Well competition is good and sustainability competition can be even better. FED EX and UPS are competing on cost and on sustainability and the rest of us benefit.
FedEx: Pushing the Envelope on Sustainability
By Marc Gunther
Published October 23, 2009
When you need to ship a package, how do you choose between FedEx and UPS? Their services are similar, if not identical. While I’ve never compared prices, I assume they are roughly equivalent.
Could the companies' sustainability practices come into play?
I’m told that they do, for select customers. Their employees care as well -- people want to work for companies that are helping to solve the world’s big problems, like climate change. Regulators could also be paying attention.
Whatever the explanation, FedEx and UPS are competing to become known as the most sustainable shipping company -- which means we’re all winners.
Mitch Jackson, who is staff director of environmental affairs and sustainability at FedEx, met with me recently to make the case on behalf of FedEx. He says the company has identified four “building blocks” of its approach to the environment. They are:
Leadership
Innovation
Performance
Transparency
FedEx has room to improve in all four areas, he admits, but he adds, pointedly:
Importantly, FedEx is the only company in our industry striving at all four simultaneously.
Take that, Brown.
Last month, after interviewing a sustainability executive from UPS, I blogged about the FedEx-UPS competition. (See UPS to FedEx: We’re Greener Than You.)
Understandably, FedEx asked for equal time, so I met with Jackson, a longtime FedEx executive (and speaker at FORTUNE’s Brainstorm Green conference) during his recent visit to Washington.
I can’t say that he persuaded me that FedEx is greener than UPS. You can make arguments on behalf of either firm, particularly because there’s lots of disagreement between them about what metrics to use. Newsweek’s very flawed rankings put UPS slightly ahead of FedEx. By contrast, a nonprofit called Climate Counts ranked shipping companies and gave FedEx the edge over UPS and the U.S. Post Office.
There’s also debate about who got going first when it comes to the environment. FedEx likes to talk about its ambitious and successful partnership with the Environmental Defense Fund to create a market for hybrid trucks, which began back in 2000.
This, Jackson said, makes FedEx the pioneer when it comes to alternative vehicles. UPS followed, helping the market for hybrids to grow. “When UPS decided to buy some hybrid-electric vehicles, candidly, we were thrilled,” he said. UPS’s retort? They’ve been using electric cars since the 1930s.
Enough tit-for-tat. What seems clear to me after talking to Jackson is that FedEx is doing a lot of things right when it comes to sustainability.
Some highlights:
FedEx has promised to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft by 20% by 2020, on a pound per available ton mile basis. It was the first U.S. shipping company to do so. “UPS would not have set a reduction goal if we hadn’t not it first,” Jackson says.
It has set a goal of improving the fuel economy of its vehicles by 20% by 2020.
It has created a corporate citizenship blog, signaling a willingness to be open and to engage with critics.
It has engaged constructively in Washington. FedEx CEO Fred Smith lobbied a few years ago for fuel-efficiency standards for commercial vehicles.
Having said that, it’s clear to me that many of the steps taken by both FedEx and UPS to reduce pollution and emissions are driven more by economics -- specifically, by a desire to save fuel -- than by climate change worries.
FedEx, for example, recently took delivery of its first Boeing 777 freighter, uses less fuel and produces fewer emissions than the rest of its fleet. Even better, it can fly from FedEx’s Memphis hub to China without having to stop for refueling in Anchorage, as its older planes do.
In the end, motivation isn’t the issue. As Jackson put it: “We try not to separate the issue of “green” from economics. They go together.”
What’s encouraging is the competition. When UPS and FedEx, Coca Cola and PepsiCo, HP and Dell compete around “green,” the environment is better off. UPS recently took the shipping rivalry to a new level by deciding to offer customers a “green” option of paying a small fee, between 5 and 20 cents, to offset the carbon emissions of their shipping. Here’s the announcement.
Your turn, FedEx
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
CSR Produces Winners
To me it is interesting that Honda and Toyota make the list and that Fed EX and UPS both make the list. Every one of these is on somebody's stock pick list. These are all top of class companies. I guess reputation means customers and revenue but these companies also make money. Some notables that are missing are Walmart and Interface. Walmart has made a valiant effort in sustainability but has not overcome it's issues with employees benefits and wages and communities that perhaps think there are some losers when Walmart comes to town. Interface, I think is just not a household name, but their focus is green not the social aspects of CSR. Now if we could get a list for Green companies that are CSR leaders, that would be a list.
Walt Disney Co., Microsoft and Google Deemed CSR LeadersBy GreenBiz Staff
Published October 16, 2009
CHESTNUT HILL, MA — With public trust in Wall Street at an all-time low, consumer facing companies ranked higher for their ethics, citizenship and workplace practices, according to a new analysis from the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship and Reputation Institute.
Walt Disney Co. found itself at the top of the heap, followed by Microsoft, Google, Honda and Johnson & Johnson.
The institute created the index based on survey results from its Boston College-Reputation Institute 2009 Global Reputation Study, which captures public perception about corporate CSR practices. Consumer brands made up the bulk of the Top 50 companies (PDF) in the index, while banking, finance, oil and gas, utilities and telecommunications ranked below the global average.
Related News & Blogs
"While the overall reputation of the American business sector has been tarnished with a broad brush, many individual companies still stand out as responsible leaders in the eyes of the public," Chris Pinney, director of research and policy at the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, said in a statement. "To build a reputation as a leader in corporate social responsibility, companies should focus on strong governance practices, positive working conditions, and a commitment to supporting the needs of communities and the environment."
A new trend in the index is the addition of seven value-conscious retailers since the 2008 list was compiled: Target, JCPenney, Kroger, Kohl's and BJ's Wholesale Club. Publix, Coscto and Lowe's made the Top 50 last year.
The Top 20
1. Walt Disney Co.
2. Microsoft
3. Google
4. Honda of America Manufacturing
5. Johnson & Johnson
6. PepsiCo
7. General Mills
8. Kraft Foods
9. Campbell Soup Co.
10. FedEx
11. UPS
12. Toyota
13. Apple
14. Berkshire Hathaway
15. Costco Wholesale
16. Colgate-Palmolive
17. Cisco
18. Procter & Gamble
19. Levi Strauss
20. Kimberly-Clark
Walt Disney Co., Microsoft and Google Deemed CSR LeadersBy GreenBiz Staff
Published October 16, 2009
CHESTNUT HILL, MA — With public trust in Wall Street at an all-time low, consumer facing companies ranked higher for their ethics, citizenship and workplace practices, according to a new analysis from the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship and Reputation Institute.
Walt Disney Co. found itself at the top of the heap, followed by Microsoft, Google, Honda and Johnson & Johnson.
The institute created the index based on survey results from its Boston College-Reputation Institute 2009 Global Reputation Study, which captures public perception about corporate CSR practices. Consumer brands made up the bulk of the Top 50 companies (PDF) in the index, while banking, finance, oil and gas, utilities and telecommunications ranked below the global average.
Related News & Blogs
"While the overall reputation of the American business sector has been tarnished with a broad brush, many individual companies still stand out as responsible leaders in the eyes of the public," Chris Pinney, director of research and policy at the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, said in a statement. "To build a reputation as a leader in corporate social responsibility, companies should focus on strong governance practices, positive working conditions, and a commitment to supporting the needs of communities and the environment."
A new trend in the index is the addition of seven value-conscious retailers since the 2008 list was compiled: Target, JCPenney, Kroger, Kohl's and BJ's Wholesale Club. Publix, Coscto and Lowe's made the Top 50 last year.
The Top 20
1. Walt Disney Co.
2. Microsoft
3. Google
4. Honda of America Manufacturing
5. Johnson & Johnson
6. PepsiCo
7. General Mills
8. Kraft Foods
9. Campbell Soup Co.
10. FedEx
11. UPS
12. Toyota
13. Apple
14. Berkshire Hathaway
15. Costco Wholesale
16. Colgate-Palmolive
17. Cisco
18. Procter & Gamble
19. Levi Strauss
20. Kimberly-Clark
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Produce Electricity while you drive???
I had a friend a few months back come up with an idea for harvesting energy from vehicles moving over tanks of water, much like ice over a lake. I was impressed with the idea, however it did not seem like there was a very effective way to recover the energy. However, here is the same idea again. Instead of water, this more elegant solution uses piezoelectric materials. I would not be surprised to see this actually put to use. Gary,if you are still out there, take a look at the idea below. Piezoelectric materials are real.
Produce Electricity While You Drive
October 7th, 2009 -
This can be achieved by using piezoelectric materials under busy roads. The property is aptly known as piezoelectricity and it’s the ability to produce electric power in response to applied mechanical stress, and in this case this stress is the movement of vehicles on the roads. The concept was originally developed by Innowattech and now the company is laying down a sort of test road in Israel. Is it a solution to the global energy and environment crisis? It could very well be.
According to Innowattech (in fact, it should be common knowledge) massive amounts of mechanical energy go waste when millions of vehicles move on the roads. The piezoelectric generators harvest that energy and save them in roadside batteries that can be used by people. This process is also known as Parasitic Energy harvesting.
Under the upper asphalt there is a layer of piezoelectric crystals that produce electricity when squeezed.
According to people at Innowattech the Piezo Electric Generator (IPEG™) should be able to produce 200KWh, while a four-lane highway would produce about 1MWh of electricity, per kilometer, enough to provide power to 2500 households. Considering that Israel has about 250 kilometers of roadways suitable for the technology, in terms of volumes of traffic, and the mass of vehicles taking the roads, you can very well imagine how much electricity can be produced.
The same technology can be implemented on airport runaways and rail systems. The system also has the capacity to deliver real-time data on the weight, frequency and speed of passing vehicles as well as the spacing between vehicles.
Although initially revealed last year, this is a really exciting project and large green energy corporations and environmental organizations are closely monitoring its progress. No infrastructure is required. You don’t need to set up wind farms or solar panels and use up vast areas. You simply have to use the roads that you already have.
“The technology is based on piezoelectric materials that enable the conversion of mechanical energy exerted by the weight of passing vehicles into electrical energy. As far as the drivers are concerned, the road is the same,” according to Dr. Lucy Edery-Azulay, the project manager.
Produce Electricity While You Drive
October 7th, 2009 -
This can be achieved by using piezoelectric materials under busy roads. The property is aptly known as piezoelectricity and it’s the ability to produce electric power in response to applied mechanical stress, and in this case this stress is the movement of vehicles on the roads. The concept was originally developed by Innowattech and now the company is laying down a sort of test road in Israel. Is it a solution to the global energy and environment crisis? It could very well be.
According to Innowattech (in fact, it should be common knowledge) massive amounts of mechanical energy go waste when millions of vehicles move on the roads. The piezoelectric generators harvest that energy and save them in roadside batteries that can be used by people. This process is also known as Parasitic Energy harvesting.
Under the upper asphalt there is a layer of piezoelectric crystals that produce electricity when squeezed.
According to people at Innowattech the Piezo Electric Generator (IPEG™) should be able to produce 200KWh, while a four-lane highway would produce about 1MWh of electricity, per kilometer, enough to provide power to 2500 households. Considering that Israel has about 250 kilometers of roadways suitable for the technology, in terms of volumes of traffic, and the mass of vehicles taking the roads, you can very well imagine how much electricity can be produced.
The same technology can be implemented on airport runaways and rail systems. The system also has the capacity to deliver real-time data on the weight, frequency and speed of passing vehicles as well as the spacing between vehicles.
Although initially revealed last year, this is a really exciting project and large green energy corporations and environmental organizations are closely monitoring its progress. No infrastructure is required. You don’t need to set up wind farms or solar panels and use up vast areas. You simply have to use the roads that you already have.
“The technology is based on piezoelectric materials that enable the conversion of mechanical energy exerted by the weight of passing vehicles into electrical energy. As far as the drivers are concerned, the road is the same,” according to Dr. Lucy Edery-Azulay, the project manager.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Sustainability and CSR
As individuals, organizations, or governments we all must act responsibly to survive and prosper. This is the essence of sustainability and corporate social responsibility. You cannot be responsible without being sustainable and you cannot be sustainable without being responsible. As a result, it is good policy to combine the two.
Sustainability involves considering the future and it involves taking responsibility for our actions. Superior corporate governance, business ethics, community support, environmental protection, human rights policies, as well as how one deals with workplace issues, and executes sustainable services are all part of being sustainable. Of course we all realize there is nothing that is 100% sustainable and no individual or organization can be 100% sustainable. It is through continuous improvement that we can all become more sustainable, more responsible and more likely to survive and prosper.
However, because sustainability is a path and not a destination, it is easy to get lost. I once read something that said that because sustainability involves our ability to survive and prosper in the future, people are passionate about it. Leaders find it easy to find followers who will pursue sustainability, but leaders need to be careful, they must have a plan or they will fail. The point is that there are lots of sustainable actions that don’t take you far down the path. It takes a plan to make significant improvement. I believe the elements of that plan involve four important things, association, measuring, reporting, and development of the tools, techniques, and practices you will need to implement more sustainable actions. We need to associate with thought leaders and join organizations that identify and promote best practices. In order to know how far down the path you have gone, you need to measure your progress according to accepted international protocols. To maintain transparency and help yourself and others understand your progress, you need to also report your progress according to accepted protocols. And, you will need to develop tools and techniques to help you do your work in a way that results in more sustainable internal operations and services to your customers.
There are three important places to focus your attention and you will need to work in all three areas. They are you, your supply chain, and your customers. First, you will need to have a plan to improve everything you do so you do it more responsibly and more sustainably. This is the focus you will have on your internal operations. Find out where you are and set goals for improvement. Second, focus on your supply chain. Find out how you can influence the things you buy to be more sustainable. Have a procurement policy that focuses attention on all the sustainability and CSR issues. Third, your customers will use your services and the products or projects that result from them over a lifetime. They will want you to not only consider sustainability and CSR in the things you supply and how you supply them but they will also want to know that the resulting projects will operate sustainably throughout their lifetime.
Remember the focus is on continuous improvement, so the plan must include how you will identify baselines and set improvement goals, how you will measure improvement, and how you will report to employees, suppliers, customers and all of your stakeholders. The plan should also focus on how you will identify and communicate with stakeholders to find and create best practices. Your plan should identify whether you want to be a leader, helping to develop training, certifications, and best practices or whether you want to be a follower using these things developed by others.
Sustainability involves considering the future and it involves taking responsibility for our actions. Superior corporate governance, business ethics, community support, environmental protection, human rights policies, as well as how one deals with workplace issues, and executes sustainable services are all part of being sustainable. Of course we all realize there is nothing that is 100% sustainable and no individual or organization can be 100% sustainable. It is through continuous improvement that we can all become more sustainable, more responsible and more likely to survive and prosper.
However, because sustainability is a path and not a destination, it is easy to get lost. I once read something that said that because sustainability involves our ability to survive and prosper in the future, people are passionate about it. Leaders find it easy to find followers who will pursue sustainability, but leaders need to be careful, they must have a plan or they will fail. The point is that there are lots of sustainable actions that don’t take you far down the path. It takes a plan to make significant improvement. I believe the elements of that plan involve four important things, association, measuring, reporting, and development of the tools, techniques, and practices you will need to implement more sustainable actions. We need to associate with thought leaders and join organizations that identify and promote best practices. In order to know how far down the path you have gone, you need to measure your progress according to accepted international protocols. To maintain transparency and help yourself and others understand your progress, you need to also report your progress according to accepted protocols. And, you will need to develop tools and techniques to help you do your work in a way that results in more sustainable internal operations and services to your customers.
There are three important places to focus your attention and you will need to work in all three areas. They are you, your supply chain, and your customers. First, you will need to have a plan to improve everything you do so you do it more responsibly and more sustainably. This is the focus you will have on your internal operations. Find out where you are and set goals for improvement. Second, focus on your supply chain. Find out how you can influence the things you buy to be more sustainable. Have a procurement policy that focuses attention on all the sustainability and CSR issues. Third, your customers will use your services and the products or projects that result from them over a lifetime. They will want you to not only consider sustainability and CSR in the things you supply and how you supply them but they will also want to know that the resulting projects will operate sustainably throughout their lifetime.
Remember the focus is on continuous improvement, so the plan must include how you will identify baselines and set improvement goals, how you will measure improvement, and how you will report to employees, suppliers, customers and all of your stakeholders. The plan should also focus on how you will identify and communicate with stakeholders to find and create best practices. Your plan should identify whether you want to be a leader, helping to develop training, certifications, and best practices or whether you want to be a follower using these things developed by others.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
ICLEI and its Five Milestones
I have written about ICLEI and the Star Community Program previously. They seem to be making progress at identifying standards that can be used to measure attributes and characteristics that will lead to more sustainable communities. Their five point plan below makes sense and comes from the school of thought that says you need to measure something if you want to manage it and you need a plan so you know what to measure. It should work for any type of organization even though it is being used to develop more sustainable local governments.
Five Milestones for Sustainability
ICLEI’s Five Milestones for Sustainability provide a simple, standardized means of assessing sustainability challenges, establishing goals, developing and implementing a plan and monitoring, measuring and reporting performance.
ICLEI's Five Milestones provide a simple, standardized means of assessing sustainability challenges, establishing goals, developing and implementing a plan, and monitoring, measuring and reporting performance.
The methodology underlying the Five Milestones for Sustainability is based on the Five Milestones for Climate Mitigation and involves a more broad process for addressing both climate and sustainability.
Local governments that wish to develop a plan that not only addresses greenhouse gas emissions reductions, but also includes related measures to improve local sustainability, should follow the Five Milestones for Sustainability. The Five Milestones for Sustainability also complement the STAR Community Index, which is currently in development. Local governments will be able to follow the Milestones while also receiving credits through the STAR rating system.
Getting StartedPrior to launching into the Five Milestone process, you should take a few preliminary steps to get organized and to make a commitment. The chief elected official should publicly commit to developing a sustainability plan and should appoint someone to coordinate the planning process, typically a sustainability coordinator. To guide the plan development, local governments should form an external sustainability advisory board along with an interdepartmental team to participate in the development of the plan.
Milestone One: Conduct a sustainability assessmentTo begin the planning process, a local government needs to first research and assess environmental, economic, and social equity challenges within the jurisdiction, and the programs in place to address these issues. The sustainability assessment includes a greenhouse gas emissions inventory and forecast for local government operations and the community as a whole and takes into account other key sustainability indicators. The assessment is used to gather baseline data and to identify the challenges to be addressed in the plan. Local governments will be able to use the indicators in the STAR Community Index to help them define the scope of their plan.
Milestone Two: Set sustainability goalsThe sustainability goals define the overarching objectives and scope of the sustainability plan. The goals should address the challenges identified in Milestone One. The type and number of goals can vary by jurisdiction, but they should include an emissions reduction target along with other goals addressing issues such as affordable housing, natural resources conservation, or public transportation.
Milestone Three: Develop a sustainability planThe local government then develops a sustainability plan, ideally with robust public input from all stakeholders. The plan details the policies and measures that the local government will take to improve local sustainability and achieve the goals defined in Milestone Two. Most plans include a timeline, a description of financing mechanisms, and an assignment of responsibility to departments and staff. Milestone Three should involve a public participation component to solicit ideas from the public and to receive feedback from the public on measures being considered for the plan.
Milestone Four: Implement the sustainability planThe local government implements the policies and measures in the sustainability plan. Typical policies and measures include initiatives often found in a climate action plan, such as energy efficiency improvements to municipal buildings and water treatment facilities, streetlight retrofits, public transit improvements, installation of renewable power applications, and methane recovery from waste management. Other initiatives could include creating more park space, developing affordable housing, or creating a green jobs workforce development program.
Milestone Five: Monitor and evaluate progressMonitoring and verifying implementation progress is an ongoing process. Achieving Milestone Five involves annually reporting on implementation progress and monitoring the overall sustainability of the jurisdiction using the sustainability indicators identified in Milestone One.
Five Milestones for Sustainability
ICLEI’s Five Milestones for Sustainability provide a simple, standardized means of assessing sustainability challenges, establishing goals, developing and implementing a plan and monitoring, measuring and reporting performance.
ICLEI's Five Milestones provide a simple, standardized means of assessing sustainability challenges, establishing goals, developing and implementing a plan, and monitoring, measuring and reporting performance.
The methodology underlying the Five Milestones for Sustainability is based on the Five Milestones for Climate Mitigation and involves a more broad process for addressing both climate and sustainability.
Local governments that wish to develop a plan that not only addresses greenhouse gas emissions reductions, but also includes related measures to improve local sustainability, should follow the Five Milestones for Sustainability. The Five Milestones for Sustainability also complement the STAR Community Index, which is currently in development. Local governments will be able to follow the Milestones while also receiving credits through the STAR rating system.
Getting StartedPrior to launching into the Five Milestone process, you should take a few preliminary steps to get organized and to make a commitment. The chief elected official should publicly commit to developing a sustainability plan and should appoint someone to coordinate the planning process, typically a sustainability coordinator. To guide the plan development, local governments should form an external sustainability advisory board along with an interdepartmental team to participate in the development of the plan.
Milestone One: Conduct a sustainability assessmentTo begin the planning process, a local government needs to first research and assess environmental, economic, and social equity challenges within the jurisdiction, and the programs in place to address these issues. The sustainability assessment includes a greenhouse gas emissions inventory and forecast for local government operations and the community as a whole and takes into account other key sustainability indicators. The assessment is used to gather baseline data and to identify the challenges to be addressed in the plan. Local governments will be able to use the indicators in the STAR Community Index to help them define the scope of their plan.
Milestone Two: Set sustainability goalsThe sustainability goals define the overarching objectives and scope of the sustainability plan. The goals should address the challenges identified in Milestone One. The type and number of goals can vary by jurisdiction, but they should include an emissions reduction target along with other goals addressing issues such as affordable housing, natural resources conservation, or public transportation.
Milestone Three: Develop a sustainability planThe local government then develops a sustainability plan, ideally with robust public input from all stakeholders. The plan details the policies and measures that the local government will take to improve local sustainability and achieve the goals defined in Milestone Two. Most plans include a timeline, a description of financing mechanisms, and an assignment of responsibility to departments and staff. Milestone Three should involve a public participation component to solicit ideas from the public and to receive feedback from the public on measures being considered for the plan.
Milestone Four: Implement the sustainability planThe local government implements the policies and measures in the sustainability plan. Typical policies and measures include initiatives often found in a climate action plan, such as energy efficiency improvements to municipal buildings and water treatment facilities, streetlight retrofits, public transit improvements, installation of renewable power applications, and methane recovery from waste management. Other initiatives could include creating more park space, developing affordable housing, or creating a green jobs workforce development program.
Milestone Five: Monitor and evaluate progressMonitoring and verifying implementation progress is an ongoing process. Achieving Milestone Five involves annually reporting on implementation progress and monitoring the overall sustainability of the jurisdiction using the sustainability indicators identified in Milestone One.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Coal Companies Support Waxman-Markey
I have been noticing leaders in the industry, those that offer a vision and I notice their actions, especially when they stick to their values. These moves by Alsthom and Duke speak mostly about the values of these corporations.
The joint letter mentioned at the bottom of the page also speaks volumes. Notice PG&E, Dupont, and FPL are there again.
Alstom Follows in Duke's Footsteps by Leaving Clean Coal GroupBy ClimateBiz Staff
Published September 10, 2009
OAKLAND, CA — A controversial clean-coal trade association lost another member Wednesday over its opposition to climate change legislation currently moving through Congress.
French firm Alstom Power will reportedly leave the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE), a week after Duke Energy quit because some members of the group refuse to support the American Clean Energy and Security Act.
Also known as the Waxman-Markey climate change bill, the legislation is designed to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, and by 83 percent by 2050, largely driven by a cap-and-trade program involving the country's largest emitters.
Alstom Power, an equipment and service provider for the electric power generation and rail transport sectors, told ClimateWire it was withdrawing from ACCCE to "remove any doubt about our full support" for the Waxman-Markey bill.
The legislation has created a fault line splitting the business commNunity, with groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) on one side working to ignite opposition to the bill, while corporations on the other side have joined forces to create pro-legislation groups, including the U.S. Climate Action Partnership and Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy. General Electric and Caterpillar remain members of both ACCCE and the U.S. Climate Action Partnership.
Duke Energy, one of the country's biggest utilities and largest users of coal, has been a steady proponent of climate change legislation in the U.S., which led to it breaking ranks with NAM in the Spring, citing budgetary reasons and a difference in opinion in the climate change debate.
Waxman-Markey opponents have courted controversy recently with their efforts to derail the bill, such as the American Petroleum Industry's recruitment of energy sector workers to rally against it at public forums. The Chamber, already at odds with some of its members, made headlines late last month over trying to force the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to hold a public trial on climate change science, reminiscent of the notorious Scopes Trial of the early 20th century over the teaching of evolution in U.S. public schools. ACCCE was linked to a series of forged letters sent to member of Congress purporting to be from community groups opposed to the Waxman-Markey bill.
"The coal industry has been actively fighting clean energy jobs legislation using any means necessary, including contracting with groups connected to admitted forgery scandals and ethically questionable astroturf campaigns," Bruce Nills, director of Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign, said in a statement Wednesday. "Today's announcement by Alstom is just more confirmation that ACCCE has gone too far -- that the thin veneer of concern about the future of our country has cracked to reveal only concern for preserving the dirty status quo for coal."
Meanwhile, a group of a dozen major U.S. corporations sent an open letter this week to the U.S. Senate calling for climate change legislation and describing how their efforts to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions have improved their bottom lines.
"With this joint letter, we wish to make clear to the American public and their elected officials that leading voices in the business community believe it is in the best interest for the U.S. to act swiftly to address climate change," the companies wrote. "Passing legislation to cap greenhouse gas emissions will send a strong signal to the private sector unleashing new business opportunities, leveling the playing field for all U.S. businesses and ensuring that the U.S. economy can compete in growing global markets for clean energy."
Signatories include Bumble Bee Foods, Dell, DuPont, FPL, Google, HP, Johnson & Johnson, JohnsonDiversey, Levi Strauss & Co., Nike, PG&E Corp., and Xanterra Parks and Resorts.
The joint letter mentioned at the bottom of the page also speaks volumes. Notice PG&E, Dupont, and FPL are there again.
Alstom Follows in Duke's Footsteps by Leaving Clean Coal GroupBy ClimateBiz Staff
Published September 10, 2009
OAKLAND, CA — A controversial clean-coal trade association lost another member Wednesday over its opposition to climate change legislation currently moving through Congress.
French firm Alstom Power will reportedly leave the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE), a week after Duke Energy quit because some members of the group refuse to support the American Clean Energy and Security Act.
Also known as the Waxman-Markey climate change bill, the legislation is designed to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, and by 83 percent by 2050, largely driven by a cap-and-trade program involving the country's largest emitters.
Alstom Power, an equipment and service provider for the electric power generation and rail transport sectors, told ClimateWire it was withdrawing from ACCCE to "remove any doubt about our full support" for the Waxman-Markey bill.
The legislation has created a fault line splitting the business commNunity, with groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) on one side working to ignite opposition to the bill, while corporations on the other side have joined forces to create pro-legislation groups, including the U.S. Climate Action Partnership and Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy. General Electric and Caterpillar remain members of both ACCCE and the U.S. Climate Action Partnership.
Duke Energy, one of the country's biggest utilities and largest users of coal, has been a steady proponent of climate change legislation in the U.S., which led to it breaking ranks with NAM in the Spring, citing budgetary reasons and a difference in opinion in the climate change debate.
Waxman-Markey opponents have courted controversy recently with their efforts to derail the bill, such as the American Petroleum Industry's recruitment of energy sector workers to rally against it at public forums. The Chamber, already at odds with some of its members, made headlines late last month over trying to force the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to hold a public trial on climate change science, reminiscent of the notorious Scopes Trial of the early 20th century over the teaching of evolution in U.S. public schools. ACCCE was linked to a series of forged letters sent to member of Congress purporting to be from community groups opposed to the Waxman-Markey bill.
"The coal industry has been actively fighting clean energy jobs legislation using any means necessary, including contracting with groups connected to admitted forgery scandals and ethically questionable astroturf campaigns," Bruce Nills, director of Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign, said in a statement Wednesday. "Today's announcement by Alstom is just more confirmation that ACCCE has gone too far -- that the thin veneer of concern about the future of our country has cracked to reveal only concern for preserving the dirty status quo for coal."
Meanwhile, a group of a dozen major U.S. corporations sent an open letter this week to the U.S. Senate calling for climate change legislation and describing how their efforts to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions have improved their bottom lines.
"With this joint letter, we wish to make clear to the American public and their elected officials that leading voices in the business community believe it is in the best interest for the U.S. to act swiftly to address climate change," the companies wrote. "Passing legislation to cap greenhouse gas emissions will send a strong signal to the private sector unleashing new business opportunities, leveling the playing field for all U.S. businesses and ensuring that the U.S. economy can compete in growing global markets for clean energy."
Signatories include Bumble Bee Foods, Dell, DuPont, FPL, Google, HP, Johnson & Johnson, JohnsonDiversey, Levi Strauss & Co., Nike, PG&E Corp., and Xanterra Parks and Resorts.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Some Thoughts on Sustainability
It is difficult for many to focus on sustainability. Here are some thoughts that might help
More and more people are becoming aware of and adopting sustainable practices everyday. That includes corporations, governments and individuals. Almost every person or organization can think of things they routinely do that contribute toward sustainability. Yet most of us still have trouble identifying something that is sustainable. That is because sustainable is not a state that can be achieved, rather it is a place that we are trying to get to. One individual can perform more or fewer actions that contribute to sustainability than another and you can be more sustainable today or tomorrow than you were yesterday, but you cannot be judged to be completely sustainable.
However, as more and more individuals and organizations strive to be more sustainable, organizations have identified a need to try to better define what constitutes a more sustainable action, methods to identify sustainable buildings, and ways to certify people as being more knowledgeable about sustainable practices. Other organizations are adopting standards and protocols for degrees of sustainability or aspects of sustainability, whether these are ways to measure a carbon footprint, to assign energy ratings to facilities or to define the friendliness of a consumer product. At the same time, methods and approaches are being established to report and measure the degree to which corporations are socially responsible. All of these approaches help us measure our progress as we continually improve on our progress to be more sustainable.
It is also true that we all are each progressing on the path toward sustainability at a different speed. Each of us is willing to invest more or less time or money to achieve perceived sustainability goals depending on our own personal or corporate or community values. Not everyone views the achievement or the investment required the same way. In fact that is another aspect of Sustainability, the focus on the future. Some will attach more significance to future or potential achievements than others will. My personal view of sustainability is that I am more aware of potential benefits of sustainable practices every day, I am more aware of ways to measure my progress toward sustainability every day and I seek to adopt more sustainable practices and invest more time and more money in future benefits every day. Corporations are similar, some are more or less aware and more or less willing to invest in the future. And corporations evolve and change based on the attitudes of their stakeholders. Their customers, employees, their suppliers and those their products or services impact all influence an organization.
Because of this it is difficult for an organization to identify a specific level of sustainability it wants to achieve. Organizations, instead must focus on identifying sustainable practices they want to adopt and sustainability metrics that help them identify their progress, and it is not reasonable for them to impose their specific values and practices on others they can only suggest best practices and offer customers methods to compare themselves to others. A project can be more or less efficient than an alternative, or an organization can seek to implement more or fewer community benefits than they did on a previous project, or a calculation can be made on a life cycle rather than a first cost basis. These things will make one more sustainable tomorrow than they were yesterday and that is my goal. I hope to help others identify the opportunities we all have for continuous improvement. Sometimes a customer will just do better than he did last time and sometimes he will create a new best practice for his industry. My job is to ask him if he needs more information, how he wants to measure himself and to suggest how he might improve against his baseline measure.
More and more people are becoming aware of and adopting sustainable practices everyday. That includes corporations, governments and individuals. Almost every person or organization can think of things they routinely do that contribute toward sustainability. Yet most of us still have trouble identifying something that is sustainable. That is because sustainable is not a state that can be achieved, rather it is a place that we are trying to get to. One individual can perform more or fewer actions that contribute to sustainability than another and you can be more sustainable today or tomorrow than you were yesterday, but you cannot be judged to be completely sustainable.
However, as more and more individuals and organizations strive to be more sustainable, organizations have identified a need to try to better define what constitutes a more sustainable action, methods to identify sustainable buildings, and ways to certify people as being more knowledgeable about sustainable practices. Other organizations are adopting standards and protocols for degrees of sustainability or aspects of sustainability, whether these are ways to measure a carbon footprint, to assign energy ratings to facilities or to define the friendliness of a consumer product. At the same time, methods and approaches are being established to report and measure the degree to which corporations are socially responsible. All of these approaches help us measure our progress as we continually improve on our progress to be more sustainable.
It is also true that we all are each progressing on the path toward sustainability at a different speed. Each of us is willing to invest more or less time or money to achieve perceived sustainability goals depending on our own personal or corporate or community values. Not everyone views the achievement or the investment required the same way. In fact that is another aspect of Sustainability, the focus on the future. Some will attach more significance to future or potential achievements than others will. My personal view of sustainability is that I am more aware of potential benefits of sustainable practices every day, I am more aware of ways to measure my progress toward sustainability every day and I seek to adopt more sustainable practices and invest more time and more money in future benefits every day. Corporations are similar, some are more or less aware and more or less willing to invest in the future. And corporations evolve and change based on the attitudes of their stakeholders. Their customers, employees, their suppliers and those their products or services impact all influence an organization.
Because of this it is difficult for an organization to identify a specific level of sustainability it wants to achieve. Organizations, instead must focus on identifying sustainable practices they want to adopt and sustainability metrics that help them identify their progress, and it is not reasonable for them to impose their specific values and practices on others they can only suggest best practices and offer customers methods to compare themselves to others. A project can be more or less efficient than an alternative, or an organization can seek to implement more or fewer community benefits than they did on a previous project, or a calculation can be made on a life cycle rather than a first cost basis. These things will make one more sustainable tomorrow than they were yesterday and that is my goal. I hope to help others identify the opportunities we all have for continuous improvement. Sometimes a customer will just do better than he did last time and sometimes he will create a new best practice for his industry. My job is to ask him if he needs more information, how he wants to measure himself and to suggest how he might improve against his baseline measure.
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