This editorial stresses the importance of LEED standards of operation rather than just standards for the building process. Creating and implementing a system of standards for maintaining a building once it's occupied is an important part of a credible and long-lasting LEED system. Some states and cities are leading the way. To read the editorial, follow the link below. 

“Saving Energy,” a white paper released today by the UC Berkeley and UCLA Schools of Law and the California Attorney General’s Office, discusses the primary challenges to launching a comprehensive retrofit program in California and offers recommendations to overcome them.

The key barriers are a lack of awareness among building owners about the opportunity to save money by retrofitting, insufficient funds to cover the upfront costs of retrofits (which can pay for themselves over time), a tenant and landlord population that has no incentive to pay for retrofits when the other party will benefit, and an absence of professional standards for retrofit contractors.

For the full paper, follow the link below.

In 2010, 27% of products at major US retailers are estimated to have sustainable packaging. By 2015, this figure is projected to reach 37%, according to the latest issue of EL Insights.

“Sustainable packaging” has been regarded as pleonastic because packaging by definition should be functional, efficient, and cost- effective. Only recently, escalating environmental pressures from consumers, the media, and legislators have put pressure on manufacturers to emphasize innovation in design, choice of materials, processing, and life cycle logistics. Environmentally conscious decisions now must both revolutionize packaging design and drive the bottom-line of companies.

For the complete article, follow the link below.

Janine Kubert argues that, even in post-recession times, going green is still profitable. Climate-change skeptics may have eroded the argument for reducing carbon emissions, but the economics of saving energy remain undeniable, even with tighter margins.

The scale and scope of the Gulf oil spill disaster make it clear that everyone can help. And there are many business opportunities, as well. Meet in New Orleans on July 9th for the Gulf Oil Spill Disaster Response Summit. The free summit will feature:  BP; key government decision-makers at the federal, state, and local levels; companies with the latest oil containment and response solutions; experts discussing the impact of the oil spill on health, jobs, and the environment; and professionals who are expediting payments of claims to BP.

To attend or get involved as an exhibitor, speaker, or sponsor, follow the link below. 

The challenge of measuring carbon footprints and establishing rigorous standards for doing so is being met by The Climate Registry.  Last week, leading corporations were honored for achieving Climate Registered status. They joined a group of members representing over 205 million tons of emitted carbon dioxide. 

Jeff Grossberg, Director of Green World Alliance, attended the awards event and remarked on The Climate Registry’s significance to shopping centers and retail.  “It is clear that The Climate Registry is an organization that shopping centers should embrace. The Registry provides true measurement of carbon footprints and has created the highest standards for registering its members’ carbon emissions,” said Mr. Grossberg.

The nonprofit Registry is different from other GHG reporting programs in that it is supported by 41 U.S. states and all Canadian provinces and territories.  Its standards have been referenced by the EPA and SEC and could play a role in future climate legislation.  For more on The Climate Registry and to see a list of corporations who have signed on, follow the link below.

John Yokoyama, owner of Pike Place First Market and a Seattle icon, is changing things in an effort to adopt more sustainable practices. Sustainable seafood is the new thing; everyone is talking about it  and examining their practices. But figuring out what is sustainable is difficult because it involves hundreds of species, different gear and harvest practices, and locations all over the world. Big companies like Wal-Mart and Target are examining their practices. Some conservation organizations and private certification firms offer lists of recommended seafood, but their standards differ. To Yokoyama, being sustainable is not only about conservation, it's also about sustaining his relationships. Keeping his customers is part of being sustainable, so what the customer wants is what he or she gets.

When upholstery companies shop Showtime, they have yet to lean toward environmentally friendly fabrics. Despite interest in soy-based foams and lumber from well managed forests, the consensus is that consumers are not too excited about chemical-free and pesticide-free textiles.  The problem is having no set definition of “green,” and the eco term is very broad.  One consumer issue is that sometimes being green doesn’t fit within his or her budget. Another dilemma is making the decision between buying something organic/natural or with recycled materials and free of pesticides . . . or made in an eco-friendly environment.  Clearly there is a need for standards to be set in this area. 

Changes taking place in the regulatory and economic business landscapes require companies to understand and take action on GHG emissions. Physical shifts in the climate are driving increased adaptation measures, and regulation is mounting on all levels. According to a 2008 McKinsey study, as much as 80% of a company's climate-related risk and opportunity resides in the supply chain. Leading companies and governmental organizations are collecting and acting on this information to prepare for competition in a low-carbon economy.

ACCO and The Climate Registry invite you to series of case studies and discussions on developing a sound operational approach to assessing risk and opportunity throughout the value chain. This half-day workshop is being hosted in conjunction with the North America Climate Policy Forum at the Renaissance Blackstone Hotel Chicago.  The workshop happens on Tues., June 22.  For more details and to register, visit ACCO.

A slew of inventions are providing new methods of saving energy in more and more passive ways.  And the best way to achieve major efficiencies is to implement a new tool or process across as many users as possible.  Sure, individual efficiency tools—such as Ford’s new myFord Touch, which can calculate the most fuel-efficient route to your destination—can push each of us to do things smarter, but new system-wide tools promise much bigger and more exciting savings.  It seems reasonable to assume that, over time, more of these tools will be created for the built environment.

A good example of a new system-wide tool is GreenRoad’s new vehicle-mounted box, which will ideally be installed in fleet vehicles.  The box constantly measures and reports driving efficiency and safety.  GreenRoad is a perfect example of the next generation of tech products:  the application of innovations from the last several years into real-world situations.  In fact, Techcrunch.com points out that the GreenRoad box is made from “mostly off-the-shelf products like a GPS chip, accelerometer, a CPU, mashed up with Google maps and a dashboard-like management portal.”

The end result is big fuel savings and safer driving:  “Fuel savings just from driving less aggressively can save a company some $300 per vehicle per year, and when you factor in crash savings it’s more like $1000 to $4000 in savings per vehicle per year.”