Climate Technology

All these green initiatives, oy

Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott just announced a comprehensive new initiative called “Sustainability 360,” which will attempt to infuse environmental concern in every part of the company’s operations: “Sustainability 360 takes in our entire company – our customer base, our supplier base, our associates, the products on our shelves, the communities we serve,” said Scott. “And […]

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 […]

There’s nothing healthy about the American Dietary Association’s addiction to corporate cash.

Hey, the American Dietetic Association is having a big convention in Philly next fall. The ADA, which represents 65,000 dietitians, claims to … … serve the public by promoting optimal nutrition, health and well-being. ADA members are the nation’s food and nutrition experts, translating the science of nutrition into practical solutions for healthy living. Ah, […]

Doug Koplow, subsidies researcher and founder of Earth Track, answers questions

Doug Koplow. With what environmental organization are you affiliated? I’m the founder of Earth Track in Cambridge, Mass., which focuses on increasing visibility of environmentally harmful subsidies. This visibility comes through direct analysis, consolidation of research from around the world, and descriptive materials understandable by general audiences. Subsidies transfer value from the public sector to […]

Upward Mobility

ExxonMobil says it’s taking climate change seriously — seriously Guess who said this about climate change: “We know enough now — or, society knows enough now — that the risk is serious and action should be taken.” No, not some dirty hippie, but an executive from oil behemoth ExxonMobil. (Ow, our jaw!) Greenhouse-gas reduction has […]

Valley of the Dollars

Clean-energy investments add jobs, moolah to Silicon Valley Remember the U.S. excuse for not adopting green policies, the one about hurting the economy? Yeah, that’s out the window. A new report says Silicon Valley added 33,000 jobs in 2006 after five years of job losses, thanks in large part to gigantarific investments in green technologies. […]

We’re All Alright

Blair, McCain lead pep rally at World Economic Forum Let’s start the week with a bit of rhetorical optimism. In a high-profile speech this weekend at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland — a gathering of leading politicians and businessfolk from around ye olde globe — British Prime Minister Tony Blair offered a hopeful […]

On Your Marks, Get Set, Tesco

Big-box British retail chains are going green Watch out, Wal-Mart! Last week, British mega-retailers Tesco and Marks & Spencer both announced forward-thinking sustainability plans. Tesco even plans to begin labeling all products on its shelves with information about the amount of carbon generated during their production and transport. As Brits face the “Is it OK […]

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.

Davos and Goliath

This year, World Economic Forum can’t avoid climate change Every year, some 2,000 business and political leaders descend on snowy Davos, Switzerland, for an unrivaled meeting of minds and money. As the five-day World Economic Forum kicks off today, attendees will tackle an issue of great concern: how to get Bono’s autograph. Also, some of […]