Climate Technology
All Stories
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A David v. Goliath story
Here’s a marketing rule of thumb for the modern age: there’s no better advertising for a small company than getting sued by a big company. A little organic plant-food company called TerraCycle (which makes fertilizer out of worm poop) has gotten boatloads of free advertising out of its innovative strategy: rather than creating new bottles […]
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Wax on, wax offsets
Gristmill’s sizable contingent of carbon offset hataz will find the latest from Joel Makower music to their hatin’ ears.
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Nevada Mined
Newmont Mining Co. will undergo social-responsibility review It wasn’t enough to be acquitted of pollutey wrongdoing in Indonesia; the world’s largest gold-mining firm is begging for more green cred. This week, 91.6 percent of Newmont Mining Co.’s shareholders approved an independent review of the company’s environmental and social impacts worldwide. Along with the high-profile trial […]
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The Tyee busts Harper
I think the hue and cry about "greenwashing" is generally overdone, for reasons I’ve discussed at length elsewhere. But the Tyee has a great story today that looks like a bona fide example of selling a big infrastructure project as "green" when its consequences will be just the opposite. It’s about a proposal by Canadian […]
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Exxon Mobil hikes spending, big time
Perhaps fearing the coming crunch of climate and energy legislation, oil giant Exxon Mobil more than doubled their reported lobbying expenditures in 2006 to $14.5 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. This blows their previous year’s total of $7.14 million and next-highest-spender Chevron’s $7.5 million out of the water.
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How to stop the agribiz giants from impeding the growth of local food.
In today’s Victual Reality I discussed how a few companies dominate U.S. food production, and how their market girth weighs heavily on efforts to rebuild local-oriented, environmentally and socially responsible food networks. Now I’d like to add a few words on what might be done to remedy the situation. First of all, it’s important to […]
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At Least the Couch Is Clean
DuPont, 3M criticized for production of “probable” carcinogen Public furor is simmering over a chemical used in Teflon, Scotchgard, and other miracles of non-stick, stain-resistant living. Protesters picketed DuPont’s annual shareholder meeting in Delaware yesterday, upset over the company’s environmental and labor policies — including its production of PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid), a “probable” carcinogen. “I […]
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Working with the fishing industry, Orri Vigfússon protects North Atlantic salmon
Orri Vigfússon. Photo: Goldman Environmental Prize. “I have a passion for salmon,” says Orri Vigfússon. “It’s the king of fish. It’s just a spectacular creature.” Vigfússon is a veteran business exec — the Icelandic brand Icy Vodka is one of his enterprises — and he’s now using his negotiating savvy to protect the iconic North […]
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Mine Your Business
Newmont Mining Co. acquitted of wrongdoing in Indonesia Yesterday, an Indonesian court found Newmont Mining Co. not guilty of polluting Indonesia’s Buyat Bay with toxic runoff from a now-defunct gold mine, ending a trial that had riled up eco-justice advocates for nearly two years. Judge Ridwan Damanik declared that Newmont’s piping of arsenic and mercury […]
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Money Makes the World Not Drown
British retailers launch climate campaign, UBS unveils global-warming index Eight companies in Britain have launched a campaign called “We’re in This Together,” offering products and price cuts to help customers lessen their eco-impacts. Leading retailers Tesco and B&Q, for example, halved the costs of light bulbs and insulation, and a cell-phone company will pay a […]
