Guest post by LED Mavens

Businesses of all sizes are facing a new imperative to reduce their eco footprints. On the one hand is a growing market of environmentally conscious consumers. Purchases, which once revolved around simply getting the best product or service for the lowest price, are increasingly being made based on the new calculus of sustainability. Consumers have shown a willingness to spend a little more for products and services that include carbon offsets, organic and chemical-free labeling, and affiliation with trusted alliances like the FAIR trade movement.

On the other hand, businesses have their own calculus to consider. Energy prices continue increasing, and the economy has yet to recover anything approximating a steady rate of growth to match inflation. The good news is that most businesses have plenty of room to make affordable changes that will increase efficiency and save money, providing a buffer against the possibility of hard times ahead.

Go Paperless

Though it may be impossible to cut out all the paper, it is worth it to move in this direction. Those reams of paper add up, after all. Since the office is already equipped with computers, it makes sense to put them to good use by keeping the files on a central server. With the right software, which is widely available, clients will be able to view invoices and estimates, set up appointments, and pay their bills. Workers will be able to receive work orders, fill out service orders, and make changes to the schedule in real time with any internet connection. This also allows the possibility of allowing some workers to telecommute, which can be a win for everyone.

If the virtual office seems to risky for your business, the server can be partially offline, which will still allow invoices to be emailed and office tasks to be shared efficiently among the staff. As a bonus, many programs are now designed for compatibility with popular tax preparation software, which will reduce paper and headaches.

Changing the Office Environment

It is a fact that natural lighting increases worker efficiency, especially in the office where eye strain is a common complaint. Since sunlight is free, why not make use of it? Open the curtains and blinds and ask employees in the best solar positions to reduce the use of artificial lighting. While east and west facing windows will need tinting, to prevent the sun from putting extra strain on the cooling bill, leaving those southern windows clear will save on heating costs in the winter.

Another change for the better is to purchase a few plants. Some, like hostas and ferns, require little light and are great at cleaning the air of chemical toxins. They can also do wonders for improving the mood of your workers.

Capital Improvements

Sooner or later it will be necessary to buy company vehicles, replace the HVAC unit, and upgrade electronics. When you do, make sure to factor in the extra costs of your options. Light autos use less gasoline. Heat pumps can save substantially on electricity during winter. Energy Star electronics will start your savings immediately.

Consider some of these affordable ways to reduce the eco footprint of your business. Not only will they save you money in the long run, they can become selling points that make the difference for environmentally conscious customers.

This is a guest post by LED Mavens. A company specializing in Commercial LED Lighting.

EarthTalk® is a weekly environmental column made available to our readers from the editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Our nation’s coal-fired power plants are increasingly being retrofitted with technologies to mitigate the output of various forms of pollution. But a number of bad apples do continue to cause more than their fair share of mercury emissions. This past March the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), a leading non-profit, released a report showing that the top 25 emitters of mercury, a potent neurotoxin and a nasty by-product of coal-fired electricity generation, contribute only eight percent of the U.S. electric supply. At the same time, these power plants, which have failed to install readily available pollution controls already widely in use by other plants, account for nearly a third of all mercury emissions by the American electricity sector overall.

The report, “Mercury Alert: Cleaning up Coal Plants for Healthier Lives,” factors in emissions of mercury at power plants across the country in 2009. According to EDF, 20 of the top 25 mercury emitters are located within 50-100 miles of some of the largest metropolitan areas in the nation, including Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, St. Louis and Austin. EDF found that Texas produces the most pollution from coal-fired electricity generation of all the U.S. states. Besides listing the worst mercury polluters, the report also details recent cases of mercury contamination and fish consumption advisories across the country, as well as reported new installations of mercury controls and recently enacted state regulations driving their implementation.

The release of the report was timed to coincide with the announcement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of more stringent rules regarding emissions of mercury and other air polluters such as arsenic, dioxin and acid gases from individual power plants. EDF hopes that the report will bolster public support for the federal government to crack down on any plants that continue to buck the trend towards greener operations.

“There are widely available, cost-effective and tested technologies to reduce mercury pollution from power plants by more than 90 percent,” reports EDF. Currently only 17 U.S. states regulate mercury air emissions, but the upcoming EPA rule will force plants even in unregulated states to clean up their acts.

Mercury pollution is an ongoing problem around the world. Exposure to mercury in the environment has been linked to a variety of reproductive, cardiovascular and other human health problems. Airborne mercury from electricity plants usually finds its way into waterways and eventually the ocean where it is taken up by successively larger marine life as it works its way up the food chain. The top ocean predators such as tuna and swordfish contain relatively large amounts of mercury in their fatty tissue as a result of eating smaller fish which have in turn eaten even smaller forms of marine life.

Consumers can limit their mercury intake by minimizing our consumption of these larger fish (including albacore canned tuna), but the problem will linger long into the future even if we start to reign in mercury pollution domestically, especially because the cleaner technologies being implemented here may take decades to find their way to power plants in poor and developing countries.

Source:
EDF’s “Mercury Alert” Report

EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E – The Environmental Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe. Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.

Related articles

• Coal Comfort: EPA Cracks Down on the U.S.’s Dirtiest Mercury-Emitting Power Plants (scientificamerican.com)
• earth energy Solutions supports new Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (ees2001.wordpress.com)
• Is your power plant contributing to our ills? (greenflbroker.com)

Image credit: ThinkStock

But realizing a sustainable future depends just as much, if not more, by old, stodgy big-footed industries like, say, car rental companies.

This is all by way of saying that Enterprise Rent-A-Car has recently announced availability of the Chevy Volt EV for rent. People wouldn’t expect a car rental company to be particularly focused on offering alternative-type vehicles. But Enterprise has consistently shown a commitment to sustainability and alternative vehicle market leadership.

Not the kind of corporate-speak you’d expect from a Hippie, but I’ve had the opportunity to chat on several occasions with members of a team devoted to – dare I say it – corporate responsibility. In particular Lee Broughton, director of corporate sustainability for Enterprise.

From the largest fleet of hybrid and alternative fuel cars to a well-received voluntary carbon offset program, corporate fleet management and ride sharing services,  now to the Chevy Volt EV. Enterprise continues its market leadership.

For now you’ll need to go to Ontario, California to rent a Volt, which you may not want to do, but Enterprise has plans to install charging stations and offer the Volt and other EV vehicles at branch outlets across the country. Being first-movers in the EV market continues in Broughton’s goal of making Enterprise a leader in adoption of new, cleaner technology. EV cars can travel up to 379 for extended capacity version, or 100 miles more typically, making the EV particularly well-suited to urban, commuter driver.

The next locations for EV charging stations is Washington, Oregon, Tennessee and Arizona.

“We will continue to integrate new, clean fuel and engine technologies into our fleet to promote new alternatives like the Volt and help them become commercially viable,” says Broughton. “Making EVs available through our network of Enterprise locations provides an opportunity for customers to try them out for consideration through an extended test drive.”

Visit Enterprise Holdings Driving Futures to find out more.

The LED lights flicker at a rate undetectable by the human eye, transmitting signals back and forth.  (Think binary: off=0, on=1)  This saves 70-80% on electricity consumption, which more than covers the costs of the internet service.  The flickering light is picked up by a special modem on the computer while requests to the network are transmitted in the same way upward.  My question is, does the speed and reliability decrease when it’s sunny out?

This is a great solution for businesses and office parks to both save money and distribute internet service around the complex.  The technology was installed by a company called LVX.  The current limitations of the technology suggest it could be used in smaller scales, not as a total replacement for wifi as the top transer limit is around 3 Mbps, or the equivalent of a residential DSL line.

I would gladly take 3 Mbps since I found out the peak of Mt. Everest has high speed internet while I am still without reliable internet in a developed country.

Source

What I fully expect to come from this is increased competition translating to cheaper, better electric vehicles.  As it stands, I can’t afford to pay $35,000 + for an all-electric vehicle.  I hope that soon this barrier will be removed.

Although the Chevy Volt is able to extend it’s range using a gas backup engine, GM has announced plans to roll out test fleets of all electric vehicles.  Is it the competition with the Nissan Leaf (entirely electric vehicle)?  Or is it foresight into the future auto market causing the investment?

Global tests are moving forward using several existing and new models.  A Chinese version is in place already, dubbed the Chevrolet Sail (seen above).

A GM statement indicates we can expect an influx of global sightings.  “These demo fleets will increase GM’s competitiveness in vehicle electrification by providing GM with real-world data on driving patterns, battery charging, market needs and customer acceptance while sharing costs and resources with supplier and government partners.”

So what does this mean for the real consumer?  In addition to the better technology that will surely come from such diligent testing, I hope to see this kick other auto makers in the pants and get truly competitive models on the roads.  Pretty soon the competition will change from storage space and sweet stereo to vehicle range and efficiency.  I, for one, will be waiting for the 4th or 5th generation electric vehicle to put in my garage.

The farmers at DeLoach tend to their vineyards and garden as if they were a closed system. They seek at every turn to drastically limit if not altogether eliminate external inputs. Rather than a cycle of dependence based on the importation of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, through biodynamic farming practices they create a self-contained oasis of self-sustaining interconnected biodiversity, an eco-system where the land, plants and animals exist in harmony to create a thriving environment.

The land is constantly replenished and enriched through natural processes using cover crops and compost made on-site and designed to encourage the growth of beneficial microorganisms in the soil. The signature components of the biodynamic process includes horn manure and horn silica, which are made by filling cow horns with manure or crushed silica and burying them in the ground through the winter. The horns are then dug up and their contents used as the basis to make organic fertilizers. Biodynamic farming also recognizes the importance of the cosmic rhythms that influence life on earth and work in the fields and cellar is carried out based on the lunar calendar. “In the holistic spirit of biodynamics, we will also continue to cultivate a sense of community with our neighbors, growers, and natural surroundings,” notes the DeLoach website.

The development of biodynamics came in response to the decline in food quality some farmers noticed with the shift from natural to synthetic based agricultural practices. Ironically, in moving forward toward a more environmentally sound and healthful future DeLoach is in many ways moving backward. Back to the time before the rise of the agro-industrial complex disrupted the close link between land, animals and plants and supplanted organics with chemicals.

The recent experience of Kim Wallace, assistant editor of Natural Home Magazine, testifies to the superior taste and nutritional content of food produced through biodynamic farming. “After trying farm-fresh eggs from DeLoach Vineyards’ Biodynamic, organic farm and garden, I’ve made a vow to buy only local eggs whenever possible,” Wallace says.

Learn more:

Kim Wallace’s tour of DeLoach Vineyards for Natural Home Magazine including the horn silica making process.

Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association National Conference September 30, 2010: Biodynamics and the Future of Agriculture: Growing the Food Revolution

Image credit: foodstuffla.org

The problem is, the image was photoshopped to add three images to blank screens.  The image meta data indicates the photo was taken in March of 2001 as well.  As Gawker puts it, their photographer either doesn’t know how to work their camera, or BP is downright lying.

In addition to lying to the American public for the, ummm, bazillionth time this summer, it seems the lie was completely unnecessary.  Despite what some conference room shmuck might have thought, nobody would have reacted negatively to seen a couple blank screens.  We’re talking about a pipe sticking out of the ground, 5,000 feet below the ocean surface folks, there’s only so much to look at.  To have 10 screens with 10 different images would have simply been overkill and obviously dramatization.

BP is blaming the incident on their photographer.  Yea, because their photographer wanted to spend a couple hours after his/her shift touching up a photo of a dark room.  As Gawker points out, the photographer probably caused the spill too!

The Huffington Post article points out a concerning and valid theme of deception: “…It matters because of the pattern. A seemingly superfluous image on a website, the dispatching of a team of fake reporters, the deliberate — potentially dangerous — obfuscation of oil spill flow… these actions all spring from the same desire, the desire to deceive.”

Source

One of the chief concerns for both consumers and change-makers was that of range.  EV manufacturers are now toying with different solutions to the same problem: people don’t want to be limited by battery life or lack of charging stations.

A small startup is hoping to be one component of the answer.  They are testing a battery swapping station that will allow, in this stage of development, three taxi cabs to drive in and roll along a conveyor belt as if in a car wash.  In less than 60 seconds, this station will swap out a car’s battery.  That’s less time than it takes to fill your gas tank!

Via Inhabitat

1. BP’s daily profit (not sales… profit) still exceeds what they’re spending on the spill cleanup efforts.  Last year alone they made $17 Billion.  As my wife puts it: “That’s not even a real number”.
2. Although BP’s stock may be tumbling, two sad truths exist: a) This whole oil spill will be out of the public consciousness in a matter of weeks after the cleanup is finished. b) Stock prices tumbling may anger investors, but BP still has vast amounts of assets they could sell to cover the cost of paying those affected by the spill and the cleanup efforts.
3. America along with the rest of the developed world is still addicted to oil.  The total amount of oil leaked by the disaster in the gulf so far is essentially equal to the amount Americans consume in a single day. We will not stop buying petroleum products from BP.  Period.  Despite valiant efforts by some organizers to put together a boycott BP movement.
4. Without sweeping and controversial legislation from Washington, DC., there will be no stopping BP from ignoring most claims made by local residents, families and fisherman.  The power paradigm is such that corporations hold more power than individuals, groups, organizations or even States.  BP will not be forced to pay one penny more than is politically necessary.
5. Estimates for the total cost of the disaster are $15 to $40 Billion.  Stop giving dividends to shareholders and BP can cover that in 1-2.5 years.  By then the whole thing will be in Americans’ distant memory and the consumers will be back to doing what they do best: consuming.

Image credit: Treehugger

North Dakota has a lot of one thing: oil fields.  And those oil fields needs lots of people and they pay them a lot.  This is probably due to the high risk of the job and the very high profits of the industry.

So what’s the problem?  There isn’t any housing! People walk around the town with a pocket full of money and nowhere to live.  From motels to trailer parks to campgrounds to apartments.  Everything is full and/or has a wait list.

Why is this being discussed on an environmental blog? Because we have to make economics part of the environmental discussion every day.  The truth of our society is this: corporations, governments and communities won’t truly accept a change in lifestyle until it is economically beneficial to do so.

As evidence, look at the evolution of environmentally friendly vehicles.  Green vehicles didn’t hit the market until the business model started to erode and the consumers demanded clean vehicles.  A pathetic but true fact.