The U.S. Department of Energy awarded more than $1.3 million to Portland, Me.-based Ocean Renewable Power Company to develop two projects, according to this article in SustainableBusiness.com.
The DOE will contribute up to $750,000 for two years for the company to design a mooring system for devices that will be moored below the sur… Continue
Added by Jeff on September 20, 2009 at 11:31pm —
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"German luxury auto makers including BMW AG and Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz are close to benefitting from a U.S. concession that will allow them and a few other foreign makers to keep selling cars that emit more greenhouse gases than those made by mass-market rivals such as General Motors Co. and Toyota Motor Corp.," according to this article in the Wall Street Journal.
Why?
"The German comp… Continue
Added by Jeff on July 31, 2009 at 1:30pm —
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Industry executives say they are trying to change the image of the luxury goods business by embracing new environmental and labor standards, according to this article in The New York Times. The motivation for this shift is not entirely altruistic -- and that's a good thing. Greed has gotten us into so many of the messes we're in, and greed alone… Continue
Added by Jeff on March 27, 2009 at 11:30am —
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China's decision to block YouTube this week because someone dared post video of protestors being brutalized is yet another example of why this country -- apparently deemed "too big to let fail" -- does not belong among the ranks of modern, economically active nations. The country has too difficult a time with that… Continue
Added by Jeff on March 26, 2009 at 11:00am —
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An American International Group Inc. executive who received a bonus worth more than $742,000 after taxes has resigned publicly — in an Op-Ed column in The New York Times. Jake DeSantis, an executive vice president at AIG's Financial Products division, said Wednesday he's leaving the company and will donate his entire bonus to charity. The letter, addressed to AIG's CEO, Edw… Continue
Added by Jeff on March 25, 2009 at 2:19pm —
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"That's such an OLD phone," my 20-something colleague said, looking at my Samsung Blackjack as if it were something nasty the cat had brought into her freshly cleaned kitchen. I thought she was referring to the scratched surface and the cracked screen.
"Not really," I said, turning the phone over in my hand. "I got it about a year and a half ago."
My colleague wrinkled her nose with distaste and looked at me with an expression that said without a word: "Like I said: `Old'."… Continue
Wind power from the upper Midwest is more cost-competitive with power generated from conventional fuel sources when extra-high voltage transmission lines are used, a study by The Brattle Group concludes. The study, "Transmission Super Highway: Benefits of Extra High Voltage Transmission Overlays" states that renewable resources are an economically feasible way to respond to energy demands in a carbon-regulated environment, according to a release from ITC Holdings Corp., a transmission developer,… Continue
Added by Jeff on March 12, 2009 at 2:13pm —
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Although a majority of Americans believe the seriousness of global warming is either correctly portrayed in the news or underestimated, a record-high 41% now say it is exaggerated, according to this report by the Gallup polling organization. This represents the highest level of public skepticism about mainstream reporting on global warming seen in m… Continue
Added by Jeff on March 12, 2009 at 2:22am —
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Don't despair too much about the current economic crisis. Hope is just around the corner, according to Clean Edge'sClean Energy Trends 2009 report. While the short-term outlook for jobs is grim (surprise!), jobs in solar and wind will jump from 600,000 today to 2.65 million by 2018--all thanks to what will become a $325 billion industry in the next 10 years.
But before the golden… Continue
Added by Jeff on March 11, 2009 at 1:30pm —
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Rather than keep pelting OurWorld with stories on the topic of sustainable seafood, I've decided to begin providing a weekly roundup of links related our damaged oceans and how we can treat them more responsibly. I hope this opens some eyes and prompts changes in consumption:
A More Sustainable Tuna? Japan's Kindai Bluefin Arrives in Virginia… Continue
Added by Jeff on March 11, 2009 at 8:00am —
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Major retailers, such as Target, Office Depot and Home Depot, report strong sales in green goods through the recession, and studies indicate consumers’ commitment to buying environmentally friendly products has not fallen off, according to this GreenBiz article.
Yet even as green product sales continue to thrive, industry insiders say, retailers need to tweak their message to emphasize quality and… Continue
Added by Jeff on March 2, 2009 at 11:00am —
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"You've heard of peak oil, is there such a thing as peak fish? Some scientists and pundits argue that we're already past the point of peak fish, and our use of wild fish is doomed to go down...down...down. Fact or fiction?"
So begins a great post I found on Blogfish -- a must-read for anyone concerned abo… Continue
Added by Jeff on March 2, 2009 at 9:03am —
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Two British supermarket chains have said they will ensure that none of the seafood products they carry will be supplied by companies that support or engage in whaling or the hunting of other sea mammals. Waitrose, one of the two stores, has already written to the Icelandic government asking them to reverse their decision to allow an extended whaling quota this year. The other store, Marks & Spencer, said they are drafting a letter to send soon.
Neither store intends to boycott Icel… Continue
Added by Jeff on February 24, 2009 at 2:30pm —
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Every little bit helps.
The End of the Line widget -- tied to Charles Clover's book and upcoming film by the same name -- allows you to check whether the fish you are planning to buy or eat is caught or farmed in a way that is sustainable. Just click "get and share" at the bottom of the widget to email it to a friend,… Continue
Added by Jeff on February 24, 2009 at 1:00pm —
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"We Westerners just can’t get enough of cheap Chinese goods. While we satiate our voracious appetite for cheap gadgets and gizmos, China continues to build factories to meet that demand – factories that a… Continue
Added by Jeff on February 24, 2009 at 11:30am —
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SECAUCUS, NJ - Hartz Mountain Industries Inc. has turned on its new solar array installed on the 65,000-sf roof of the Meadowlands Exposition Center .
The 412-kilowatt SunPower® T10 Solar Rooftop solar array is the first of many solar installations that Hartz plans to install on the roofs of buildings, predominantly warehouses, within its 39 million square foot portfolio. It is also the first completed solar… Continue
Added by Jeff on February 23, 2009 at 8:00pm —
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Tree huggers need cell phones, too. They may have found it in Motorola's W233 Renew, introduced by T-Mobile USA, according to this review in BusinessWeek.
Motorola went to great lengths to ensure this device is eco-friendly. Renew's makers say the W233 is the world's first phone with a casing made with recycled plastic—in this case, from large wa… Continue
Added by Jeff on February 12, 2009 at 4:00pm —
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Thanks for sharing this one, Steve. I hadn't seen it - and it is so in line with the OurWorld way of thinking. And Jared Diamond is a really thoughtful, credible source!
