greening biz operations

Dirty money

And Rainforest Action Network has the soap.  Get scrubbing.

Among bad deals, TerraPass’s methane offset project?

In the new issue of BusinessWeek: "Another Inconvenient Truth?" It warns:

New articles take a look

Interesting piece from Makower on some recent articles moving the climate conversation to more … prosaic concerns. That is to say: who’s gonna make out? The first is in the Harvard Business Review, and outlines these risks to businesses: … regulatory risk (the impact of emissions caps or carbon taxes); supply chain risk (disruptions or […]

Bank of America makes a $20 billion green pledge

Not long ago, I became a Bank of America customer, with mixed emotions. You know, the faceless corporation, the rumors of unethical practices, the exhaustion of trying to figure out where their (and my) money truly goes. Ultimately, I gave in to inertia and convenience. So I’m happy to hear that BOA is launching a […]

An interview with IKEA sustainability director Thomas Bergmark

Green by design. Photo: IKEA Last week, IKEA U.S. announced a “bag the plastic bag” initiative: the retailer will charge a nickel for plastic bags to discourage their use, donating all revenue to the nonprofit conservation group American Forests. The store will also let shoppers walk away with one of its iconic reusable blue bags […]

Business is already acting on the climate threat — and waiting for Washington to catch up

You don’t need to look for receding glaciers or pore over the latest IPCC report to know that climate change is already happening. Just talk to Diavik Diamond Mines Inc. Captains of industry want to know what’s up ahead. Photo: iStockphoto The company relies on ice bridges to move equipment and materials through the northern […]

But why?

Peter Madden, chief executive of Forum for the Future, writes a monthly column for Gristmill on sustainability in the U.K. and Europe.

British supermarkets are now competing to go green. Two big retailers have just launched initiatives to tackle climate change.

Marks & Spencer, which sells food and clothing to Britain's middle classes, promised this month to cut waste, sell fair-trade products, and make the company carbon neutral within five years. Environmentalists praised its 100-point "eco-plan." Greenpeace U.K. said, "If every retailer in Britain followed Marks & Spencer's lead, it would be a major step forward in meeting the challenge of creating a sustainable society."

Later the same week, Tesco, one of the top five retailers in the world, set out its own stall on climate change. As the giant of British supermarkets -- one in every eight dollars spent in British shops goes into its tills -- Tesco is in a similar position to Wal-Mart in the U.S., and faces many of the same criticisms.

Social and environmental entrepreneurs have a lot to teach big business

Solutions to sustainability challenges come in various forms, colors, and strengths. Some are compliance-driven and done grudgingly. Some are citizenship-led and done at a slight distance from an organization’s core business. And some are truly innovative and entrepreneurial. Now this third category is on the verge of taking off like a rocket, involving new breeds […]

Richard Branson chats about embracing ethanol and slashing airplane emissions

Does a music mogul who signed the Rolling Stones and Janet Jackson have what it takes to make a pop star out of biofuels? Sir Richard. Earlier this fall, publicity-chasing British entrepreneur Richard Branson made a $3 billion bet that he could do just that — and help solve the climate crisis to boot — […]