Green Business News - Week Ending August 26th
How Marketplace Economics Can Help Build a Greener World
Want to know the true ecological impact of what you buy? New technologies are being developed to track supply chains and offer “radical transparency” that goes well beyond marketing buzzwords.These technologies apply two fundamental economic principles to ecological metrics: marketplace transparency and lowering the cost of information. In economics, transparency makes markets work more efficiently. When it comes to the eco-impact of the products we buy, we as buyers know far less than those selling the products, but this is changing.
WalMart is developing a “sustainability index” that rates the ecological impact of its products, boiled down into a single metric. While this is a good first step, it is incredibly difficult to distill the complexities of a product’s origins and supply chain into a single number. They are also piloting life-cycle analyses of certain products - so consumers can see more than just the score.
Other companies like Unilever and Google are implementing their own eco-transparency plans.
A global consortium of companies are forming a “Group of Ten” to develop an open source supply chain transparency system called E2 Turbo that will track data for the 20% of a product’s life cycle that accounts for 80% of its ecological impact. Once data is collected, the software suggests the best ways to improve impacts. Because the software is open source, the likelihood of gaining traction sufficient to support a market shift is high. If consumers reward brands that offer transparency about ecological footprints, the business case for transparency becomes compelling.
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Voltaic Systems Launches Slick Stand-Alone Solar Chargers
Voltaic Systems has launched a new line of stand-alone solar chargers that are capable of charging a smartphone in four or five hours of direct sunlight. These new chargers have about four times the charging power of most solar chargers on the market. The chargers use high-temperature Lithium Polymer, which stands up better to the heat in direct sunlight, and hold enough power to charge a smartphone twice. The models range from a purse-sized to a small day bag. At $99 to $129 each, these chargers seem like a viable option for anyone who might need a charge on the go.
Canadian “Green Steam” Contraptions Soon to be Killing Weeds All Over Town, Per Rec and Park
The city of San Francisco has swapped pesticides for a brand new Green Steam Machine device that kills weeds without the use of harmful chemicals. Instead, the machine delivers lethal doses of steam.
Says General Manager of Rec and Park Phil Ginsburg, “Last week, we unveiled our brand new Green Steam Machine, an eco-friendly alternative for weed control that eliminates the use of pesticides in and around children’s play areas. Purchased with help from the San Francisco Parks Trust, the Green Steam Machine is thefirst of its kind here in the United States and I can’t be more thrilled with the potential of this new machine. We are going to put one in every Park Services Area (PSA) around the city so that our gardeners and supervisors have regular access to this new machine.”
GM salmon may go on sale in US after public consultation
Food and Drug administration has begun a 60-day process to approve the first genetically modified animal for human consumption. The AquAdvantage salmon has been created by AquaBounty Technologies to grow twice as quickly as its non-modified counterpart. The fish has been under development for 14 years, at a cost of $50 million. The genetic modification introduces a growth hormone gene to make the fish grow faster, and also renders them sterile to prevent them from reproducing.
The FDA’s approval process could take less than a year, which would allow the fish onto the market in 18 months. This decision will set a critical precedent; if approved, it will open the door to a large number of animals that are being engineered for consumption.
We all know what happened the last time the FDA approved a product using growth hormones.
Lumenergi Raises $12.7 Million for Energy Efficient Lighting
Lumenergi Inc., a provider of energy efficient networked lighting systems, recently announced the close of a $12.7 million series B round of financing to facilitate expanding into large-scale commercial and industrial buildings.
Since lighting is responsible for up to 40% of energy consumed in commercial buildings, it is a key target for energy efficiency products. The company’s system enables building owners to centrally control their lighting to provide the right amount of light when and where it is needed, reducing lighting-related energy consumption by up to 70%.
