February 2008
Monthly Archive
“Designed with the Environment in Mind”
Posted by davidwfox on 09 Feb 2008 | Tagged as: products
So goes the heading in Nike’s January announcement of its 23rd anniversary Air Jordan.
AIR JORDAN XX3 Becomes First High-Performance Basketball Shoe in the History of NIKE, Inc. Designed with the Environment in Mind
BEAVERTON, Ore.–(Business Wire)–Today, Jordan Brand, a division of NIKE, Inc., announced the launch of the long-awaited, 23rd iteration of the world’s most respected and innovative basketball shoe franchise, the AIR JORDAN XX3. The AIR JORDAN XX3 celebrates 23 years of a legacy started by the
most revered basketball athlete in history…Michael Jordan. Press Release continued…
My wife Kelli read the news weeks ago and thought they’d make a perfect birthday present for me. But incredibly the only way to buy a pair - at least the limited edition first release - was via eBay for $1,500+. I’m not much of a shoe-guy so I was very pleased she didn’t! Even the regular version will be $180 which sure seems like a lot of money. Kudos to Nike for making steps, here’s hoping the learning spreads across their complete product line.
More About Google and Climate Change
Posted by davidwfox on 08 Feb 2008 | Tagged as: video
Here is a Climate Change Conversation with Google Founders and head of Google.org, Larry Brilliant, moderated by Tom Friedman, held at the World Economic Forum’s Annual General Meeting in Davos, January 2008. Mr Brilliant is true to his name
Google: “To help green technologies, amass scale.”
Posted by davidwfox on 07 Feb 2008 | Tagged as: cleantech, energy, energy efficiency
Ever wondered where your search requests goes when you hit the enter key? Read on…
INDIAN WELLS, Calif., Feb 6 (Reuters) - Google Inc (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile , Research) is prepared to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in big commercial alternative-energy projects that traditionally have had trouble getting financing, the executive in charge of its green-energy push said on Wednesday.
The Internet search giant, which has said it will invest in researching green technologies and renewable-energy companies, is eager to help promising technologies amass scale to help drive the cost of alternative energy below the cost of coal. More via Reuters…
Why would google care so much? Power searching requires lots of power…
Beginning 5 years ago, Google took the lead in making a power consumption an issue for IT vendors. No one cared that much before that because no one else was building 100,000+ server data centers using free software and cheap PC hardware. Google wasn’t the only factor, but their use of free software, cheap hardware and massive scale meant that energy consumption became one of the few places they could cut costs. Continued at ZDNet with additional coverage at NYT.
Smart folks over at Google. Here’s hoping their lead is followed.
The Weekly Spin - Don’t be Taken for a Ride!
Posted by davidwfox on 06 Feb 2008 | Tagged as: media, news
One of my favorite newsletters is “The Weekly Spin” from the nonprofit Center for Media and Democracy. They cover a couple of ‘green’ subjects each week with useful cross links. Here’s an example:
Green Ads Raise Red Flags Worldwide
Source: Wall Street Journal (sub req’d), January 30, 2008
Saab Australia ad, which has since been ruled misleading
An increase in “green” marketing has led to scrutiny by watchdogs around the world. Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority recently ruled that television ads from the Malaysian Palm Oil Council were “likely to mislead viewers as to the environmental benefits of oil-palm plantations.” The ads claimed that palm oil trees “give life and help our planet breathe,” but in reality many palm oil plantations are on illegally cleared rainforest land. In September 2007, Norwegian regulators “banned all cars ads from stating that their vehicles are ‘green,’ ‘clean’ or ‘environmentally friendly,’” since car production means more carbon emissions. In the U.S., the Council of Better Business Bureaus ruled that “a distributor of infant feeding bottles had to drop ads that claimed that the plastic used in a competitor’s bottles was unsafe for both the environment and kids.” The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is also planning to update its environmental advertising guidelines, which currently include standards for what can be marketed as “recyclable” or “biodegradable.” As mentioned in an earlier Spin, there are no FTC standards for “carbon neutral” or greenhouse gas emissions offset programs.
And here’s another:
Big Oil Tries to Inspire Warm Gooey Feelings
Source: Rebuilding Together press release, February 1, 2008
As ExxonMobil breaks its own record to post the largest annual profit by a U.S. company, the American Petroleum Institute (API) is trying to tap some goodwill. At the Super Bowl U.S. football championship game, API is sponsoring “Kickoff to Rebuild,” highlighting its work with Rebuilding Together, a nonprofit organization that promotes homeownership. API and Rebuilding Together are launching an “Energy Efficient Homes Initiative,” which aims “to incorporate energy-efficiency measures in the more than 9,000 homes revitalized each year by Rebuilding Together.” API has been battling the oil industry’s negative public image for years, with increased outreach to journalists and bloggers. In related news, O’Dwyer’s reports that Saudi Arabia’s oil ministry paid the PR firm Hill & Knowlton $1 million, to promote OPEC’s “message of hope and reassurance” around its November 2007 summit in Riyadh.
If you like to read the news behind the news, subscribe at http://www.prwatch.org.
Organic Style Reborn
Posted by davidwfox on 05 Feb 2008 | Tagged as: media
At last year’s LOHAS 11 Forum, Organic Bouquet announced their acquisition of the ‘Organic Style’ brand from organic market pioneers Rodale Inc. Their intention is to build an international eco-lifestyle company, offering flowers, gifts, and products across multiple categories.
Today they launched an all-digital Organic Style magazine to be published quarterly.
“In Organic Style magazine, you’ll meet growers, artisans, environmentalists, humanitarians and visionaries – people who are truly inspirational,” said Gerald Prolman, publisher and eco-entrepreneur. “It’s a window to our world, through which you’ll discover the intrinsic beauty at the heart of the environmental movement.” Full release at CSRwire.
Check it out at www.OrganicStyle.com/magazine. The original printed magazine was published from 2001-2005 pre-dating the current green wave. It will be interesting to see if it can reclaim its role as leading resource for sustainable living.
2007 New Clean Energy Investments
Posted by davidwfox on 05 Feb 2008 | Tagged as: cleantech, energy
Wondering just how much money is flowing to clean energy? Over $100B according to a report by analysts New Energy Finance.
The clean energy sector powered ahead in 2007, according to analysts New Energy Finance. In spite of difficult conditions on the credit markets, the amount of new money invested in the sector grew to $117.2 billion, up 41% from 2006’s $83.0 billion*, and more than $20 billion ahead of predictions. Overview continued at Clean Edge…
There appears to be great progress, though its always worth casting a skeptical eye over analyst reports.
GE Energy Financial Services 2010 Investing Target: $6B
Posted by davidwfox on 05 Feb 2008 | Tagged as: cleantech, company, energy
Cleantech growth continues at a pace: GE Energy Financial Services recently raised its 2010 renewable energy investing target by 50 percent to $6 billion. GE Energy Financial Services recently crossed the $3 billion mark with a $300 million investment in wind projects spanning four states.
“Thanks to our strong customer relationships, our expertise, GE’s technical capabilities, high fossil fuel prices and popular support for cleaner power, renewable energy has become our fastest-growing business,” said Alex Urquhart, President and CEO of GE Energy Financial Services. “With our broad capabilities to invest equity and debt within and outside the United States — not only in wind but in solar, biomass, hydro and geothermal power — we have become a major player in a $60 billion annual renewable energy market.” Continued in Company Press Release…
Here’s hoping full thought is given to the manufacturing and siting stages so that we don’t just have ‘clean energy’, but it can also be ‘green energy’. (Of course the greenest energy is the energy that isn’t produced - see my recent post on NegaWatt Power.)
:: More via Google News
Baking Plastic from Plants
Posted by davidwfox on 04 Feb 2008 | Tagged as: company
Cnet has a photo story on California-based Cereplast, makers of starch-based, renewable plastics:
Cereplast has been brewing plant-based plastics since 2001. The company sells the bioplastic resin to companies that manufacture compostable plates, cups, and utensils. This factory in Hawthorne, Calif., churns out 45 million pounds of raw bioplastic each year.
Bioplastics could expand from one-tenth of the current plastics market to one-third by 2020, a total of $10 billion annually in the United States alone, according to a study by Helmut Kaiser Consultancy. Continued at Cnet
Know of other innovative ways to kick the oil habit? Send ‘em to me…
Organic Flowers for V-Day
Posted by davidwfox on 04 Feb 2008 | Tagged as: business, organics
I’m always pleased to report on mainstream coverage of the green economy. Sunday’s New York Times Fashion & Style section looks at ‘green flowers’.
To Pull a Thorn From the Side of the Planet
…as in other industries with increasing demand for green products, the floral industry is debating what is environmentally correct. Should flowers be organic — that is, grown without synthetic or toxic pesticides? Or should the emphasis be on fair trade, meaning that the workers who grow and cut them are safe and well paid? Or should consumers favor flowers grown locally, not flown or trucked over long distances? In other words, what, exactly, is a green flower? Full Article…
If you can’t find organic flowers locally or you need flowers delivered, try Organic Bouquet. (At last year’s LOHAS 11 Forum they announced their acquisition of the Organic Style brand from organic market pioneers Rodale. More on that story to follow.)
Update: MediaPost looks at fair trade implications…
::Photo: Organic Bouquet
Nature Inspires Ocean Power Solution
Posted by davidwfox on 03 Feb 2008 | Tagged as: biomimicry, energy
The emerging science of biomimicry has yielded another innovative solution to one of our most pressing problems: clean, renewable energy.
BioPower Systems Awarded $5 Million Renewable Energy Development Grant
Sydney, Australia, 4 February 2008: Australia’s ocean energy company, BioPower Systems Pty Limited, has been awarded a $5 million grant under the Australian Government’s AusIndustry Renewable Energy Development Initiative (REDI). The grant will be matched by BioPower to fund a $10.3 million, two-year project involving the deployment and ocean-testing of the company’s proprietary wave and tidal- current energy converters. The funds will also be used in the development of new designs and production methods in preparation for the manufacture of commercial products at the end of the pilot project in 2009.
BioPower System’s ocean power conversion technologies are based on the concept of biomimicry, using biological species as inspiration in engineering design. The bioWAVE wave power system and bioSTREAM tidal power system are visibly reminiscent of sea plants and swimming species. The inventor of these ocean power technologies, BioPower’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Tim Finnigan, said: “Some of the traits that we observe in large sea plants and fish provide us with clues on how to design machines that will function well in the ocean environment, convert energy efficiently, and survive in the worst storms.” Continued…
:: Picture: BioPower System’s “bioWAVE“
