NewsRack: 'Environment' news in 'Sustainability-Independent' topic for user flenvcenter

Amazon to buy bio jet fuel to lower air cargo emissions	8.7.2020	Business Operations \| GreenBiz.com
Amazon to buy bio jet fuel to lower air cargo emissions Katie Fehrenbacher Wed, 07/08/2020 - 08:00 Amazon's plans to decarbonize its shipping supply chain isn't just focused on electrifying its delivery vans . On Wednesday morning, the logistics and retail giant announced that it plans to buy 6 million gallons of bio jet fuel via a division of Shell and produced by World Energy, a big biodiesel producer. The companies said the jet fuel will be made from agricultural waste fats and oils (such as used cooking oil and inedible fats from beef processing). The move shows the efforts that Amazon is willing to go to eke out carbon emissions across its vast network of planes, vehicles and distribution centers that deliver on-demand goods across the globe. Amazon has pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, and says it will make sure half of Amazon shipments are net-zero by 2030. That commitment also includes buying 100,000 electric delivery vehicles, and using 100 percent clean energy by 2025. But ...
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It will take personal sustainability to meet the global challenges we face	6.7.2020	GreenBiz.com
It will take personal sustainability to meet the global challenges we face Chris Gaither Mon, 07/06/2020 - 02:15 Earth Day, when we remember the planet’s fragility and resilience, was when I finally understood that I had nothing left to give. It was April 2017. After two decades of striving in my career, I had risen to a role of great impact: a director on Apple’s Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives team. My boss, former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, had entrusted me with orchestrating the company’s annual Earth Day celebration. And, wow, had we stepped up our game that year. We released a 58-page environmental responsibility report and a series of animated videos about Apple’s environmental achievements, posing curious questions such as "Do solar farms feed yaks?" We turned the leaf on our logo green at hundreds of Apple stores around the world. Even bolder, we announced ambitions to make Apple products out of entirely recycled or renewable materials. I drank beer and hugged the brilliant ...
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Labels: Disdain them — except one	6.7.2020	Business Operations \| GreenBiz.com
Labels: Disdain them — except one Bob Langert Mon, 07/06/2020 - 01:45 A longtime friend told me he was Christian and couldn’t support Democrats because it violated his principles. Then I heard a news update that Republicans were trying to ax Obamacare. I think I’m an Independent. I’ve been spending more time contemplating the racial problems our country faces. I admire the friends and family that have posted Black Lives Matter signs. I just read "White Fragility," and it infused me with thoughts that challenged my privileged white life. I hadn’t thought I was a racist, but I now realize I am because I’m part of a systemic white-dominant society by default. Truly. And it’s got to change, including me. I’ve thought of myself as young. But now I get up in the morning and hobble about until I’ve warmed up my body to stand straight. Labels. Can’t stand them. Listening to the radio the other day I heard an ad that said, "All of us use social media way too much." How do they know that about me? I’m not too ...
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Where are they now? Catch up with 30 Under 30 alumni	29.6.2020	GreenBiz.com
Where are they now? Catch up with 30 Under 30 alumni Heather Clancy Mon, 06/29/2020 - 02:30 June 22 marked the publication of the fifth annual GreenBiz 30 Under 30 , our report celebrating rising young professionals in the field of corporate sustainability. What’s up in the worlds of the 120 alumni from past lists? We reached out this spring to check in, asking those inclined to weigh in on how current events have changed their world views. We asked them to consider two questions: With the world turned upside down, what is your focus at work? Do you think the COVID-19 crisis marks a turning point for the sustainability movement? Following are some of their responses, lightly edited, representing perspective from all four past cohorts. We did not specifically ask the alumni to consider the broader question of systemic racism, as our outreach was completed prior to the national protests triggered by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. But look for future updates and essays on this topic, such as ...
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How Black environmentalists are organizing to save the planet from injustice	26.6.2020	GreenBiz.com
How Black environmentalists are organizing to save the planet from injustice Rachel Ramirez Fri, 06/26/2020 - 00:30 This story originally appeared in Grist; and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalistic collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. "I can’t breathe." These were among the final words that George Floyd and Eric Garner gasped before their deaths at the hands of white police officers. That plea has become part of the current rallying cry for racial justice and an end to police brutality in the United States. But for Black people living near industrial facilities, the phrase has an additional layer of meaning: a reminder of their disproportionate pollution burden. "While many in power seemed surprised that COVID-19 is killing twice as many Black Americans, those of us in the environmental justice movement know that the health impacts of cumulative and disproportionate levels of pollution in our communities have created underlying health ...
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Where Unilever's product labeling initiative could have a huge impact	26.6.2020	GreenBiz.com
Where Unilever's product labeling initiative could have a huge impact Jim Giles Fri, 06/26/2020 - 01:00 One of the most significant projects in sustainable food in 2020 was unveiled last week. The news is important partly because of the company involved: CPG behemoth Unilever, which reaches 2.5 billion consumers every day through 400 brands, which range from Ben & Jerry’s to Hellmann’s and appear on shelves in 190 countries. The other reason is that the plan is genuinely ambitious . The company is committing to net-zero emissions from all products by 2039, spending $1 billion on climate and nature projects over 10 years, and planning on labeling each of its products with information about the carbon emitted in the product’s creation. This last point is particularly significant. Consumers, especially younger adults, consistently say that climate concerns influence their purchasing. Yet this influence is diluted because most people have little insight into the emissions linked to specific products. ...
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SDG Ambition: Scaling Business Impact for the Decade of Action	25.6.2020	Energy & Climate \| Greenbiz.com
SDG Ambition: Scaling Business Impact for the Decade of Action Now more than ever, companies everywhere must unite in the business of a more resilient, sustainable world. Despite progress made in many areas, we are not on track to deliver on the SDGs by 2030. In fact, the United Nations Global Compact Progress Report 2020 reveals only 39 per cent of companies surveyed believe they have targets that are sufficiently ambitious to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Less than a third consider their industry to be moving fast enough to deliver priority SDGs. While 84 per cent of companies surveyed are taking action on SDGs, only 46 per cent are embedding them into their core business and only 37 per cent are designing business models that contribute to the SDGs. The need for increased business ambition is clear but how do companies get started? How do they set ambitious benchmarks in the areas that will have the greatest business impact on the SDGs and accelerate integration of sustainable ...
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To B or not to B? More tech companies should ask themselves that question	25.6.2020	Business Operations \| GreenBiz.com
To B or not to B? More tech companies should ask themselves that question Heather Clancy Thu, 06/25/2020 - 02:00 Fifth Wall, the biggest venture fund dedicated to funding disruptive ideas in real estate and retail, this week revealed that it has become a Certified B Corporation (B Corp) — a move that requires it to embed concerns about equity, inclusiveness and sustainability into its portfolio. The disclosure caught my attention not just because it’s a relatively unusual move but because it’s the second company from the tech world that has made such a gesture: WeTransfer, the well-known file sharing service, also has adopted similar changes to its business model. For Los Angeles-based Fifth Wall — whose portfolio includes sustainable footwear company Allbirds and "gear for good" company Cotopaxi (both B Corps), smart-bike firm Lime and a slew of other startups that beg my attention — the adjustment reflects that reality that buildings and real estate account for an estimated 40 percent of raw materials ...
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Whether pandemic or climate crisis, you better get your data right	25.6.2020	Design & Innovation \| GreenBiz.com
Whether pandemic or climate crisis, you better get your data right Paolo Natali Thu, 06/25/2020 - 00:30 According to polls, it was mid-March when most of us in the United States understood the severity of COVID-19. At the same time, we collectively were searching for data to drive lifesaving decision-making. Close all business and keep people inside homes? Or allow some degree of freedom? What would be the exact growth curve of virus cases, and most important, how could we flatten it? By early April, a consensus had emerged around the role of accurate data, even if it could not help contain a first wave of infections. This lesson on the importance of actionable data did not go unnoticed for those of us working on industrial decarbonization. With growing consensus on the gravity of the climate crisis, countries and companies are adopting carbon reduction targets. If we are to learn from the pandemic, there’s one critical element for any effort to have a chance of success. Less catchy than a target ...
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Let’s incubate the Green Swans hatched by the COVID-19 Black Swan	23.6.2020	Design & Innovation \| GreenBiz.com
Let’s incubate the Green Swans hatched by the COVID-19 Black Swan Tom Baruch Tue, 06/23/2020 - 01:30 The global COVID-19 pandemic is a historic Black Swan event that offers a Green Swan of opportunities to harvest innovation from 50 years of converging exponential technologies. We are presented with a rare opportunity to invest in new innovations, rebuild our data and power infrastructures and supply chains to restore and strengthen the economy while healing the environment. According to author Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Black Swans are unexpected, hard-to-predict events that result in extreme, unintended consequences. The coronavirus pandemic is a classic Black Swan. Over the past few weeks, we have witnessed countries and states scrambling for personal protective equipment and ventilators. Oil tankers are carrying millions of tons of oil with nowhere to go. Farmers are destroying food and supermarket shelves are missing essential items across the nation. These events, made visible by the COVID-19 virus, ...
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Episode 225: Lyft's electrifying declaration, please open the windows	19.6.2020	Business Operations \| GreenBiz.com
Features Moving from analysis to action on circular food (29:10) Emma Chow, project lead on the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Food initiative, chats about the role menus play in counteracting food waste and sharing practical steps for addressing the "brittleness" of the existing food system. ESG and the earnings call (39:40) Most companies don't directly address environmental, social and governance concerns on their quarterly earnings calls. That needs to change. Tensie Whelan, director of the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business, offers tips for how companies can buck that trend most effectively. Lyft drives toward electric vehicles (49:30) Ride-hailing service Lyft has committed to electrifying all of its cars by 2030. GreenBiz Senior Writer Katie Fehrenbacher has the scoop. *Music in this episode by Lee Rosevere: "4th Avenue Walkup," "Arcade Montage," "I'm Going for a Coffee," "Here's the Thing" and "As I Was Saying" Happy 20th anniversary , GreenBiz.com! Virtual conversations Mark your calendar ...
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Dow’s Jim Fitterling on tackling plastic waste and the company’s sustainability goals	17.6.2020	Small Business \| GreenBiz.com
Dow’s Jim Fitterling on tackling plastic waste and the company’s sustainability goals In a conversation with GreenBiz Executive Editor Joel Makower, Dow CEO Jim Fitterling details strategy for the company’s latest sustainability commitments — including being carbon neutral by 2050. “That includes looking at Scope 1 through 3 emissions. And also taking a look at some of the positive benefits our products bring to society,” Fitterling said, pointing to energy-efficient housing and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions that that creates. Its other commitments are related to protecting the climate, stopping waste and closing the loop. Fitterling noted that the company is currently putting together a consortium of partners that would help come up with an index that allows it to measure, account and verify its work as it progresses toward its goals. taylor flores Wed, 06/17/2020 - ...
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Unilever unveils climate and nature fund worth more than $1 billion	16.6.2020	Business Operations \| GreenBiz.com
Unilever unveils climate and nature fund worth more than $1 billion Cecilia Keating Tue, 06/16/2020 - 00:30 Unilever has announced it will invest €1 billion (about $1.12 billion based on exchange rates this week) over the next decade in efforts to tackle climate change and deliver on a new goal to ensure net zero emissions across its value chain by 2039. The consumer goods giant unveiled its new Climate and Nature Fund on Monday as it set out a raft of fresh sustainability goals, which include plans to end deforestation in its supply chain and communicate the carbon footprint of every product it sells. The new 2039 target builds on existing sustainability goals to reach carbon neutrality across its operations and halve its value chain emissions by the end of the decade. Unilever CEO Alan Jope emphasized the company intended to eschew a sustainability strategy that focused on emissions alone and instead take a holistic approach. "Climate change, nature degradation, biodiversity decline, water scarcity ...
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To make offices safe during COVID-19, buildings need a breath of fresh air	15.6.2020	Business Operations \| GreenBiz.com
To make offices safe during COVID-19, buildings need a breath of fresh air Jesse Klein Mon, 06/15/2020 - 02:00 The coronavirus thrives inside. A Hong Kong paper found that of over 7,000 COVID-19 cases, only one outbreak was contracted outdoors. In Seoul, an infection cluster was so concentrated that even on a 19-floor building, the outbreak was contained to just one floor, and almost entirely on one side of that floor. The data seems to indicate that infections occur in dense inside areas with shared airspace, compounded by recirculating that air — the definition of a modern office building. Over the past decade, the density of office buildings has increased in a bid for ever-increasing efficiency. The move from cubicles to open planning drastically decreased the average space per employee in an office. The average cubicle is usually between 6 feet by 6 feet and 8 feet by 12 feet. A standard office desk for an open plan is almost half that, typically 5 feet wide and 2.5 feet deep . Another side effect ...
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Inside Cargill’s experiment to pay farmers for carbon sequestration	15.6.2020	Business Operations \| GreenBiz.com
Inside Cargill’s experiment to pay farmers for carbon sequestration Heather Clancy Mon, 06/15/2020 - 00:15 Over the past year, agricultural commodities giant Cargill stepped up its global sustainability initiatives substantially, with a series of programs created to support its science-based target of reducing supply chain emissions by 30 percent by 2030. Like many other food companies, it’s dedicating resources to promoting regenerative agricultural practices among the farmers and seeking ways that farms can profit from their efforts to sequester carbon dioxide. That’s the backstory behind its relationship with the Soil & Water Outcomes Fund , a program intended to support farmers who design and implement initiatives aimed at improving water quality and mitigating flooding and runoff, increasing carbon sequestration, reducing emissions from on-farm operations, and creating or protecting habitat. These include practices such as planting cover crops, reducing tillage and preserving edge-of-field ...
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A 20/20 view of sustainable packaging	15.6.2020	Resource Efficiency \| GreenBiz.com
A 20/20 view of sustainable packaging Cheryl Baldwin Mon, 06/15/2020 - 00:00 This article is sponsored by Pure Strategies . Sustainable packaging is a keystone issue for corporate sustainability. As one of the first environmental concerns companies began to tackle proactively, interest and efforts had notable resurgence in the last few years, partly spurred by the attention on ocean plastic. Then the pandemic hit, and the market changed — characterized by higher demand for single-use packages and bags, and lower availability of recycled materials. When we look ahead, are we on the path to a circular and sustainable system for packaging? From paper vs. plastic to reusable vs. single use Shopping bags have long been a focus in sustainability — from looking at greenhouse gas impacts (paper is higher) to litter (plastic has more challenges) and significant policy action. A shift away from a focus on single-use design emerged. Studies pointed out that bags that are effectively reused can be the best ...
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It’s urgent to reshape our economy towards justice and sustainability	15.6.2020	Resource Efficiency \| GreenBiz.com
It’s urgent to reshape our economy towards justice and sustainability Diane Osgood Mon, 06/15/2020 - 00:30 Right now, talking about shopping can seem trite. Yet, to address systemic racism, we need a more just economy. An economy slanted towards white ownership plus discriminatory labor practices perpetuate systemic racism. As discussed in earlier columns ( here and here ), consumer demand drives 70 percent of the economy. Consumers and citizens have significant influence over the shape of the economy because we — in aggregate — ultimately control almost 70 percent of it. As sustainability professionals, we need to ensure our companies do more than take a stand against racism and unfair labor practices. We must urgently guide the economy now because: In the face of worldwide protests against systemic racism and the coronavirus pandemic, many people became more conscious of what they value. How do we draw clear links between the action of shopping and what we value? So much about shopping is reflexive yet ...
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In Conversation: Paul Polman	11.6.2020	Business Operations \| GreenBiz.com
In Conversation: Paul Polman Over the past decade, Paul Polman has emerged as one of the most influential business voices in sustainability. During his 10-year reign as CEO of Unilever (following 27 years at Procter & Gamble), he led the company’s Sustainable Living Plan, a multifaceted effort to decouple its growth from its overall environmental footprint and improve its social impact. Since leaving Unilever, he formed Imagine, whose goal is to help companies meet the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development. He also served as chair of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and is currently chair of the International Chamber of Commerce. In this intimate, one-on-one conversation with GreenBiz Executive Editor Joel Makower, Polman will discuss the future of business in the post-pandemic era, including how to redesign business and commerce to better address both sustainability and social challenges. If you can't tune in live, please register and we will email you a link to access the ...
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How sustainability professionals can uplift the black community	8.6.2020	Design & Innovation \| GreenBiz.com
How sustainability professionals can uplift the black community Jarami Bond Mon, 06/08/2020 - 02:11 Dear Sustainability Community, I come to you again. It’s been three years since writing my first article for GreenBiz, " Why diversity is the key to unlocking sustainability ." I provided a quick glimpse of the anxiety and pain that the black community feels daily and actionable steps that the sustainability community could take to advocate for diversity and stimulate unprecedented change. I write to you again today with heavy grief and a set of earnest pleas: As sustainability professionals, we must lead the cultivation of a more inclusive, equitable and safe world for all. We not only must steward the environment, but also explore ways to meet the needs of the vulnerable and create healthy platforms for people of all backgrounds to embrace commonalities, celebrate differences and heal tensions. If not us, then who? Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. George Floyd. Say their names. These are just a few of many ...
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How Ocean Spray cranberries became America’s '100 percent sustainable' crop	4.6.2020	Design & Innovation \| GreenBiz.com
How Ocean Spray cranberries became America’s '100 percent sustainable' crop Jesse Klein Thu, 06/04/2020 - 01:45 Cranberries are more than just an American Thanksgiving Day tradition; they also are a tradition of the American land. The crop is one of only three native cultivated fruits in North America. Because the plant is actually meant to grow in the natural environment, many growing and harvesting practices already help the surrounding land and could be considered sustainable, under normal conditions. The berry grows best in boggy, water-soaked soil that can’t be used for many other crops. And every one acre of cranberry bog requires 5.5 acres of wild marsh needed around it — a built-in wetlands preservation strategy. "It's a symbiotic relationship," said Chris Ferzli, director of global corporate affairs and communications for Ocean Spray, the well-known agricultural co-operative, which generates annual revenue of about $2 billion. "The water in natural land supports the cranberry bog and in return, ...
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