ClimateBiz.com

A Clarion Call to Insurers

Sandy Hauserman — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:04:00 -0700

The insurance industry should view two recent climate change stories of significance as a clarion call to action. Ignoring the risks could one day open up a flood of legal troubles for the industry.

Coca Cola to Put Fuel Cells to Work at N.Y. Bottling Plant

GreenBiz Staff — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:06:00 -0700

Coca Cola signed a 10-year contract with UTC Power that will bring two fuel cells to a southern New York bottling plant, where they will produce enough heat and energy to satisfy nearly a third of the facility's needs. The state of New York also provided $2 million for the project.

World's Largest Cement Firms Slow CO2 Emissions Despite Production Growth

GreenBiz Staff — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0700

Efforts by the world's leading cement companies knocked down carbon dioxide emissions from the industry’s manufacturing process by 35 percent even while production climbed by 53 percent, according to a new report by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s Cement Sustainability Initiative.

Can Mud Make the Perfect Biofuel?

Marc Gunther — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:42:00 -0700

In the search for a clean, planet-friendly fuel, the startup Qteros has discovered and refined a microbe it calls the Q Microbe that turns biomass -- switchgrass, wood chips, grass, corn stover or even municipal liquid waste -- into ethanol.

The Integrative Design Guide to Green Building

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:35:00 -0700

Green building experts from the 7group consultancy and integrative design pioneer Bill G. Reed provide a clear, practical manual on the whole-building approach to sustainability.

EPA Proposes Tough Emissions Rules for Ships

GreenBiz Staff — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:46:00 -0700

The EPA announced plans to create tougher rules to reduce air pollution from U.S.-flagged ships Wednesday, the same day new fuel regulations for ocean-going vessels went into effect in California. A day earlier, the state finally received a long sought-after waiver that allows it to regulate vehicle tailpipe emissions in its efforts to address climate change.

Climate Corps: When the Low-Hanging Fruit Is Long, Long Gone

Christopher Anderson — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:39:00 -0700

Inexperience can be a tremendous asset when it provides the opportunity to look at a problem with fresh eyes. Asking the naive question may lead to initiatives that will save companies money while also reducing environmental impacts.

Cement Industry Energy and CO2 Performance: Getting the Numbers Right

GreenBiz Staff — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:32:00 -0700

This report from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development's Cement Sustainability Initiative summarizes the work thus far in the nearly 3-year-old effort by the council and the industry's largest companies to make global cement production cleaner and greener.

Yahoo! Abandons Carbon Offsets in Favor of Efficiency

GreenerComputing Staff — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:01:00 -0700

Yahoo! today said it will no longer purchase carbon offsets for its operations, focusing its climate strategy on reducing the energy used by its data centers.

Why Counting Carbon is a Key to Climate Change

Kevin Parker and Mindy Lubber — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:45:00 -0700

Behavioral economists will tell you that the simple act of placing an electricity consumption meter in plain view can substantially cut a home's energy use. The same goes for real-time miles-per-gallon meters in cars, which change the way we drive. When the price of costly activities isn't hidden from us, we're more likely to pursue those activities prudently.

Carbon Trust to Begin Labeling Products Down Under

ClimateBiz Staff — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:17:00 -0700

Consumer products with labels displaying the amount of carbon dioxide emissions generated from production through disposal will hit store shelves in Australia next year thanks to a partnership between Australian environmental group Planet Ark and U.K.-based Carbon Trust, the organization that developed the international labeling standard.

Natural Gas: The Rodney Dangerfield of Fuels

Marc Gunther — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:29:00 -0700

In the energy and climate change debate, environmentalists are mostly united in their feelings about coal (very bad), gasoline (avoid gas guzzlers), nuclear energy (scary), hydropower (small is better than big), wind (good unless you worry about birds), solar thermal (nifty) and rooftop solar PV (even niftier). But what about natural gas?

Dow and Algenol Partner for Algae-Based CO2-to-Ethanol Pilot Project

ClimateBiz Staff — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:37:00 -0700

The biorefinery will be built on 24 acres at Dow’s site in Freeport, Texas, where it will use carbon dioxide produced at a nearby Dow manufacturing facility. Algenol applied for $25 million in stimulus funds to cover half the project's costs.

Highlights from IBM's Green and Beyond Summit

Matthew Wheeland — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:44:00 -0700

Last week, at San Francisco's new Academy of Sciences museum, IBM gathered a host of industry leaders to discuss how IT can help companies green much more than their data centers. Here are some of the highlights of the event.

U.K. Targets SMBs For No-Interest Energy Efficiency Loans

ClimateBiz Staff — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:17:00 -0700

The Carbon Trust expanded eligibility of an interest-free loan program that will dole out £100m (US$165.6 million) over the next two years to help small- and medium-sized businesses replace old and inefficient equipment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.