How to turn local water conservation into good business
At this year's Clinton Global Initiative, the lead scientist at the Nature Conservancy introduced the organization's innovative market-based "water protection" plan. The concept behind the plan is that people are willing to pay for clean, safe water -- even in the poorest populations. As an example, Dr. Sanjayan explains that by taking a payment directly from a family in Quito, and giving it to someone in the Andes who is protecting a clean water source, they are able to prevent the money from getting tied up in governmental bureaucracies. The direct flow of funds incentivizes protection of water sources and encourages conservation. The program has been wildly successful, turning the Conservancy's initial investment of $1000 dollars into an $8 million dollar enterprise.
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CRD Analytics’ Top 1,000 Sustainable Companies: Who’s in the Top 10 and How?
CRD Analytics has published a list of the Global 1000 Sustainable Performance Leaders, using the G3 Guidelines as part of its analysis.
Here are the top 10 leaders in sustainable performance:
1) Merck & Company Inc
2) International Business Machines Corp.
3) Novartis AG
4) Baxter International Inc
5) Credit Suisse Group AG
6) Banco Santander SA
7) Hewlett-Packard Company
8) Intel Corp
9) Toronto-Dominion Bank
10) Glaxosmithkline PLC
The rankings are based on the average of four performance dimensions: financial, environmental, social and governance. In order to be considered, a company had to be publicly traded on a major global exchange, have a minimum capitalization of $1 billion, and have produced a publicly available report on sustainability or corporate responsibility. What do you guys think about the top 10, and the criteria for ranking them?
Thin-film solar technology coming to Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart is experimenting with new alternative energy solutions, including wind turbines, geothermal, and solar panels. The company is planning to deploy next-generation thin-film solar panels to 30 additional stores in California and Arizona. The solar installations are expected to provide up to one third of the energy used at each store. Since 2007, Wal-Mart has installed solar panels at 31 of its 8400 stores. Thin-film solar panels can be used in locations where traditional solar panels can't - for example, in climates where heavy snow loads occur.
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General Mills To Use 100% Sustainable Palm Oil
Thanks to mounting pressure from the Rainforest Action Network, General Mills has committed to using only sustainably-sourced palm oil by 2015. Palm oil is a major contributor to deforestation or rainforests, killing of endangered species, and trampling on the rights of indigenous populations.
GM uses almost 10% of the world's total palm oil production, so this decision will have a huge impact on the palm oil industry. GM's more well-known products include Cheerios, Betty Crocker and Hamburger Helper. What you may now know is that the the food giant also owns Cascadian Farms, Good Earth tea, Lärabar, Muir Glen, and Nature Valley.
BMW unveils Mini Scooter E ahead of Paris show
BMW has unveiled a new all-electric concept scooter called the Mini Scooter E. The scooter comes with an onboard cable that can be plugged directly into any standard household outlet. The scooter also boasts an enclosed docking station for a smartphone, and uses special software to transform the smartphone into the scooter's ignition key, GPS device, music player and hands-free phone.
The scooter's GPS software is aware of other nearby Mini Scooter E drivers, and will automatically flash its lights in greeting when two scooters meet on the road. The scooter incorporates design elements from the original 1959 Mini Cooper, and comes in three flavors, including a two-seater model.
A Crop Sprouts Without Soil or Sunshine
New startup AeroFarms (owned by EcoVeggies) has developed a machine that can grow crops "aeroponically" --without soil or sunshine. The machine is seven feet tall and ten feet long, and can produce about 20 pounds of produce per harvest. Crops are planted in a cloth bed and irrigated using a nutrient-infused mist. Instead of sunlight, plants have LED lamps, which are more efficient than traditional lamps, and also provide pest control by disrupting breeding cycles of insects. The new machine is being piloted at St. Philip's Academy, a private school in Newark, where students grow arugula, chervil, fun jen and komatsuna in their science classes.
The company is also planning to convert abandoned buildings in Newark into vertical farms in order to make produce available to areas immediately surrounding each farm. Eventually, they'd like to service the entire tri-state area's residents, schools, supermarkets, hospitals and restaurants. This move is part of a growing initiative to turn Newark into an agricultural hotspot and improve residents' access to healthy, locally-grown food.
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