Category Archives: Business

Sustainable (sea)food

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Food waste

New Scientist has an interesting article on the “Five eco-crimes we commit everyday.” Most are not very surprising, but the details are interesting, such as the fact that the western world wastes one third of its food!

Egregious as this waste is, the means used to produce and procure much of our food is more important. To this end, Slash Food has a brief post highlighting some better seafood choices including local award-winning business Aqua Australis.

Also released this past week, a study of food sustainability revealing that, surprise of surprises, the devil is in the details and “food miles” are an over-simplification.

The Price of Nature

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Money treeCould putting a price on nature lead to better cost-effective tracking of the impacts of global climate change? Pavan Sukhdev, a banker working with the United Nations Environment Program, says yes. Touching on the classic “Tragedy of the Commons,” Sukhdev argues that treating nature as any other market place good makes it easier to quantify and measure using cost-benefit analysis. “We cannot continue our stewardship of this planet if we keep looking at public benefits and public wealth as somehow subordinate to private wealth,” said Mr. Sukhdev. He goes on to comment that in the long run, taking action against the impacts of climate change now is much cheaper than acting later. In other words, saving what already exists today, for example biodiversity, is much more valuable than allowing it to go extinct. According to Mr. Sukhdev, his study could influence the creation of a cap-and-trade like system that might include trading water rights, forest credits, and biodiversity credits.

Local companies learning how to green their business

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greenwardThe Cambridge Energy Alliance and the Sustainable Business Leadership Program hosted a Green Your Business Affair on November 9th to help local commercial entities learn about energy efficiency and sustainability programs. Over forty businesses came out and mingled with other interested green leaders.  The event brought together representatives from the efficiency, renewable energy, nonprofit, design, and retail sectors. The Cambridge Energy Alliance, the Sustainable Leadership Program, Prism Consulting, and Mass Energy Consumers Alliance shared information on ways businesses can become more sustainable and save money at the same time.

The event was held at Greenward , a small, locally-owned eco-boutique in Cambridge, MA, run by the husband-and-wife team of Scott Walker and Simone Alpen. Locally brewed beer was be provided by the Cambridge Brewing Company, pizza was donated by Stone Hearth Pizza, and organic fair-trade chocolate from Theo. Nothing went to waste, as Vegware donated all the cups, plates, napkins, and cutlery. The Sustainable Business Leadership Program also offered free, “The Busy Business Owner’s Guide to Sustainable Business Practices” publications at the event.

The Cambridge Energy Alliance and the Sustainable Leadership Program aims to host similar events in the future. Suggestions for future locations or venues are welcome. What better way to get your business in shape, than trimming the energy and resource waste in your company—so get connected today!

A Polarized Battle

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'Last Polar Bear' by Arne Nævra There is a battle raging in Alaska: State government vs. the polar bear. Or, to put it more bluntly: resource development vs. environmental conservation.  While this battle is nothing new to Alaska, especially given the impending threats of climate change on regional wilderness, which includes the polar bear’s natural habitat. A recent comment by Governor Sean Parnell made it clear that Alaska puts politics first and polar bears last.

In fact, Parnell charged that the federalFish and Wildlife Service acted illegally when it listed the polar bear as threatened based on future population and climate predictions. He also vowed to keep fighting the 2008 listing of the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act. Referring to a recent recommendation by federal managers which advised designating upwards of 200,000 square miles of land and sea-ice as critical habitat for the species, “Currently, some are attempting to improperly use the Endangered Species Act to shut down resource development, and I’m not going to let this happen on my watch,” Mr. Parnell said.

All this debate comes soon after a “green light” was given to Royal Dutch Shell to drill for oil and gas in the Beaufort Sea, off of Alaska’s Arctic coast. The October 19th decision by the Minerals Management Service clears one of the final technical hurdles for the company to drill two wells on two offshore lease areas.  Exploratory drilling will commence between July and October 2010, when the sea-ice melts.

As a major domestic source of oil in the United States, Alaska remains in a tug of war between political power struggles, growing oil demand, and environmentalism. Sadly, the polar bear sits in the crossfire. Reliant on arctic ice to migrate upwards of 3,000 miles a year, the polar bear’s basic survival does indeed directly depend on the climate more than many of us realize. In addition, many native villagers rely on these sensitive climate shifts for hunting and settlement. Developers however see money to be made when ice melts, allowing cargo ships to sail further and faster, and oil and gas exploration to be done with increased ease. If a truce can’t be called in a timely fashion, and if federal climate legislation continues to stall in Congress, the polar bear, and all it represents, will face extinction. Is this worth the price of oil?

iPhone Carbon Watch: Apple Leads Electronics Industry Again

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My iPhone is a pretty much constant presence in my life, from checking my email first thing in the morning to watching my nephews play with the DoodleBuddy app. But until last week, I never seriously considered its impact on the environment.

That changed when Apple published greenhouse gas emissions from its operations and products for the first time. The report, available at www.apple.com/environment, goes farther than other consumer tech companies have by accounting for product usage.

Apple iPhone emissions

It turns out that my iPhone produces greenhouse gases equivalent to about 55kg of carbon dioxide over the full course of its lifecycle, from sourcing to recycling. My use of my iPhone produces about 27kg of carbon dioxide.

To put that in perspective, 55kg of CO2 is equivalent to burning 22 gallons of gasoline in a car or 8 propane cylinders on a backyard grill. If I planted 5 tree seedlings in my backyard tomorrow, it would take them 10 years to sequester the amount of carbon my iPhone produces.

OK, so what? Twenty-two gallons of gas and 10 trees ain’t such a bad trade given that the iPhone is… well… downright awesome.

Truly. The iPhone is one of the most successful consumer tech products in history. Apple has sold 21M iPhone units since Q3 2007, shattering sales records.

All those iPhones have produced a lot of carbon emissions, equivalent to 1.16b kg to be exact, or roughly the same amount as a coal-fired power plant in one year of operation.

NY Times rising consumption

Source: New York Times

Bottom line: there isn’t enough land enough in the world to offset America’s greenhouse gas emissions from electronics by planting trees.

To halt our rising carbon emissions, America needs more than offsets. We need renewable energy alternatives at scale and stringent energy efficiency standards, especially for our electronics, “which now represent 15% of household power demand, and that is expected to triple over the next decade,” according to the New York Times and International Energy Agency.

Many are working hard to accomplish this goal. California recently proposed to ban the sale of high energy televisions. Flat-screen TVs and video game consoles can use more energy than refrigerators in some American homes today, due to a lack of mandatory efficiency standards. Massachusetts has followed suit by hearing testimony on TV efficiency.

Apple, in the same report cited above, announced that all of their desktop and laptop products now come with EnergyStar certification, an industry first. Going further, Apple also boldly withdrew from the US Chamber of Commerce, stating “Apple supports regulating greenhouse gas emissions, and it is frustrating to find the Chamber at odds with us in this effort.”

That’s a proactive step forward and a first for a major consumer brand. Other electronics manufacturers should follow Apple’s leadership.

Alex Patriquin is Founder and CEO of Digital Verdure, a digital media and sustainability company based in Cambridge, MA. Read more at his blog, DigitalVerdure.com.

Losing Support

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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is losing popularity among U.S. corporations — fast.   The Washington Post recently reported that Apple is revoking its membership in protest over the Chamber’s stance on global climate change, specifically its stance against congressional legislation that would reduce CO2 emissions.  Other companies to recently pull out include Pacific Gas and Electric, PNM Resources, and Exelon.   Nike resigned from the Chamber’s Board, but not its membership.  Given Apple’s popularity as a computer giant, the news marks hightened attention to private sector influence over climate change policy and emission regulation.

Thomas J. Donohue, the Chamber’s president, commented that while the group supports federal climate change legislation, the cap-and-trade legislation passed by the House of Representatives was flawed since it does not require other polluting countries to act.   Mother Jones Magazine offered a different take and reported on the Chamber’s past record of investing millions of dollars lobbying congress to oppose the Markey-Waxman bill and threatened to sue the EPA if they continued to regulate CO2 as a pollutant.  Over the next few months, it will be interesting to watch if other companies follow suit and what impact that will have on the Chamber, as well as domestic climate legislation.

Carbon Release Inventory

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After releasing a report on the issue on Monday, yesterday the EPA finalized rules that require the nation’s largest polluters to report on carbon emissions. The program is similar to the established Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) program, which has been an immensely useful tool for researchers and watchdog groups, and also demonstrated to reduce emissions without further regulation. However, the picture is of course not as simple as that, some feel that the regulations have too many loopholes.

Meanwhile, NewScientist recently noted that if we shared more, we’d need less stuff and that this would dramatically decrease our impact on the environment; economies of scale, et cetera.

Earth’s “New” Ocean

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A new ocean is emerging on planet Earth. This ocean was once composed mainly of solid ice, sometimes hundreds of meters thick. During this past summer however, the first known commercial shipment from Asia to Europe took place — via the Arctic (NYTimes). The German cargo vessles Beluga Foresight and Beluga Fraternity are two examples of such a new-found commercial shipping trend. The cargo carriers originally left from South Korea and are departing on their last leg from Siberia.  Such a passage has been the dream of many a mariner, sea-voyager and commerical tradesman, yet the gripping reality of vast open Arctic waters is not the dream of those concerned about climate change. For about a month each summer, Arctic ice recedes to a degree that now allows cargo ships to pass through with ease, unlike in years before where large ice-breaking machinery had to be used. Scientists are concerned that this trend will lead to an economic thirst for greater speed in commerce thus fueling the world’s appetite for rapid growth and development. While growth and development aren’t necessarily evil entities unto themselves, the quantity of demand as developing nations develop and as global population soars is what puts the planet, and the long-term health of the species living on it, in serious jeopardy.

The real estate industry vs climate change?

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Brian Brady

Mortgage Broker and Climate Change Guru?

Following on from an article published on Warm Home Cool Planet a couple of weeks ago on mandatory Energy Audits in Austin, TX, we have noticed a growing movement amongst the real estate industry targeting the ‘Cap and Trade’ bill and any local ordinances that might obligate homeowners into performing an energy audit on their home or making energy improvements in their home before they sell.

Here’s one from Brian Brady ‘America’s No. 1 mortgage broker’:  “Sadly, the theory of carbon dioxide emissions’ effect on climate change is accepted as fact by our politicians without rigorous examination of its merits. It’s easy to turn a blind eye on faulty legislation when it attacks “big business”.  Cap and Trade, however, is much more restrictive than its supporters would have you believe.  Your neighbor’s penchant for bay windows and your desire for key-lime green bathroom walls might just be at stake. ”

As in all cases where people attempt to sow doubt on the accepted fact of climate change, it’s important to consider the source of these opinions.  It’s also worth mentioning that the scientific community, not politicians, are responsible for deciding what is scientific fact.

Mortgage brokers make their money from arranging mortgages for people who aren’t considered good risks by banks. (Which describes at least 50% of Americans at the moment.) The mortgage broker assumes the risk of the loan for a premium on the prevailing interest rates (usually in the form of ‘points’). Mortgage companies then package up these loans and sell them to banks so they can be traded as financial instruments like CDO’s (Collateralized Dept Obligations) which in large part were responsible for the near collapse of our financial system last fall.

Mr. Brady’s business suffers if anything gets in the way of him writing another mortgage and stuffing more dodgy paper into our already teetering financial system. To prevent that from happening,  Mr. Brady has hauled the “man’s home is his castle’ trope out of the cupboard and dusted it off. According to Mr. Brady soon ‘the socialists will be invading your home and telling you how many light switches you can have’.

As a recent home seller (and potential home buyer) I can assure readers that the marketplace is already factoring energy efficiency into the price of homes. Anyone seriously considering buying our Central Square home asked our broker for recent energy bills so they could figure out what their total house expenses would be each month. A gas boiler tune-up performed the previous winter, and an Energy Star-rated air conditioning system resulted in our home energy bills comparing favorably to other homes with a similar square footage. As a result our home was sold.

Given his connection to the real-estate industry, Mr. Brady should know that potential home buyers are already performing something close to an energy ‘audit’ on every home they are considering for purchase. Local municipalities are simply reacting to current market trends and ensuring that everyone gets the information needed before they make a home buying decision.