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Julie Urlaub Defines Sustainable Business

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September 1, 2010 – 8:40 am

One mantra of the decade has been that small businesses can save money, increase sales, and improve brand and company value by implementing simple social and environmental business sustainability practices.

This philosophy is so true.

Julie Urlaub, Founder and Managing Partner of Taiga Company a sustainability consultant who works with small businesses and advises on response conditions of market changes, and the opportunities to capitalize on them and lower their risk.

According to Miss Urlaub,

“The distinct advantages present within a small business setting” are:

Increased flexibility to react to market changes.

Reduced decision chains to propel approvals and business action.

Improved relations with business stakeholders to capture feedback and address concerns.

Improved speed to transform business sustainability resistance into organizational action.

She wrote:

“In many cases, small businesses are taking the lead away from larger corporations. These progressive organizations are creating their own business case for sustainability and defining specific opportunities for improvement.”

This seems to be the track for success. Urlaub also wrote:

“By leveraging multifunctional resources and close working relationships as a distinct advantage, small businesses are quickly adapting and capitalizing on business sustainability value.”

On small business models influencing the big boys, Urlaus said:

“… a number of corporate giants like IBM and P&G have announced new initiatives that pressure suppliers to do much more to measure and manage their environmental impacts.”

This blog post continued:

“With water, carbon, and energy management becoming a critical sustainable business strategy to address internal and external supply issues, businesses addressing these areas are creating supply chain management alignment through increased eco awareness, cooperative business relationships, and applied sustainability concepts that can have immediate business impacts and reduce business sustainability risk.”

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Re-Introducing Animals to Their Natural Home: Friendly Gesture or Playing God?

August 30, 2010 – 7:32 am

What happens to animals which have been removed from their natural habitat because of their status as endangered species?

Well, according to TheDailyGreen.com:
Gray Wolf

“Limited attempts at predator reintroduction in the United States have for the most part proven very successful. The gray wolf, extirpated by hunters in the Yellowstone region some 90 years ago, is now thriving there in the wake of a controversial reintroduction program initiated in 1995, when the National Park Service released 31 gray wolves into the park’s expansive backcountry.”

The article goes on to say that since 1995, as many as 170 gray wolves roam freely throughout the park, though the elk population, which according to the article,

“Was denuding many iconic park landscapes in the absence of its chief predator — has fallen by half, in what many environmentalists see as a win-win scenario.”

Besides for this, there have been other successful reintroduction efforts in the U.S.:

“From the lynx in Colorado to the condor in California to the Black-footed ferret on the Plains, scientists are pleased with how well reintroduced species have taken to their new surroundings. As a result, many conservationists now view the reintroduction of iconic wildlife species as key to restoring otherwise degraded natural landscapes.”

The non-profit Rewilding Institute says:

“When we kill off big cats, wolves and other wild hunters, we lose not only prominent species, but also the key ecological and evolutionary process of top-down regulation…Wolves, cougars, lynx, wolverines, grizzly and black bears, jaguars, sea otters and other top carnivores need to be restored throughout North America in ecologically effective densities in their natural ranges where suitable habitat remains or can be restored.”

Although a representative from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) argues that:

“Reintroduction programs subject wild animals to capturing and handling, which is always stressful for them, and may eventually put them in the line of fire of farmers who are already angry about predator-reintroduction programs…when predators are reintroduced to an area where they have long been absent, prey species tend to scatter and their lives and behavior patterns are turned upside-down.”

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Cheap Fix or Costly Folly?

August 26, 2010 – 1:27 pm

Now famously featured on California’s ballot in November, Proposition 19 allows all persons older than 21 to grow small amounts of marijuana for strictly personal use. Were the law approved, cities would be able to regulate and tax the sales.

marijuana crop
California is not alone in their totally mellowed-out attitude about the psychoactive drug. Both Colorado and New York are tempted to tamper with the existing marijuana prohibition.

Why has this become such a hip current issue?

Well, how about in order to bring tax revenue to diminish the devastating deficits.

“American cities would potentially enjoy millions of dollars in new tax streams.”

Writes Kim Hart of Politico.

Also, were Proposition 19 to pass, law enforcement would be freed up to focus on more severe threats.

So who are the party poopers?

Democrat Kamala Harris says it is a no go. California Attorney General, Jerry Brown says nay.

Republican Meg Whitman is nay. And Steve Cooley says Prop 19 is not cool.

Barbara Boxer bears a big opposition and Dianne Feinstein too.

Here’s why they are against it:

The California Chamber of Commerce says that the proposition will allow pot smokers to light up on the job. California’s Apartment Association does not like the idea of renters setting up shop on balconies and in closets. Smartly, the Association of California School Administrators and League of California Cities are too against the measure.

In 1996, California was the first state in the Union to legalize medical pot.

According to Americans for Safe Access, writes Kim Hart:

“more than 300,000 state residents are medical marijuana patients, and the industry raises about $100 million in sales tax revenue every year — a compelling figure considering the state’s current $19 billion deficit.”

Do the United States stand to be Amsterdamned?

We shall find out…

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Dying to go Green

August 23, 2010 – 9:54 am

Is there a method of disposing of the remains of deceased humans which is a less carbon-intensive method than cremation? According to the good scientists in Belgium there is.

Funeral directors there would like to give the green light to something called Resomation, a water and alkali-based process which turns bodies into a mix of liquid and minerals. Resomation, you see, uses up much less energy than cremation and it even emits many fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

Resomation This process, legal in six of the United States of America, leaves behind soft bones and liquid. The bones can be crushed into a powder which can be recycled in waste streams or even put into urns for sentimental reflection by family members. The liquid remains do not contain DNA and could potentially be disposed of through local sewer systems.
Funeral directors in Belgium look forward to offering resomation as a burial and cremation alternative within the next three months.
Other greener funeral methods explored over the years by various companies include recycling programs for embalming fluids and even coffins which are made from environmentally sound sources, like recycled cardboard, local wool and organic cotton.

Other green burial methods include, injecting dead bodies with formaldehyde and other chemicals.
Cremation requires a great amount of fuel to sustain the high temperatures used in the burning process. Well, on average, this generates about 573 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per just one single dead body.
Cremation has also been known to release mercury emissions into the atmosphere from dental fillings.

The Scottish company, Resomation Ltd. developed the system which calls for a temperature of 180 degrees Celsius that is 80% cooler than a standard crematorium. Three resomation machines have been sold to the U.S. by the Scottish company.

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And Now, Just To Play It Safe

August 19, 2010 – 9:57 am

Of all the summer news splashes the weather has managed to dominate the major headlines lately: Floods on the East Coast and down south in the United States, not to mention Deadly Deluges inundating parts of Pakistan, for instance. All of this while, Droughts in an excessively hot Russia have killed acre upon acre of wheat and human lives lost and then the formidable wildfires which ensued too.

Whether it is global warming related or not, though, remains to be determined. In Sunday’s New York Times, Justin Gillis seems sold on the idea that the Green House effect is to blame.

He wrote:

“Thermometer measurements show that the earth has warmed by 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit since the Industrial Revolution, when humans began pumping enormous amounts of carbon dioxide, a heat-trapping greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere.”

This is true, though he also realizes that:

“Most climate scientists are reluctant to go that far, noting that weather was characterized by remarkable variability long before humans began burning fossil fuels and releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.”

Now, what could he have meant by that?

In the 70’s a Global Freeze was the focus of fear for those few who bought into the front-page claims of scientists; whereas at present we are told that the greenhouse effect is causing our planet to roast at a wretched risk. But the skeptics are here to provide the checks and balances to our assumptions before we go colonize the moon and Mars as suggested by Stephen Hawking and even a prophetic Ray Bradbury. For instance, an incredulous cynic might cite the heat and drought in 1930s America, as a reason to remain skeptical – and they might be correct.

Writes Justin Gillis:

“Those were indeed dire heat waves, contributing to the Dust Bowl, which dislocated millions of Americans and changed the population structure of the United States.”

But was this related to the Green House effect or not? Gillis guesses, yes. And many scientists today are quick to attribute global warming to various natural disasters…For instance the recent Russian heat wave would have been less severe had Green House gases been less abundant in the atmosphere, is the hypothesis of some.

According to those who swear by the religion of Global Warming the evidence seems to be there: heavier rain downpours, shorter winters – however even this evidence is contentious; for is it not in the feasible region that El Nino is to blame? That mysterious child of the Doppler – whatever happened to that little devil?

So let us conclude in the ambiguous words of the New York Times’ Justin Gillis from last Sunday:

“It will be a year or two before climate scientists publish definite analyses of the Russian heat wave and the Pakistani floods, which might shed light on the role of climate change, if any.”

In the cautious meantime, let’s continue to love ourselves and in doing so, our planet.

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Slow To Fall in Line: Oil Sand Extraction In Canada

August 17, 2010 – 9:30 am

One environmentally destructive practice, onto which a light has been shed due to the BP oil spill in the gulf is Oil Sands Development in Alberta, Canada.

Tar Sands Canada Oil Sands Extraction, according to a 2008 report, leaks approximately three million gallons of contaminated water into surrounding rivers and groundwater each day. Well, in addition to this, it emits high levels of greenhouse gases.

The Pembina Institute, a Canadian organization focused on society’s transition to sustainable energy consumption and production, reported that green house gas emissions from oil sands extraction increased by 121% from the year 1990 to 2008. And oil sands extractions are going to triple between the years 2008 and 2020.
Well, in Copenhagen last December, the Canadian government committed to a 17% decrease in green house gas emissions by the year 2020.

Canada, however, has yet to produce an actual concrete plan for meeting this deadline. According to a report:

“If emissions rise as projected under Environment Canada’s business-as-usual scenario, they will reach 28 percent above 2005 levels by 2020, with oil sands expansion accounting for nearly half of the projected increase.”

And on top of this, in Alberta, the government:

“Has released draft standards that would allow combustion on dirtier sources of fuel for oil sands,” which, if put into practice, “could lead to a 66% increase in greenhouse gas emissions per barrel produced,”

According to the report.

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The Times They Are a-Changin’

August 8, 2010 – 8:16 am

Call it range anxiety – call it what you want. Electric car drivers worry time and again that they won’t have enough juice to make those long trips. And so, as is too often the case, the question of pragmatism becomes a hurdle for greensters and those on the fence.

As they continue to push to sell more battery-powered cars, it’s a fear that automakers must overcome.

Due out late this year, Nissan’s all-electric Leaf can travel just 100 miles on a single charge. That’s perfect for a commuter but not the Jack Kerouac cross-country sojourner type.

One guy who once owned an electric car, Mr. Bob Shafron said:

“I think the Leaf is a beautifully designed vehicle, but 50 miles in one direction is just not enough…I think they are going to run into problems in markets like L.A., where things are spread out.”

The Monrovia-based maker of unmanned surveillance planes and quick-charge systems for electric vehicles and wind turbines, AeroVironment, secured a contract to install and provide home-charging systems for Nissan’s Leaf:

“When a customer goes to Nissan they will be able to schedule a home assessment with a licensed electrical contractor that will be part of our nationwide network”

said Steven Gitlin, AV’s vice president of marketing strategy.

Car Charging Group, Inc an owner and provider of electric vehicle charging stations with a mission to build a nationwide infrastructure, compliments California regulators who voted to make it easier for electric car charging companies to resell power in California at the California Public Utilities Commission Meeting held recently:

“For years, California has set the standard in green technology. It is great to see the state pave the way for electric vehicle charging companies and allow them to sell power in the state,” Car Charging Group CEO Michael D. Farkas said, “This opens up the gateway to bring revenue from EV charging stations and helps our company fulfill its mission. Furthermore, if other states follow in California’s footsteps, the national initiative would allow our company to price the cost of our services competitively benefiting property owners and consumers.”

Slightly more expensive and also hitting show room floors soon is GM’s $41,000 Volt. President Barack Obama was recently photographed driving in one.

Meanwhile, another fine example has been set by the Israeli company, Shai Agassi’s Better Place is opening a visitor center in a Tel Aviv suburb, situated in a renovated oil tank at the Pi Glilot fuel depot.
The center invites the public to hear about the Better Place vision (electric cars and charging stations, already setup in Jerusalem and parts of Europe), learn how the system will work, and test drive the cars.

Agassi had this to say:

“With the Better Place project, for the first time, we in Israel are providing a solution for one of the biggest global problems…By a happy coincidence, the Israeli government announced today that it was calling for a national plan to reduce Israel’s dependence on fossil fuels. I promise you that we had nothing to do with it, but we are happy about it because it shows where we’re going.”

Better Place Israel CEO Moshe Kaplinsky, a former deputy chief of the IDF General Staff, said that the company has signed agreements with 92 different Israeli companies who have agreed to convert a portion of their fleets to electric vehicles.

Motorola, Strauss and Netvision are among these companies.

The Times They Are a-Changin’

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Who Can Afford An Energy Efficient Home?

August 2, 2010 – 9:30 am

Can green homes actually become affordable?

“To stand out in a still sluggish housing market, more builders are beginning to offer average-priced, ultra-efficient homes.”

Writes Wendy Koch a reporter and editor from USA Today.

Green One Construction Services, based in Beaverton, Oregon, is currently working on a zero-net-energy development of eighteen homes designed to produce at least as much power as they spend.

The triple bedroom, Sage Green homes come with excellent insulation, solar panels and triple-glazed windows. Prices start at $257,900.

In the southeast Phoenix suburb of Gilbert, Arizona, Meritage Homes unveiled the new Lyon’s Gate developments, which aim to be 80% more efficient than regular, code-compliant homes.

So what comes for the base price of $174,900? Try nine-inch thick exterior walls, a thermostat which can be remotely programmed using an iPhone and an ECHO solar electric/thermal system which may produce up to 10 kilowatts of power annually. Well, that is roughly half the amount consumed by a regular house.

Meritage’s vice president for environmental affairs, C.R. Herro told the publication, The Arizona Republic:

“If customers respond to this, this will become the way we build houses…If we built these with $50,000 worth of (green) features and charged $50,000 more, we wouldn’t sell one…I’m building these for people who couldn’t care less about energy efficiency.”

Energy bills will run at an estimated $734 annually for the 1,640 square-feet model and $1,218 per year for the largest, 3,062 square-feet one.

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Getting Creative About Environmental Disaster

July 29, 2010 – 9:26 am

Gulf Oil shirt Steve Brooker, a good man from the state of Kansas, understandably perturbed by BP’s damage to the Gulf of Mexico has had a creative epiphany. He has made printing ink of lemons and oil. Brooker is using oil from the environmental disaster to make Necklaces and print T-shirts. Some of the proceeds he will donate to wildlife groups.

In order to print the T-shirts, the oil is mixed with the ink. The necklaces come with a vial of oil attached. Prices for the pieces start at 20 bucks.

The amount which goes to environmental charities is five bucks. The customer may choose which one he prefers out of the following selection: Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research, National Wildlife Federation and the National Audubon Society.

Every shirt and necklace says Brooker, represents one small step taken to clean up the Gulf.

The T-shirts may be found at ihelpedcleanupthegulfoilspill.com.

The page reads:

“Oil used to print the t-shirts or contained in our vial necklaces won’t be in the Gulf anymore and that’s a good thing!”

“Admittedly, the amounts of oil used are small and meant to be symbolic. By purchasing our Gulf Oil Necklaces and T-Shirts you show that you are doing your part to help clean up this mess.”

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Big Problems for Big Coal USA

July 27, 2010 – 10:42 am

Every day that the chances for a Climate Change Bill drift further from the shore, the coal lobby becomes increasingly optimistic.

Friends of Big Coal on Capitol Hill, however, are insisting that they put the partying on pause. The Fat Lady has not yet sung the song for the coal industry — and she probably won’t.

coal
Coal in the United States will soon go from the most popular and cheapest source of electricity to among the most expensive.

A New clean air and water regulations act will kick in next year – that is, combined with a boost in new natural-gas supply and a projected nuclear-power renaissance will do its damage to Big Coal and that is a Big Bonus for the environment.

The only policy that could possibly protect coal is the price on carbon which they are now fighting.

For many decades now, coal has been the nation’s foremost source of power, supplying roughly half of the nation’s electricity, while natural gas and nuclear energy generated about 20% of the national supply each, respectively – renewable made up the rest.

In the next two years though, the Environmental Protection Agency will introduce tough new regulations on coal pollutants such as the terrible acid-rain-causing sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide.

Well, also hitting the streets are brand new Clean Water Act regulations on coal, as well as myriad mining safety regulations.

All of the above will add to the price of coal thereby diminishing its novelty.

Well, in the meantime, utilities are rejoicing over the discovery of abundant domestic supplies of natural gas and anticipating new nuclear power plants in the coming years.

All of this is despite the likely fact of failure for any climate change legislation to happen this year.

Coal is a chemically complex fuel. Whenever and wherever it is burned, gases are given off and particles of ash — “fly ash” — get released. The sulfur in coal combines with oxygen to form sulfur
dioxide; this can be a major source of air pollution if emitted in large enough quantities.

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