Top Stories
IBM, Esty Form All-Star Business Team to
Develop Green Innovations.—reliability high.
"IBM and consulting firm Esty Environmental Partners (EEP) launched
the Sustainability Innovators Working Group this week to push the
envelope on developing new management systems and approaches to
corporate sustainability. The partners pulled together an all-star
collection of member companies, including Boeing, CH2M Hill, Coca-Cola,
Delhaize Group, Disney, Diversey, Dow Chemical Company, FedEx, Johnson
& Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc., Shaklee, Unilever, and Xerox."
Item at Greener
World Media.
EU, U.S. clean energy support under threat
-HSBC.—reliability high.
"New austerity measures threaten support for renewable energy but some
cleantech stocks have been over-sold, HSBC analysts said on Monday."
See Reuters.
Verizon readies home energy and security
services.—reliability high.
"Verizon later this year plans to expand its offering with home energy
management and security, a move that could signal a quicker route to
delivering smart-grid services to consumers. The company is currently
developing an "integrated home management system" that includes both
energy and security services, according to spokesman Jim Smith. The
intent is to add home management to the menu of options Verizon
offers." From CNET News.
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
Ontario launches plug-in vehicle rebate
program, first 10,000 applicants get up to $8,500 back.—reliability
medium.
"Ontario has decided to reward early adopters of plug-in hybrids and
electric vehicles (EVs) by launching one of the most lucrative rebate
programs found anywhere. Beginning July 1st, Ontario will offer rebates
ranging from $5,000 to $8,500 to individuals, businesses and
organizations that purchase or lease a new plug-in vehicle. The rebates
will only be offered to the first 10,000 qualified applicants, but due
to the lack of availability of qualified vehicles, hitting the quota
might take a while." See Autoblog
Green.
FTSE index to highlight investor climate
risk.—reliability high.
"FTSE Group today launched new indices designed to help investors
track firms' ability to manage climate change risks. The two new
indices, the FTSE CDP Carbon Strategy All-Share Index and the FTSE CDP
Carbon Strategy 350 Index, have been developed in partnership with the
Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) investor group and analyst firm ENDS
Carbon. The indices work by analysing the carbon strategies and
"tilting" their rating based on their exposure to climate change
related risks such as proposed carbon pricing mechanisms." Item at BusinessGreen.
Ford pushes for 25% of its vehicles to
feature electric power by 2020.—reliability medium.
"If you turn to Ford's director of global electrification, Nancy
Gioia, the future of the company takes on an intense shade of green
that penetrates up to one fourth of the company's vehicles. Gioia told
Automotive News that up to a quarter of Ford's cars will be electrified
in some way in just ten years. While Gioia admits that Ford is pushing
for hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles (EVs) to account for
25 percent of global sales by 2020, she also acknowledges that an
uncertain future lies ahead and there's a chance Ford may fall well
short of that goal." From Autoblog
Green.
The SPC's COMPASS Version 2.0 Provides
Additional Resources for Sustainable Packaging Design.—reliability
high.
"The Sustainable Packaging Coalition® (SPC) has released a new version
of its COMPASS® web application, which allows packaging professionals
to compare the environmental impacts of package designs. Using a life
cycle approach, COMPASS assesses packages on resource consumption,
emissions and packaging attributes such as material health, recycled or
virgin content, sourcing and solid waste. Version 2.0 will include the
ability to model the transportation impacts associated with packaging
distribution and an enhanced user interface. ... A free trial is
available on the website."
From CSR
Wire.
Government and
Regulation
Bid to suspend California's global warming
law qualifies for November ballot.—reliability high.
"California headed for a high-stakes battle over global warming
Tuesday, as an oil industry-backed measure to suspend the state's
aggressive climate-change law qualified for the November ballot. The
fight will pit the state's powerful environmental organizations and
clean-tech businesses against the oil and manufacturing industries. It
also arrays many conservative political leaders, including the GOP
nominee for governor, Meg Whitman, against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger,
a fellow Republican who regards the global warming law as a key part of
his legacy." Story in The
Los Angeles Times.
New Australian PM vows to revive carbon
debate.—reliability high.
"New Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard moved to revive a stalled
carbon trading scheme on Thursday, pledging more consultation with
industry and voters to win support for an issue that has split the
nation. Gillard, in her first comments to the media after former Prime
Minister Kevin Rudd stepped down earlier on Thursday, said she believed
in climate change, backed renewable energy and that the nation needed a
price on carbon emissions." See Reuters
article.
MEPs want curbs on illegal e-waste shipments.—reliability
high.
"The EU needs to increase checks on electronic waste exports to avoid
illegal dumping and stop the shipment of valuable and sometimes rare
raw materials outside the bloc, MEPs in the European Parliament's
environment committee said, voting to update EU rules on the disposal
of waste electronic equipment yesterday .... They voted for a
collection target of 85% of all electronic waste produced, and said
member states should be responsible for achieving the WEEE collection
target rather than producers themselves." Item at EurActive.
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2010 HaraBara, Inc.]
