Archive for June 2012

Home Archive for June 2012

Independence Day: Environmental Action Now!

June 30, 2012 Add Comment Edit

Our nation has always been defined by innovation and a fiery will to overcome adversity. Our lives today are defined by the sacrifices, ideas, and most importantly the actions of our predecessors. They overcame colonial oppression and two World Wars, and heeded one President's call to reach for the stars. Millions now fight and die to secure what they achieved. But a new challenge is on the horizon. Climate change threatens to undo some of the progress that they made possible. And yet, we are at a crossroads, one that could lead us to a new and innovative future of clean energy and stewardship of the planet, or one that could lead back into ignorance and pollution. What will define your generation? What will future historians say about your time? The actions of our predecessors overcame tyranny from afar and built a nation of honor, innovation, and leadership. Will yours?

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A Positive Environmental Message

June 30, 2012 Add Comment Edit

It is easy to be overwhelmed with the plethora of fear inspiring environmental news. That is why it is so important to craft messages that encourage people to do something positive rather than merely ruminate on all the bad news. This simple message from the Mississippi Valley Conservancy is a positive message for those who want to prevent environmental catastrophe and save precious natural areas.

Canada's Clean 50 from Delta Management Group

June 29, 2012 Add Comment Edit

The Clean50 list was compiled by Delta Management Group. In order to ensure that The Clean50 embraced all sectors, a total of 16 categories were constructed and then at least two people were recognized in each category, based primarily on their impact within the last two years. Delta Management Group is a twenty year old boutique search firm with a growing practice in clean tech, corporate social responsibility and sustainability professionals. Formed in 1992, Delta has a long track record of building exceptional teams, and working closely with management and stakeholders on a long-term basis as a trusted advisor and true business partner.

The 2012 Clean50 are, in alphabetical order:

To learn more about the individuals that make up the Clean 50 click here.

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Corporate Green Ranking: Top Spots and Most Improved
The World's Greenest Companies (2011)
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Newsweek's 10 Greenest Companies (2010)
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Canada's Green Provincial Report Card

June 29, 2012 Add Comment Edit

As reported in the Miratel blog here is the third bi-annual Green Provincial Report Card published by Corporate Knights. Corporate Knights “is a media, research and financial products company focused on quantifying and animating clean capitalism drivers for decision makers.” The criteria they used for the 2012 Green Provincial Report Card was: air and climate, water, nature, transportation, waste, energy and buildings, and innovation. In addition to these seven categories, they reviewed some 35 indicators to help analyze the environmental performance of each province and territory.

To help compile this list Corporate Knights used a panel of experts, which included representatives from York University, the David Suzuki Foundation, and The Pembina Institute. Corporate Knights used the most current data available ranging from 2008-2011 with information coming “through federal sources that allowed for direct comparisons between Canada’s 13 jurisdictions. One major source was Environment Canada’s new Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators (CESI) database, which was just made publicly accessible last year.”

Ontario score: 6.06, A- (2nd in Air and Climate, 2nd in Innovation)
British Columbia score: 6.0, A- (2nd in Transportation, 1st in Energy and Buildings, 1st in Innovation)
Prince Edward Island score: 5.9, B+
Yukon Territory score: 5.6, B (1st in Air and Climate, 1st in Nature)
Quebec score: 5.5, B
Nunavut score: 5.3, B- (1st in Transportation)
Nova Scotia score: 5.3, B- (1st in Waste)
Northwest Territories score: 5.0, B- (1st in Water)
Newfoundland score: 4.9, C+
New Brunswick score: 4.9, C+
Manitoba score: 4.8, C+ (Tied for 2nd in Water)
Alberta score: 4.5, C (2nd in Nature)
Saskatchewan score: 4.4, C (Tied for 2nd in Water)

To view the interactive map click here or to view the provincial profiles for a more in-depth breakdown by province click here.

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Canada's Clean 50 from Delta Management Group
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Top Canadian Corporate Citizens (2012)
Canada's Greenest Companies (2011)
Canada's Most Sustainable Businesses (2009)
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Corporate Green Ranking: Top Spots and Most Improved
The World's Greenest Companies (2011)
America's Greenest Companies (2011)
Newsweek's 10 Greenest Companies (2010)
America's Most Sustainable Businesses (2009)
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Best CSR Business Rankings from Miratel Blog

June 28, 2012 Add Comment Edit

Miratel blog has published an impressive number of posts on corporate social responsibility (CSR) including a series of lists that rank the best companies in Canada and the world. Here is a brief summary of some of the rankings published in the Miratel blog in 2012.

Top 50 Canadian CSR Business List
Top Diversity Employers in Canada 2012
55 Greenest Canadian Employers
30 Top Green Organizations in Canada According to Employee Engagement
Top 500 Global Green Rankings
Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada in 2012

Miratel is a call center that boasts a number of elements the set it apart. This includes their commitment to green initiatives, their dedication to corporate social responsibility and social justice. In short, Miratel is dedicated to remaining leaders in the green business movement and making a lasting, positive difference in the world. We constantly re-evaluate how they do what we do to keep their services affordable and make their business more environmentally and socially beneficial to the world.

For more information about Miratel click here, to go to the Miratel Blog click here.

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The World's Greenest Companies (2011)
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Top Canadian Corporate Citizens (2012)

June 28, 2012 Add Comment Edit

Here is the eleventh annual Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada in 2012 as reviewed by the Miratel blog. The list was compiled and published by Corporate Knights. Corporate Knights “is a media, research and financial products company focused on quantifying and animating clean capitalism drivers for decision makers.” Corporate Knights is a source of objective, data-driven ‘clean capitalism’ ratings for over 2000 companies globally.”

There is growing recognition among the country’s biggest companies that business-as-usual isn’t a sustainable option over the long term” Tyler Hamilton, Editor-In-Chief Corporate Knights.

Corporate Knights ranked these companies in terms of their use or production of energy, carbon, water, waste. They also factored their clean capitalism pay link, sustainability themed board, percentage of women and minorities on their boards, the taxes paid, ratio of highest-paid to average employee compensation, DB pension plan assists/pension obligations, and core business impact score.

Below you will find the top 15 Canadian companies according to Corporate Knights’ latest report and their score:

Desjardins Group: 84.86 % (read the top company spotlight
Vancouver City Savings: 84.01 %
Co-operators Group: 82.21 %
Canadian National Railway Co.: 79.12 %
Royal Bank of Canada: 77.88 %
Mountain Equipment Co-op: 76.09 %
Hydro One: 75.62 %
Enbridge Inc.: 74.98 %
First Quantum Minerals Ltd.: 74.65 %
HSBC Bank Canada: 74.26 %
SNC-Lavalin Group Inc.: 73.22 %
Enmax Corporation: 73.20 %
Nexen Inc.: 72.42 %
Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd.: 72.26 %
Cascades Inc.: 70.99 %

For the complete list click here.

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Canada's Green Provincial Report Card
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Canada's Most Sustainable Businesses (2009)
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Corporate Green Ranking: Top Spots and Most Improved
The World's Greenest Companies (2011)
America's Greenest Companies (2011)
Newsweek's 10 Greenest Companies (2010)
America's Most Sustainable Businesses (2009)
Greener Japanese Companies
Surveys of America's Greenest Brands Suggest that Redemption is Possible
What Businesses are Doing to Combat Climate Change
Bschool.com's "10 Great Companies Who Were Green Before It Was Cool"

Canada an Environmental Pariah at Rio+20

June 28, 2012 1 Comment Edit

Canada has once again attracted attention for its environmental contempt. At Rio+20 Canada along with nations like Venezuela and Saudi Arabia tried to undermine a motion calling for a phasing out of fossil fuel subsidies. Even though the International Institute for Sustainable Development estimates that the federal government could save more than $1.3 billion per year if it phases out all of the existing subsidies for the oil and gas industries. Canada's federal government is fighting hard to do all it can for dirty sources of energy while US President Barack Obama has called for an end to oil and coal subsidies, and the European Union has called for a firm commitment to phase-out of fossil fuels altogether.

One of the members leading Canada's delegation to Rio was Keith Christie, an assistant deputy minister from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Christie is also involved in Canada's diplomatic efforts to promote the tar sands.

The Harper governments environmental insults go well beyond supporting the fossil fuel industry, amongst its many budget cuts, this government has terminated the National Round Table (NRT) and the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA).

It should come as no surprise that under the "stewardship" of Harper's Conservatives Canada will not achieve its 2020 GHG emission reductions target.

Its unyielding support for the old energy economy and the gutting of environmental research and oversight make Canada an environmental pariah.

© 2012, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Three Solar Power Events (June 2012)

June 27, 2012 1 Comment Edit

Solar Investment Forum 2012 in Munich On the 13th of June a solar investment forum will be held in Munich, Germany. Returning for its 5th year the 2012 Solar Investment Forum is an official Side Event of Intersolar Europe which will bring together leading experts from across the solar sector for a day of unrivalled networking and the opportunity to hear about the latest financing opportunities and developments in the solar sector. For more information or to register click here.

Solar Technology & Markets: An Investor's Guide in Johannesburg On the 18th of June a solar investment conference will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa. This event is an independent 1-day guide to solar resources, technologies, economics and market trends. For more information or to register click here.

Solar South Africa On the 19th and 20th of June a conference on solar energy in South Africa will be taking place in Johannesburg. This event is the ideal forum to get up-to-date with the latest industry news and developments, network with your peers and make the contacts you need to get ahead in this exciting new market. For more information or to register click here.

Three Wind Power Events in London (June 2012)

June 27, 2012 Add Comment Edit

Global Offshore Wind 2012 in London: On the 13th and 14th of June a conference will be held on wind energy in London, UK. This event is the world's first truly global offshore wind energy conference and exhibition. For more information or to register click here.

Introduction to Wind Resource Risk in London: On the 25th of June a conference will be held Green Power Academy in London, UK. This one day conference will address the introduction to the economics, practical challenges and technological solutions to quantifying and mitigating wind resource risk. For more information click here.

WindComms 2012 in London: On June 27th WindComms 2012 will be taking place in London, UK. This is the first and only meeting place for PR, public affairs and comms professionals to discuss how to meet challenges head-on and ensure the future success and sustainable growth of wind power in the energy mix. For more information or to register click here.

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Siemens is Grooming Sustainability Leaders Through Students for Sustainability

June 27, 2012 Add Comment Edit

Siemens is the world's largest provider of environmental technologies and they are helping to develop a new generation of sustainability leaders. Siemens brought six international student teams to Rio de Janeiro in order to present their sustainability-ideas to a panel of renowned experts. The winning teams will get assistance from Siemens in implementing their projects in their home country. The "Students for Sustainability" event is a joint effort by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Rio-based COPPE/UFRJ University and Siemens AG.

Students for Sustainability brought together people attending some of the world's leading universities to focus on sustainability issues. A wide range of new solutions were proposed including those that deal with energy, water and urbanization. The teams were from Rio, Beijing, Munich, Cambridge and Stellenbosch, University. These teams presented solutions to a panel consisting of Barbara Kux, and renowned experts from UNEP, the World Resource Institute and the Sustainability Forum Zurich.

The team from Tsinghua University, China, won the first prize for their project "Energy Shortages in China's Yangtze River Delta: Co-Management For Diesel Shortage and Waste Oil Pollution in Densely Populated Areas".

The team from Stellenbosch University, South Africa, received the second prize for their sustainability project "Sanitation and Infrastructure in Enkanini, South Africa: Local Communities as a Source of Innovation?" at the debate "Students for Sustainability". Barbara Kux (Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG) handed over the 3,000 EUR price which will go towards executing their project.

The two winning projects will receive awards to kick-start the implementation of their innovative solutions. Siemens will also continue to assist the winning teams with feedback and guidance.

© 2012, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Green Growth and Developing Countries OECD Consultation

June 27, 2012 1 Comment Edit

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) launched a consultation titled 'Green Growth and Developing Countries', was launched on June 17 at the Fair Ideas Forum, a Rio+20 side event, organized by the International Institute for Environment and Development. It involved high level discussions on a green economy draft document. Although the concept of a green economy has been heavily criticized by some developing countries, the goal is to reconcile the environment with economic growth and poverty reduction.

There are concerns that green economy policies could lead to new trade barriers and a corporate takeover of natural resources. The central problem is that the phrase has multiple definitions, and its mechanism (markets and pricing, government subsidies and regulation, government investment, capacity building, and stakeholder partnerships and collaboration) may be contradictory.

Although it is much misunderstood, green growth may be the best option for developing countries to achieve sustainable development.

Click here for the Green Growth and Developing Countries consultative draft report document (pdf).

© 2012, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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40 Eco-Apps that Put Technology to Work for the Environment

June 26, 2012 2 Comments Edit

Technology may not be a panacea to solve the climate crisis, but green applications (eco-apps) are helping to drive awareness and foster responsible action. There was a time when eco-apps did little more than provide lists of so-called “green” products and services. Now green-themed apps have turned mobile devices into portals for environmental education and sustainable action. The smartphone market share is now estimated to be more than 40 percent in the U.S. Around the world, smartphones are proliferating and green apps are growing along with them. Eco-apps can help people be more efficient and reduce their energy consumption.

There are a wide variety of energy apps including those that monitor efficiency and consumption. Apps help with things like recycling and other aspects of green living. Mobile and tablet based smart energy applications help consumers to optimize their energy and water consumption, monitor their appliances, water heater and other electronics. These apps can also monitor and operate HVAC, grey water (from rain), automated windows (shutters and blinds) and lighting systems. They can even provide information about renewable energy conversion and variable price grid management.

Here is a list of some of the best eco-apps compiled from a variety of sources including the Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, Living Green Magazine, Clean Techies, Good & Green Guides, ecofriend, Solar Energy and the Globe and Mail. Most of the Apps listed below are free or cost less than one dollar.

At the end of May 2012, the Department of Energy announced the winners of its Apps for Energy competition. Apps for Energy challenged developers to build applications that help consumers get the most out of their energy usage data. These apps were created using Green Button, which is an open standard for sharing electricity data of utility customers. The goal was to help consumers to understand and reduce their energy use.

The Apps for Energy competition had a few key goals. The first was to encourage open innovation around Green Button. With Apps for Energy, they challenged developers to leverage the enormous potential of Green Button data by building web and mobile applications that help homeowners and business understand their energy usage and take action, so they can save money by saving energy. As the number of utilities around the country offering Green Button data increases, the importance of these applications will continue to grow. Equally important is the effort to create a thriving, energy-focused developer community that is committed to using technology to address real-world challenges, like reducing energy waste.

Developers submitted more than 50 web and mobile-based applications for the competition. This wide range of apps ran the gamut from a program that helps commercial builders reduce energy waste, to a fun, social game that lets you compare your energy-usage to that of your friends.

First Prize went to LEAFULLY for an app that helps utility customers visualize their Green Button data as a variety of units, such as the amount of trees needed to offset an individual’s energy usage. This app is the brainchild of Seattle-based team, Timothy Edgar and Nathan Jhaver. This app calculates a user’s energy use and then displays the impact in terms of an equivalent number of trees. Users have four main views: overview, trends, calculator and ways to save.

The Leafully app compiles historical data for energy use (electricity, natural gas and miles driven) and provides hourly breakdowns. Leafully even addresses sleeping energy, efficient appliances and peak time use. The app also lets a user see the energy they are using from their utility and the impact if they were to use only renewable energy. Users sign into the app with their Facebook account, which encourages energy reduction competition amongst friends.

Second prize went to MELON for an app that evaluates the energy performance of commercial buildings to help building owners to obtain the Energy Star benchmark. DC-based startup Melon describes itself as the first company to utilize Green Button data to simplify the process of obtaining an ENERGY STAR benchmark for commercial buildings. The app uses Green Button to evaluate the energy performance of commercial buildings.

Third prize went to VELObill, which is similar to Leafully except it focuses on the cost of energy as opposed to the environmental impact. VELObill was created by Zerofootprint and it provides consumers with an easy to understand comprehensive picture of their energy use including how much they spend on gas, water and electricity, whether their bill has gone up or down, and how they compare to peers. In addition, VELObill shows consumers how to save money, who can provide them with help, and offers tools to manage their plan of action.

The first student prize went to WOTZ for an app that was submitted by a team of students at the University of California, Irvine. This app lets users explore and play with Green Button data. The app provides several games based on the “shape” of your data, and provides creative comparisons to illustrate your usage.

The second student prize went to BUDGET IT YOURSELFfor an app that is a collaborative project from a team of students at Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Institute of Art. The app helps users track their energy usage and make energy-savings goals.

Some other popular apps using Green Button include Innovative Solar Demand Response, Grid Fortune and iEnergy. To see the full range of diverse, innovative and engaging energy apps developed for the competition click here.

In the fall of 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the winners of their Apps for the Environment competition. The winner of the EPA’s “Best Overall App” was Light Bulb Finder by Adam Borut and Andrea Nylund of Eco Hatchery. Light Bulb Finder helps users switch from standard incandescent to energy-efficient light bulbs. With simple inputs about bulb and fixture types, the app recommends energy-saving bulbs with the right light quality, fit and style. Light Bulb Finder calculates financial payback and environmental impact. Energy-saving bulbs can be purchased via the app or at local stores.

The EPA’s runner up for Best Overall App was Hootroot by Matthew Kling of Brighter Planet. The Best Student App was EarthFriend by Will Fry and Ali Hasan of Fry Development Company and Differential Apps. The Best Student App runner up was Environmental Justice Participatory Mapping by Robert Sabie, Jr. of Western Washington University. The Popular Choice Award went to CG Search by Rajasekaran Bala of Cognizant Technology Solutions.

Other eco-apps include Green Genie, which is a complete guide to the sustainable lifestyle. Developed in collaboration with a LEED Accredited Professional and a professional sustainability consultant, this app offers more than just green tips, it is a massive collection of green projects and resources. Green Genie shows users how to reduce their impact and save money doing it.

Whirleo is the first game developed in conjunction with global eco-charity 1% for the Planet, it lets players control colorful, spinning tops on planet Rotopolis. As they travel, each Whirleo cleans up pollutants released by the begrimed Guzzler. Players swipe and tilt their touch-based smartphones and tablets to make tops whirl across land, sky and water. They locate hidden power-ups, discover magical crystals, solve puzzles and unlock new characters while learning about environmental issues.

Yoink is an app that reduces waste by providing a fast and easy way to find or give things away that may otherwise by thrown in the garbage. It employs an interactive map for local sourcing. There is no cost for this app and all that is required is a private message through the app to organize the pickup.

iamgreen’s Battery Saver is an app that allows users to adjust their battery settings to cut out unnecessary energy draining settings such as bright screens and unneeded Wi-Fi. It also includes an energy quiz, offers tips on saving energy and plants a tree with each purchase.

A wide range of apps are available that help people to reduce energy usage in the home. Such apps can remotely turn off appliances that use energy when they are not in use but remain plugged in. Research has shown that homeowners who are able to check how much electricity they are using in real time save an average of more than 10 percent almost immediately by turning off unnecessary lights and appliances.

The UFO Power Center is a power saving device that helps users to manage the energy use of home appliances, eliminate stand-by power, and save electricity. It provides real–time feedback which enables users to follow the energy consumption of each individual electrical device. It can automatically turn off appliances when not in use.

Meter Readings is an app for recording readings from electricity, gas and water meters. Based on manually entered data, it displays graphs and tables of weekly and monthly costs and year-to-year comparisons, predicts your next bill and helps check bill accuracy. The app can handle multiple meters.

Control4 is a home energy app that allows users to control everything from security, lighting, and temperature to music and video for homes with the Control4 system.

SunPowerSolar Management Systemapp is an innovative Solar Electric Home Energy Management System that lets you monitor energy produced from SunPower-branded solar systems in real time. SunPower® Monitoring provides on-the-go access to the information to help save on energy expenses. Homes with the SunPowersolar system connected to SunPower Monitoring can monitor the energy produced by this solar system in real-time, wherever you are.

The Wiser Home Control app allows anyone who owns a Wiser Home Control energy management system to control everything from lighting, security, climate and even camera monitoring can be controlled from their smartphone.

Kill-O-Watts is an app lets users calculate energy use and predict bills. Users must input power consumption data for individual devices (this information is usually supplied with new appliances, computers, etc.) or pick typical devices from a database that comes with the app. Then specify how many hours a day each is used and utility rates. Kill-O-Watts can then tell you every device’s monthly usage and cost.

Ecobee sells smart thermostats that have an app that allows users to adjust the thermostat remotely.

Watts Plus is an app that calculates approximately how much an appliance costs to run.

iGo Vampire Power Calculator helps you calculate how much electricity you may be wasting in each room of your home.

My Water Diary is an app that helps you track your weekly water consumption by tracking what you use for drinking, cooking, washing and more, so you can reduce your use and save money.

There is also an app to help people with their recycling. An app called My Recycle List is “a grocery list for recyclers” and aims to take “the pain out of recycling by making it straight forward to find recyclers with the least amount of trips.”

There is also an entire range of apps designed to encourage more efficient driving. Eco-apps even make it easier to make informed decisions about the purchase or lease of the most energy efficient vehicles. E-Cars Pocket Guide allows users can compare different cars on important elements such as electric driving range and battery capacity. These apps can even tell you how much it costs to drive an electric vehicle compared to a car with an internal combustion engine.

An app called greenMeter can be used the same way you would use a GPS. The app’s sensors record your speed and changes in acceleration tell you if you are driving efficiently. Following this app reduces speeding, rapid acceleration and braking, which can reduce gas mileage by one-third.

The GasHog app can facilitate your car’s overall fuel efficiency by offering a plethora of calculative features that can add up to your car’s overall fuel efficiency. The features include calculations (all in international standards) of the odometer reading, amount of fuel added, and total cost to generate the fuel economy of the tank. It also displays important tips on reducing the fuel consumption of the vehicle.

The Carticipate app is for ride sharing. All users need to do is input the data of their destination. This saves energy and makes driving more efficient.

The Good & Green Guides are sustainable travel guides that show inhabitants and tourists how to enjoy a city while taking care of the environment. The new sustainable travel guide has over 4200 rated sustainable points of interests. This first of its kind app responds to growing consumer demand for finding credible sustainable options. The criteria for what is included in a Good & Green Guide are strict, objective and transparent. Each point of interest is thoroughly researched and reviewed by local volunteers and students, then rated using the Good & Green Star System for three categories of sustainability – Good, Green and/or Great. The guides offer points of interest including fair trade shops, organic markets, yoga studios, aid organizations, vegetarian restaurants, eco-fashion shops, natural cosmetic shops, green hotels, and more. 23 different categories are organized into five easy to navigate chapters.

The What’s Fresh app integrates a dashboard, which shows locally available fruits and vegetables. You can search for seasonal natural delicacies and expand your search by radius distance. Moreover, the app also displays a calendar with yearly availability of fruits and vegetables with their growth relation to specified locations and their cultivation attributes.

The Locavoreapp is designed for both the gourmets and the gourmands.Locavore gives you a list of seasonal produce in a chronological week by week fashion. It also shows you locally available food commodities in farmer’s markets and restaurants, along with the foods-related government and NGO data (for each state). The informative scope is enhanced by Wikipedia articles and a myriad of recipes.

The GoodGuide app allows users to select the best of eco-friendly products.This app allows you to select the best of eco-friendly products with a detailed built-in rating system. GoodGuide is the world’s largest source of information about the health, social and environmental impacts of products and companies. A team of chemists, toxicologists, nutritionists, sociologists, and environmental lifecycle analysis experts rated over 150,000 consumer products. Barcode scanning reveals how a product scores on a scale of 0-10, and suggests better alternatives.

3rdWhale app is for green shoppers. It contains over 20,000 green businesses across 30 major cities in United States and Canada. Businesses included are vetted according to stringent selection criteria involving third party certifications and accreditations.

The Green Bootis an app that helps to provide funding for public lands and nature organizations. The user starts the app while running, hiking or walking in the wilderness or even on the treadmill. The app records the steps as a pedometer. Once finished, the user submits his or her steps and chooses the program that should benefit from the donation. As Green Boot tells it, “There are no actual funds given by the user. The funds are donated from the proceeds from the ad stream that is running while the user is signed in to the program. Therefore, the more users using the app, the more possible donations there are for organizations that really need it.”
The National Parks Conservation Association app provides a complete view of park wildlife, as well as a comprehensive ecosystem review of 50 national parks.

NASA’s chemical sniffing app has the ability to detect dangerous gaseous components. Developed by NASA, this app has a chemical sensor that can be connected to an iPhone to identify and reveal very small traces of chemicals like methane, ammonia, and chlorine gas.

This is only a tiny fraction of the plethora of eco-apps that are helping to turn handheld devices into mobile green machines. Some of these eco-apps have been around for years while others are new. The next generation of eco-apps will be even more effective at putting the power of technology to work for the environment.

Source: Global Warming is Real (http://s.tt/1dzYJ)

Mandatory Emissions Reporting on the UK Stock Exchange

June 26, 2012 Add Comment Edit

Starting in 2013, UK companies will have to report their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. At the Rio+20 conference in Rio, UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced that starting next April, companies that are listed on the London Stock Exchange will be required to publish their GHG emissions in corporate earnings reports. The rule affects about 1.800 businesses and in 2015, it will apply to all 24.000 large corporations based in the UK. Companies will be required to publish annual GHG emissions, measured in tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

“While nine out of 10 chief executives say sustainability is fundamental to their success, only two out of 10 record the resources they consume,” Clegg said. Many businesses are welcoming the common standard which will enable shareholders, investors and others to make comparisons. These new government regulations will provide greater clarity and transparency which will in turn help enhance energy efficiency initiatives.

“Counting your business costs while hiding your greenhouse gas emissions is a false economy,” he was quoted as saying in a statement issued by Britain's environment department. ”It saves companies money on energy bills, improves their reputation with customers and helps them manage their long-term costs, too.”

The London stock exchange may be at the head of a trend. The Nasdaq and four other stock exchanges said they would urge their 4.600-plus companies to produce sustainability reports.

© 2012, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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