May 12th, 2008
Earlier today, I received an announcement that I wanted to pass on to you all. I’ll be tuning in - will you?
Miami, FL (May 12, 2008)—Driven by serious climate issues, dwindling resources, and stiff geopolitical pressure, green options for fuel and energy have skyrocketed to the forefront of global concern and necessity. But what are the options and when will they be available? In a special 4-part series running Tuesday, May 13 through Friday, May 16, PBS’ Nightly Business Report examines some alternative energy forms and the challenges they face in their race to the marketplace.
Here’s a little overview as to what you can expect each night:
Tuesday: Demand for grain is more intense than ever now that ethanol manufacturers have joined food producers. Meet a company that is working on new corn technology to produce more food from a single seed with less water.
Wednesday: NBR travels to Florida where scientists are using pulverized sugar cane to create ethanol.
Thursday: Learn about Biotech company Zymetis has created a bacterium that can turn materials like scrap paper, pulp and woodchips into ethanol, which can eventually fuel your car.
Friday: NBR speaks to a Japanese research team that is leading the effort to extract and harness methane hydrate—a frozen gas—is a fossil fuel that exists in abundance in many areas throughout the world.
I’ve seen a little sneak preview of this series, and believe me - you don’t want to miss it. Check your local times to find out with NBR is scheduled to air in your timezone. Oh, and keep your eyes out for NBR’s related series “Pain at the Pump,” scheduled to begin airing on May 20.
“Renewable, greener energy isn’t just an issue for the scientists and environmentalists, it’s an issue for the business world as well—and a major one at that.” explained Rodney Ward, Executive Editor/Senior Vice President, Nightly Business Report. “This series examines many of the current programs, resources, and companies that will be shaping our future.”
About Nightly Business Report: For almost three decades, the award-winning Nightly Business Report has provided business news in a fast-paced format. Timely investment information helps viewers manage their money and stay abreast of the news that affects their portfolios. Nightly Business Report premiered as a Miami regional program on January 22, 1979, with national distribution beginning in 1981. Nationally underwritten by Franklin Templeton Investments, Nightly Business Report is distributed live to public television stations at 6:30pm EST every weeknight. Local broadcast times vary.
Pictures with permission from Nightly Business Report.
Tags: energy alternatives, fuel alternatives, Nightly Business Report, PBSShare This
By Allison -- 0 comments
May 11th, 2008
Who here has received a huge box from Dell only to find an itty-bitty part inside? *Raises hand*
During Earth week, the computer company came under fire from bloggers for shipping tiny products in huge boxes, wasting both cardboard and packaging material. I can recycle the cardboard, but those packaging peanuts are filling up our landfills! In any case, it is better to use less than recycle more.
So, Dell is working to make things better. In response to the complaints, they have developed several long-term and short-term answers to packaging problems.
In my mind, however, the best part is that they are responding at all. Dell is a computer giant, and if a few green-minded customers don’t like what they are doing, they aren’t going to lose a ton of business for the simple fact that people need to buy their computers SOMEWHERE. If you don’t want a Mac, there are a limited number of places where you can purchase a PC, and Dell is one of the best.
Too many companies with these kind of green problems aren’t responding at all to consumer concerns, and I think it will hurt them in the long run…
*thumbs up to Dell*
You can read the full story about Dell’s plans for green packaging at Green Biz.
Picture via sxc.hu.
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By Allison -- 0 comments
May 10th, 2008
Early this month, I posted a short piece about some great reusable shopping bags you should consider picking up. The traffic and response to that post was great, which tells me that you all are looking for reusable shopping bag to fit your style.
So, every Saturday, I’m going to bring you the Reusable Shopping Bag of the Week - a look at a pretty, unique, or fun product that you can easily find in a store near you or on the Internet.
Today’s find: The Ultimate Hemp “Bucket Bag”
I don’t have a picture to show you, but click on the link to see it. The ultimate hemp bucket bag is super cute and comes in two colors. At less than $30, this bag is made in the highlands of Guatemala by a small family business and they are paid fair labor wages.
Check it out!
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By Allison -- 0 comments
May 9th, 2008
Early this week, PepsiCo announced that they’ll be producing new bottles starting this month. In order to respond to the recent backlash the beverage industry has been seeing from environmentally-minded individuals, this new bottle will have two distinct features:
- It will use about 20% less plastic.
- The label will be smaller, thus using less packaging material to produce.
“The challenge was to deliver significantly lighter packaging that would provide the same shelf life as the heavier bottle, withstand the manufacturing and distribution process yet not compromise aesthetics,” said Robert Lewis, vice president of PepsiCo’s worldwide beverage packaging and equipment development. “After a full year of hard work from multiple corners of the company, we hit the trifecta — a bottle that satisfied the needs of our system, our consumers and the environment.”
I think that the bottling industry still has a long way to go befor is “satisfies the needs of the environment.” That said - this is a good start.
Read more about this story at Green Biz.
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By Allison -- 0 comments
May 7th, 2008
All the rage today are “Siggs” - SIGG aluminum bottles. And they’re popular for a reason - they’re totally cute and using one is much better for the environment than buying drinks in a plastic bottle or using a plastic/paper/Styrofoam cup from the water fountain at work.
However, after the Nalgene fiasco, in which a study release that hard plastic water bottles may leach Bisphenol A (BPA) into your drink, many are asking if other bottles, like Siggs, are potentially dangerous as well.
Here’s what I’ve found: SIGG hired an independent lab to research BPA, and the results were promising. There was no detectable BPA in either new Siggs or old Siggs. Because the company won’t release their bottle formula, since they are worried about copy cat companies stealing their ideas, we can’t be sure that Siggs don’t contain BPA.
We also can’t be sure that the results of this test are 100% unbiased. The test results themselves may be an honest representation of Siggs, but because the company sponsored the study, we can’t be sure that there isn’t information they haven’t released.
Read more about this report at Tree Hugger.
The verdict? It seems as though Siggs are safe for now. They’re probably your best option, but be a savvy consumer and make sure you stay up to date on news regarding these bottles.
Want to buy a Sigg? Here are some of my favorite designs, but there are TONS. Just click here to purchase the kind with the traveler top, here to purchase the kind with the sports top, and here to purchase kids designs! (Or, click on any of the pictures to see more designs!)
My favorite traveler top:
My favorite sports top:
My favorite kids design:
All pictures from Amazon.
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By Allison -- 1 comment
May 6th, 2008
One of the easiest ways to go green in the business world is to carpool to work. I know, I know - it can be a pain in the butt to leave your house a little early or to share a car with people you don’t know well. That said, carpooling is a great way to save money and the environment, and who knows? You might even meet some new friends along the way!
If you’re interested in finding a carpool to and from work, check out the following websites, which serve as carpooling search engines:
Know of another cool carpool website or hotline? Leave a comment below!
Picture from sxc.hu.
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By Allison -- 1 comment
May 5th, 2008
According to a report at Sustainable Business, Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE: WMI) is teaming up with The Linde Group to begin converting landfill gas into fuel. Waste Management is North America’s leading recycling and waste company, so this is a pretty big deal. The company estimates that they’ll be producing about 130,000 gallons of liquid biogas every day.
Waste Management already has about 300 landfill gas-to-energy factories and plans to add 60 more over the next five years. They expect this project to cost about $15 million and will be used mainly in California.
Why is this a great idea, in my opinion? Normally, I’m against companies recycling, because it is better to reduce than reuse. I believe that most businesses think about “going green” the wrong way.
But for a trash company? This is awesome. They are taking something they already do (collect trash) and making it greener.
What are you already doing as part of your business? How can you make those practices greener?
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By Allison -- 0 comments
May 3rd, 2008
OfficeMax is responding the recent lines of green products being introduced by other office supply companies by beginning to sell their own line of made-from-waste office products.
Created by TerraCycle, a company known for their recyclable innovations, the new line of office products include binders made from 100% recycled cardboard, Capri Sun pouch pencil cases, and non-toxic cleaning products packaged in recycled soda bottles.
Check out this article for more information about OfficeMax’s efforts to go green.
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By Allison -- 0 comments
May 3rd, 2008
Early this week, I posted a short piece about some great reusable shopping bags you should consider picking up. The traffic and response to that post was great, which tells me that you all are looking for reusable shopping bag to fit your style.
So, every Saturday, I’m going to bring you the Reusable Shopping Bag of the Week - a look at a pretty, unique, or fun product that you can easily find in a store near you or on the Internet.
Today’s find - another great pick at Amazon:
3 Insulated Aqua Color Tote Bags
PLUS Reusable Grocery Tote Bag 5 Pack Combo, Includes 4 New Spring/Summer Colors +1 Printed “A World of Thanks”
That’s right - you not only get the insulated bag above, you get two more Aqua-colored insulated bags, plus five non-insulated bags in pretty spring colors. It is a steal at under $20!
Have a suggestion or a bag you love? Email me today to have it featured next week!
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By Allison -- 0 comments
May 1st, 2008
When it comes to purchasing green products, that’s easy to do if you have a lot of money. The average consumer, however, does not have a ton of extra money to spend.
A recent study, however, shows that ALL consumers want green products. Wal-mart, known for their discount prices, has reported that consumers are demanding greener products - purchase of such products increased by 66% last year.
Some of the best sellers are:
- Compact fluorescent light bulbs: Adoption rate of 19.7% (as compared to 13.3% in 2007)
- Concentrated/reduced-packaging liquid laundry detergent: Adoption rate of 67.5% (up from 22.86% in 2007)
- Extended life paper products: Adoption rate of 67.5% (up from 50.77% in 2007)
Wal-mart has recently added Sam’s Choice sustainable coffee and Clorox Green Works cleaning products to their product lines, and we’ve all seen their partnership with Coke (err…greenwashing much?).
In general though, this mean that consumers from less than affluent backgrounds are embracing green living as well. That’s important, because it means that consumers are more concerned with the environment than they are with saving money.
I know that not everyone can afford to buy green all the time, but I’m glad to see that people are doing so when they can.
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By Allison -- 0 comments
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