Forgot your password?
News
Site News
Weather Risks Cloud Promise of Biofuel
The record storms and floods that swept through the Midwest last month struck at the heart of America’s corn region, drowning fields and dashing hopes of a bumper crop. They also brought into sharp relief a new economic hazard. As America grows more reliant on corn for its fuel supply, it is becoming vulnerable to the many hazards that can damage crops, ranging from droughts to plagues to storms.
Parties Split on How to Expand Offshore Drilling
Republicans want to end the ban on offshore drilling, while Democrats want to force companies to speed up exploration in certain offshore areas that they already control.
In Rio Slum, Armed Militia Replaces Drug Gang’s Criminality With Its Own
The militias have filled a vacuum of authority by promising residents security in exchange for payments and the chance to take over a host of illegal businesses.
Japan, Seeking Trim Waists, Measures Millions
Japan, a country not known for its overweight people, has undertaken one of the most ambitious campaigns ever by a nation to slim down its citizenry.
China Increases Lead as Biggest Carbon Dioxide Emitter
China is rapidly extending its lead over the United States as the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide, the main heat-trapping gas.
Surging Oil and Food Prices Threaten the World Economy, Finance Ministers Warn
Finance ministers from the Group of 8 industrialized nations wrapped up a two-day meeting in Japan that was dominated by talk of rising petroleum prices.
Indian to the Core, and an Oligarch
India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, is shaping his country via capitalism, with echoes of Mohandas Gandhi.
The Massachusetts Model
The state’s plan to provide universal health coverage is heartening evidence that national health care reform may be possible if a political consensus can be forged.
At Social Site, Only the Businesslike Need Apply
In the midst of Silicon Valley’s recession-proof enthusiasm for community-oriented Web sites, LinkedIn, the most boring of the social networks, is grabbing the spotlight.
Oil Prices Raise Cost of Making Range of Goods
Companies that make hard goods using raw materials derived from oil are seeing their costs skyrocket and are pondering difficult choices.
Under Pressure, White House Issues Climate Change Report
The Bush administration, bowing to a court order, has released a fresh summary of research pointing to harmful impacts in the United States from human-caused global warming.
Mounting Costs Slow the Push for Clean Coal
Despite support, plans to take the carbon dioxide that spews from coal-burning power plants and pump it back into the ground have hit roadblocks.
The Worst Way of Farming
As new reports make it clear, the efficiency of industrial animal production is an illusion, made possible by prisonlike confinement systems.
Troubled Oceans
Time is running out for the Bush administration and Congress to take action to arrest the alarming decline of this country’s ocean resources.
40 Million Acres of Rain Forest for the Greenest Bidder
Perhaps Guyana’s president, Bharrat Jagdeo, will inspire bigger countries like Brazil to take a far more aggressive role in protecting their rain forests.
Food Crisis Rippling Out Like a 'Tsunami'
"A rolling tsunami of social unrest is underway as we speak -- hungry people are desperate people capable of taking desperate actions. This tsunami is rapidly enveloping the global South, and it won't take much longer before it knocks at the door of the global North," warned Vicente Garcia-Delgado, the U.N. representative for CIVICUS, the world alliance for citizen participation.
Survey: Marks & Spencer a Green Winner, BP Biggest Greenwasher
LONDON, April 16, 2008 -- Marks and Spencer has earned a reputation as the greenest UK company according to a survey that also named BP the biggest greenwasher.
Survey: Marks & Spencer a Green Winner, BP Biggest Greenwasher
LONDON, April 16, 2008 -- Marks and Spencer has earned a reputation as the greenest UK company according to a survey that also named BP the biggest greenwasher.
Ist broadband TV channel on environment launched
Dharam Shourie, New York: The world's first broadband TV channel dedicated to environmental issues and developed with the support from a UN agency was launched today.
PGGM makes one of world’s biggest institutional investments in microfinance
Fund manager for Dutch healthcare fund commits €200m to small-scale lending over 2-3 years. by Hugh Wheelan | March 28th, 2008
(Solar) Power to the People Is Not So Easily Achieved
So now, a few lessons from a private co-op apartment building that is getting enough solar power, during daylight hours, to run the elevators, the laundry room, and the hall lights.
DEVELOPMENT: Food Prices Climbing, With No End in Sight
WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (IPS) - Globalisation, climate change, and the mass production of biofuels are pushing up food prices worldwide, which could jeopardise the livelihoods of the world's poorest, according to a report released Tuesday by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
China Grabs West’s Smoke-Spewing Factories
In its rush to recreate the industrial revolution that made the West rich, China has absorbed most of the major industries that once made the West dirty.
Our Decrepit Food Factories
The word “sustainability” has gotten such a workout lately that the whole concept is in danger of floating away on a sea of inoffensiveness.
Biodiesel: Future or Fad?
While we wait for hydrogen, here's the fuel for eco-conscious drivers. AOL on-line article 12 19 07
A Battle Fought in the Factories
To the ire of Chinese steelworkers, the United States is set to impose new tariffs on Chinese steel pipe imports early next year.
Mr. Johnson’s Unused Authority
When President Bush picked Stephen Johnson to run the Environmental Protection Agency, he probably never imagined that he would find himself at the center of the policy struggle over global warming.
B for Barcelona, biodiversity and beauty
The logo for the next IUCN World Conservation Congress has been officially unveiled. The Congress, to be held in Barcelona from 5-14 October 2008, will celebrate diversity and how natural diversity underpins social, cultural and economic diversity.
Marton-Lefèvre briefs EU
2 March 2007 In her first visit to Brussels as IUCN Director General, Julia Marton-Lefèvre has held high level talks with European Union Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas, as well as other senior European Commission officials and members of the European Parliament on the next World Conservation Congress, to be held in Barcelona in October 2008.
From Sewage, Added Water for Drinking
The controversial process of turning sewage into drinking water is getting a close look in several American cities.
Follow the Fundamentals
The U.S. still has much more to gain than to lose from openness, trade and globalization.
Apologetic, Facebook Changes Ad Program
Mark Zuckerberg, founder and chief executive of the social networking site Facebook, apologized to the site’s users about the way it introduced a controversial new advertising feature last month.
Calculating Energy Bill’s Real Figures
Auto policy experts were still struggling on Monday to determine exactly what the effects would be under the energy compromise reached by Congressional leaders last week.
Venezuela Vote Sets Roadblocks on Chávez Path
The surprising defeat of a referendum to accelerate President Hugo Chávez’s socialist-inspired revolution has given new energy to his long-suffering opposition.
In Japan, Rural Economies Wane as Cities Thrive
Since the 1990s, a growing economic disparity has emerged between prosperous cities and depressed rural areas.
Why I Parted Ways With Chávez
How is it that the people of Venezuela have reached such a bizarre crossroad that we now ask ourselves if it is democratic to establish the indefinite re-election of the president?
C.E.O. Evolution Phase 3
After eras of empire builders and repair experts, management thinkers say the current environment demands yet another kind of C.E.O.: the team builder.
U.N. Report Describes Risks of Inaction on Climate Change
In its final and most powerful report, an international panel details mounting risks in specific and forceful language, scientists said.
In Eco-Friendly Factory, Low-Guilt Potato Chips
Frito-Lay is redesigning a potato-chip factory aiming to reduce the energy it consumes and waste it creates.
Governors Join in Creating Regional Pacts on Climate Change
Three Western governors will appear in a nationwide television advertising campaign trying to generate public and political support for climate change legislation.
Murdoch Said to Stress Free Access to Wall St. Journal’s Web Site
Rupert Murdoch says he plans to abolish subscription fees at The Wall Street Journal’s Web site, according to news accounts from Australia.
A Health Plan for Wal-Mart: Less Stinginess
The nation’s largest private employer is overhauling its health plans and offering better coverage to a greater number of workers.
Investment Firm Names Gore as a Partner
The position at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers will provide former Vice President Al Gore with an opportunity to nurture green businesses.
Lead, Follow or Move Aside
China today is entering a really delicate phase on the climate-energy issue — the phase I like to call “The Wal-Mart environmental moment.” I wish the same could be said of America and President Bush.
HSBC creates green index
HSBC Corporate, Investment Banking and Markets, today released the HSBC Global Climate Change Benchmark Index.
Alternative Energy Revolution Fueled by New Fund Launches Despite Sector Downturn
The launch of the Guinness Atkinson Alternative Energy Fund testifies to optimism about the sub-sector echoed by the launch of the first renewable energy hedge fund by Ardsley Partners.
Canada is Coming Clean: First Canadian Global Clean Energy Fund Launched
Criterion Investments has announced its Global Energy Fund, reflecting a growing enthusiasm for clean energy by investors, companies and governments. (09/19/07)
Working With the Enemy
Fast Company article: Once the youngest president of the Sierra Club, Adam Werbach used to call Wal-Mart toxic. Now the company is his biggest client. Does the path to a greener future run through Bentonville? From: Issue 118, September 2007, Page 74, By: Danielle Sacks
Aveda, BP, Cone, GAP, GE, HSBC, Landor, JWT, Sun, Wal-Mart and More Join Growing List in NOLA to Share Green/CSR Brand Knowledge
BURLINGAME, Calif. — The list of participating companies continues to grow, as big brands and new green brands alike gather in New Orleans, September 26-28 to support the rebuilding of New Orleans, honor the reality of corporate contribution to climate change and discuss emerging best practices leading to bottom line benefit of sustainability as a driver of new brand value.
DawnWatch: Aussie media on downside of meat July 1-3, 2007
Attached newsletter and article references of interest to the SKN community.
Animal welfare issue boiling
Many firms in the industry have moved to undertake a number of changes in response to customer concerns. Jerry Hirsch, Times Staff Writer July 2, 2007
Boom Times for China Cleantech VC
China’s economy is booming, why shouldn’t the country’s cleantech sector follow suit. According to a new report by The Cleantech Group, cleantech venture funding in China is on the up and up and will surpass $720 million in 2008.
Is Nuclear Power Safe?
This research report on Nuclear Power contains interesting insights on Safety Cultures and processes.
Renewable Energy Future Could Save the World Billions of Dollars a Year
Renewable Energy Future Could Save the World Billions of Dollars a Year By Environmental News Service: Investing in renewable electricity worldwide instead of burning fossil fuels could save US $180 billion annually and cut emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in half by 2030, according to a joint report by Greenpeace and the European Renewable Energy Council, released recently.
MakeMeSustainable: The Green Alternative To Social Networking
Article is from a related Treehugger Blog site that reviews a new social network for facilitating grass routes efforts.
Carlos Slim Becomes World's Richest Man
MEXICO CITY (July 3) - Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim is the world's richest man, worth an estimated $67.8 billion, after overtaking Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates , according to a respected tracker of Mexican financial wealth on Monday.
U.N. Predicts Urban Population Explosion
(June 30) -- By next year, more than half the world’s population, 3.3 billion people, will for the first time live in towns and cities, and the number is expected to swell to almost five billion by 2030, according to a United Nations Population Fund report released yesterday.
A Light Bulb Goes On
It’s great news that Wal-Mart is putting its considerable heft behind one of the easiest ways to reduce energy consumption and the production of global-warming gases: the corkscrew-shaped light bulbs of the future.
Two Views of Sustainable Enterprise
The Dow/Environmental Defense internship at the University of Michigan offers both corporate and nonprofit perspectives on global issues
New climate report warns time is running out
06 April 2007 Greenpeace report reaction. Brussels, Belgium — The new report was agreed after almost a week of negotiations, at the end of a tense 24-hour marathon session which became increasingly political. The second of a series of four to be released throughout 2007, this report documents the widespread effects that rising temperatures are already having on ecosystems and human activities and assesses the changes projected from human induced climate change over the next century.