2002
Customer Choice Would Boost
Renewable Energy
Giving consumers a greater choice of how their electricity is generated
could advance solar, wind and other “green power” sources
40 percent by the end of the decade, according to a new study by two
U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories.
Achieving such a result, however, would require an orderly transition
to competitive power markets and a significant expansion of the green
pricing programs currently offered by regulated utilities, said energy
analysts who conducted the study at the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory (NREL) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL).
The findings are based on detailed modeling of green power demand,
drawing on the experience of green power markets to date and consumer
response to other “green” products.
“Our study shows that giving consumers energy supply choices
can be a powerful mechanism for moving renewable energy into the marketplace,”
said Blair Swezey of NREL, one of the study’s co-authors.
The authors note that realizing the full potential of green power
markets will require a combination of better information and consumer
education about electricity supply choices and the development of
market rules and public policies that support customer choice.
The full report, “Forecasting the Growth of Green Power Markets
in the United States,” is available on the NREL Web site at:
www.eren.doe.gov/greenpower/pdf/30101.pdf.
Honda Goes Green in Gresham
American Honda officially opened its unique “green” facility,
a 212,888-square-foot warehouse, training center and zone office
in Gresham, OR, designed and constructed with recycled, recyclable
and sustainable building materials. American Honda’s Northwest
Regional Facility utilizes environmentally friendly products in
virtually every aspect of the building’s design, construction
and operation—from its lighting, heating, flooring, bathroom
tiles and wall finishes to exterior landscaping.
American Honda relied heavily on a number of Portland, OR-based
environmental organizations and government entities for the facility’s
sustainable development design, construction and operation. These
local experts included Portland Energy Conservation, Inc., Portland
General Electric, the city of Gresham and other local design, construction
and engineering firms.
“We chose to ‘go green in Gresham’ because of Oregon’s
leadership in the sustainable development movement and because we
wanted to demonstrate that a warehouse and commercial building can
be environmentally friendly and energy efficient while supporting
normal business activities,” stated Anthony Piazza, American
Honda HR/Administration Division’s assistant vice president.
Honda is also working closely with the U.S. Green Building Council
(USGBC) to receive a LEED Gold Certification, the USGBC’s second
highest certification level (platinum being highest) for the Gresham
facility’s environmentally friendly design, construction and
operation.
Starbucks Brews New Purchasing
Guidelines
Starbucks Coffee Co. has developed new coffee purchasing guidelines
in partnership with The Center for Environmental Leadership in Business,
a division of Conservation International (CI), to support its commitment
to purchase coffee that has been grown and processed by suppliers
who meet important environmental, social, economic and quality standards.
To launch the guidelines, Starbucks will enlist the support of coffee
suppliers who are sustainability advocates.
Starbucks has instituted a flexible point system that rewards suppliers
for their performance in sustainable categories. Suppliers who earn
more points in the program will receive higher purchasing preference
when Starbucks purchases green coffee.
These guidelines are based on the following four criteria:
• Quality Baselines
All coffee offered by producers and
suppliers must meet Starbucks’ quality standards in order to
be considered for purchase. Maintaining the highest quality is an
integral component of sustainability at all levels of the coffee
supply chain.
• Social Conditions
The standards for coffee production should ensure protection from
workplace hazards and conform to local laws and applicable international
conventions related to employee wages and benefits, occupational
health and safety and labor and human rights.
• Environmental Concerns
Coffee growing and processing standards will contribute to conservation
of soil, water and biological diversity; employ efficient and renewable
energy technologies; minimize or eliminate agrochemical inputs;
and manage waste materials consistent with the principles of reduction,
reuse and recycling.
• Economic Issues
Coffee production and commercializa-tion should benefit rural communities
by boosting producer incomes, expanding employment and educational
opportunities and enhancing local infrastructure and public services.
The Starbucks sourcing guidelines and all supporting documents can
be found on-line at www.starbucks.com
and www.celb.org.
The Five Millionth Mile
As a testament to the growth of the environmental vehicle industry
in the United States, Budget EV Rental Cars, the nation’s only
environmental vehicle rental company, announ-ced that its fleet
has accumulated over five million miles.
Budget EV Rental Cars, a joint effort between EV Rental Cars and
Budget Rent a Car, is the only company renting hybrid, natural gas
and electric vehicles. The company estimates that by driving five
million miles, the fleet has saved over 130,000 gallons of gasoline
that would have been used by conventional rental cars. Equally valuable
is the air pollution prevented by the rental vehicles, calculated
at over 20 tons.
The consumer benefits of driving EV Rental Car’s clean fuel
vehicles include access to carpool (HOV) lanes even with no passengers
in the car, reduced fuel costs, no charge for returning the car
on empty and free parking in many cities.
Those interested in renting or buying alternative fuel vehicles can
call 877-387-3682 or visit EV Rental on the Web at
www.evrental.com.
CERES Principles Gain
Support
The Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES)
received more backing when the following seven companies recently
endorsed its principles:
• Energy Management Inc. (EMI) is an electricity generation
company that recently divested its natural gas fired power plants
and is concentrating on renewable energy projects. It is currently
working on a joint venture with Wind Management, a European wind
company, to develop Cape Wind, a 420-megawatt wind farm off the
coast of Cape Cod, MA.
• Based in California, ENVINTA (www.envinta.com)
is a global energy management solutions provider working with utilities,
governments and major corporations to achieve significant impact
on energy use and greenhouse gas management.
• Headquartered in Riverdale, NJ, First Environment (www.firstenvironment.com)
provides strategic environmental and engineering services nationally
and is the first environmental engineering firm in the United States
to earn ISO 14001 certification.
• Hotel Mocking Bird Hill (www.hotelmockingbirdhill.com)
is a 10-room “boutique hotel” in Port Antonio, Jamaica
that has been an active participant in CERES’ Green Hotel Initiative.
The hotel is seeking Green Globe certification, which helps hotels
achieve independent verification of their environmental performance.
• Rolltronics Corp. (www.rolltronics.com),
headquartered in Menlo Park, CA, is a new technology business specializing
in a manufacturing technique called “roll-to-roll” processing,
which it plans to use to produce an entirely new class of lower
cost, lighter weight and more durable electronic products that are
created directly on flexible substrates, such as plastic.
• The Saunders Hotel Group, the first major hotel company to
endorse the CERES’ principles, has partnered with CERES for
years in the “greening” of its Boston, MA hotels. Tedd
Saunders, executive vice president, worked on the launch of CERES’
Green Hotel Initiative, has written a book about the business benefits
of environmentalism and has lectured to the travel industry about
the economic, marketing and moral benefits of environmentally responsible
hotels.
• YSI Inc. (www.ysi.com)
is a sensor manufacturing company based in Yellow Springs, OH, which
produces a variety of measurement, monitoring and analytical instruments.
Major market segments include environmental monitoring, water testing
and analysis, food and beverage processing, biotechnology, cell
culture, fermentation, health care and aerospace.
New SRI Research Group
Thinks Global
A major new alliance of socially responsible investment (SRI) research
providers from 12 countries was launched to provide consistent and
detailed profiles of global corporations. The Sustainable Investment
Research International (SiRi) Group will offer standardized profiles
of the largest 500 global companies, undertake SRI consultancy services
in local and global markets, as well as enabling its investor clients
to have wider access to local company research undertaken by its
members within their own markets.
The SiRi Group’s unique methodology is based on an active dialogue
with multinational companies on a wide range of sustainability issues
such as social policy, child labor, environmental impact, employment
rights and corporate social responsibility reporting.
The SiRi Global 500 offers institutional investors and financial services
providers the opportunity to incorporate sustainability information
in their investment process. The local SiRi Group member organization
has the expertise to set up tailor-made products and services that
are specific to each market and can advise in this process.
Canada Feels Breeze From
Joint Venture
Suncor Energy Alternative and Renewable Development, a division
of Sunoco Inc. (Suncor), announced plans to work with NA Renewables
Canada Co., a North American subsidiary of EHN, to develop wind
power projects in Canada.
The joint venture, which will operate under the name of SunNar,
will take advantage of EHN’s technological know-how and Suncor’s
knowledge of the Canadian market.
“Our work with EHN will bring a new and powerful player onto
the renewable energy scene in Canada,” says Mike O’Brien,
executive vice president, corporate development and CFO. “The
focus on large-scale renewable energy projects fits with our commitment
to address the risk of global climate change and our parallel path
approach to energy development.” The parallel path refers to
Suncor’s strategy to responsibly develop hydrocarbon resources
to meet current energy needs while taking action to develop renewable
energy sources for the long-term.
EHN is currently undertaking large-scale wind power developments
in Spain and Latin America and conducting research in the state
of New York to identify possible sites for wind power development.
Most recently, Suncor announced the SunBridge Wind Power Project,
a partnership between Enbridge Inc. and Suncor Energy to develop
a 17-turbine wind farm in southeast Saskatchewan.
Recycling Benefits at All-time
High
Despite a nationwide economic slowdown, the financial and employment
benefits of the recycling industry appear to be at an all-time high,
according to a new study released by the National Recycling Coalition.
While the environmental benefits of recycling are well known, the
National Recycling Economic Information Study, conducted for the
NRC by the consulting firm R.W. Beck, Inc. and commissioned by the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, provides the first definitive
evidence of recycling’s contributions to the national economy.
According to the study, the recycling industry employs 1.1 million
people nationwide, generating an annual payroll of $37 billion and
grossing $236 billion in annual sales. This is comparable to the
size of the auto and truck manufacturing industry and is significantly
larger than either the mining or waste management/disposal industries.
Wages for recycling workers are notably higher than the national
average for all industries. More than 56,000 public and private
sector recycling facilities recover and transform discarded materials
into useful products of considerable value. “Returning commodities
to the stream of commerce is a value-adding, job-providing and economy-spurring
activity,” says Jonathan Burgiel, national director of solid
waste management services for R. W. Beck, Inc. and project manager
of the study.
Study highlights, as well as the full report, are available now on
NRC’s Web site at www.nrc-recycle.org
or by calling 703-683-9025.
Wind Project Takes to the
Skies
The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and SeaWest WindPower,
Inc. executed an agreement under which Bonneville will purchase
power from a wind energy project being constructed by SeaWest. The
project is located near the town of Condon, in central Oregon, south
of the Columbia River Gorge. BPA will purchase and market the entire
output of the project over a 20-year period.
At 49.8 megawatts, the Condon Wind Energy Project will utilize 83
– 600kW wind turbines manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
of Japan to provide clean, renewable electricity while increasing
local employment and investment in a rural and economically challenged
area of Oregon. Located on private farmland, the project will provide
additional income to farmers while leaving the vast majority of
their land available for wheat production.
“Much of Oregon’s energy still comes from fossil fuel
sources, and the Condon project is a common sense way to clean our
air while diversifying our fuel sources,” said Oregon Congressman
David Wu (D-OR). “It will also create new jobs and bring $15
million in income to the local community over its lifetime.”
For further information about SeaWest WindPower and other recent projects,
visit www.seawestwindpower.com
or contact Dave Roberts of SeaWest WindPower, Inc., at 619-908-3440
or droberts@seawestwindpower.com.
HP Joins Fight Against
Climate Change
The Pew Center on Global Climate Change announced that the Hewlett-Packard
Co. has joined the organization’s efforts to battle global
climate change. The Pew Center established the Business Environmental
Leadership Council (BELC) with 13 members in May 1998. The addition
of Hewlett-Packard brings the BELC’s total membership to 37
companies.
Members of the BELC are committed to take steps in their domestic
and foreign operations to assess their greenhouse gas emissions
and establish programs to reduce those emissions. The BELC considers
the Kyoto Protocol a first step in global efforts to mitigate climate
change and supports the development of market-based mechanisms as
called for in the Kyoto Protocol.
The BELC includes many Fortune 500 companies in a diverse group
of industries including energy, chemicals, metal, consumer appliances
and high technology. These companies do not contribute financially
to the Pew Center, which is supported solely by contributions from
charitable organizations.
For more information about global climate change and the activities
of the Pew Center and the BELC, visit www.pewclimate.org.
Dodge-Regupol Doubles Its
Capacity
To capitalize on new and rapidly growing business operations, Dodge-Regupol,
Inc. (DRI), North America’s largest manufacturer of recycled
rubber products, has acquired new facilities that nearly double
its previous capacity.
DRI’s most recent acquisitions include a 90,000-square-foot
production facility for the grinding and cleaning of shredded scrap
rubber as well as 50,000 square feet for warehousing of inventory.
Coming soon will be the addition of a new Regupol line more than
doubling production of ECOsurfaces® commercial flooring, Everlast
Surfacing™ (fitness flooring) as well as specialty products,
such as Regupol™ insulation for sound impact reduction and
underlayment for artificial turf and other sports surfacing systems.
From operating an old, inefficient 80,000 square-foot plant with
35 employees to produce cork and rubber commodities, DRI has since
utilized 400,000 square feet of refurbished facilities with 150
employees and state-of-the-art “Regupol” technology geared
for high volume output. This expansion allows DRI to continue operating
a facility with rapid response capabilities while maintaining its
customer service position despite dramatic business growth.
Improving Air Quality for
2002 Olympic Games
The Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC) for the Winter Olympics
of 2002 has exceeded its goal of zero emissions for the Salt Lake
Games. The SLOC environment department joined forces with DuPont,
Clean Air Conservancy, the Leonardo Academy and O2 Blue to help
improve air quality through the Olympic Cleaner and Greener™
program.
The Olympic Cleaner and Greener program quantified all forms of
energy used during the Games including the Torch Relay, transportation
and operations. The program then solicited donations of verified
emission reduction credits from local and national companies to
offset the emissions produced by hosting the Games. The donated
credits are then retired permanently, creating a positive effect
on air quality.
“SLOC’s environment program has adopted a zero waste/zero
emissions goal for Games-time,” said Diane Conrad Gleason,
SLOC’s environment program director. “The Cleaner and
Greener program has helped us reach one of our aggressive conservation
goals for the 2002 Games.”
“SLOC’s goal of being the greenest Games ever is admirable
and we are glad that we are able to help,” said Dave Findlay,
global business director for emissions trading at DuPont.
DuPont donated enough emission credits of carbon dioxide equivalent,
a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, allowing SLOC
to achieve the zero emissions goal for the Games.
The SLOC environment program, along with their partners, are dedicated
to protecting and enhancing the environment in every aspect of the
Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The Environment Program of
the Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC) for the Winter Olympics
of 2002 ensures that SLOC displays environmental sensitivity in
venue development and operation, educates both Utahns and their
guests on sound environment practices, and leaves a legacy of improvement
to the region. The SLOC Environment Program has been supported by
the participation of several Environmental Champions: Anheuser-Busch,
Utah Power/Pacificorp, the USDA Forest Service, the Environmental
Protection Agency and Coca-Cola.
For more information, contact Jeanne Shaw in SLOC Media Relations
at 801-212-4241, or visit www.saltlake2002.com.
KRCL Radio Walks the Talk
With Blue Sky
KRCL community-supported radio in Utah often uses its airwaves urging
listeners to get involved in environmental good works. Recently,
the station (90.9 FM in Salt Lake City, 96.5 FM in Park City) seized
its own opportunity to get involved in bringing new, renewable wind
power generation on-line through Utah Power’s Blue Sky program.
Utah Power’s Blue Sky is a voluntary program where business
and residential customers can help increase the demand for new,
clean, renewable wind power generation. For an additional $2.95
per month, residential, business and industrial customers can purchase
wind power in 100-kwh block increments. KRCL has signed up to purchase
27 blocks per month.
Renewable energy is generated from clean resources such as wind,
solar and geothermal. It has little to no emissions and the supply
is unlimited.
Regulatory authorities require that newly built resources included
in rates be the “least costly.” Right now that does not include
renewable resources. Therefore, customers who want to support the growth
of new renewable resources sooner can participate in Blue Sky and can
be sure that their money is going directly to developing
new wind power. Not only is Blue Sky overseen by state regulators,
it is certified by Renew 2000, an organization formed to ensure
consumers get what they’re paying for when they buy renewable
power products.
For more information or to sign up for Blue Sky, call 800-842-8458;
e-mail bluesky@pacificorp.com;
or visit the Utah Power Campaign Web site at www.utahgreenpower.org.
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