Top Stories
UK Advertising Industry launches new rules
for tackling greenwash.—reliability high.
"The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and the Broadcast
Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) today released a major update
of the codes of practice that govern the sector and determine which
adverts are deemed unacceptable. Included for the first time is an
environmental claims section in the broadcast code that reflects the
requirements already in force in the radio and non-broadcast code.
There are also updates to the non-broadcast code to introduce an
additional explicit rule to prevent marketers from exaggerating the
environmental benefits of their products. ... The new codes will come
into effect on September 1 this year. They state that advertisers must
ensure that all environmental claims must be clear to consumers and all
absolute claims must be backed by a 'high level of substantiation'."
See BusinessGreen.
NREL Opens Detailed Solar Info to the Web.—reliability
high.
"The National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) launched an interactive
website that shows exactly where solar installations are being
installed, how big they are, how much they cost and how fast the
industry is booming." See Sustainable
Business News. Access the resource here. [Cool. There are
245 installations near HaraBara's zipcode]
IPL goes green.—reliability high.
"Tipped to become the single largest environmental awareness campaign
in the Indian subcontinent, Batting for the Environment is a
partnership between the IPL and the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP). Led by UNEP Goodwill Ambassador Sachin Tendulkar,
team captains from the Deccan Chargers to the Kolkata Knight Riders
will make a Green Pledge to save the planet at the opening ceremony.
The IPL will encourage recycling and carpooling, and call on fans to
take an active part in helping to green the league." From the IPL site.
[The IPL series is
like two weeks of Super Bowls in a market of a billion people. Although
this campaign is pretty unambitious it will raise awareness of green
issues. Indian public attitudes are in some ways years behind.]
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
Herbal Essences Reduces Toxic Chemicals.—reliability
high.
"Herbal Essences, which is owned by Procter & Gamble, agreed to
reduce the levels of 1,4-dioxane in the shampoos after health advocate
David Steinman (author of Diet for a Poisoned Planet) filed a notice of
intent to sue under California’s Proposition 65. Proposition 65 allows
individuals to take action against companies that produce products with
1,4 dioxane levels above 10 parts per million. The Herbal Essences line
had 1,4-dioxane levels of 24 parts per million." From The
Daily Green. [Just because it's
"herbal" doesn't mean it is free of toxins.]
ICC to Unveil International Green
Construction Code for Commercial Buildings.—reliability
high.
"The Code Council reached an agreement this week to augment its new
International Green Construction Code, supported by Coordinating
Sponsors the American Institute of Architects and ASTM International,
with ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1 as an alternative compliance
requirement. Standard 189.1 was developed by the American Society of
Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers, the U.S. Green
Building Council, and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North
America. This new development will be part of the release of IGCC
Public Version 1.0 on March 15, and represents the merger of two
national efforts to develop adoptable and enforceable green building
codes." See article at ICC
eNews newsletter.
Intel powers its way inside the smart grid.—reliability
high.
"The chip giant has developed a broad strategy to make money on
smart-grid technologies, touching on everything from high-performance
computing to simulate the electricity grid to home energy management
systems. Its efforts have been relatively low-profile because Intel's
microprocessors are embedded in other companies' products. But the
company is seeing some early activity: it expects to pilot test
different types of home energy management devices with partners in the
next 30 to 60 days in Oregon, said Lorie Wigle, general manager of
Intel's Eco-Technology group". Other activities. See story at CNET News.
BSR Report Offers First Guidelines for
Companies on How to Communicate about Climate Policy Engagement.—reliability
high.
"a new report from BSR offers the first concrete guidelines on how
business can communicate to customers, investors, and the public on
these climate policy engagement efforts." Includes "Results from an
assessment of how 150 leading companies currently report on climate
policy engagement—including best practices from firms such as
Hewlett-Packard, Johnson & Johnson, and Unilever". From CSRwire.
PDF of report here.
Government and
Regulation
Legal Settlement Will Require EPA to
Evaluate How to Regulate Ocean Acidification Under Clean Water Act.—reliability
high.
"The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has agreed to consider how
states can address ocean acidification under the Clean Water Act. The
settlement responds to a lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological
Diversity that challenged EPA’s failure to recognize the impacts of
acidification on coastal waters off the state of Washington. The suit,
brought under the Clean Water Act, was the first to address ocean
acidification. ... According to the settlement, EPA will initiate a
public process for the EPA to develop guidance on how to approach
acidification under the federal Clean Water Act. Specifically, EPA will
consider a provision of the Act that requires states to identify
threatened or impaired waters and set limits on the input of pollutants
into these waters." From the Center
for Biological Diversity.
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2010 HaraBara, Inc.]
