firms, with
scores of 28 and 23 percent, respectively. Despite the leading examples
-- and many others from the industry rankings -- no company scored
higher than 60 percent in the overall score, and only these three firms
were above the 50 percent mark. As a result, the industry's efforts as
a whole have plenty of room for improvement." See GreenBiz
story. Access full ranking here.
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2010 HaraBara, Inc.]
