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Author |
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Section |
ReGeneration Roadtrip: Saving the planet, one borough at a time
Greening the South Bronx and empowering its community with Green Worker Cooperatives |
Sarah van Schagen |
08 Oct 2008 |
Gristmill |
| This is a guest post from my travel partner, Todd Dwyer, head blogger for Dell's ReGeneration.org. ----- After spending 35 years of her life punching the clock for someone else, South Bronx resident Gloria Walker is ready to start working for herself. Fortunately for her, there's an organization in her neighborhood devoted not only to giving people like her their shot at business ownership, but also at making South Bronx a model for grassroots green ... |
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| Topics: business, economy, environmental movement, grassroots activism, green jobs, New York City, ReGeneration Roadtrip, video (all these topics) |
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ReGeneration Roadtrip: There's no green business like show business
Film Biz Recycling aims to roll credits on the wasteful film industry |
Sarah van Schagen |
08 Oct 2008 |
Gristmill |
| When a director yells 'cut!' on the set of a TV show, commercial, or feature-length film, the cameras may stop rolling but production is far from over. While editors are looking at raw footage, producers are eyeing premiere numbers, and actors are reading over new scripts, someone else is tearing down the sets and getting props off the lot. But where does this stuff end up? Too often, it's the landfill, says Eva Radke, founder of Film Biz Recycling. ... |
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| Topics: business, green living, movies, recycling, ReGeneration Roadtrip, video (all these topics) |
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Cap-and-train
How to actually deliver green-collar jobs to those who need them |
Alan Durning |
07 Oct 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Over the next few decades, converting the Pacific Northwest to a place of compact, walkable communities that run on superefficient, renewable energy system -- a climate-safe economy -- will be a lot of work: paid work. But for all the exciting announcements of solar jobs and green-tech investment that pepper the newspapers, the skill sets of today's workers are not yet aligned with the needs of this future. In previous posts in this series, I have described thre ... |
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| Topics: business, economy, education, green jobs, Washington (all these topics) |
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Sustaining what, and for whom?
Christine MacDonald on Big Green NGOs and soy expansion in Brazil |
Tom Philpott |
06 Oct 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Cargill and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) have a long-standing relationship dating back to the 1980s. Cargill and TNC share a mutual interest in developing science-based, improved agricultural management practices that guarantee the productivity and enduring health of the ecosystem and landscape. -- From a joint Cargill/TNC document [PDF] dated February 2006 --- In her new book Green Inc., Christine MacDonald argues that that large environmental NGOs have compromis ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, Big Ag, books, Brazil, business, environmental movement (all these topics) |
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A Drop in the Starbucket
Starbucks accused of big-time water-wasting |
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06 Oct 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 1:25 PM on 06 Oct 2008 Starbucks wastes some 6.2 million gallons of water each day through a health policy that requires a constantly running tap at each store, says a breathless indictment in British tabloid The Sun. A Starbucks spokesperson confirms the use of a dipper well, which uses "a stream of continuous cold fresh-running water to rinse away food residue, help keep utensils clean, and prevent bacterial g ... |
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| Topics: business, food, green living, news, water crisis (all these topics) |
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How is Lehman Brothers like a cod fish?
We have another billion-dollar resource at risk: the ocean |
Andrew Sharpless |
06 Oct 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The financial collapse of the past couple of weeks offers striking parallels to the collapse of ocean wildlife. How is what's happening in Wall Street and in financial capitals around the world like what's happening in our seas?Lehman Brothers and Canadian cod aren't coming backThe word 'collapse' appears in nearly every thoughtful report on the financial crisis, and it's also a common metaphor in the scientific reports on fishery depletion. It's accurate in bot ... |
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| Topics: business, economy, fishing, oceans, Wall Street (all these topics) |
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On Your Markets, Get Set, Grow!
Carbon offsets still booming despite financial crisis |
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06 Oct 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 5:55 AM on 06 Oct 2008 The carbon-offset market in the United States is still booming despite the financial crisis, with offset sellers reporting continued gains even in the face of rising offset prices. Analysts say the carbon market's relative strength could mean consumers' green guilt knows no bounds or that the country's recent economic troubles have not hit most would-be offset buyers -- typical ... |
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| Topics: business, carbon offsets, climate, news, United States (all these topics) |
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U.S. hits solar snooze button
Sharp to boost thin-film solar capacity six-fold to 6,000 MW by 2014 |
Joseph Romm |
05 Oct 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The world's second-largest maker of solar batteries plans a massive increase in capacity to meet soaring demand. Bloomberg reports: The company will raise the capacity to 6 gigawatts as early as 2014, from 1 gigawatt estimated for 2010 ... Sharp, which lost its market-leading position to Thalheim, Germany-based Q-Cells AG last year, is focusing on expanding its solar-cell output through thin-film technology. This uses 1 percent the amount of silicon needed for co ... |
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| Topics: business, economy, energy, renewable energy, solar thermal power, solar voltaic power, tech (all these topics) |
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ReGeneration Roadtrip: Moos you can use
Methane digesters make dairy good sense |
Sarah van Schagen |
05 Oct 2008 |
Gristmill |
| When Shawn Saylor was in high school, he built a science-fair-sized solar-powered home, complete with tiny solar cells and working lights. (He got an A.) These days, Saylor is a fourth-generation dairy farmer working on an entirely different renewable energy project. The Hillcrest Saylor Dairy Farm in Rockwood, Pennsylvania, produces some 6,000 gallons of milk a day. But the farm's other export isn't made in a milking room -- it's made in an underground ... |
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| Topics: biomass, business, livestock, Pennsylvania, ReGeneration Roadtrip, video (all these topics) |
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Bear markets and bull clean-tech investments
Cleantech venture investment hits record $2.6 billion in third quarter |
Joseph Romm |
04 Oct 2008 |
Gristmill |
| And what are the three hottest technologies? Smart grid, algae (advanced biofuels), and, surprise surprise, thin-film solar. Venture capital investment in clean tech has been soaring in recent years because of high energy prices along with the growing concern and growing action on global warming. You might think that VC investment would be hurt by the financial downturn, as credit freezes up and capital markets lose money. But in fact VC investment is aimed at payo ... |
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| Topics: business, economy, investing, renewable energy, solar voltaic power, tech (all these topics) |
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Shortages to the left of me, shortages to the right
Demand for green products exceeds supply |
biodiversivist |
04 Oct 2008 |
Gristmill |
| My relatives in the D.C. area are on a Prius waiting list. People wanting to build their own electric bikes are on waiting lists for parts. If you're planning to put up some solar panels, well, get in line. According to Rich Bunch, at Silicon Solar Inc, their next shipment of solar components is due on Oct. 15 and 90 percent of it is already spoken for. I'm guessing that this shipment, like most shipments, is coming from China. Shortages not only trip up building sc ... |
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| Topics: business, economy, energy at home, green living, hybrids, solar volatic power (all these topics) |
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Paved With Good Intentions
Green, Inc. author says big environmental groups have sold out to big business |
Mark Pawlosky |
03 Oct 2008 |
Grist Feature |
| For my money, there's nothing more delicious than a book that lays bare the rot of a corrupted industry from an insider's perspective. In the hands of a skilled observer, the subject can spring to life. Liar's Poker, Michael Lewis's hilariously disturbing account of Wall Street's investment-banking industry in the late 1980s, comes to mind. Green, Inc., by Christ ... |
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| Topics: books, business, Conservation International, environmental movement, Nature Conservancy, shenanigans (all these topics) |
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ReGeneration Roadtrip: A Green Exchange of ideas
Constructing a green space for green biz |
Sarah van Schagen |
03 Oct 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Driving along I-90/94W out of downtown Chicago, you can see London, France, the old Vassar Swiss Underwear Company building now under construction. A sign adorning the highway-facing façade tells you this will soon be the Green Exchange, a retail and office facility that will house some 100 businesses, all of them environmentally and socially responsible. To fully see the potential for this place, Todd and I were fitted with hard hats and given the hand- ... |
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| Topics: business, Chicago, green building, green living, LEED, ReGeneration Roadtrip, video (all these topics) |
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ReGeneration Roadtrip: Buffers and biomass
Streamlining the agricultural process in Iowa |
Sarah van Schagen |
03 Oct 2008 |
Gristmill |
| This is a guest post by my travel partner, Todd Dwyer, head blogger for Dell's ReGeneration.org, where this post originally appeared. ----- I have a shocking piece of news for you. You may want to sit down for this: Agriculture is big business in Iowa. Did I say 'big?' Maybe that's an understatement. Of the state's 35 million acres, 31 million are used for agricultural purposes, and Iowa stands amongst the world's most altered land in the world. ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, business, ethanol, Iowa, ReGeneration Roadtrip, scientific research, video (all these topics) |
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Feeling Out Smart ED
All-electric version of tiny Smart car unveiled at Paris Auto Show |
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02 Oct 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 4:54 PM on 02 Oct 2008 Automaker Daimler unveiled an all-electric version of its tiny Smart car at the Paris Auto Show this week, dubbed the Smart ED for its electric drive. Diesel-powered versions of the ultra-cute, ultra-compact Smart Fortwo went on sale in the United States just this January to wide acclaim. Company spokespeople said the all-electric Smart Fortwo will be available in the U.S. by ... |
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| Topics: business, cars, electric vehicles, green living, news (all these topics) |
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Bloomberg Where He's Planted
NYC eco-mayor will seek third term; mayors foresee green jobs |
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02 Oct 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 1:19 PM on 02 Oct 2008 New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is seeking to change term-limit rules and win reelection to a third term; if he succeeds, it will be to the benefit of his ambitious plans to address climate change. Bloomberg's PlaNYC aims to reduce municipal greenhouse-gas emissions 30 percent by 2030 through planting 1 million trees, converting taxis to hybrids, and making buildings ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, energy, green jobs, local politics, New York City, news, placemaking, politics (all these topics) |
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Step one: Subsidize us
Business association lays out recommendations for energy policy |
David Roberts |
02 Oct 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The Institute for 21st Century Energy is a project of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which bills itself as a bipartisan trade association. In fact, it has effectively become part of the Republican machine, dominated by -- and lobbying fiercely for the interests of -- Big Oil, Big Auto, Big Pharma, and other such Bigs. Earlier this week, the Institute released its long awaited Blueprint for Securing America's Energy Future [PDF], which contains more than 75 recommend ... |
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| Topics: energy subsidies, coal, renewable energy, utilities, energy efficiency, investing, business, energy, tax incentives (all these topics) |
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Throw 'Em a Loan
Bush signs off on $25 billion loan to Big Auto |
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01 Oct 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 1:07 PM on 01 Oct 2008 President Bush on Tuesday signed a $630 billion spending bill that includes a $25 billion loan to the struggling auto industry. (Bush's sign-off also marks the expiration of the offshore-drilling ban and keeps the federal government funded through Mar. 6, 2009.) The loan package -- the biggest federal subsidy for Big Auto since the feds bailed out Chrysler in 1980 -- is aimed at helping carmakers im ... |
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| Topics: Big Auto, business, cars, Department of Energy, fuel efficiency, George Bush, legislation, news, offshore drilling, politics (all these topics) |
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Meat Wagon: House of fools
While antibiotic-resistant bugs flourish, a House subcommittee buries its head |
Tom Philpott |
30 Sep 2008 |
Gristmill |
| In Meat Wagon, we round up the latest outrages from the meat and livestock industries. ----- As the fruits of three decades of financial-market deregulation and lax oversight ripen on Wall Street, now is a fitting time to mull over our government's efforts to regulate the food industry. Let's think specifically about its actions regarding antibiotics in livestock production. In industrial meat production, you stuff animals together in close contact with their own wast ... |
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| Topics: Congress, politics, business, health, food, scientific research, livestock (all these topics) |
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Apply Yourself
How to find a green job |
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30 Sep 2008 |
From A to Green |
| Tune in to greener occupational pastures. You love the idea of making the world a cleaner, greener place. Wouldn't you also love to get paid for it? You just might be in luck: Green jobs are growing at an impressive clip. In fact, the very definition of a green job has changed dramatically. Once the purview of foresters, farmers, and environmental-science professors (and, yes, the occasional website editor), green jobs now exist in all sorts of ... |
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| Topics: advice, business, From A to Green, green living (all these topics) |
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Like lambs to slaughter?
Smithfield, Pilgrim's Pride, and other meat giants get credit-crunched |
Tom Philpott |
29 Sep 2008 |
Gristmill |
| As I've written so many times before, a very few companies essentially control U.S. meat production. Their business model is crude, but for years has been effective: You place lots of animals in a tight space (or "contract" with farmers to do so), stuff them with corn and soy (made cheap chronic overproduction mandated by U.S. farm policy), boost their growth with all manner of hormones and antibiotics, and move these unhappy creatures to vast factory-like sla ... |
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| Topics: business, economy, food, investing, livestock, Wall Street (all these topics) |
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Bar None
Clif Bar's husband-and-wife CEO team talk about staying independent in a Big Organic world |
Bonnie Azab Powell |
25 Sep 2008 |
Grist Feature |
| Kit Crawford and Gary Erickson. Photo: Bart Nagel Walk into Clif Bar's Berkeley headquarters, and you might think you've entered greenie-nonprofit world: multiple recycling stations, cruiser bikes kept for employees' lunchtime use, and a fridge that serves as a pickup point for a local farm's community-supported agriculture program. Vending machines peddle Amy's O ... |
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| Topics: business, food, green living, green products, greenish companies, organic food, shopping (all these topics) |
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Drinking at the public fountain
The new corporate threat to our water supplies |
Guest author |
25 Sep 2008 |
Gristmill |
| This is a guest essay by authors and filmmakers Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman. Their book Thirst exposed how the corporate drive to control water has become a catalyst for community resistance to globalization. This essay was originally published on TomDispatch and is republished here with Tom's kind permission. ----- In the last few years, the world's largest financial institutions and pension funds, from Goldman Sachs to Australia's Macquarie Bank, have figure ... |
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| Topics: books, business, environmental justice, food, politics, water conflicts (all these topics) |
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Give 'Em a Hand
Wal-Mart will slice use of plastic bags |
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25 Sep 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:10 PM on 25 Sep 2008 Wal-Mart aims to cut plastic-bag waste in its global operations by an average 33 percent over the next five years, the retail behemoth announced Thursday at the annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative. And if you ever doubted that Wal-Mart is big, consider this: The move is expected to eliminate some 9 billion plastic bags each year, equating to more than 135 million pounds of trash by 2013. Wal-Mar ... |
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| Topics: business, green living, greening biz operations, greenish companies, news, progress, shopping, Wal-Mart, waste (all these topics) |
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What we can afford and can't afford not to
Galbraith argues against the bailout and in favor of public investement |
David Roberts |
25 Sep 2008 |
Gristmill |
| I cited James Galbraith last night while arguing that the financial mess should not deter us from making substantial investments in our future. (By the by, you should read Galbraith's new book, The Predator State: How Conservatives Abandoned the Free Market and Why Liberals Should Too.) Today, Galbraith has a kick-ass op-ed in the Washington Post asking the question everyone else in D.C. is too scared to ask -- "Is this bailout still necessary?" -- and mappi ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, economy, investing, Wall Street (all these topics) |
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