October 5, 2007

Canada is changing course when it comes to dealing with climate change. Under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, it will quit participating in the Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012 and will join the Asia-Pacific partnership.

The two treaties both attempt to curb greenhouse gases that cause climate change. But the Kyoto Protocol is mandatory with definite timetables whereas the Asia-Pacific Partnership does not set any rigid requirements. The Canadian prime minister, a long time skeptic of Kyoto, made his announcement last week at a United Nations conference to extend and redefine Kyoto's requirement beyond 2012.

October 3, 2007

Sweltering temperatures and rolling brownouts have pushed a novel idea to the front burner: demand response, which advances technology so that consumers are able to curtail their energy usage during peak periods.

With the demand for electricity moving upward, utilities, regulators and customers alike are beginning to grasp the power of conservation. A couple types of demand response are now used. One is market-based and maximizes reliability through the use of dynamic pricing, or the idea that customers pay more for power during the hottest or coldest days. The second is technology driven and permits customers or grid operators to simply adjust electricity usage when supplies are tight or when system reliability is of concern.

Sep 11 2007

Company executives believe that corporate responsibility programs can positively impact their business and help achieve strategic goals, according to a survey of more than 500 business executives conducted by Grant Thornton LLP. While conventional wisdom might suggest that these initiatives will drain the corporate coffers, only a quarter of survey respondents agreed that profits needed to be sacrificed, while three quarters believed corporate responsibility could enhance profitability. As a result, 77 percent said they expected corporate responsibility initiatives to have a major impact on their business strategies over the next several years.

Seventy-seven percent of companies anticipate more spending on environmental programs, 50 percent expect greater allocation to social responsibility programs and 45 percent say economic/governance initiatives will see more funding. Respondents felt that tax incentives, customer support, and innovative technologies were most likely to prompt companies to invest more heavily in environmental initiatives.

Posted on 9/10/2007 10:17:52 AM

Waste reduction is the most important environmental issue facing manufacturing businesses today, according to an international study on sustainability and environmental trends conducted by Harris Interactive for Midland-based Dow Corning Corp.

Eight out of ten managers and professionals in the United States, Brazil, Italy and Germany rank it as a higher priority than other environmental factors such as increasing energy efficiency or developing environmentally friendly products.

You step up to the register, the cashier asks if you've found everything ok and then the inevitable question is asked: "Will it be paper or plastic?" What decision did you make? Was it an informed choice? Was it the best ecological choice? Well, to answer that, we need to start at the beginning and review each option and its impact on the environment.