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Booming secondhand clothing sales could help curb the sustainability crisis in fashion
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27.11.2020 |
Business Operations | GreenBiz.com |
| Booming secondhand clothing sales could help curb the sustainability crisis in fashion Hyejune Park Fri, 11/27/2020 - 01:00
A massive force is reshaping the fashion industry: secondhand clothing. According to a new report, the U.S. secondhand clothing market is projected to more than triple in value in the next 10 years — from $28 billion in 2019 to $80 billion in 2029 — in a U.S. market currently worth $379 billion . In 2019, secondhand clothing expanded 21 times faster than conventional apparel retail did.
Even more transformative is secondhand clothing’s potential to dramatically alter the prominence of fast fashion — a business model characterized by cheap and disposable clothing that emerged in the early 2000s, epitomized by brands such as H&M and Zara. Fast fashion grew exponentially over the next two decades, significantly altering the fashion landscape by producing more clothing, distributing it faster and encouraging consumers to buy in excess with low prices.
While fast fashion is expected to ... |
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[flenvcenter :: Green Purchasing]
[flenvcenter :: Environment]
[flenvcenter :: Green Purchasing]
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Taking stock of Chase, HSBC, and Morgan Stanley's recent climate commitments
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24.11.2020 |
Energy & Climate | Greenbiz.com |
| Taking stock of Chase, HSBC, and Morgan Stanley's recent climate commitments Whitney Mann Tue, 11/24/2020 - 00:40
Recent months have seen major moves on climate action by some of the world’s largest private banks, including JPMorgan Chase, HSBC and Morgan Stanley. What sets this latest wave of climate pledges by financial institutions apart from past announcements? Building on previous commitments that increase green investments or restrict financing to certain high-emitting activities, recent pledges add to growing evidence that banks are taking a more holistic approach to the climate emergency.
Looking across their investments in different sectors and regions, more banks are considering how to reduce the carbon intensity of entire portfolios over time. After all, through their product offerings, lending activities and client engagement, financial institutions can play a key role in influencing the transformation necessary for a net-zero emissions economy.
What we have given the market is an ambition ... |
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[flenvcenter :: Socially-Responsible Investing]
[flenvcenter :: Green Purchasing]
[flenvcenter :: Socially-Responsible Investing]
[flenvcenter :: Green Purchasing]
[flenvcenter :: Environment]
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You say old coal plant, I say new green hydrogen facility
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24.11.2020 |
Design & Innovation | GreenBiz.com |
| You say old coal plant, I say new green hydrogen facility Lincoln Bleveans Tue, 11/24/2020 - 01:30
Relics. Environmental hotspots. Or maybe reminders of a simpler time. Good or bad, no one views America’s old coal-fired power plants with indifference.
In their day, they were reliable, cost-effective backbones of America’s economy, driving some of the most spectacular growth the world has seen. Powering industry, commerce and society, they generated not just electricity but economic ecosystems that stretched far beyond the plants themselves and often served as the mainstay for thriving middle-class communities.
But then the environmental realities came into sharper focus: air, soil, and water pollution and greenhouse gases at the smokestack. At the same time, advances in natural gas production such as fracking (controversial in their own right) have made natural gas-fired power a better economic choice than coal-generated power. Recognition of those externalities, especially GHG emssions, further erodes ... |
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[flenvcenter :: Coal]
[flenvcenter :: Oil and Gas]
[flenvcenter :: Solar]
[flenvcenter :: Hydrogen]
[flenvcenter :: General]
[flenvcenter :: Community]
[flenvcenter :: Coal]
[flenvcenter :: Oil and Gas]
[flenvcenter :: Solar]
[flenvcenter :: Hydrogen]
[flenvcenter :: General]
[flenvcenter :: Ecological Economics]
[flenvcenter :: Policy]
[flenvcenter :: Ecological Economics]
[flenvcenter :: Policy]
[flenvcenter :: Community]
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ING’s Ana Carolina Olivera on why sustainable business is better business
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21.11.2020 |
Small Business | GreenBiz.com |
| ING’s Ana Carolina Olivera on why sustainable business is better business
This video is sponsored by ING.
“ING wants to help support companies that are struggling with sustainability practices to create a more inclusive approach where all factors can empower them to participate in sustainable finance. When a company embraces sustainability as part of their business strategy, they will consequently be managed more efficiently, have a more engaged workforce, and will be more connected to their clients.“
Deonna Anderson, Associate Editor, Greenbiz interviewed Ana Carolina Olivera, Director, Head of Sustainable Finance, ING, during VERGE 20, which took place 10/26-10/30/20. View archived videos from the conference here: https://www.greenbiz.com/topics/verge-20-archive .
YanniGuo Fri, 11/20/2020 - ... |
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[flenvcenter :: Environment]
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Michelle Lancaster on Microsoft’s progress towards its sustainability goals
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20.11.2020 |
GreenBiz.com |
| Michelle Lancaster on Microsoft’s progress towards its sustainability goals
This video is sponsored by Microsoft.
“One of the things that we realized as we started our discussion before our strategy refresh this year was “Were we doing enough?” and I think for us, as a data and technology company, it was pretty easy to see the climate evidence that nobody is doing quite enough and that really caused us to think not only about what we were doing, but how we were doing it as a company and a lot of companies, ourselves included, were thinking really about risk mitigation and managing our footprint which are necessary but wholly insufficient to actually unlock the full potential of our power.”
Pete May, president of GreenBiz, interviewed Michelle Lancaster, director of sustainability engagement & partnerships at Microsoft during the VERGE 20 virtual event (October 26-30, 2020). View archived videos from the conference here: https://bit.ly/3kMjeXt .
taylor flores Fri, 11/20/2020 - ... |
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Could green hydrogen be key to a carbon-free economy?
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19.11.2020 |
Design & Innovation | GreenBiz.com |
| This article originally was published on Yale Environment 360 .
Saudi Arabia is constructing a futuristic city in the desert on the Red Sea called Neom. The $500 billion city — complete with flying taxis and robotic domestic help — is being built from scratch and will be home to a million people. And what energy product will be used both to power this city and sell to the world? Not oil. The Saudis are going big on something called green hydrogen — a carbon-free fuel made from water by using renewably produced electricity to split hydrogen molecules from oxygen molecules.
This summer, a large U.S. gas company, Air Products & Chemicals, announced that as part of Neom it has been building a green hydrogen plant in Saudi Arabia for the last four years. The plant is powered by 4 gigawatts from wind and solar projects that sprawl across the desert. It claims to be the world’s largest green hydrogen project — and more Saudi plants are on the drawing board.
Green hydrogen? The Saudis aren’t alone in believing ... |
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[flenvcenter :: Alternative Vehicles]
[flenvcenter :: General]
[flenvcenter :: Environment]
[flenvcenter :: Alternative Vehicles]
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[flenvcenter :: Oil and Gas]
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[flenvcenter :: Wind]
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[flenvcenter :: General]
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[flenvcenter :: Solar]
[flenvcenter :: Wind]
[flenvcenter :: Hydrogen]
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A vision for a Biden-Harris sustainable business agenda
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17.11.2020 |
Business Operations | GreenBiz.com |
| A vision for a Biden-Harris sustainable business agenda Aron Cramer Tue, 11/17/2020 - 01:30
This article originally was published in the BSR Insight .
Now that the results of the United States presidential election are in, it is time to focus on what business can do to promote a policy agenda that will accelerate the transformation needed to shift to a truly just and sustainable economy.
The U.S. government has been either absent or counterproductive on sustainability issues the past four years. This will change in a Biden-Harris administration. How much it changes will depend greatly on the actions and influence of the business community.
BSR exists to catalyze business leadership to achieve a just and sustainable world. We believe strongly that sustainability is a primary source of strategic business advantage. We believe that comprehensive business action calls for companies to "act, enable, and influence," creating change both through actions in the "real economy" and also in advocating for policy ... |
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[flenvcenter :: General]
[flenvcenter :: Policy]
[flenvcenter :: Community]
[flenvcenter :: Environmental Health]
[flenvcenter :: Local Economies]
[flenvcenter :: General]
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How effective stakeholder engagement shaped Samsonite’s ESG strategy
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16.11.2020 |
Business Operations | GreenBiz.com |
| How effective stakeholder engagement shaped Samsonite’s ESG strategy Christine Rile… Mon, 11/16/2020 - 01:00
In March, Samsonite announced "Our Responsible Journey," a new global sustainability strategy that outlines its commitments across four priority areas: Product Innovation; Carbon Action; Thriving Supply Chain; and Our People, including engagement, development, diversity and inclusion.
Samsonite is proud of its 110-year history of industry leadership in the innovation, quality and durability of its products. With Our Responsible Journey, Samsonite strives to lead the lifestyle bag and travel luggage industry across key sustainability indicators, including the use of recycled materials in its products and packaging and achieving carbon neutrality across its owned and operated facilities.
With strong support from the entire senior management team and especially from Samsonite CEO Kyle Gendreau, the company has embarked on this journey to make sustainability a key tenet of its brand promise. The goal ... |
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[flenvcenter :: Environment]
[flenvcenter :: Embodied Energy]
[flenvcenter :: Green Purchasing]
[flenvcenter :: Reduce]
[flenvcenter :: Embodied Energy]
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Episode 245: How President-elect Joe Biden could help U.S. farmers
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13.11.2020 |
Small Business | GreenBiz.com |
| Features
How companies can engage authentically with communities (18:20)
Highlights from our VERGE 20 mainstage conversation with environmental justice leaders Rahwa Ghirmatzion, executive director of People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH), and Elizabeth Yeampierre, executive director of UPROSE. There's no one formula, but it starts with being transparent and willing to listen.
How President-elect Joe Biden could support regenerative agriculture, Black farmers (24:45)
What would those focused on sustainable food systems like the incoming administration to prioritize? For a start, the U.S. Department of Agriculture could use existing funding and programs to encourage soil health. Plus, let's see better support for the Black farming community. GreenBiz Food Analyst Jim Giles weighs in with suggestions.
*Music in this episode by Lee Rosevere: "Curiosity," "I'm Going for a Coffee," "Here's the Thing," "Waiting for the Moment That Never Comes" and "Knowing the Truth"
*This episode was sponsored by ... |
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[flenvcenter :: Community]
[flenvcenter :: Community]
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IKEA says sustainable mobility is a business imperative
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10.11.2020 |
Design & Innovation | GreenBiz.com |
| IKEA says sustainable mobility is a business imperative
As companies around the world seek to tackle greenhouse gas emissions, mobility and logistics – including the movement of products and people in the supply chain — is emerging as a key new focus for meeting sustainability goals. But most transportation decarbonization strategies are siloed in company verticals and focused narrowly. This talk by IKEA’s Head of Sustainable Mobility will look at why a holistic sustainable mobility strategy is key and a necessary part of doing business.
This session was held at GreenBiz Group’s VERGE 20, October 26-30, 2020. Learn more about the event here: https://events.greenbiz.com/events/ve...
Watch our other must-see talks here: ... |
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[flenvcenter :: Environment]
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VERGE Over / Under: What’s really driving sustainable mobility today?
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10.11.2020 |
Business Operations | GreenBiz.com |
| VERGE Over / Under: What’s really driving sustainable mobility today?
Katie Fehrenbacher, senior writer and transportation analyst at GreenBiz, shares her take on the most over- and under-hyped trends in transportation this year with the VERGE 20 audience.
This segment aired at GreenBiz Group’s VERGE 20, October 26-30, 2020. Learn more about the event here: https://events.greenbiz.com/events/ve...
Watch our other must-see talks here: ... |
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[flenvcenter :: Environment]
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4 ways businesses can connect with their communities to create a clean economy
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6.11.2020 |
Small Business | GreenBiz.com |
| 4 ways businesses can connect with their communities to create a clean economy Marian Jones Fri, 11/06/2020 - 01:00
Companies often struggle with building community trust as they navigate between profit-making and authentically engaging on climate change and environmental justice matters.
Last week at GreenBiz Group’s virtual conference and expo on stimulating the clean economy, VERGE 20 , community leaders and businesses from across the country came together to network, share insights and explore solutions to these challenges.
During the panel "Connecting Communities to the Clean Economy," experts shared their experiences working with private companies, their fights for green jobs and why businesses need to think of themselves as part of the community. The talk featured two women of color and leaders within the environmental and economic justice movement: Elizabeth Yeampierre, executive director of UPROSE (founded as the United Puerto Rican Organization of Sunset Park); and Rahwa Ghirmatzion, executive ... |
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[flenvcenter :: Citizen Groups]
[flenvcenter :: EJ Projects]
[flenvcenter :: Diversity]
[flenvcenter :: Community]
[flenvcenter :: Social Justice]
[flenvcenter :: Environment]
[flenvcenter :: Education]
[flenvcenter :: Education]
[flenvcenter :: Citizen Groups]
[flenvcenter :: Community Development]
[flenvcenter :: Sustainable Development]
[flenvcenter :: Green Jobs]
[flenvcenter :: Local Economies]
[flenvcenter :: Green Economies]
[flenvcenter :: Community]
[flenvcenter :: Social Justice]
[flenvcenter :: Diversity]
[flenvcenter :: EJ Projects]
[flenvcenter :: Community Development]
[flenvcenter :: Sustainable Development]
[flenvcenter :: Green Jobs]
[flenvcenter :: Local Economies]
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What the limits of traditional accounting mean for the future of food
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6.11.2020 |
Business Operations | GreenBiz.com |
| What the limits of traditional accounting mean for the future of food Jean Haggerty Fri, 11/06/2020 - 01:00
Traditional accounting methods do not fully capture the externalized costs of economic activities in the food and agricultural space, and this shortcoming is becoming more apparent because climate change is intensifying the focus on sustainable development. Against this backdrop, some industry officials think that true-cost accounting for food offers a better way forward.
True-cost accounting aims to make visible the full costs of food by identifying, measuring and valuing the positive and negative environmental, social and health-related externalities of food and agricultural systems. The idea is that it can help companies make informed decisions about their supply chains, help governments develop more effective policies and help consumers make better buying decisions.
But few are using true-cost accounting to assess the externalities of food, as experts made clear at a session on the topic at ... |
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[flenvcenter :: Environment]
[flenvcenter :: Sustainable Agriculture]
[flenvcenter :: Sustainable Agriculture]
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If people will believe in QAnon, why won’t they believe in climate change?
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4.11.2020 |
Resource Efficiency | GreenBiz.com |
| If people will believe in QAnon, why won’t they believe in climate change? Suzanne Shelton Wed, 11/04/2020 - 00:15
In 2017, 65 percent of Americans believed that climate change was occurring and that it was caused by human activity. According to our latest Eco Pulse polling, that number is down to 55 percent. Now, what I regularly tell people about this seemingly distressing news is that the number of actual climate deniers — Americans who believe climate change isn’t occurring at all — stands at only 17 percent, right where it was in 2016.
I regularly say, "We need to stop focusing on whose fault it is. If your kid calls you and says he or she has just been in a car wreck, your first question is, ‘Are you OK?’ not, ‘Whose fault was it?’ So, in our messaging let’s just focus on the fact that there’s a widely acknowledged problem and we should all do something about it."
I do still think that’s the right approach. But as noted in my blog post a couple of weeks ago , I think those of us in the ... |
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[flenvcenter :: Environment]
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Bill McKibben reflects on brand advocacy, the final frontier of climate leadership
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3.11.2020 |
Resource Efficiency | GreenBiz.com |
| Bill McKibben reflects on brand advocacy, the final frontier of climate leadership Mike Hower Tue, 11/03/2020 - 01:30
Four years ago today, many corporate sustainability professionals — regardless of political leanings — stood shocked as they watched Donald Trump clinch the presidency in one of the biggest upsets in American presidential history. Many of us feared for the future of climate action, and pretty much every other social and environmental issue.
We were right to worry — things are, to be blunt, looking pretty terrible from a federal climate policy perspective. The Trump administration has abandoned all semblance of U.S. leadership on the climate crisis during the very years when we needed to be taking the most decisive actions to curb emissions.
It axed the Clean Power Plan, gutted the National Environmental Policy Act, weakened the role of scientific evidence in environmental policy and withdrew the United States from the historic Paris Agreement — a decision that takes effect Nov. 4 — among ... |
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[flenvcenter :: Community]
[flenvcenter :: Environment]
[flenvcenter :: Climate Change Impacts]
[flenvcenter :: Climate Policy]
[flenvcenter :: Community]
[flenvcenter :: Climate Change Impacts]
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Why IKEA is investing in sustainable mobility
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3.11.2020 |
Business Operations | GreenBiz.com |
| Why IKEA is investing in sustainable mobility Holly Secon Tue, 11/03/2020 - 00:30
Swedish home furnishing company IKEA isn’t just focusing on what’s happening inside your home anymore. The company is also thinking about what's happening in the streets outside. That is, the company is pumping cash into a new sustainable mobility program.
For the company known for its delicious meatballs and DIY shelves, the investment isn't actually that surprising. It’s about reaching customers — or more specifically, helping customers reach IKEA.
"The No. 1 reason that a consumer is not an IKEA customer is accessibility," Angela Hultberg, head of sustainable transportation at IKEA, said last week on the virtual stage of GreenBiz Group’s clean economy conference, VERGE 20 .
It’s about reaching customers — or more specifically, helping customers reach IKEA.
The furniture giant is starting with a sustainable mobility strategy in urban areas, which has several dimensions, Hultberg explained. Many of IKEA’s customers live ... |
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[flenvcenter :: Community]
[flenvcenter :: Environment]
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[flenvcenter :: Alternative Vehicles]
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[flenvcenter :: Alternative Vehicles]
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Corporate sustainability leadership during a pandemic
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2.11.2020 |
GreenBiz.com |
| Corporate sustainability leadership during a pandemic Tove Malmqvist Mon, 11/02/2020 - 01:00
As we continue to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating social and economic effects, companies are continuing their efforts to become more sustainable — and some are being recognized for their efforts.
The 2020 Sustainability Leaders , a GlobeScan- SustainAbility survey of experts worldwide, reveals which companies are perceived to be leaders on sustainability during this challenging time by sustainability professionals representing business, government, NGOs and academia. Over 700 experts were surveyed online across 71 countries in May.
Results show that Unilever continues to dominate as a recognized leader among the sustainability community, securing the leading position for the 10th year in a row, with Patagonia and IKEA following in the second and third spots, respectively.
Data from the survey indicate that corporate sustainability leaders need to navigate an increasing sense of urgency for ... |
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[flenvcenter :: Biodiversity]
[flenvcenter :: Biodiversity]
[flenvcenter :: Environment]
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America is hungrier than ever for sustainable food systems. Can we build them?
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2.11.2020 |
GreenBiz.com |
| America is hungrier than ever for sustainable food systems. Can we build them? Carol J. Clouse Mon, 11/02/2020 - 01:30
In the spring of 2020, many small farms across the U.S. found themselves in a bittersweet predicament. Restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus were forcing restaurants — major buyers for the local farms that serve urban areas — to shut down. The loss of these key customers might have wiped out many of these local growers, if not for another COVID-19-induced phenomenon: individual shoppers started calling — and calling — and calling.
"The farms we work with are seeing a huge spike in demand [for direct sales]," Dan Miller, CEO and founder of the crowdfunding platform Steward , told me when we spoke by phone in early April. "But now they have to quickly switch their businesses to meet that demand." So Miller, who launched the platform in the fall of 2019 to provide funding to small, sustainably run farms — operations often underserved by traditional finance — soon ... |
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[flenvcenter :: Sustainable Agriculture]
[flenvcenter :: Direct Marketing]
[flenvcenter :: Nutrition]
[flenvcenter :: Local Food Systems]
[flenvcenter :: Sustainable Agriculture]
[flenvcenter :: Direct Marketing]
[flenvcenter :: Nutrition]
[flenvcenter :: Local Food Systems]
[flenvcenter :: Community]
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Fleet leaders share four recommendations for driving toward zero emissions
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29.10.2020 |
GreenBiz.com |
| Fleet leaders share four recommendations for driving toward zero emissions Mike DeSocio Thu, 10/29/2020 - 01:45
The transportation industry is at a turning point: Ever-more ambitious climate goals are combining with the dropping cost of electric and low-carbon vehicles to make sustainable fleets more of a reality.
It’s still early days, but public and private sector organizations alike — all recognized on our top 25 most sustainable fleets list this week — are making the transition, and solving thorny infrastructure and workforce challenges along the way.
"It's tough to do, it takes a huge concert of effort to do it, but it’s been able to happen," said Philip Saunders, deputy division director of the green fleet program for the city of Seattle, at VERGE 20 conference.
We felt it was important to walk the talk, to spend the money, to go through the pain of the transition really, because the infrastructure is the biggest issue even as costs come down on the vehicle side.
Seattle’s fleet is already 80 ... |
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[flenvcenter :: Alternative Vehicles]
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[flenvcenter :: Alternative Vehicles]
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Why Google, BASF and Sephora are coming together on safer chemistry
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28.10.2020 |
Energy & Climate | Greenbiz.com |
| Why Google, BASF and Sephora are coming together on safer chemistry Elsa Wenzel Wed, 10/28/2020 - 02:02
It's probably fair to say that nobody expressly set out to devise a sunscreen to bleach coral reefs or a yoga mat to emit carcinogens. Yet toxic substances circulate in waterways and bloodstreams, leached out from all the consumables of everyday life.
Shortsightedness and paltry data in the cycles of product design and engineering are partly to blame for this collateral damage of modern chemistry. Most product designers are unlettered in chemistry, and the practice of green chemistry remains in its early years. Even a basic count of all the industrial chemicals in use is scarce — somewhere over 80,000 , according to the U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act Inventory, although the EPA total for recent output is less than 9,000 .
It's simply asking too much of most people formulating a consumer product only to include ingredients that are proven not to harm living systems.
But what if design teams seeking ... |
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[flenvcenter :: Green Purchasing]
[flenvcenter :: Education]
[flenvcenter :: Education]
[flenvcenter :: Green Purchasing]
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