Top Stories
White House hints that it is gearing up for
climate bill fight.—reliability high.
"Speaking at a Washington energy conference, Larry Summers, head of
the White House's National Economic Council, warned the long-term
economic health of the US would be jeopardised if it failed to pass
ambitious climate change legislation. Describing it as "imperative" for
the US to tackle climate change and " address the consequences of
excessive dependence on oil for our national security", Summers
underlined the importance of the administration's plan to pass climate
change legislation." More at The
Guardian from BusinessGreen.
In culture shift, Berkeley seeks recycling
fee.—reliability high.
"Berkeley wants to start charging households and businesses a
recycling fee, a move that would end an era in which the city, yearning
to encourage recycling, charged only for garbage. With less trash going
into the garbage can, people are shifting to smaller can sizes. That is
putting less money in city coffers - even after a 20 percent garbage
rate increase last year. But the recycling and composting services once
billed as free continue to grow." More about economics of recycling for
cities. Story in San
Francisco Chronicle. [Cities who
operate their own trash and/or recycling systems find it difficult to
continue to subsidize recycling in tough economic times, as prices for
recycled materials fall and budgets are cut.]
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
McDonald’s Board Opposes Cage-Free Eggs for
U.S..—reliability high.
"The board of directors of McDonald’s has recommended that the
company’s shareholders vote against a proposal to require that 5
percent of the eggs purchased for the chain’s restaurants in the United
States be the cage-free variety. The proposal was advanced by the
Humane Society of the United States. Some major fast food companies,
including Burger King, Subway and Wendy’s, and the retailers Wal-Mart
and Trader Joe’s, have already made some level of commitment to
purchasing or selling cage-free eggs." See New
York Times Green Inc. blog.
LS9 receives U.S. clearance to sell diesel
replacement.—reliability high.
"South San Francisco, Calif.-based LS9 said today its branded
UltraClean Diesel has received U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
registration. The product, which can now be sold commercially in the
United States, is a diesel replacement the company says offers an 85
percent carbon footprint reduction, compared to conventional petroleum
diesel. ... The company has a one-step fermentation process of
renewable raw materials to make the diesel replacement. LS9 uses
genetic engineering of microorganisms to produce its fuels, with
improved properties such as cetane, volatility, oxidative stability and
cold-flow." From Cleantech
Group.
H&M to launch sustainable collection.—reliability
high.
"At the end of March, Swedish retailer H&M will launch its first
collection featuring 100% sustainable materials. The Garden Collection,
which will be unveiled on 25 March, represents a major step towards
H&M’s pledge to increase its use of organic products to 50% each
year until 2013 and comes shortly after the company said it had no
reason to believe that the organic cotton used for its garments was
contaminated with genetically modified seeds." See EcoTextile
News.
Coda's 'everyday electric car' coming to
California.—reliability high.
With video. "The sedan, due to start shipping in California in the
fourth quarter, is designed to be simple and useful rather than flashy.
But functionally, the car will meet the needs of many people and
be priced in the "low to mid 30s," or somewhere in the range of $35,000
after federal and state credits and rebates, according to Kevin
Czinger, CEO of Coda Automotive." See CNET
News.
Government and
Regulation
China plans to curb foreign investment in
polluting sectors.—reliability high.
"The State Council, the nation's cabinet, said in guidelines on its
website that it aimed to "seriously restrict (foreign investment) in
high energy, highly polluting... projects". It added that foreign
investment in "high-end manufacturing, high-technology and service
industries, and new energy and energy-saving environmental sectors"
should be encouraged." Story at Yahoo!
from AFP.
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2010 HaraBara, Inc.]
