28 April 2010

New Yorkers save $19 billion, Moser Baer bets on solar, and other company, industry, government and economic green news

Top Stories

E.P.A. Makes Its Case on Climate Change.reliability high.
"In the last few days, the Environmental Protection Agency seems to have initiated a public campaign to make clear where it, and the science, stand, stating that the rise in greenhouse gases is a serious problem to be confronted. On Monday night, the E.P.A. administrator, Lisa Jackson, made the point as a guest on 'The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.' And on Tuesday, the agency released an 80-page glossy report called 'Climate Change Indicators in the United States' to help Americans make sense of climate change data." See The New York Times. PDF of EPA report here. Administrator Jackson on The Daily Show video (with ad) here. [Report provides an excellent summary of current climate data and trends, with good graphics. Well worth a look.]

New York City's Green Dividend.reliability high.
"When does a bike lane become an economic stimulus?  When it's part of an alternative transportation system that puts $19 billion into New York City's economy each year. Because New Yorkers drive substantially less than the average American, they realize a staggering $19 billion in savings each year — money that their counterparts in other large U.S. metro areas spend on auto-related expenses. This is the principal finding of New York City’s Green Dividend, a report by CEOs for Cities for the New York City Department of Transportation." See CEOs for Cities site. PDF of report here.

Companies, Industries, Markets and Supply Chains

World’s No. 2 Disc Maker Bets on Solar Panels Over Blu-Rays.reliability high.
"Moser Baer India Ltd., the world’s second-largest maker of blank discs, expects to become a solar equipment company in five years as growth in demand for clean energy in India outpaces that for DVDs and Blu-rays. 'Growth in photovoltaics dwarfs our main business,' Chief Financial Officer Yogesh Mathur said in a phone interview, referring to Moser Baer Photo Voltaic Ltd. ... 'The Indian market is taking off,' he said. 'We can clearly see sitting here that we're in the midst of a market that has huge potential.'" See Business Week. [Re-orienting the company as times change.]

Better Place's battery-swapping electric taxi test takes off in Tokyo.reliability high.
Better Place launches 90-day trial of battery switching for 3 taxis in Tokyo. "The test, implemented in conjunction with taxi firm Nihon Kotsu, kicked off with ribbon cutting and a demonstration of some converted Qashqai having their power packs replaced in the latest iteration of BP's battery switcher." With press release and video of the system. See Autoblog Green.

Practical Advice for Greening Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME).reliability medium.
"Does sustainability offer any real advantages for SMEs? If so, how does the small business owner or even the executive management team of a mid-sized corporation apply such a lofty ideal to daily operations? There are many methods but only one formula: leadership, an inquiring mind, and creativity. For those pioneers eagerly embracing sustainability, the payoffs of going green are significant and the risks are minimal." Suggestions and anecdotes. From Green Economy Post.

Government and Regulation

EPA's National Building Competition contestants announced.reliability high.
"EPA is hosting a national competition among commercial buildings to save energy and fight climate change. Competitors will 'work off the waste' through improvements in energy efficiency with help from EPA’s ENERGY STAR program. The building that sheds the most energy waste will be recognized as the winner. Nearly 200 buildings applied to compete. In the end, 14 were selected, including schools, hotels, dormitories, stores, offices, museums, and other buildings we see in our communities every day. Competitors come from across the country, from mid-town Manhattan to the mountains of Colorado." Link to list of contestants and profiles. More at EPA site.

Science and Economics

Bye-bye East Coast Beaches.reliability high.
About the campaign of Jim Titus, the Environmental Protection Agency's resident expert on sea-level rise, to alert planning officials and others to the consequences of the now-inevitable sea level rise impacts on America's east coast. "'I decided to do my best to prevent the taxpayer investment from being wasted.' ... As Margaret Davidson, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coastal Services Center in Charleston, South Carolina, puts it, 'Today's flood is tomorrow's high tide.'" Story in Mother Jones.


[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2010 HaraBara, Inc.]