2004
Electronics Recycling
Agreement Reached
Representatives from the U.S. electronics industry endorsed in February
a resolution with state governments and environmental groups to develop
sustainable, fair and flexible recycling efforts nationwide, according
to the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA). As part of that resolution,
manufacturers will work together to develop a framework for financing
the nationwide recycling program that an EPA-initiated stakeholders
group known as the National Electronics Product Stewardship Initiative
(NEPSI) will then recommend to Congress. The task ahead for industry
is to reach consensus on the divergent views among companies. Specifically,
industry will create a proposal for legislation that will finance
recycling programs through a fee at point-of-sale or allow companies
to create alternative plans to manage costs without a fee on their
products. Manufacturers will also be given flexibility in fulfilling
their recycling responsibilities either collectively or individually,
through the development of Alternative Stewardship Plans. These plans
will demonstrate how manufacturers intend to meet or surpass collection
and recycling goals set by the U.S. EPA or another neutral party.
EIA has been a charter member of NEPSI since the multi-stakeholder
dialogue effort was organized by the U.S EPA in April 2001. The objective
of the initiative was to discuss and reach agreement on a national
solution for the financing of end-of-life electronics. EIA believes
one of the primary benefits of participation in NEPSI has been the
ability of all stakeholders to understand the complexities posed by
the electronics waste issue. “This isn’t just a manufacturers’
issue, or a consumer issue, or a problem the states have to handle,”
noted Heather Bowman, EIA director of environmental affairs. “It
is an issue affecting everyone.
“EIA is optimistic that, in time, industry manufacturers will
be able to reach consensus on the issue of financing,” Bowman
added. “If we can make this overall framework a part of any legislation
introduced in Congress, we’re confident we can make electronics
recycling efforts more effective and sustainable.”
Sustainable Practices
in China
In a continued effort to promote business involvement in sustainable
development worldwide, the China Business Council for Sustainable
Development officially became the 48th member of the World Business
Council for Sustainable Development’s (WBCSD) Regional Network.
The China BCSD is the first organization of this kind in the country,
bringing together a cross-section of national and foreign companies.
Its aim is to implement more sustainable practices in the country,
and is the result of a joint effort with the China Enterprise Confederation
(CEC). The China BCSD’s board includes the following WBCSD members:
Sinopec, Novozymes, BASF, Shell, BP and Lafarge.
“China’s businesses face major challenges to implement more
sustainable practices, such as improving resource and energy efficiency
to support their current pace of spectacular economic growth,”
said WBCSD president Bjorn Stigson at a press conference in January.
“Another challenge is the need to restructure industry sectors
to achieve economies of scale to afford environmentally friendly modern
technology.”
Stigson added that the government’s aim to quadruple China’s
GDP by 2020 adds to the challenges ahead, and also means that the
growing demand for resources is likely to affect prices of natural
resources on the world markets. “Global sustainability is not
possible without a sustainable China,” he said.
The China BCSD’s priorities for 2004 include: raising awareness
and building capacity on sustainable development in management schools
and public administration institutions; promoting higher environmental
standards and eco-efficiency within Chinese industry; and cooperating
actively with Chinese authorities on policy development.
Carbon Financing
for Small-scale Projects
EcoSecurities and E+Co have launched 2E Carbon Access, an enterprise
focused solely on bringing carbon financing benefits to small-scale
projects in developing countries. It was created to address the concern
among advocates and smaller developing countries that the global carbon
financing efforts underway will mainly benefit high volume, industrial-scale
greenhouse gas reduction projects, leaving behind the opportunity
that thousands of small projects and enterprises in developing countries
represent. Small, developmentally appropriate projects are challenging
to transact in the current market due to a combination of perceived
project risk factors. These transactions require specialized approaches
and experience.
It is hoped that 2E Carbon Access will provide this specialized access
for small-scale energy projects in developing countries, and will
fill a critical need by identifying, preparing and supplying high-quality,
investment-ready, small-scale energy projects to committed buyers
of certified emission reductions (CERs), thereby helping fulfill the
Kyoto Protocol mandate that emissions trading promote sustainable
development.
2E Carbon Access represents a strategic partnership between E+Co,
a leading supplier of seed finance and business development services,
and EcoSecurities, a leading greenhouse gas advisory firm. 2E Carbon
Access has a pipeline of over 20 projects, a number of contracts in
hand and is preparing project documents for potential buyers. As 2E
Carbon Access is implemented, there will be a need for additional
partners, including small-scale project developers, CER buyers and
financial and development partners. Information is available at www.2ECarbonAccess.com.
Reducing Steel's
Emissions
The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) has launched a North
American research initiative to develop new steel-making technologies
with little or no CO2 emissions. AISI will play an integral part of
an international effort, organized under the International Iron and
Steel Institute (IISI), in which many regions around the world are
attacking the CO2 issue. As part of this effort to reduce CO2 emissions,
the international steel industry is focusing its collective attention
on the development of revolutionary new processes that minimize, eliminate
or capture carbon emissions through the CO2 Breakthrough Program.
“All of the North American companies that have joined the program
will share the benefits of this global effort,” said AISI chairman
Daniel R. DiMicco, vice chairman, president and CEO, Nucor Corp. “We
expect that some meaningful benefits will be returned early and others
in the long-term.”
The first phase of the program is entitled “concept discovery
and assessment,” during which concepts will be investigated and
developed in the hope that several will show sufficient promise to
effect dramatic reductions in emissions. Some areas already identified
for study include the use of non-carbonaceous fuels such as hydrogen
and methane, advanced scrap processing technologies for residual removal
and more efficient melting, the use of biomass and closed-carbon-cycle
processes, and CO2 sequestration.
AISI is currently soliciting research proposals into abatement technologies,
which will be evaluated and for
Durst Buys Green
Power
The Durst Organization, one of New York City’s most prominent
commercial real estate owners, is making an annual purchase of approximately
10.5 million kilowatt-hours of NewWind Energy®, clean and renewable
green power from Community Energy, Inc. It will be used to help power
Durst’s 7.5-million-square-foot portfolio of seven high-rise
office buildings in Manhattan and represents 10 percent of the total
energy consumed in the company’s New York properties. NewWind
Energy is supplied from the Fenner Wind Power Project, located east
of Syracuse in Madison County. The New York State Energy Research
and Development Authority (NYSERDA), a state agency, supports the
initiative by providing funding for marketing support. ConEdison Solutions,
an energy services company, partners with Community Energy Inc. to
bring green power to the New York City area.
GEMI Releases "Advantage"
Tool
A new tool designed to enable businesses to measure, manage and communicate
EHS value to the financial community has been unveiled by the Global
Environmental Management Initiative (GEMI). Called “‘Clear
Advantage: Building Shareholder Value/Environment Value to the Investor,”
the tool provides compelling evidence of the link between EHS activities
and shareholder value, according to Elizabeth Girardi Schoen, chair
of GEMI, and is intended for senior company executives, including
CEOs, CFOs and Investor Relations (IR) professionals, mainstream financial
analysts and fund managers and EHS and other company managers.
“EHS is among the intangible value drivers that are hidden sources
of organizational power—from regulatory compliance that prevents
liabilities, to proactively managing risk. Leveraging EHS resources
can help create additional value for the enterprise through strategy
execution, enhancing brand and reputation, boosting innovation and
leadership,” said Jim Thomas, co-chair of the GEMI work group
that developed “Clear Advantage.” This “is a resource
and guide containing a variety of data and tools to assist managers
in unlocking the value contained in activities they are required to
perform, but frequently regard as a cost of doing business—rather
than as an opportunity to better position the enterprise with customers,
investors and lenders, alliance partners and current or prospective
employees,” he added.
For more information, visit
www. gemi.org.
Cleaning Up Contaminated
Sites
Earth Pledge, a sustainable development non-profit organization based
in New York, NY, has launched The Guardian Trust, a public/private
partnership to provide accountable, on-going land use and engineering
controls and to enable trustworthy redevelopment of environmentally
contaminated properties. The goal of the partnership is fourfold:
* to protect human health and
the environment by preventing improper usage of environmentally contaminated
sites and assuring the integrity of remedial solutions;
* to provide financial assurances
for the long-term stewardship of properties;
* to facilitate the ability of
owners to transfer sites to buyers;
* and to allow companies to safely
end their active day-to-day management of contaminated properties
and focus on their core business strategies.
Guardian Trust Management Services, an affiliate of MGP Environmental
Partners LLC, Stamford, CT, will manage the program. The Guardian
Trust is an outgrowth of a pilot study funded by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection. Also participating in the study were the United States
Navy, the Maryland Department of the Environment and the California
Environmental Protection Agency. The pilot study looked at innovative
approaches to solving problems associated with land use and engineering
controls at sites where contamination remains behind after the initial
clean-up. The vast majority of all environmental clean-ups use risk-based
methods.
MGP Environmental Partners uses private sector approaches to solve
complex issues involved in the transaction and redevelopment of contaminated
sites.
Greening Hotels and
Resorts
Audubon International is partnering with TerraChoice Environmental
Services, Inc. of Canada to create the Audubon Green Leaf™ Eco-Rating
Program for hotels, a cooperative program geared toward expanding
environmental and eco-efficiency initiatives within the hospitality
industry throughout North America.
“Hotels participating in the Audubon Green Leaf Program will
be provided the opportunity to reduce costs and improve performance,
as well as achieve a Green Leaf rating that enables them to make gains
in market share,” explains Kevin Gallagher, vice president of
TerraChoice Environmental Services Inc. “From the initial level
to the more advanced, hotels can work with the program to their advantage.”
The two-tiered program combines environmental awareness and education
with best management practices tailored to the hotel and resort industries.
During the initial stage, a member receives educational materials
and begins making improvements in its environmental performance. In
stage two, the hotel completes an environmental checklist that reviews
all functioning areas of operation. It then receives a verification
audit, followed by a rating—from one to five Green Leafs—for
its level of achievement, together with a report that details ways
to improve and achieve an even higher rating in the future.
For more information about the Green Leaf program, visit www.terrachoice.com.
Johnson Controls
Receives WEC Award
The World En-vironment Center’s Annual WEC Gold Medal for International
Corporate Achievement in Sustainable Development has been awarded
to Johnson Controls, Inc. (JCI). The Milwaukee, WI-based company was
honored for “creating tremendous shareholder value through businesses
and initiatives that enable energy efficiency and reduced carbon dioxide
emissions; facilitate resource efficiency, reuse and recycling; and
promote Green Building design concepts. The jury cited JCI’s
“High Performance Green Buildings” initiative, through which
it creates buildings designed to conserve energy and water, use natural
materials and lighting, treat landscapes with respect and minimize
emissions
Energy Star Winners
Recognizing outstanding contributions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
through energy efficiency, the 2004 Energy Star Awards were presented
to 57 businesses and organizations by the U.S. EPA. Last year alone,
Energy Star helped Americans save enough energy to power 20 million
homes, reducing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to that of 18
million cars—all while saving consumers $9 billion. Additionally,
more than 200,000 new homes have earned the Energy Star distinction,
and more than 15,000 office buildings, schools, supermarkets and hotels
have benchmarked their energy performance as a basis for future progress.
All this was accomplished without sacrificing quality, features or
personal comfort.
Energy Star was introduced by the U.S. EPA in 1992 as a voluntary,
market-based partnership to reduce air pollution through increased
energy efficiency. Today, with assistance from the U.S. Department
of Energy, the program offers businesses and consumers energy efficient
solutions to save energy, money and help protect the environment for
future generations. More than 8,000 organizations have become Energy
Star partners and are committed to improving the energy efficiency
of products, homes and businesses.
Awards were granted in four categories: Excellence in Efficient Homes,
Excellence in Energy Management, Excellence in Efficient Products
and Excellence in Energy Efficiency and Environmental Education. For
information and a complete list of award-winning companies, visit
www.energystar.gov.
Defining Hydrogen
Fuel Specs
The Transportation Working Group of the U.S. Fuel Cell Council (USFCC)
is collaborating with national and international group initiatives
in defining a fuel specification for hydrogen to be used in transportation
applications. The group plans to project fuel cell design operating
targets/parameters for transportation applications, define tests required
to understand the fundamental impact of hydrogen on fuel cell performance
and durability, determine “allowable” levels of impurities
based on projections from fundamental test results, define validation
tests to confirm that projections are correct, and publish results
for use by other organizations. |
