Archive for Social Corporate Responsibility
Earth Friendly Business Apple Releases iPad
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Unless you have been hiding under a rock you have probably heard about Apple’s latest product the iPad. The excitement tends to revolve not around the new tablet but the fact that Apple unveiled the new A4 chip as the main processor that has pushed out both of the market leaders Qualcomm Inc. and Intel Corp. Many believe that this chip will make itself invaluable to Apple, as it may soon be found in other products like the iPhone or iPod touch. Apple has also continued their commitment to being an earth friendly business. How have they done this?
Apple has designed the iPad with many of the features Apple has been known for which reduce their environmental impact and cement themselves as an earth friendly business like arsenic-free display glass. Apple has also made the iPad both free of brominated flame retardants (BFR) and Polyvinyl chloride (PVC). As with many of their other popular products the iPad also boasts a Mercury-free LCD display. Beyond that they have branched off the success of the recyclable body of the MacBook and have created the iPad with a recyclable aluminum and glass enclosure.
Being an earth friendly business shows their commitment to remaining enviro-socially aware. Having an environmental policy that brings about a better product will always increase the bottom line and in recent years no one could say that Apple is not a thriving business. Moreover the creation of the A4 chip, which completely incapacitated their need for their former partners turned competition shows the shrewd business savvy of Apple head genius Steve Jobs.
Innovation has been what has allowed Apple to sore to the heights they have reached in recent years, and being an earth friendly business industry leader has been part of that. In every aspect of their business Apple has been a leader in their field overhauling the MP3 players, cell phones, computers and also setting a standard when it came to being socially and environmentally responsible. When the iPad goes on sale in March 2010 it is likely to be another strong seller in a tight economy. Here is hoping that as their success continues Apple constantly strives to find new ways to develop on the earth friendly business they have built.
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Green Gazette (Issue 37) G.E. gets renewable, using your green loaf and solar fencing
Posted by: | CommentsHello again, February already would you believe? For those of you in colder climes don’t worry the worst of Winter will soon be behind you and the Spring thaws will start before you know it. It’s been a topsy turvy Winter with traditionally mild places being snowed in and colder regions experiencing warmer weather than usual. The ostriches say ’so much for global warming’ whereas the informed among us know the difference between climate change and weather change. These things are measured in 50 year increments so seasonal deviation means nothing really, what does mean something is weather in general being more unsettled as occurrences of drought and flooding are changing rapidly due to a complete change in the ferocity/frequency of storms around the planet. However I’ve gone on a tangent for I am here to bring you some eco-news for the latest Green Gazette so let me do just that.
General Electric (G.E.) have announced their intent by dedicating a brand new $45 billion facility in Schenectday New York as their “Renewable Energy Global Headquarters”. Such a statement of change sends a very positive message from the corporate giant, you can have any number of new and smaller alternate energy companies start at the grassroots level but when the muscle of G.E. is getting behind the drive toward renewable energy we’ll find that we reach our destination that much quicker. The building itself is of course a model of green efficiency and it creates 650 new jobs and was completed a year ahead of schedule. To learn more the building and the corporation’s growing commitment to renewable energy please visit this Business Wire story.
“The dedication of our new, state-of-the-art global headquarters represents our ongoing mission to provide renewable energy solutions that will help meet both the world’s energy and environmental needs,”
Victor Abate, VP of renewable energy for GE Power & Water
I’m always amazed (impressed) by the fact that almost every type of industry can make a difference in environmental matters by moving toward sustainable practices. The more I read and research the fuller my understanding of the fact that applications that can have a positive impact 
exist almost everywhere and at the heart of much of the needed change will remain consumer awareness. Sara Lee are yet another example of a company that have baked up a good idea. The bread giant announced this week that they are trying to capture a slice of the green market with a new ‘eco-wheat’. The new green loaf will hinge on more than just a concept as a new ‘eco-grain’ has been specifically developed by Cargill and CHS for Sara Lee. The wheat will be grown using farming practices that reduce fertilizer and it requires less land than organic farming. Best news of all is that you don’t have to be from the upper crust to try the new product as it will be priced equivalently to the company’s existing product line. I’m not buttering up the fact that I hope sales will bring in extra dough versus the non green competition. Look for the bread to be in stores this spring.
Solar Fence
I wanted to close with another example of remarkable innovation. Solar energy seems to be usually associated with rooftops and solar farms but here is one avenue I wouldn’t have considered although you may well see it around a farm or indeed a homestead. A solar fence (but of course!) has been developed by a company called Earth Sure out of New Jersey. The fence is fully functional as a…well as a fence but also collects the suns rays from dawn until dusk and then transforms the solar rays into energy for your home. It’s a natural idea in my books and wins the Gazette award as green innovation of the week. Learn more about the solar fencing here. At last a legal fencing operation that will pay for itself in little time.
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Best Green Videos (part one)
Posted by: | CommentsIf a picture is worth a thousand words then what value would you place on a well made video? One of the most exciting things about the internet (or redundant if you tire of seeing puppies doing cute tricks) is the very viral nature of the medium. When it comes to green campaigns the playing field of awareness has been leveled in many respects due to the growth of online video. A smaller marketing video with a television budget for just a small market TV region can reach all of North America or indeed the world. The impact of video via humour, creativity or emotive facts can create a buzz online relatively quickly and underneath the laughs or the fury a film can cause is the message. Eco-awareness is a mission of education and a call to action, naturally a 90 second video can convey a message that will create a greater impact than a 1,200 word essay dependent on your audience.
I’ve spent a good deal of time looking at videos that have created an impact but more importantly stop to make you think about the message so in an effort to bring you a few smiles and share some great eco-videos I wanted to launch into the first four for you to vote on.
1. Clean coal air freshener, a subtle dig at the absurdity of clean coal
2. Harrison Ford’s message about the rain forests
3. Mr. Wind, a favourite of mine since the first day I saw it
4. So obvious and simultaneously innovative, Worm Poop!
If the videos above stirred some interest from you I also wanted to provide a little more information about each:
- ‘Clean Coal’ was directed by the famed Coen Brothers as a direct message about the concerns with clean coal and was produced for This is reality.org.
- Harrison Ford’s appearance was on behalf of Prince Charles’ rainforest initiative The Prince’s Rainforest Project.
- Mr Wind was created by German alternate energy leader Epuron.
- Worm poop is the key ingredient behind products being manufactured by Terracycle a small New Jersey based manufacturer of 100% recycled plant food products. It’s really quite fascinating as this longer video shows.
So now we need your help. Please vote for one video and one video only for the inaugural winner of our first ‘Best Green Video’ election! We’ll try and do this more often. Polls close Feb 3.
Please select the best Green video
- Mr. Wind (82%, 9 Votes)
- Harrison Ford's waxing (18%, 2 Votes)
- Clean coal air freshener (0%, 0 Votes)
- Worm Poop (0%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 11
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Green Gazette (Issue 34) Red wine with red meat, White with fish, green with everything
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Welcome back to the green scene on the Planet Forward Green Gazette. Hope that your New Year is off to a good start and that the green shoots of optimism are finding a way into your life. We’ve a new decade to get working on and a planet to help out by sharing eco ideas and news - so let’s get right to it.
The scope of industries that can become more eco-friendly is practically without limits and I wanted to write about the wine industry of Northern California. Behind France, Italy and Spain the USA is now the 4th largest wine producer in the world and Northern California vineyards make up the vast majority of that production. The valleys of Sonoma and Napa not only produce some wonderful wine but I must add that it is one of the most beautiful regions of the country I’ve ever been lucky enough to visit. To learn that many of these wineries are making a significant progression towards becoming more eco-friendly makes the region more attractive than ever in my eyes. Leading the pack Cade Winery are about to be awarded Gold status under the LEED certification for their green practices. The achievements they have made are remarkable (as this pdf shows) but the highlights include: 99% of all energy from solar panels, 67% reduction in water consumption, ‘cool roof’ construction to reduce heat island impact, stringent recycling program for all construction, all landscaping water is recycled, all flooring is in renewable and sustainable cork. The full list is much longer but the commitment to green practices is impressive to say the least. Cade aren’t the only vineyard making such strides however - Kendall Jackson have made a huge commitment to water conservation processes that are seen as crucial in a part of the state were rainfall has been at drought levels for the last 3 consecutive years.
Interestingly some of the techniques being used by wineries are by no means new in their invention. In a case of looking backward to go forward some practices that date back decades or even centuries are the fastest route to making this oldest of crops more eco-friendly. For example in the hills of Napa and Sonoma exist ideal topography for tunneling caves for storage. Some of the most historic vineyards already
There's nowhere quite like Napa Valley
had these in place from conception yet other vineyards are adding them now. The advantage is a huge savings in energy use as the caves provide year round consistency in the temperature for storing wines and by one of those oh so kind natural coincidences the temperature is optimal for storing the bottles and their contents. A second idea now being reintroduced is to create building for fermentation that are constructed to best track the journey of the sun across the sky (in terms of shade) and also being aware of breezes through the building. The crosswinds and temperature control result in ideal fermentation areas that are also being built by the valley’s most eco-aware vineyards.
As consumers the more we know about the eco-friendly practices of manufacturers the better contributions we can all make. When it comes to a good bottle of wine remember to do your homework before you make your purchase. I’ve had K-J a number of times but now I need to track down a nice bottle of Merlot from Cade. Cheers ~
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