Climate Technology

Buy Flow, Sell High

Water biz takes off Only 2 percent of the world’s water is fresh, and with the World Commission on Water for the 21st Century projecting a 50 percent increase in demand in the next 30 years, food and drinking-water shortages, droughts, devastated agriculture, disease, and even armed conflict over water may be on the horizon. […]

Smoking Frac

Hydraulic fracturing raises concerns over water in Western U.S. Despite persistent concerns about its effects on groundwater, the practice of hydraulic fracturing (or “fracing”) appears likely to receive an exemption from regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act in legislation under consideration by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Fracing involves pumping highly pressurized fluids […]

Coffee giant will buy 5 percent clean power for its U.S. stores

You may hate its coffee, you may hate that it drove your favorite mom-n-pop coffeehouse out of business, you may just hate its bland ubiquity -- but you gotta give Starbucks props for its latest initiative. Today the java giant announced that it will buy enough wind energy to meet 5 percent of electricity needs at its North American stores.

From the company's press release (not yet up online, the slackers):

"Starbucks is mindful of the long-term implications that climate change has on the environment," said Sandra Taylor, Starbucks senior vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility. "Because the energy used at our retail stores makes up nearly 50 percent of our total greenhouse gas emissions, this is a natural starting point for us. By supporting renewable energy sources we believe we are taking a step in the right direction and encourage other businesses to do the same." ...

The move to purchase renewable energy for its company-operated retail stores -- generated by approximately 11 large-scale windmills -- is estimated to cut emissions by two percent. It also catapults the company into the current top 25 U.S. purchasers of renewable energy.

(That last fact strikes me as remarkable. Just by agreeing to buy 5 percent green power for its stores -- not its production plants or business headquarters or whatnot -- Starbucks will become one of the top 25 buyers of clean energy in the U.S.? There are that few big buyers? Damn.)

Sure, it would be easy enough to point out all the bad things Starbucks is doing, and all the good things it isn't doing -- environmentalists have made an art form out of skewering corporations for their sins and failings. But we aren't so good at giving positive feedback. So from me, to the corporate coffee chain that I never patronize: Hey, nice work, keep it up.

The company Phil built releases groundbreaking corporate responsibility report

After three years of silence following a 2002 lawsuit over its claims on labor practices, Nike has returned to social reporting in a big way, releasing a corporate responsibility report that is, from all indications, a genuine leap forward in corporate transparency.

As well as providing detail on its supply chain practices, the report covers areas such as workforce diversity, the environment, community programs and socially responsible investment. An independent review committee of individuals from trade unions, non-governmental organizations, academia and the business community was brought together to strengthen the credibility of the information in the report.

Among the more surprising details is the fact that Nike is now publishing a full list of its suppliers on its website. The list shows that problems remain, but the move toward transparency by such a massive industry player is sure to have positive ripple effects.

"We felt the risks of any future lawsuit were far outweighed by benefits of transparency," says Hannah Jones, Nike's vice-president of corporate responsibility. "Because if we've learned anything as a company, it's that closing down and not talking about the challenges and opportunities doesn't get you far."

Coming on the heels of Nike's welcomed-but-mocked (by, ahem, us) Considered line of eco-friendly shoes, it certainly looks like the company has made a commitment to getting things right. Big props.

(Via TriplePundit)

You Won’t Find a Lower-Priced Greenwash — We Guarantee!

Wal-Mart pledges to buy and preserve land to compensate for footprint Retail leviathan Wal-Mart, stung by a spate of bad press accusing it of sprawling consumption of open spaces, excessive storm-water runoff at construction sites, discrimination against women, employment of illegal immigrants, ruthless price-cutting strategies that drive jobs abroad, and shabby treatment of employees … […]

Oil and Peace Don’t Mix

Oil strategists plan for geopolitical drama as demand increases It’s a small world after all — with an even smaller oil supply. That’s what U.S. energy experts, oil companies, and national-security planners are concluding as they try to project America’s and the world’s oil demand versus declining supplies in coming years. Military planners in particular, […]

Who’s Minding the Restore?

Ecosystem restoration is booming business, only getting boominger One positive side effect of polluting and despoiling the planet is that somebody stands to make money cleaning it up. (Hey, our glass is half full!) And sure enough, ecological restoration is a booming business. Viewed narrowly, as attempts to restore natural resources to something approximating their […]

Paul, Returned From Damascus

Duke Energy CEO has climate-change conversion, proposes carbon tax In a letter to shareholders last week, Duke Energy Corp. CEO Paul Anderson announced his company’s decision to lobby for a tax on carbon-dioxide emissions — a move that shocked shareholders and has some greens scratching their heads. Anderson said in a speech yesterday that he […]

Giuliani joins law firm renowned for defending energy interests

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani — whose name is often bandied about as a possible 2008 GOP presidential contender — added a splash of deep red to his moderate-Republican profile when he announced last week his decision to join a Texas-based law firm known for representing heavy-hitting energy companies. Rudy Giuliani. Photo: NYC.gov. […]

Today a Report, Tomorrow … Well, We’ll See

Ford acknowledges global warming, but makes no big promises Pressure from shareholder activists is producing effects at large companies — if not yet concrete proposals to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, at least notable signals that they’re starting to take global warming seriously. The latest to hop on the bandwagon is Ford Motor Co., expected to announce […]