How green is your college or University? The Sierra Club’s magazine “Sierra” just released its ranking of US schools based on metrics including energy efficiency, total energy consumption, sustainability-related curriculum and many more. “By showing such strong leadership on so many fronts – from energy use and transportation to the courses they offer – the… Keep reading →
There’s little appetite for big new dams in the United States. While hydro provides undeniable benefits, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, that power comes at costs that were either not understood or were simply ignored in the heyday of dam building (check out Cadillac Desert and/or A River Lost for more on that). But improving existing… Keep reading →
Reducing the impact of operations on the environment is a lofty goal for any business, but good citizenship is, in most cases, an insufficient motivation for sweeping changes at a company that must answer to its shareholders. What makes many sustainability efforts feasible for profit-driven companies is that by pursuing them – especially those that… Keep reading →
Education, not stigmatization Brian Swett knows real estate. As LEED project manager for the large real estate investment trust Boston Properties until last year, Swett helped property owners and managers understand the value of green buildings. And that background is helping him in his latest task as the chief of environment and strategy for the… Keep reading →
Last fall, the imminent deployment of a fully approved wave energy buoy off Oregon had a lot of people excited. Even the New York Times busted out a long story as Oregon held its fingers crossed that its investment in wave energy might blossom, sending energy to the coast and growing jobs there and elsewhere in… Keep reading →
What gets measured gets managed is one of the truisms of the contemporary business environment, particularly as tools for collecting and analyzing data continue to proliferate across sectors. And as more companies include “sustainability metrics” in their self-measurement tools, the sector is seeing increased management and investor attention.
Major service providers, like the global accounting and consulting firm PwC, are seeing the change on the ground at firms and rushing to guarantee they are able to help their clients manage the newly visible risks and opportunities that come with these novel and increasingly detailed data sets. Keep reading →
The U.S. Treasury has always been a place where people could find something green, but this time the term is not referring to money. The U.S. Treasury building has obtained a green environmental designation, probably the oldest federal building to earn one. It has reduced its operating costs by $3.5 million annually as a result.
In case you haven’t heard, there’s a little trade show going on in Las Vegas right now. The 2013 Consumer Electronics Show is a festival of futuristic technology and highly advanced gadgets. Want to know what your TV’s going to look like in a few years? It’s probably on display at CES right now.
Although we may not know what shape it will be or in how many dimensions it will display, one thing’s for sure, your future television will be more energy-efficient and contain fewer earth-killing materials. Sustainability is at the forefront of CES this year, and Samsung has wasted no time in establishing itself as a company with the environment in mind. The company is the first to achieve Gold Level UL Environment certification for TVs and winning 2013 Eco-Design Awards for four other devices. Keep reading →
The 31st USAEE North American Conference held in Austin, Texas featured hundreds of presentations on topics like sustainable energy and the implications of North American natural gas developments.
Breaking Energy was there covering the event from beginning to end, as well as following the US presidential elections and Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts. The conference was attended by economist, analysts, industry professionals and students from around the US and around the world, who discussed dozens of topics relevant to all major energy sectors. Keep reading →
Global investment in sustainable and cleantech businesses has softened during the last couple of years, and there are multiple reasons for the trend. In the US, an investment banker says, one of the key reasons is that government subsidies are scaring away capital. But the banker has detected a growth area that could become a significant driver for clean-tech and sustainability deals.
Most of the major investment banks don’t have stand-alone sustainability practices. But there’s a fair number of middle-market banking firms focused on clean tech and sustainability. Keep reading →
