Business

Green Bond Bankers in Japan, Sweden Beat U.S. to $7 Billion Jan. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB and Daiwa Securities Group Inc. have underwritten the most green bonds since the securities were first issued in 2007, indicating the dominance of Swedish and Japanese banks in the...  read more



How green is Davos 2012? Dominic Waughray argues sustainability is a key theme on the 2012 Davos agenda, both on the programme and in the way the event has been planned Davos ski resort where business people and world leaders will meet for this year's World Economic Forum. Photograph: Arnd...  read more



Seattle's old buildings: Opportunities, not obstacles Seattle's old buildings should be maintained and upgraded as the city evolves, says writer Lawrence Kreisman, program director of Historic Seattle. Reusing these old buildings, he says, is one of the best ways to improve the environment. It's...  read more



Gazelle Leaps into the E-Waste Market with Focus on Reuse By Marc Gunther Published January 24, 2012 Think, for a moment, about that one place in your house where you don't like to go. That closet. The garage. In my house, it's the attic. Ugh. The place where you put stuff you no longer want...  read more



Small Firms Driving Minnesota's Growing Green Economy By Tilde Herrera Published January 23, 2012 For Paul Aasen, Minnesota-based Tennant Company is a perfect example of a company that is helping to fuel the state's growing green economy. Tennant, a manufacturer of floor cleaning machines,...  read more



European Union Steps Up WEEE E-Waste Recycling Targets By BusinessGreen Staff Published January 24, 2012 The European Parliament has been criticized for waving through revised rules on the disposal of electronic equipment without including any provision to promote the reuse of old...  read more



DC to serve as North American host city for UN’s World Environment Day By Associated Press, Published: January 11 WASHINGTON — The nation’s capital will be the North American host city for World Environment Day on June 5. The annual event is organized by the United Nations...  read more



Using Social Media Marketing to Promote Green Business Social media has grown massively in terms of popularity, but how can you use it to help promote your green credentials? The CarbonNeutral Company’s digital marketing specialist Paul Raybould explains how businesses can get the most out...  read more



GreenWise Poll: What are the opportunities and challenges for green business in 2012? 2012 will continue to offer opportunity for green businesses, but it is clear that success will rely on their ability to translate sustainable outcomes into cost savings. A year ago, I was optimistic for 2011...  read more



The Pros & Cons of Linking Sustainability Successes with Bonuses By Ellen Weinreb Created 2012-01-11 04:45 This is the month many of us await anxiously for our bonus. Many are thinking, "I did great in my performance review last month but the company didn't meet its targets so what's...  read more



How to Become a Social Intrapreneur By Nathan Springer Created 2012-01-09 04:45 Editor's Note: This article kicks off a planned seven-week series by Nathan Springer that will chronicle in-depth the lessons from a course at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business on how to become a...  read more



The Greener Side of New Orleans By Leanne Tobias Created 2012-01-07 05:00 As noted in my last blog, I’m suggesting that travelers visit New Orleans to participate in the revival of this iconic place. Your visit will support the recovery of a city in which tourism is the largest and most...  read more



Businesses seek state's new 'benefit corporation' status On the first business day after a state law took effect, a dozen companies committed to social and environmental causes file papers to legally put those efforts on par with their goal of making profits. January 4, 2012 Reporting from...  read more



Eight Easy Ways to Green Your Business Greening your business has short-term effects that will save you money, let employees breathe better, and maybe even help land you a few more customers. These tips, sites, and kits can help your business go green for 2012. 1. Starting off the new year with a...  read more



3 Lessons on Fulfilling on a Green Brand Promise When it comes to the environment, consumer behavior can be inconsistent or even a bit hypocritical. Two-car families will buy a hybrid and a gas guzzling SUV. Parents will teach their kids to turn off the water while brushing, but take a few extra...  read more



Green Business Trend: Turning to Nonprofits for Help 2012 Trends, Green Business December 8, 2011 By Kelly Spors Becoming an environmentally responsible business isn’t an overnight process. It can take weeks of research and data analysis to make wise decisions that help both the environment...  read more



Showing CEOs how to go green La Jolla-based consultant helps firms combine profitability with environmental sustainability By Morgan Lee Sunday, December 11, 2011 With each passing year, the CEOs of major corporations grow more interested in the relationship between the environment and...  read more



The latest shade of green – zero energy use Since 1990, the Friends of the Environment Foundation at Toronto-Dominion Bank has helped fund more than 19,000 environmental projects with the aim of helping Canadian communities to reduce, reuse and recycle. Recently, TD added another...  read more



Green Up Your Office Before You Leave for the Holidays  If your business is shutting down for the holidays, take some environmentally friendly steps before you go. 1. Have your IT staff unplug all computers, printers, copiers and other electronic equipment before they leave. 2. Ask you...  read more



 Don't Let Secret Santa Leave an Environmental Mess If your staff is exchanging gifts this year, make sure you are environmentally friendly with the aftermath. 1. Recycle all of the leftover wrapping. If your office doesn't recycle paper, first of all, shame on you. Second, send the paper...  read more



 Are you giving holiday presents to your staff this year? Think green. 1. Holiday bonuses? Deposit them electronically into your employees' accounts instead of wasting paper by cutting checks or giving cash. 2. Give your staff the option to work from home over the holidays. It will win you...  read more



As Washington Trust Sheds Paper, Image Isn't Everything By John Adams DEC 12, 2011 4:35pm ET Before discussing the bank's plans to exorcise paper, Washington Trust's Jim Brockett rips traditional attempts at paper avoidance to shreds. "If you're trying simply to reduce paper by putting in...  read more



My 5 Favorite Events of the Year By Cary Krosinsky Created 2011-12-13 04:45 It's been a long, busy and productive year for those of us who make a living at sustainability related endeavors. Testament I'm sure to the growing importance of this field, and it is rewarding to also see a constant flow...  read more



The Pony Express Returns! -or- Why Electronic Delivery Makes More Sense Than Ever by Ron Daly Nostalgia is bringing back some interesting things nowadays. The Smurfs are in my DVD player (my daughter's choice, not mine), the Muppets are back in theaters, and I could swear I've seen the New Kids...  read more



Area business makes green progress     POSTED: November 28, 2011 10:57 a.m. Starting a new business as an environmentally friendly one (or making an existing one greener) often can seem like a challenging task. As I was thinking about what it takes for a business to take this...  read more



5 Highlights from the World Climate Summit By Heather King Created 2011-12-05 04:00 From December 3-4, during the weekend intermission of the COP17 negotiations, approximately 600 executives from a broad array of international companies gathered in Durban at the second annual World Climate Summit...  read more



Avon's CSR Report Gives Its Paper, Water & Energy Use a Makeover By Adam Aston Created 2011-12-05 16:14 Makeup is sometimes used to conceal embarrassing flaws. Today, with the release of its latest corporate responsibility report, cosmetics giant Avon opted to reveal more about its...  read more



The 7 Attributes of Sustainability Pioneers By Ellen Weinreb Created 2011-11-23 04:45 In honor of Thanksgiving, I thought it fitting to reflect on pioneers of past and pioneers of present. Remember the allure of Little House on the Prairie? Pioneer life -- aside from being rough and wholesome --...  read more



Green industries to add millions of jobs Updated: 2011-11-16 08:02 By Li Jing (China Daily)   BEIJING - Greening China's heavily polluting and energy-consuming industries will cause short-term losses but bring huge economic and social benefits in the long run, says a leading environmental...  read more



Eye on the environment: Go Green with stamps, envelopes Posted November 19, 2011 at 5:20 p.m. The Postal Service recently introduced a Go Green series of first-class stamps. Appropriately, these are Forever stamps, meaning they will be valid for first-class postage regardless of how much it...  read more



3 Things You Should Know About Small Business: Nov. 22 By Laurie Kulikowski 11/22/11 - 10:58 AM ESTAdd Comment inShare NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- What's happening in small business today? 1. Get $50,000 for being a start-up in Providence, R.I. Start-up accelerator Betaspring is offering...  read more



3 Obvious Ways Companies Can Flip the Switch and Save Millions Probably much like dads worldwide, my dad would yell at us kids to turn off the lights or TV once we left a room. Given how much energy waste is rampant in corporate America, it appears he would have a full-time job in corporate America...  read more



Hilton Gives Gently Used Furnishings a New Life with Good360 Hilton Worldwide has found another way to give its surplus and gently used items a second life. The hotel chain is the latest firm to partner with Good360, a nonprofit that channels product donations from companies to...  read more



What's the Greenest Way to Dry Your Hands? By Leslie Guevarra Published November 15, 2011 It's a question that bedevils facility managers. What's the most environmentally conscious and cost effective way for people to dry their hands in company and public restrooms? Paper towels made from...  read more



 An Investment in Recycling Will Create Millions of New Green Jobs By Allen Hershkowitz Created 2011-11-15 09:44 A new report released today by a coalition of labor and environmental groups estimates that recycling 75 percent of the nation's municipal waste, in combination with incentives...  read more



U.S. Bank Recognized by Newsweek for Its Environmental Sustainability Efforts November 09, 2011 | Business Wire, Inc. MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- U.S. Bank, lead bank of U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB), has once again been recognized for its environmental sustainability efforts. The company placed...  read more



Going Green Globally Author: Princeton Marketing Published: November 01, 2011 at 2:00 pm     Are customers in less developed countries more interested in green consumables than Americans? Based on ImagePower Global Green Brands Survey, there is a leveling off of American...  read more



Green cleaning for small businesses An overview of green cleaning basics for businesses based on the GreenSeal Standard. By Sarah F. BerkowitzWed, Oct 26 2011 at 2:29 PM EST Green cleaning doesn’t mean undergoing a major paradigm shift, even in a small to mid-size business. The guidelines...  read more



How to weigh your green impact MARY GOODERHAM Published Monday, Nov. 07, 2011 5:00AM EST Figuring out and reducing the impact business has on the environment is an issue on the minds of many in these green-conscious times. Customers and clients want to buy responsibly. Employees are attracted...  read more



 Con Edison is ‘Greenest’ U.S. Utility in Newsweek Rankings   Con Edison is the “greenest” utility company in the United States, according to Newsweek magazine’s 2011 Green Rankings. The rankings, which can be found...  read more



A Better Way to Make Cotton Better By Michael Kobori Published November 02, 2011 As global cotton prices continue to fluctuate significantly, and the effects of climate change threaten the 300 million people engaged in cotton farming around the world, a small group of companies is trying to...  read more



Making a Commitment to the Low-Carbon Business Conference By Christopher Mines Created 2011-11-02 04:45 Are sustainability conferences sustainable? That was my thought as I sat down to a lovely banquet dinner to kick off the Low-Carbon Earth Summit (LCES) in Dalian China a couple of weeks ago. I...  read more



Green office culture can be good for business, too You'd be hard-pressed these days to find an office that doesn't at least recycle. Aluminum cans, plastic, paper, glass — most companies have that down. Mention the words “green office culture,” however, and many business...  read more



9 Tips for Bringing Sustainability to Your Supply Chain By Robert Vos Created 2011-10-25 06:25 As shoppers get increasingly interested in where their products come from, a growing number of companies are starting to tell the stories behind the journey to the retail shelf. Shoppers can now use...  read more



Marketing proposition Brands should only ramp up their sustainability marketing if it is being used to support a consumer need, according to design agency experts. The remarks come as global consumer goods company, Reckitt Benckiser (RB), announced its plans to focus its sustainability marketing...  read more



Plastics Recycling....A Bigger Business Than You Think.. Going Green is Golden Since the day we were born, we have always heard that we should recycle plastic. Blue bins are ubiquitous across the globe. Recycling is good for the environment, and therefore, provides us with a satisfaction that we...  read more



Wells Fargo earns U.S. Green Building Council’s 2011 Leadership Award Bank is recognized as “green” building leader SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) announced today it received a 2011 Leadership Award from the U.S. Green Building Council...  read more



Green buildings a plus for staff, business Published : Wednesday, October 19th, 2011 High rates of natural ventilation and access to natural light were green building features that had a clear and undeniable link to increasing work productivity. Photo: Techy Chick Evidence is growing that...  read more



Cisco's Packaging Diet: Just How Sustainable is It? Packaging is too often a manifestation of excess and waste. All that extra cushioning. All of those individually wrapped parts. Not to mention packaging that is not easily recycled. Product manuals and accessories that are often just thrown...  read more



Top 6 High-Paying Environmental Jobs There are two main types of green jobs: those that produce goods or services that improve the environment, and those that improve an existing business's environmentally unfriendly practices. Such jobs might focus on producing renewable energy, conserving...  read more



The technology on your desk is cutting-edge Most of us take for granted the amazing technology we work with everyday – tablet computers, smart phones and other high tech wonders that were science fiction just a few years ago. But the systems in place in the buildings where we work lag decades...  read more



It’s Finally Time to Wean Customers Off of Paper By Andrew Kahr SEP 30, 2011 3:38pm EDT In retail banking, we look for trends: the branch of the future; the winning mobile banking platform; prepaid cards. It's harmless fun. Well, here's a much more significant though less titillating trend...  read more



Smaller Businesses Get Big Bottom-Line Benefits from Sustainability By Frank Came Created 2011-09-30 10:25 Small- and medium-sized enterprises are placing more emphasis on sustainability and its paying off on the bottom lines says their accountants. Three international accounting bodies have...  read more



Soap and Glory: A Peek Behind Method's Methods By Joel Makower Created 2011-10-03 04:11 Adam Lowry, a chemical engeineer, and Eric Ryan, a designer, are childhood friends who, a decade ago, took on the laundry and household cleaners sector with cool design and green products. Their company,...  read more



Greenwashing Skepticism Down, but so Are Consumer Concerns GfK Survey Finds Economic Priorities Trump Environment By: Jack Neff Published: September 21, 2011 People care less about the environment or green marketing claims than they did a few years ago, yet they're also less likely to doubt...  read more



Top 10 tips for building a sustainable small business MELISSA GUNNING Special to Globe and Mail Update Published Monday, Sep. 19, 2011 6:00AM EDT More than ever before, companies are genuinely concerned about the impact that their businesses actions have on the environment, and with growing...  read more



White Plains Man's Green Business Helps Teens, Environment by Tanuja Kanwar 09/20/11 SCARSDALE, N.Y. – Donald Stevens, of White Plains, has applied his more than 15 years experience in detailing cars in Scarsdale to an eco-friendly, mobile car cleaning business that helps both the...  read more



More stores offer sales receipts without the paper By JOYCE SMITH The Kansas City Star At the Apple Store on the Country Club Plaza, Nancy Reed walks out with a new computer — but without a receipt. She pats her laptop in a handy shoulder-strap. “It’s easier,” Reed...  read more



The 5 Growth Areas for Sustainability Spending in 2012 By David Metcalfe Created 2011-09-20 15:56 Now is budget-planning time for many a business, when execs must pinpoint next year's strategic priorities and ask themselves how to maximize business revenues for 2012. It's a tricky game,...  read more



4 Ways Companies Should Adapt to Climate Change By Ryan Schuchard Created 2011-09-20 04:45 Consider the following three developments: In the Arctic, the Northwest Passage is growing in size every year, creating new competition for faster shipping and resource exploration, and new engineering and...  read more



How to make green brands press consumer buttons They must tick the price, quality and green boxes. But they need to be desirable too… Roger East, Green Futures part of the Guardian Sustainable Business Network guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 6 September 2011 14.15 BST larger | smaller Toyota...  read more



How the rise of trendy environmentalism is harming the planet Consumers are attracted to choices that are billed as being good for the planet. Guest columnist Todd Myers considers that not all consumer choices or products yield the environmental benefit that people are led to believe they have. By...  read more



Con Ed Reaps Benefits of Electronic Billing and Payments Karen Kroll September 9th, 2011 Consumers are steadily moving to electronic payments, drawn by the convenience of being able to pay bills online, as well as a desire to cut down on the amount of paper they use. This shift also can benefit...  read more



Gen Y Views Direct Deposit as Way to Be Environmentally Friendly By Jackie Stewart SEP 8, 2011 9:41am EDT New data about employees' attitudes toward direct deposit released on Wednesday found that Gen Y is more likely than other generations to use direct deposit as a means to reduce their impact...  read more



Showing the Green By Matt Villano SEP 1, 2011 There are many ways for banks to display environmental friendliness. GreenChoice Bank has found more than most.??The Chicago-area bank says it offers more flexible loan terms to commercial clients that build sustainably or are part of the so-called...  read more



Will CFOs Ever ‘Get’ Sustainability? By Joel Makower Created 2011-09-05 11:51 For years, the chief executive officer was seen as the key individual responsible for viewing a company through the lens of sustainability. That made sense: If you can’t get the person at the top to...  read more



Why Employee Engagement is Critical to Sustaining Sustainability By Anna Clark Created 2011-09-06 04:45 Formal CSR programs measure performance against standards. But embedding sustainability into a culture also requires intangibles such as engagement and innovation. Difficult to quantify yet...  read more



“Green Builds Business” is Restoring Jobs, the Economy, and the Environment By Bill Roth | August 22nd, 2011 0 Comments America is searching for a path that will restore jobs, the economy and our environment. The Green Builds Business program created by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber...  read more



Recyclebank Seeks to School Consumers on Environment By STUART ELLIOTT Certain colors have long been associated with the back-to-school season: yellow for pencils, red for apples, and black and white for the marblelike covers of composition books. Now a company is hoping to add green to that...  read more



5 Rules to Make Sense of Using Cloud Computing in Your Business By David Metcalfe Created 2011-08-31 04:45 In today's (more or less) post-recession market, CIOs and other senior IT decision makers are under pressure to do more with less. The demands on IT solutions are escalating, but execs are...  read more



E-Bills Linked to Timely Payments, Reduced Costs According to Fiserv and Con Edison Study Study of utility customers links e-bills to on-time payments, increased online self-service and reduced customer service calls Study shows that bank e-billing does not "cannibalize" visits to...  read more



US Department of Energy confirms $134m support for Abengoa ethanol plant 23 Aug 2011, BusinessGreen staff , BusinessGreen The US Department of Energy has continued its drive to dish out financial support for cutting-edge clean tech projects ahead of swingeing budget cuts expected to take...  read more



Defra prepares to legislate as plastic bag use booms 28 Jul 2011, Jessica Shankleman , BusinessGreen Defra is planning to crack down on retailers handing out plastic carrier bags to customers, after new figures revealed that a voluntary commitment by supermarkets to cut the number of bags they...  read more



Citi Sorts Its Paperless Problem With a Unified Platform By Jeremy Quittner AUG 15, 2011 11:29am EDT Like many of the biggest banks, Citigroup Inc. has struggled with shifting its millions of customers to electronic statements. Its breakthrough came when it built a centralized platform called...  read more



Banks Use More Paper Despite E-Statements' Popularity By Jeremy Quittner AUG 12, 2011 10:09am EDT Banks have struggled for years to get their customers to accept paperless account statements. But even among those who have succeeded in such efforts, paper use has risen. The surge in paper use...  read more



Online Banking Customers Demand Paper Checks ING announced that for the first time it would make paper checkbooks available to accountholders. Odd throwback move or brilliant strategy? By MARTHA C. WHITE | August 15, 2011 | Last year, a Federal Reserve Board study found that debit card use...  read more



Rethinking Green Products by Re-Imagining Your Inputs By John Viera Created 2011-08-16 04:45 One of the most exciting developments in the auto industry today has to do with the sustainable innovations that make cars run -- improved petrol and diesel engines, ethanol and biodiesel, compressed...  read more



Corporate America Loves These Green Technologies Chad Fisher, Charging Stations | Aug. 2, 2011, 1:31 PM | 513 | 1 Who would think the same companies that spent the 1980s poisoning our skies, water, and land would turn to cleaner business models today? Even ten years ago, corporations understood...  read more



Feds Adopting Green IT, but Lag on Tracking Progress By Tilde Herrera Created 2011-08-05 15:20 The U.S. government will dispose of some 750,000 computers and monitors this year and spend $79 billion on IT. That budget will include the purchase of roughly one million computers and monitors. This...  read more



South Pole base turns to the sun for power /bg/news/2100357/south-pole-base-sun-power 09 Aug 2011, BusinessGreen staff , BusinessGreen The versatility of the latest solar technology looks set to face one of its most demanding tests yet, after it was announced that two solar arrays are to be...  read more



SWACHA Awards its First PayItGreen Seal of Approval to NWP Services Corporation SWACHA, one of the largest not-for-profit regional payments associations in the country, today awarded Irvine, California-based NWP Services Corporation (NWP) with its first PayItGreen Seal of Approval for their...  read more



Wind, Solar Energy Being Tested on Data Center Pods AUG 1, 2011 1:33pm EDT In the not-too-distant future, when you drive through upstate New York, among the bales of hay and the cows, you may see mini data centers dotting the farmland. That's because New York's Energy Research and Development...  read more



Credit Unions Going Green for the Greater Good   "Going green" is everywhere and businesses of all types and sizes are joining the green movement. Whether it is your local grocery store paying you back for shopping with reusable tote bags or the federal government offering tax...  read more



Why do airlines fight rules to help the environment? Tue, Jul 26 2011 By Peter Goldmark NEW YORK (Reuters) - The way some of the big U.S. airlines tell it, they're responsible stewards of the environment working hard to shrink their footprints. American Airlines, in an article in its in-flight...  read more



'Green' grocers learn certification good for business By Beth Quimby bquimby@mainetoday.com Staff Writer BY BETH QUIMBY The doors on the refrigerated cases at Rosemont Bakery and Market on Brighton Avenue in Portland contain energy efficient glass that doesn't require heat to keep them from...  read more



Greener Fridges Can Cut Retailers' Energy Costs by One-Third By BusinessGreen Staff Businesses feeling the heat over rising energy bills have been told they can trim up to a fifth of the cost of running refrigeration equipment by deploying cheap and effective technologies, such as more efficient...  read more



Seaweed Offers Kelping Hand for Biofuels By BusinessGreen Staff Scientists say that developing biofuels from seaweed could provide not only an alternative low-carbon energy source, but also go some way to solving the problems of food and fuel crops competing for agricultural land. The European...  read more



What to keep in mind when turning your company green Today environment consciousness is high among customers and stakeholders. There is no reason why your business should be left behind in this wave of environmental consciousness. Globally, more businesses are becoming environmentally conscious....  read more



The textiles and apparel industry, once considered far behind the building and consumer electronics sectors in sustainability, has taken the lead on the environmental front.Though still in their infancy, the industry-wide efforts are a prime example of how open-source, cooperative action can yield...  read more



Fifth Third Opens First Green Banking Center in North Carolina; Wilkinson Branch is Company's 2nd Green Facility Nationwide Fifth Third today formally announces the opening of its Wilkinson Banking Center located at 2752 Ashley Road in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Wilkinson Banking Center is...  read more



Climate Corps 2011: A Facebook Hackathon Dedicated to Energy Efficiency It's 9:45 pm on a Tuesday, and I'm hunched over a laptop at a desk that isn't mine, while two men clip wires to an electrical panel and onlookers crane their heads expectantly. Techno music blares from just around the corner,...  read more



When General Motors began tackling its waste streams, it first went after its largest source: its 140-plus manufacturing plants around the world. After getting half of its plants to the point that they send no waste to landfill, the company turned its eye to its other locations, and now all the...  read more



When is enough enough? A group of leading companies that we work with at Forum for the Future tell us that even their substantial progress on sustainability is not enough. And we think they're right. The next wave of corporate sustainability will be about innovating the fundamental logic of how a...  read more



Con Edison Fuels Power of Green With Power of You George Roach is a systems specialist at Con Edison. He has been at the helm of Con Edison's electronic payments efforts since 1995 and instituted the public utility's electronic bill presentment program in 2007. Roach was nominated by Bill Gates and...  read more



More and more U.S. companies are reconsidering their "made abroad" decisions. CNN ran an article on June 17 that highlighted decisions by GE, Carbonite, and NCR to relocate manufacturing jobs from China, India, and Brazil to the U.S. But do the economics support these decisions? Initially...  read more



3 Lessons in Professional Growth from IBM's First 100 Years In business, change is a given, for both businesses and the executives that lead them. That's especially true at a high-tech company like IBM, which celebrates its 100th birthday this month. IBM has long been in the information business,...  read more



Most people assume the government, in this case the Food and Drug Administration, regulates cosmetics the same way it does food and drugs to ensure they are safe. In reality, cosmetics are one of the least regulated consumer products on the market today. Today's introduction of the Safe Cosmetics...  read more



Sherwin-Williams' Paint Made from Plastic Bottles and Soy Nets EPA Award Sherwin-Williams' water-based paint made from recycled bottles and soybeans, and two companies making safer chemical building blocks are among those being recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA's 2011...  read more



Ceres to Build One Sustainability Rating to Rule Them All Last October, in a blog post entitled It's Raining Ratings!, the Murninghan Post reported that of the 108 corporate social responsibility (CSR) ratings examined by SustainAbility in its Rate the Raters research program, only 21 existed in...  read more



EPCOR Offers PayItGreen® Seal of Approval to Qualifying Organizations KANSAS CITY, Mo. – June 28, 2011 – EPCOR announced today that it would offer financial institution members and their business customers the chance to qualify for the new PayItGreenÒ Seal of Approval....  read more



Look for the Payment Label Bank Technology News May 2011 When planning a project, construction firms have a goal to shoot for to demonstrate environmental bona fides, namely the various LEED certifications. PayItGreen, a group led by NACHA, is planning a similar move-introducing the...  read more



We all have people we admire. We examine their backgrounds or actions in the hope of replicating their success. Companies study objects of admiration too. They dedicate financial and human resources to studying other successful organizations. These efforts pay dividends when companies respond to...  read more



Building the Next Generation of Sustainable Solutions What turns a good green idea into a sustainable solution? That was the theme for the Foster Idea Lab, an inaugural half-day seminar sponsored by the University of Washington Foster MBA program on April 8 in Seattle. Professionals from Starbucks,...  read more



4 Tips to Keep Up with the Evolution of Green Marketing Last month, Joel Makower, executive editor of the GreenBiz Group, wrote that green marketing is over. His conclusions, similar to those of a recent study by OgilvyEarth, ignited impassioned commentary among green consultants and marketers. ??...  read more



Across the United States, there are nearly 20,000 local, municipal and county governments served by a complex system of over 5,000 electric utilities. Each local government sets and enforces electrical, structural and fire codes, while each utility sets rates and resource plans in conjunction with...  read more



 How Car Companies and Rental Agencies are Creating 'Carsharing 2.0' Many city dwellers are familiar with Zipcar and other carsharing companies cropping up in major cities and college campuses across America. The business model is based on a company leasing vehicles, placing them throughout an...  read more



Turning a Rooftop Garden into a Supermarket's Supply Chain The bagged organic baby mixed greens on sale in my local Whole Foods Market in Bethesda, MD, are not very "green" at all. To grow the lettuce, vast amounts of water must be moved from the Colorado River to California, the most...  read more



Green Burial Group Takes Action Against Greenwashed Deathcare It should perhaps come as no surprise that, as people dig in to the business of greening every aspect of their work and personal lives, they will also get serious about greening their afterlives. Over the years, we've reported on a...  read more



School Salad Bars, Organic Berries, Biopesticides Win NRDC Food Awards The sustainable agriculture movement, by its very nature, focuses on everything from seed to plate, and the just-announced 2011 Growing Green Awards from the Natural Resources Defense Council reflect the breadth of those...  read more



High-speed Euro train gets green boost from two miles of solar panels A two-mile-long Belgian rail tunnel, built to shelter trains from falling trees, will from Monday provide a double environmental benefit by hosting a unique solar power project. The high-speed line running from Paris to Amsterdam...  read more



Wal-Mart's green hat The company gets that a smaller carbon footprint is good for business. If you care about green, it's hard not to view these as the worst of times, marked by looming climate, water and energy crises, vanishing fisheries, mile-a-minute deforestation — the list is numbingly...  read more



Recyclebank Announces Acquisition of GreenYour  Recyclebank®, the company that rewards people for taking everyday green actions with discounts and deals from local and national businesses, today announced the acquisition of GreenYour, the go-to guide for green living. The GreenYour website...  read more



US Restaurants Recycling Without Reservations More than three out of five U.S. restaurants recycle glass, cardboard, paper and other materials, which scores big points with their customers. Nearly two-thirds of patrons want to eat at restaurants with recycling programs in place, according to a new...  read more



oogle strengthens wind farm connection Google's plans to build a $5bn transmission line to bring electricity from wind farms off the United States' east coast back to the shore have edged closer to becoming a reality. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) last week approved incentive...  read more



New research suggests charges given off by bacteria could be captured to provide clean electricity Harnessing the charges given off by microbes to generate clean electricity could be just a decade away, research has suggested. Scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have demonstrated...  read more



Ford looks to dandelions for natural rubber Ford continues to diversify its research into plant-based materials by turning a common weed into a replacement for synthetic rubber. The company has already introduced soy foam and wheat straw components into its vehicles. Now, it's looking to produce...  read more



Five Pillars to Help Your Sustainable Brand Survive Given this abundance of expertise on the subject, you'd think creating bulletproof brands would be as easy as tying your laces. And yet, brands are crashing and burning as much as they always have. Probably more so. Why? Well, the 5 or 6...  read more



Telework: An Easy, Green Solution to High Gas Prices If you're in the office, would you rather be at home? Verizon sent me this infographic on tele-commuting, which the company calls telework.They also sent along this comment from a Verizon worker named Nena Faulkner who is part of their...  read more



Surprise: Biodegradable Packaging Still Bad for the Planet Companies that say their packaging will biodegrade in landfills as if that feature is a benefit are actually touting that they're contributing to a system that hurts the environment. As more companies are marketing the fact that their...  read more



Support the shift to paperless Consumers have adopted so many electronic things—such as books, maps, greeting cards, and invitations—it is just a matter of time before electronic banking becomes the norm. In fact, I'm surprised it is not already the norm! Why is it taking so long...  read more



"Going green" can help your small business Businesses do not become environmentally friendly overnight. Incremental changes and positive results add momentum that can lead to bigger—and greener—changes overtime. It may be a coincidence that Earth Day follows closely on the...  read more



Biking to work once a week can significantly help the environment With the passage of California's Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, cities and counties are required to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One of the great problems is this: Nearly 40 percent of our greenhouse gases...  read more



Earth Day: 'Dirty business' keeps green focus Automotive services might not be at the top of the "green business" list, but two local shops are doing their part to help the Earth. In the hundreds of oil changes that AJ's Auto Repair and AAMCO perform each year, both put re-refined motor...  read more



OfficeMax National Survey Finds Many Working Americans Want to Improve "Green" Practices on the Job This month, many Americans are not only evaluating their personal lives but also their places of business. According to OfficeMax's 2011 Green Workplace survey, companies are making strides...  read more



Business climate adapts to meet Earth's changes Forget Gordon Gekko's infamous "Greed is good" motto; these days, "green is good", and when it comes to investing, green is something you should keep front of mind. Whether you believe the world is warming or not, the drive towards...  read more



Fake green certifications busted by the FTC Earlier this year, the Federal Trade Commission reached an agreement that put an end to the deceptive tactics of a company that allegedly sold worthless environmental certifications for hundreds of dollars, and falsely told more than 100 customers that...  read more



Bellevue businesses get help going green Bellevue businesses seeking to make their operations more sustainable can get help setting targets with the city’s new “Green Business Challenge.” Bellevue was one of four cities nationwide to receive a $15,000 grant to launch the program....  read more



The True Value of Green Energy-efficient building is not just a passing fad. Even in the down economy, homebuilders and commercial contractors alike have continued to ramp up green business programs. And while protecting the environment is a significant perk to such programs, cost savings...  read more



Microsoft Headquarters Will Switch to 100 Percent Recycled Paper Microsoft Corp. today announced that, in alliance with locally owned and operated Grays Harbor Paper of Hoquiam, Wash., the technology company will switch to 100 percent post-consumer recycled printing paper in all its Puget Sound...  read more



Save the Planet, Feed the People Green Dream Company Owner/Operator Torey Mitchell announced that The Soup Mobile will be the beneficiary of the company's new community outreach program “Save the Planet Feed the People”. The “Save the Planet Feed the People” program gives...  read more



High honors for 'green' campus Northeastern University has been honored with the 2011 Green Business Award, presented on Friday by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino at the fifth annual Mayor’s Green Awards. The University is the only higher-education institution this year to be recognized for its...  read more



MSNBC.com April 13, 2011 Wednesday 8:37 PM GMT 3 things to watch for with paperless statements BYLINE: CANDICE CHOI SECTION: NEWS; Personal finance HIGHLIGHT: Having your bills mailed to you month after month is bad for the environment. But many of us can't break the practice because paper...  read more



 GET ON BOARD WITH SWACHA The campaign, promoting PayitGreen™ month in April and Direct Deposit and Direct Payment Month in May is set to launch on Monday, April 4, 2011 and will run through Tuesday, May 31. This is a part of SWACHA’s efforts to encourage Americans to go green by...  read more



The Green Jobs Myth Even if we could find evidence that green energy is more labor intensive than its brown counterpart, that's an argument against green energy. One gets the sense from the rhetoric coming out of the Obama administration that the main road to recovery and future economic growth...  read more



Obama Promotes Green Jobs In Falls Township President Barack Obama visited a wind turbine production plant in Falls Township on Wednesday.Obama's itinerary included a discussion on clean energy and energy diversification. Clean energy was an intrical part of the president's election campaign in...  read more



Americans Give Green Marketing Claims Too Much Credit, Study Finds Many Americans believe products to be better for the environment than they actually are, according to research by strategy and communications agency Cone. Consumers continue to misunderstand phrases commonly used in environmental...  read more



Every Company Is an Energy Company Every company is an energy company. And if it isn’t, it will be soon. A decade from now, a company without an energy and sustainability department could be as unusual as one without a human resources department. Or, it might be out of business. Energy...  read more



Carbon Labels: A Key Element in Climate Change Education Carbon labeling for consumer goods is a concept full of promise and complexity. Providing end-users with information about the CO2 produced in the manufacturing, transportation, and disposal of products is a logical step in a world where...  read more



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   Contact: Colleen Morrison NACHA 703-561-3925 (office) cmorrison@nacha.org        PayItGreen to Announce Seal of Approval Program at PAYMENTS Conference   Seal Recognizes Success with Green initiatives in the Financial...  read more



Special Delivery. The end of the work day is fast approaching, rush hour is creeping in and you need to get that package from one end of town to the other in a timely manner. Who you gonna call? Your local bike courier! While sometimes fed ex or UPS may be necessary for long distance runs, if...  read more



Research Aims to Turn Human Waste into Usable Energy The California Energy Commission has given $1m in funds for research to convert solid human waste to energy. The Commission's Public Interest Energy Research programme gave the money to the Delta Diablo Sanitation District to help fund a system...  read more



Top Gun goes green - US Air Force powers fighter jet with synthetic biofuel The US Air Force (USAF) has extended its experiments with green technology by successfully flying an F-22 Raptor at supersonic speeds using a 50:50 blend of biofuel and standard jet fuel. The fighter jet was put through its...  read more



Grocery Companies Plan 2.5 Billion Pounds of Packaging Cuts Packaging changes by food and consumer product companies have avoided 1.5 billion pounds of packaging in the past decade, and are expected to avoid an additional 2.5 billion pounds in the coming 10 years. A Grocery Manufacturers...  read more



Rising gas prices could choke US public transit, warns industry body Public transport chiefs demand more funding to cope with spike in passenger numbers caused by soaring fuel prices. The American Public Transportation Association (ATPA) has warned Congress there could be severe constraints on...  read more



How MBA Programs Can Plant the Seed of Sustainable Entrepreneurship Increasingly, MBAs who desire to be entrepreneurs have chosen programs that go beyond the traditional economics, finance, accounting and marketing curriculum. They are looking ahead to those disciplines that will give them the edge...  read more



York County businesses strive for zero waste Exploring ways businesses can reduce their environmental impact right now was the focus Thursday of York County's first green business conference, sponsored by Rock Hill, York County, York Technical College and the state Department of Health and...  read more



Green Living Through Natural Commercial Pest Control Be it restaurants, shops, building sites and other types of business retail outlets are not exempted from pest infestation. It is not only residential buildings are being affected by pests nowadays but as well as the modern commercial buildings...  read more



Courier's Green Awards highlight some great stories Ever wonder what happens to all those old tires we discard? John Tiernan has plans for all of them. His AFS Technology creates systems to cleanly burn the tires, using them as fuel to power cement plants across the globe. AFS is just one example...  read more



San Francisco Moves to Ban Yellow Pages In the internet age, are the yellow pages still relevant? In fact, do phone books contribute anything more than massive amounts of waste? That's a question that San Francisco thinks it has an answer to. The city will continue its environmental initiatives by...  read more



Smaller Companies Lagging in Climate Change Reporting According to the Carbon Disclosure Project's (CDP) 2010 S&P 500 Report, disclosure of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by S&P 500 companies increased to 59 percent in 2010, and 54 percent of companies now include emissions data in their...  read more



How to execute on sustainability strategies Most chief executive officers believe that within a decade, sustainability initiatives will be integrated with core business activities throughout their global supply chains making green practices the norm in most workplaces. The challenge to getting...  read more



Enjoy the latest edition of the PayItGreen Newsletter!  read more



A Green Business Starts With Small Steps   Over the last few years, “going green” has become second nature to most of us. We’re aware of it and we all do what we consider to be our part. You, as home-based travel agents have a head start in that you work at home—there...  read more



The Greening of a Ski Town: Park City Raises Bar on Going Green Park City, Utah, is a community whose economic success is dependent on the preservation of a clean environment. With three major ski resorts as the main economic driver, the community knows it must protect its resources, increase...  read more



The Fundamentals of a Corporate Sustainability Program Recently Xerox, Waste Management (WM), and Arizona State University hosted the Executive Sustainability Summit, a conference for managers in the private and public sectors working on environmental and social issues. I was asked by Xerox to...  read more



5 Proven Strategies for Inspiring Employee Engagement Lately, I've witnessed a surge interest from the corporate world in the topic of employee engagement around sustainability. But, after countless hours working with and training highly talented sustainability advocates from some of the...  read more



  Companies Learn to Close the Loop The promise of a closed-loop society -- where everything is recycled endlessly into new products and packaging -- remains a distant dream, though it creeps ever closer. Companies are finding new and innovative ways to turn old things into new things. It's...  read more



Helping Businesses Adapt to Climate Change As climate change sets in, its impacts -- increasing severity of storms and weather disasters, receding snow and rivers, advancing deserts, and more frequent landslides and floods -- will test companies' ability to effectively deliver high-quality products...  read more



Small Businesses Going Green: Now or Later?   Going green is more than just another trend for small business owners to jump on. It can be a major cost saver for owners over time, and improves productivity and marketability if done right, according to experts. As the push for...  read more



Strategies for Sustainable Business Travel "Voyage, travel and change of place impart vigor" -- Seneca, Roman Philosopher. Today when sustainability professionals think about travel, the first thought that comes to their minds is "How can I reduce the CO2 footprint?" and not...  read more



Seven Steps to Inject Sustainability Into Business Plans Sustainability cannot be a small add-on that is tacked to the end of company's business plan, but needs to be infused throughout the whole of a company, said Nancy Fell, sustainability chair of the startup-funding Cleantech Open at a State of...  read more



8 Green Business Initiatives for 2011 Friday, January 7, 2011 by Julie Urlaub The rejuvenating business environment is beginning to motivate executives to answer the business sustainability call to action and revisit some of the basic survival tactics of the past few years. We find organizations...  read more



Transform Your Company Into a Green Business Business owners concerned with the cost and environmental and health toll of waste often find that they can save money by going green. By Diana Rodriguez Medically reviewed by Christine Wilmsen Craig, MD Business owners are always looking for new and...  read more



Reinventing America for a Bright Green Future BY FC EXPERT BLOGGER GLENN CROSTONWed Jan 26, 2011 This blog is written by a member of our expert blogging community and expresses that expert's views alone. As the Great Recession slowly recedes, it's clear that we're not going back to the world of...  read more



Businesses turn towards conservation to improve revenues, reputations Jakarta, January 12 - Some unlikely businesses have emerged to lead the way on conservation, and the trend appears to be catching on, noted former US vice president and environmental campaigner Al Gore at a business dialogue in...  read more



How Tech Will Be Critical to Corporate Sustainability in 2011 By Christopher Mines Created 2011-01-12 04:45 2010 was not a good year in the IT for Sustainability arena. Amazingly, climate change became a non-issue politically, especially in the US. Sustainability slipped off the agenda of more...  read more



Wells Fargo's 5 Best Practices for Engaging Your Green Teams By Deborah Fleischer Created 2011-01-10 04:45 The banking industry has many challenges on its plate right now. At Wells Fargo, one challenge is how to promote the concept of sustainability to over 278,000 team members (as Wells Fargo...  read more



How Con Edison is fueling the power of green By George Roach, Systems Specialist, Consolidated Edison Co. of New York You might say that Consolidated Edison Company of New York started “going green” before green was “green.” Con Edison began its green initiative in 1995....  read more



2011 Small Business Forecast-o-rama -- 10 Predictions and Inspirations By Carol Tice The holidays are a time of hope and joy. They're also a time when my email inbox fills with an avalanche of small-business predictions, best-practice tips, and success-strategy recommendations. Here's a...  read more



Marketing Your Green Business BY ADMIN + DECEMBER 28TH, 2010 A Green Business is something to be proud of. By establishing such a business you are contributing to the well being of the Planet and of your fellow man. It doesn’t matter if you are a consulting firm that advises others on the...  read more



Andrew WinstonEnvironmental Strategist Posted: December 30, 2010 04:06 PM BIOBecome a Fan Get Email AlertsBloggers' Index The Top 10 Green Business Stories of 2010 What's Your Reaction: Inspiring Enlightening Infuriating Scary Helpful Amazing Innovative Adorable Read More: Biofuels ,...  read more



'Green' Movement DECEMBER 10, 2010 | 11:20 AM ET | By BusinessNewsDaily Staff SHARE If you’ve got a so-called "green" product you’re trying to sell, you may have to work extra-hard to convince certain segments of the population that your business is...  read more



3 Rules for Crowdsourcing Your Sustainability Projects By Eric Lowitt Published December 20, 2010 A new trend in the corporate pursuit of sustainability has emerged: crowd-sourcing via social media. While adoption has been easy, gaining useful ideas has not. By looking at three recent efforts --...  read more



Packaging Companies Rethink the Box: The State of Green Business 2010 By Joel Makower Published February 15, 2010 Editor's Note: To celebrate the launch of the third annual State of Green Business report, we will be highlighting over the next two weeks the 10 big trends that are shaping the...  read more



Four Tips for Writing a Winning CSR Report By Deborah Fleischer Created 2010-11-30 05:00 Thinking of writing your first sustainability report? Or want to take yours to the next level? Here is a solid checklist of issues to take into consideration if you are about to embark on a sustainability...  read more



Making the Case for 'Clean Construction' By Pete Atkin and Maggie Crowley Created 2010-11-29 06:00 In the same way that LEED has transformed architectural design to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, clean construction is emerging as the next big thing to revolutionize...  read more



Simple Steps to Greening Your Meetings Mon, Nov 22 2010 Whether your organization is large or small, profit-centered or charitable, there are affordable options for green efforts in your face-to-face meetings with customers and employees. The only requirement is some new thinking. With a recent...  read more



Eco-fatigue: Going green no longer red hot Revolt sprouts against some environmentally friendly product names Bottled water, long the nemesis of environmentalists, is on track for another 52 weeks of decline but rallied nationally last quarter as sales rose 4 percent. By Jack Neff NEW YORK...  read more



Greening = Yellow+ Blue, as Long as it’s Recycled On November 12, 2010, in Green Executives Speak Out, Office Supplies, by Greenhomey Everyone needs office supplies. Preferably those that do no harm to the environment we live in (or as little harm as possible). Name: David Stober,...  read more



Green business opportunities boom in China "Sustainability gives fantastic business opportunities in China".   Contrary to much Western opinion, environmental regulations for modern industrial infrastructure in China are among the toughest in the world. China’s new Five Year...  read more



Simple Steps to Greening Your Meetings By Deborah R. Herr Created 2010-11-22 04:00 Whether your organization is large or small, profit-centered or charitable, there are affordable options for green efforts in your face-to-face meetings with customers and employees. The only requirement is some...  read more



Give Purpose a Chance, It's a Plan for all Seasons A new 2010 Edelman good purpose consumer study reveals four-year personal commitment to purpose and growing expectations of brands and companies to do even more. The holiday season, which is fast approaching, will surely herald the ever-growing...  read more



Government Incentives for Going Green Government incentives and SBA loans can be used to finance “green” business improvements. The government has several programs in place to help small businesses be just as competitive as corporate giants in the race to adopt green, energy-efficient...  read more



How Water Reuse Makes Good Sense By Heiner Markhoff Published November 10, 2010 Water is used in virtually every form of industrial processing from manufacturing to mining, oil and gas drilling to electrical production, and on and on. At a global level, almost 20 percent of our precious...  read more



This latest edition of the PayItGreen Newsletter is filled with updates and a wonderful article by Con Edison explaining their successful Power of You campaign. Enjoy!  read more



Can Apple's MobileMe Packaging Get Even Smaller? By GreenerDesign Staff NEW YORK, NY — Apple has made incremental improvements to its packaging over the years, like eliminating foam padding and shrinking boxes to fit laptops more snugly, but as with all packaging, there's always room for...  read more



Report: 'Green' product claims are often misleading More than 95% of consumer products marketed as "green," including all toys surveyed, make misleading or inaccurate claims, says a report today. The number of products claiming to be green increased 73% since 2009, according to a...  read more



HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW October 29, 2010, 11:35AM EST Green Marketers Are Still Sinning Harvard blogger Andrew Winston discusses the Sins of Green-Washing report's findings about lingering problems in the eco-friendly consumer products industry By Andrew Winston The green marketing research firm...  read more



  CON EDISON SCORES IN NEWSWEEK ‘GREEN’ RANKING NEW YORK - Con Edison, continuing to receive honors for its commitment to the environment, has been named by Newsweek magazine as one of the “greenest” utilities in the United States. Con Edison had the second highest...  read more



 Big Business's Big Innovation Problem By Marc Gunther Published October 22, 2010 To create a new green economy, industrial capitalism must destroy itself. Disruptive, radical, breakthrough innovation is needed, on a mass scale. Government isn't delivering the change we need. Can business...  read more



Billtrust Joins PayItGreen Behind Their Ongoing Commitment to Driving Paperless Billing Billtrust’s dedicated e-Adoption program helps their client’s grow the percentage of bills they send through electronic channels. Monroe Township, NJ (PRWEB) October 26, 2010 Billtrust announced...  read more



FEDChex Promotes Resource Savings with PayItGreen Campaign 10/22/2010 Wednesday, October 20, 2010– FEDChex actively participates in the PayItGreen campaign, designed to increase consumer and business awareness of the collective environmental benefits of switching to electronic billing,...  read more



Google eyes East Coast wind-power 'backbone' BY AARON NATHANS • THE NEWS JOURNAL • OCTOBER 12, 2010 Comments (38) Recommend (3) Print this page E-mail this article Share Type Size A A A Google Inc. is an investor in a major offshore wind transmission network, which would connect...  read more



Pentagon going green BY OLIVIA HAMPTON, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE OCTOBER 14, 2010 BE THE FIRST TO POST A COMMENT STORYPHOTOS ( 1 ) The U.S .military sets a standard price at about three dollars a gallon for gasoline but the Marine Corps once found the price of delivering that gallon to...  read more



Do Green Businesses Have Happier Workers? By GreenBiz Staff Published October 15, 2010 NOTRE DAME, IN — There are an incalculable number of academic and case studies that show the business benefits of sustainability initiatives, but new research out of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of...  read more



FTC Proposes Crackdown on 'Greenwashing' By GABRIEL NELSON AND AMANDA PETERKA of Greenwire Under a set of environmental marketing guidelines that were proposed by the Federal Trade Commission today, businesses would soon have to tread more carefully when calling their products "green" or...  read more



Small businesses 'too poor' to reap green benefits Survey finds SMEs feel cost of adopting environmental policies is too great, despite recognising commercial advantages BusinessGreen.com Staff, BusinessGreen, 07 Oct 2010 UK small businesses are claiming they are too strapped for cash to improve...  read more



The SunChips Bag: A Cautionary Tale By Suzanne Shelton Published October 08, 2010 I, for one, liked the SunChips bag. I wasn’t annoyed by the sound; found it quite endearing, actually. Maybe it’s because, as a marketer, I thought the idea was spot on -- especially when compared to...  read more



How One Small Business Cut Energy Use and Costs Thu, Oct 7 2010 by Tom Bowman How significant would it be if America's 29 million small businesses increased their energy efficiency and reduced their emissions? Judging from the example of one California entrepreneur, the impact could be far...  read more



American Consumers Lead the World in Environmental Skepticism Consumers Globally Exhibit Different Attitudes and Behaviors on Green Living in Five Distinct Population Segments NEW YORK, Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The United States is one of the more environmentally cynical nations in the world...  read more



 Where are the green business leaders? 23 Sep 2010 | Gareth Kane In the business world, 'the environment', 'corporate social responsibility' and 'sustainability' have long been seen as issues to be managed. Tens of thousands of organisations have dutifully implemented ISO14001...  read more



EarthTalk® From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine Dear EarthTalk: What are some good resources out there for learning about investments that help the environment? -- Rob Johnson, Sherman Oaks, CA The best green investing resources are available online, many for free. One good place...  read more



How Green Entrepreneurs Pave the Path to Real Economic Recovery BY FC EXPERT BLOGGER GLENN CROSTONThu Sep 30, 2010 This blog is written by a member of our expert blogging community and expresses that expert's views alone. In the aftermath of the Great Recession we could be in a single dip or a...  read more



 What Banks Can Do to Foster a Low-Carbon Future By Anne M. Finucane Published October 01, 2010 Editor's Note: Bank of America sponsored the launch event for the Carbon Disclosure Project's report at Climate Week NYºC 2010, where strategies for financing a cleantech revolution were a...  read more



Putting on a green spin Sep 16 2010 13:35 Tony Koenderman Johannesburg - Apathy is no longer the biggest challenge facing environmental marketing, "greenwashing" is. "Even inadvertent marketing claims that overstate a products sustainability destroy consumer trust," says...  read more



Green Wheels: A Coalition Of Green Groups Is Pushing The Envelope For 2025 Written by Jim Motavalli Thursday, 16 September 2010 16:34 Target: 60 MPG   A growing number of environmental groups are calling on the Obama administration to go for the gold — an average of 60 miles...  read more



Online shopping often not better for environment, report says Shopping online, hailed as a brilliant way to cut down on trips by car to the high street, is often no better for the environment, according to a report. By Harry Wallop, Consumer Affairs Editor Online discount vouchers boom as High...  read more



China Named Best Place To Invest In Green Energy Published on: Friday, September 10, 2010 Written by: Kerri Shannon China has taken over the top spot on the latest list of top countries for green energy investment, beating out the US, Germany and India. Government backing, a growing market...  read more



American Express and the environment Do a little digging, and you'll find that this company's environmental efforts are wide-ranging and impressive. Tue, Sep 14 2010 at 11:54 AM EST Comments The American Express card is plastic but the company is researching options for alternative...  read more



Is E-Commerce Truly Good for the Planet? By Marc Gunther Published September 14, 2010 I'm not much of a shopper, but when I buy stuff, I prefer to do it online. I don't like shopping malls, driving in traffic, crowded stores or dealing with "customer service" people. I do enjoy...  read more



 Kicking Off a Global Work Party to Tackle Climate Change By Jamie Henn Published September 07, 2010 When it comes to tackling climate change, Congress could sure use a lesson from businesses and communities across the U.S. and around the world. Over the last few years, innovative climate...  read more



10 Companies Setting Big Goals for Water Efficiency By Matthew Wheeland Published September 07, 2010 It has of course been said often enough that water is the new (insert resource here), but that doesn't make it any less true, or any less important. And perhaps even more important at this point...  read more



Marketing to Consumers: Don't Think Green By Andrea Learned Published September 02, 2010 Who'd have thought my background in marketing to women could be so helpful in understanding the mistakes many brands are now making in the sustainability realm? Take the "green silo" versus...  read more



Selling Sustainability to Whiskey Drinkers By Suzanne Shelton Published August 27, 2010 If I were to say, “Quick -- name five green products!” I’m betting Jack Daniels wouldn’t be at the top of your list. It should be. I had the pleasure of touring the one and only...  read more



  How Can 'Power IT Down Day' Help Your Company Save Money? By Matthew Wheeland Published August 27, 2010 It's the third annual Power IT Down Day, a global effort to get workers to turn off their computers, monitors, printers and other peripherals before they go home. And though it may...  read more



Employees Losing Confidence in Companies' Green Commitments By GreenBiz Staff Published August 26, 2010 OAKLAND, CA — As Americans' overall environmental confidence continues to ebb and flow, their faith in their employers' environmental responsibility has dropped to a new low, according...  read more



Should you go paperless? Handling your financial documents electronically can save you more than paper cuts Last reviewed: September 2010 More companies are giving customers the option of receiving bills, notices, and other paperwork electronically, as well as making payments over the Internet....  read more



Sustainable Consumption: Opportunity or Oxymoron? By Marc Gunther Published August 20, 2010 Email | Print | Multiple Page View | Tags: Consumer Products, Design & Innovation, More... Consumer Products, Design & Innovation, Energy Efficiency, Resource Efficiency Imagine that...  read more



Green or Not, Content Is King on Your Company Website By Nayelli Gonzalez Published August 23, 2010 Email | Print | Multiple Page View | Tags: Marketing, Marketing & Communication, More... Marketing, Marketing & Communication, Public Relations Once in a while, I like to see what the...  read more



Anti Stress Work Environment through Green Technology Kamal Meattle / 09:50 , Aug 11, 2010 Many corporates are now introducing "green technology" to provide a healthy and stress free environment to their employees in order to increase their productivity and reduce stress. As a result...  read more



Small Business Owners Keen to be Green Local environmental groups such as the Tarrytown Environmental Advisory Council, sponsor a presentation at the Dobbs Ferry Library on how businesses can save energy. By Lizzie Hedrick | Email the author | August 12, 2010 How much energy does your...  read more



The surprising success of the green supply chain   By John F. Wasik, contributorAugust 13, 2010: 12:22 PM ET FORTUNE -- One year after Wal-Mart launched an ambitious plan to help its suppliers track their energy and materials use and carbon emissions, the effort has officially become a...  read more



10 Easy Ways to Green Your Business By Karen Debats BPD-Building Products Digest When it comes to greening the workplace, LBM dealers have a headstart advantage. Most dealers already sell common green building products-from compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and automatic light sensors, to...  read more



Newell Rubbermaid's ‘green' push part of trend By Péralte C. Paul The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 11:07 a.m. Friday, August 6, 2010 Kermit the Frog once lamented it's not easy being green. Until a few years ago, corporate America may have sung the same tune when it came to...  read more



 P&G Professional's "Business Cleaning Sustainability Study" Finds Businesses Value Environmental Responsibility but Suffer from "Green Confusion" Lodging Industry Leads Health Care, Foodservice and Commercial Sectors When It Comes to Green Practices and...  read more



 Flagging Economy Sinks Green Consumer Confidence By GreenBiz Staff Published August 02, 2010 OAKLAND, CA — The past three months showed stagnation in the green economy, at least in consumer perceptions of it, according to the latest quarterly update from the Green Confidence Index....  read more



Sustainability Certification for Companies Opens for Public Comment By GreenBiz Staff Published August 02, 2010 OAKLAND, Calif. and NORTHBROOK, IL — A new standard for green business practices unveiled today by UL Environment and Greener World Media, publishers of GreenBiz.com, has as its...  read more



Direct Deposit Helps Businesses Go ‘Green’ August 3rd, 20100 Sure, money is already green. But you can make it even “greener” by taking one easy step: Direct Deposit. Your next paycheck could be the key to your next shopping spree: a new suit, weekend getaway or summer...  read more



 Making the Business Case for Sustainable Consumption By Linda Hwang Published July 28, 2010 Email | Print | Multiple Page View | Tags: Consumer Products, Consumer Trends, More... Consumer Products, Consumer Trends, Cradle to Cradle, End of Life [Editor's note: This article was...  read more



Boris' bike scheme goes live tomorrow 11,000 Londoners poised to get on their bikes Andrew Charlesworth, BusinessGreen, 29 Jul 2010 The Mayor of London’s cycle hire scheme sponsored by Barclays Bank launches tomorrow with cycles available for pre-registered members from 6am. Mayor Boris...  read more



North Carolina Regional Railroad Promotes ‘Green’ Business Environment A family-owned regional railroad in central North Carolina is reducing pollution and saving on fuel costs in its latest efforts to promote a “green” business environment. The Aberdeen Carolina &...  read more



Great Recession Doesn't Slow the Greening of GE By GreenBiz Staff Published July 20, 2010 Email | Print | Single Page View | Tags: Commitments & Goals, Reduce Emissions, More... Commitments & Goals, Reduce Emissions, Reporting, Resource Efficiency FAIRFIELD, CT — Ecomagination...  read more



Sorting through confusing 'green' product claims By Kate Beem McClatchy Newspapers With the Gulf of Mexico oil spill heavy on minds everywhere, taking care of the environment seems even more important. It's all a matter of choice, from deciding whether to throw away or recycle that cardboard...  read more



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Bank of America Adds Fee for Paper Statements Charge for online account in Georgia to roll out to other markets American Banker | Thursday, July 15, 2010 By Daniel Wolfe Print Email Reprints Feedback RELATED LINKS E-Bills Help Banks Battle Merchants for Payments - May 4, 2010 New...  read more



All-Star events to have a green theme MLB continues commitment to protecting the environment   07/10/10 1:57 PM ET Anaheim will be rolling out the "green" carpet to welcome players, fans and coaches to the 81st Midsummer Classic. As part of its commitment to the environment, MLB...  read more



10 Things I've Learned About Making a Big Company a Green Giant By Len Sauers Published July 12, 2010 Email | Print | Multiple Page View | Tags: GBX, Leaders, More... GBX, Leaders, Social Responsibility, The Business Case As vice president of global sustainability at Procter & Gamble,...  read more



United States Postal Service proposed rate hike makes paperless options even more desirable ERIC FORTNEY ON 7/07/2010 11:32:00 AM | The United States Postal Service (USPS) is considering raising the cost of First-Class stamps by 2 cents to 46 cents, due in large part to decreased mail volume....  read more



Going 'green' to improve your business Tuesday, July 6, 2010 Studies show that being environmentally friendly is good for your business. Consumers are attracted to businesses that promote "green" efforts to protect the environment. Even high profile companies are making the switch to...  read more



Companies Work to Keep Emissions Low After the Recession By Tilde Herrera Published July 07, 2010 Email | Print | Multiple Page View | Tags: Commitments & Goals, Energy Efficiency, More... Commitments & Goals, Energy Efficiency, Measuring, Reporting, & Verification, Reduce...  read more



10 Things I've Learned on the Road to Sustainability By Mitch Jackson Published July 06, 2010 Email | Print | Multiple Page View | Tags: GBX, Leaders, More... GBX, Leaders, Social Responsibility, The Business Case Over the past 10 years, I have seen companies become increasingly focused on...  read more



Cisco cranks up support for world's greenest city Networking giant to provide smart infrastructure for Portugal's ambitious green metropolis James Murray, BusinessGreen, 28 Jun 2010 Plans to build the world's greenest city in Portugal received a major boost today with news that the developers...  read more



Can a Coal-Carrying Railroad Be Green? By Marc Gunther Published June 28, 2010 Email | Print | Multiple Page View | Tags: Energy, Policy, More... Energy, Policy, Transportation Recently, FORTUNE sent me to Omaha to write this story about the Union Pacific, America's biggest railroad....  read more



The View from the C-Suite: P&G's Len Sauers By Heather King Published June 28, 2010 Email | Print | Multiple Page View | Tags: Business Operations, Consumer Products, More... Business Operations, Consumer Products, Design & Innovation, Energy Efficiency, Life-Cycle...  read more



Green Initiative Afoot as FIFA World Cup Kicks Off JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, June 11, 2010 (ENS) - A major initiative to green the FIFA 2010 World Cup and reduce carbon emissions is underway in the host country South Africa as the opening match between South Africa and Mexico kicks off here...  read more



The Goal: A Green Globe PROTECTING the environment has become a shared responsibility among members of the community. With heightened awareness today on the damage done to the environment, the government, private sector, and individuals are working together to set things right. Companies have come...  read more



Businesses discover that going green can save them money THE OLYMPIAN | • Published June 18, 2010 COMMENTS (6) RECOMMEND (1) More and more businesses in this state are coming to the conclusion that what's good for the environment can be good for their business, too. It’s encouraging...  read more



No Sustainability Without Transparency! June 18, 2010 - 11:14 am Share Andrew KassoyBio | Email Andrew is the co-founder of B Lab, a non-profit whose mission is to create a new sector of the economy that harnesses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. The June 11...  read more



  News Articles Study: Indian Consumers Best At Making Green Choices, Americans Least Email Facebook Digg Twitter Buzz Up! ShareThis June 3, 2010 8:02 a.m. EST Topics: environmental issue, economy, business and finance, environmental politics, consumer goods, United States AHN News...  read more



Burt's Bees, Whole Foods Top U.S. Green Brands 2010 WPP Survey: Developing Countries More Concerned About Environment Posted by Karen Egolf on 06.09.10 @ 12:10 PM Burt's Bees and Whole Foods lead the 2010 ImagePower Green Brands Survey's list of top 10 U.S. brands perceived to be the greenest,...  read more



 The Real Story Behind Some of the 10 'Greenest' Brands By Marc Gunther Published June 10, 2010 Email | Print | Multiple Page View | Tags: Consumer Products, Marketing, More... Consumer Products, Marketing, Marketing & Communication, Public Relations You probably would not think of...  read more



Sales of European Green Goods Set to Double by 2015 By Jessica Shankleman, BusinessGreen.com Published June 01, 2010 Email | Print | Single Page View | Tags: Consumer Products, Design, More... Consumer Products, Design, Design & Innovation, Innovation, Product Stewardship LONDON, United...  read more



Take the eco challenge 31 ways to go green in 30 days By ANNE WANGMAN June 1, 2010 1} Bring out the Bar: Keep 2.5 million pounds of plastic from ending up in landfills. That’s how much we’d save if every American household would replace one nonrenewable plastic bottle of liquid...  read more



Europe kicks off Green Week Published: June 1, 2010 at 10:04 AM ArticlePhotosListenComments Share BRUSSELS, June 1 (UPI) -- Brussels kicked off its annual Green Week conference with the aim of protecting species diversity, the European Union announced. Janez Potocnik, the European...  read more



Online Bill Payment Now Mainstream, Women Edge out Men, Says Fiserv Survey Annual survey also shows e-bill usage grew nine percent in one year BROOKFIELD, Wis., May 25, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), the leading global provider of financial services technology solutions,...  read more



 A PayItGreen Survey 2010 reports that consumers pay bills online-only are more satisfied with their bank and/or credit union.  In addition, payments online, either viaACH payments, credit cards or direct from banking sites appeals to consumers “green” consciousness about...  read more



How 'Energy Sleuths' Pursue the Ideal Green Building By Richard Conniff Created 2010-05-26 07:24 [Editor's Note: This article was originally published by Yale Environment 360 and is reprinted here with permission.] In a different world, it could be a reality television show -- "Buildings On...  read more



Five Ways to “Green” Small Business Tech Through a variety of simple and sometimes complex changes, businesses of any size can become more environmentally conscious when it comes to energy consumption and information technology. By Linda Wilson | Jun 14, 2010 Share vote now Buzz...  read more



Simplify your finances with online banking By Donna Fuscaldo • Bankrate.com Internet banking has been around for years, but its popularity is only now growing. Holdouts have resisted banking online because of security concerns, but there are real benefits to online banking that will make your...  read more



 NACHA stats reveal electronic migration Posted by Mark Brousseau If you’re looking for more proof that consumers continue to move away from paper-based check payments and towards more convenient and “greener” electronic transactions, look no further than NACHA’s 2009...  read more



A History of Green Brands: 1980’s – Green Shoots Appear BY RUSS MEYERThu May 13, 2010 Written by Landor Associates' Chief Strategy Officer, Russ Meyers looks at the growing consumer awareness, their influence on brands and the emergence of green products. The 1980s—it was the...  read more



Gen Y's green demands for the workplace The next generation of workers promise to be more vocal than ever when demanding environmentally sustainable offices Leslie Guevarra, GreenBiz.com, BusinessGreen 20 May 2010 The 18- to 25-year-olds just entering, or poised to enter, the workforce aren't...  read more



Con Edison Receives 2010 “Tree Line USA Utility” Award Company Earns Arbor Day Foundation Recognition for a Second Year The Arbor Day Foundation has named Con Edison a 2010 “Tree Line USA Utility.” Awarded in cooperation the National Association of State Foresters, this...  read more



How to Produce a Top-Notch Sustainability Report By Karen Janowski and Kathleen Gilligan Published May 10, 2010 Read Comments Email | Print | Multiple Page View | Tags: Business Operations, Marketing & Communication, More... Business Operations, Marketing & Communication,...  read more



 ‘Green payment’ movement set to impact the American consumer payments landscape Animated discussion of 'green payments' at the annual meeting of US payments industry professionals, Payments 2010, hosted by the National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA) last week may be...  read more



E-Bills Help Banks Battle Merchants for Payments American Banker | Tuesday, May 4, 2010 By Daniel Wolfe With merchants and card companies pushing people to abandon paper statements, financial companies are using electronic billing services to keep customers from abandoning their online bill...  read more



Online Bill Pay Users Less Unhappy Bank Customers, NACHA Survey Finds By Penny Crosman Apr 29, 2010 10:07 AM ET Online bill pay users are less likely to be dissatisfied bank customers than paper bill payers, according to a survey NACHA commissioned Javelin Strategy & Research to conduct and...  read more



Study Shows Americans Who Stop Paper Bills and Statements Are More Satisfied Consumers NACHA’s PayItGreen® Survey 2010 Reveals Less Clutter, Reduced Waste, and Easy Access to Bills and Statements Make Happier Customers SEATTLE, April 26, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — There is a direct...  read more



'Green' becomes more than just a marketing pitch By DAN SEWELL (AP) – 3 days ago CINCINNATI — Going green has become good business. Just look at store shelves: Sales of "green" products, such as organic foods and natural personal care items, have jumped 15 percent since...  read more



Wells Fargo Promotes Five Simple Actions to Protect the Environment Through Banking Invests $250,000 in Earth Day Network SAN FRANCISCO, Apr 22, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Wells Fargo & Company (WFC 33.17, +0.16, +0.49%) is encouraging banking customers -- at Wells Fargo and elsewhere -- to...  read more



The selling of Earth Day ‘Where have all the flowers gone’ has been replaced by ‘where are all the sales going on?’ By Christopher Muther Globe Staff / April 22, 2010 E-mail|Print|Reprints|Yahoo! Buzz|ShareThis Text size – + It was 40 years ago today at Logan...  read more



 Fifty-three percent of U.S. Employers Deploy Green Programs in the Workplace NEW YORK, Apr 21, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Going "green" in the workplace can lead to more green in the bank according to a new survey released today from Buck Consultants, an independent subsidiary of...  read more



Business and the Evolution of Earth Day By Jonathan Bardelline Created 2010-04-22 06:00 It seems now that almost every company is tied into Earth Day in some way, whether through sales on greener products, releasing or rehashing their environmental news, or throwing or participating in events...  read more



 Bank of America and the environment The company has a $20 billion initiative to fund and invest in green business opportunities. Tue, Apr 20 2010 at 11:23 AM EST Several shots of the Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park in New York City. The skyscraper is one of the most environmentally...  read more



FC Expert Blog The 5 Secrets For a Green Business Plan That Works BY FC EXPERT BLOGGER GLENN CROSTONTue Apr 20, 2010 This blog is written by a member of our expert blogging community and expresses that expert's views alone. As Earth Day 2010 rolls around, green entrepreneurs everywhere are...  read more



 At Con Edison, every day is Earth Day <http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Springtime/story?id=4698172&page=1> , and that's never more true than this April 22, 2010 - the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day. To encourage customers to save energy and celebrate their savings, the company offers a...  read more



 More business grads go for green Environment high on priority list, dean says By Roger Showley, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER Monday, April 19, 2010 at 12:04 a.m. David Brooks / Union-Tribune David F. Pyke, dean of the School of Business Administration at the University of San Diego, says...  read more



 Lean & Green Ian P. Murphy, Editor , American Drycleaner Published 04/07/2010 - 9:00 a.m. CT iStock Photo/Evgeny Terentev ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ian P. Murphy, Editor Website: http://www.americandryc... Email: imurphy@crain.com Drycleaners don’t have to be tree-huggers to go...  read more



April 12, 2010 6:25 PM PDT Wal-Mart chairman: Go green for money, not image by Martin LaMonica Font size Print E-mail Share 16 comments Share 128 LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif.--Wal-Mart Stores pushed forward with a risky sustainability initiative at a time when its public image was suffering....  read more



 Companies get sold on green, consumers wary Lisa Baertlein and Dana Ford DANA POINT, California Wed Apr 14, 2010 3:31pm EDT Related News No return to Ford CEO job for a relaxed Bill Ford Tue, Apr 13 2010 Exclusive: No return to Ford CEO job for a relaxed Bill Ford Tue, Apr 13...  read more



 Apr 14, 2010 07:00 ET Bill.com Celebrates Earth Day By Joining PayItGreenTM Campaign Marks 40th Anniversary of Earth Day With Contest and Other Activities PALO ALTO, CA--(Marketwire - April 14, 2010) - Bill.com, the leader in paperless bill management and payment for small and...  read more



  America's Greenest Banks Bank Technology News | April 2010 By Rebecca Sausner They look to be straight out of Star Trek's Enterprise, but Citigroup's telepresence centers bring executives from Hong Kong, London, New York and Mexico face to face at a moment's notice, and helped the bank...  read more



  green business March 28, 2010 By Kelly Spors Access to information and resources that help small businesses become environmentally friendlier keeps getting easier. A growing array of websites are offering businesses help reducing their environmental footprint – or at least providing...  read more



 Green Business Bureau Announces 2010 Earth Day Sweepstakes for Small Businesses Winning business will receive over $200 in eco-friendly office products and free membership in nationally-recognized green business certification bureau.   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PR Log (Press Release)...  read more



 Postal Service’s Woes Could be Blessing for Green Banking and Billing http://www.javelinstrategy.com/blog/ March 29, 2010 | Written by: Mark Schwanhausser The U.S. Postal Service has done a fine job of delivery mail despite rain, sleet and snow – but the potent force...  read more



PayItGreen’s new video, The Power of You, won a Silver ADDY Award from the Ad Club of Metropolitan Washington. The award was given for “excellence in interactive” in the public service category.  Watch the video now!   read more



    By Bill Roth | March 17th, 2010 View Comments www.triplepundit.com TerraCycle produces very cool consumer products from recycled food packaging. But for businesses trying to grow revenues in this “soft recovery” the coolest thing about TerraCycle is its creative...  read more



  AT&T Challenges 1 Million Customers To Go Paperless   PLANTS TREES TO CELEBRATE THOSE WHO MAKE THE SWITCH AT&T Launches Promotion With The Arbor Day Foundation To Plant Trees On Behalf of First Million Customers Who Switch To Paperless Billing in...  read more



  Bottomline Helps CMC Group Go Green   Bottomline Technologies (NASDAQ: EPAY) a leading provider of collaborative payment, invoice and document automation solutions today announced that its customer, CMC Group, a provider of specialized printing and packaging solutions, has been...  read more



Online Bill Payments, Part 1: Fertile Soil for IT Vendors By John K. Higgins E-Commerce Times 03/15/10 5:00 AM PT Consumers are becoming more comfortable with making financial transactions on the Web, and many are finding that paying bills online is far easier than the old...  read more



  Wal-Mart, Marks & Spencer, Nike: Harbingers of Change? By Jeffrey Hollender and Bill Breen Created 2010-03-16 00:41 www.greenbiz.com A few years ago, a book entitled Change or Die made the case that despite the exhortations of management hipsters and hyperbolic CEOs, companies...  read more



  Efficiency is key to survival for manufacturers By Eric Decker , of BizTimes Published March 5, 2010 biztimes.com   The manufacturing industry has never had a glamorous public image, and to most people, it is not considered a “green” business category. Historically,...  read more



  The Evolution of Innovative Green Brands By Marc Stoiber Created 2010-03-11 05:00 As consumers, we define ourselves by the brands we keep. Like totem poles, they tell the story of who we are and where our allegiances lie. It's disappointing to see those brands rest on their laurels. We...  read more



  How Cisco's Packaging Diet Saves $24 Million a Year By Claudia Girrbach Created 2010-03-10 03:12 My last post here, "How to Work with Your Vendors to Go on a Packaging Diet," was born of the frustration my colleagues and I felt from dealing with the wasteful and at-times absurd...  read more



  Greeting cards can be embellished with online attachments and crowdsourced designs, or sold through monthly subscriptions—but the fact remains that most are still just ... well, greeting cards. Not so the Postcarden, a pop-out card that transforms into a bite-sized...  read more



  Four Steps to Prepare for the Low-Plastic Future By Ellie Moss Created 2010-03-03 10:36 www.greenbiz.com [Editor's Note: This article follows earlier coverage on how chemicals and the toxicity of products have become strategic issues for businesses. Posts by Joel Makower and Richard...  read more



  Supermarkets pledge to cut packaging's carbon impact by a tenth Plastic spirit bottles and lightweight glass are on the shopping list as supermarkets commit to cutting packaging waste within three years James Murray, BusinessGreen, 04 Mar 2010 The retail sector's war on packaging and...  read more



  Supermarkets pledge to cut packaging's carbon impact by a tenth Plastic spirit bottles and lightweight glass are on the shopping list as supermarkets commit to cutting packaging waste within three years James Murray, BusinessGreen, 04 Mar 2010 The retail sector's war on packaging and...  read more



PayItGreen Member is Recognized  Corporate America Family Credit Union in Oak Brook has introduced the Pay It Green promotion to help reduce the costs and environmental impact of paper statements and other conventional banking services. The credit union is teaming with PayItGreen to...  read more



  Can greener gadgets save us from e-waste? By David Biello www.scientificamerican.com One laptop per child seems a simple slogan, chock full of benefit. What could go wrong when you put the power of the Internet and solar cells into the hands of children in the developing world? After...  read more



  Unwrapping Quiznos' Greener Packaging By Marc Gunther Created 2010-02-23 11:08 www.greenbiz.com People sometimes say we need to save the planet for our kids. I sometimes think our kids are going to save us. If you doubt it, ask Rick Schaden. Schaden is CEO...  read more



  How to Work with Your Vendors to Go on a Packaging Diet By Claudia Girrbach Created 2010-02-24 04:56 www.greenbiz.com Packaging -- especially wasteful packaging -- has become a bright spot on the radar for companies and individuals that are working on reducing their...  read more



  Tips on Going Paperless from J.P. Morgan A new report by J.P. Morgan, “Sustainable Treasury Management: It’s Easier Than You Think,” can be used as a guide by paper-intensive corporate treasury operations to move toward a sustainable future. Each component of treasury...  read more



  The Olympic Effect Potential host cities spend millions attracting the Olympic Games. The hope for a return on their investment is largely economic. Construction contracts, increased tourism and associated business dynamism. Sometimes cities get it wrong and the investment doesn't pay...  read more



  Doing the right thing for the environment Greening your business doesn’t have to cost a fortune; small steps add up Sacramento Business Journal - by Kelly Johnson Staff writer When sisters Jennifer Neves and Heather Ramsey decided to open a salon and spa in Sacramento three...  read more



  Packaging Companies Rethink the Box: The State of Green Business 2010 By Joel Makower Created 2010-02-15 03:09 www.greenbiz.com Editor's Note: To celebrate the launch of the third annual State of Green Business report, we will be highlighting over the next two weeks the 10 big trends...  read more



The State of Green Business www.huffingtonpost.com Thank goodness for the "State of Green Business Forum," the annual roll-out of Greenbiz.com's State of Green Business Report. Unlike the plethora of studies and conferences on how well green business is faring, the...  read more



  The State of Green Business 2010: Green Innovation Becomes a Great Idea By Joel Makower   www.greenbiz.com Created 2010-02-05 03:02 Editor's Note: To celebrate the launch of the third annual State of Green Business report, we will be highlighting over the next two weeks...  read more



  Deloitte: Best Practices for Going Green www.triplepundit.com By Deborah Fleischer | February 1st, 2010 Comments What do you think of when you hear Deloitte? You might think of a professional services firm or Big Four auditor. Today, the company has also put a big green stake in the...  read more



  What Does the FDA's BPA Decision Mean for Companies? By Richard Liroff Created 2010-01-25 03:05   www.greenbiz.com On January 15, 2010, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shifted its position on the safety of the chemical Bisphenol A (BPA), expressing for...  read more



Con Ed e-bill program seeks to build on early success   Chartwell's Best Practices Newsletter   Con Edison continues to increase customer participation in its electronic billing and payments program through a multi-channel marketing campaign, “Go Green with E-Bills.”...  read more



  How to Find the Greenest E-Waste Recycler By Matthew Wheeland Created 2010-01-20 00:51 www.greenbiz.com A recent seminar from the EPA offered a primer for small business and local governments on how to avoid the pitfalls of e-waste recycling, but the lessons offered apply to any...  read more



  Financing Our Cleantech Future By Joel Makower Created 2010-01-18 00:11   www.greenbiz.com My longtime friend and colleague Bill Green changed jobs recently. That's not normally newsworthy — friends and colleagues do that all the time. But if you're concerned...  read more



  What You Should Know About Green, Eco-Friendly Promotional Items by Rob Hard, January 9, 2010 www.businesstraveldestinations.com From biodegradable and reusable shopping bags to apparel made with soy and bamboo or corporate gifts made from corn plastic, organizations are increasing...  read more



  Is Google poised to become a green utility? New Google Energy subsidiary files for permission to buy and sell wholesale electricity BusinessGreen.com Staff, BusinessGreen, 08 Jan 2010 www.businessgreen.com Google's growing interest in the energy sector was underlined this week when it...  read more



  want font. www.greenissexy.com A Dutch Design firm, SPRANQ, has just released their new “ecofont” which is designed to use less ink when printed – up to 20% less, they claim on their website. The font is designed much like Swiss cheese, therefore not filling in the...  read more



  2010 - The beginning of the end for green businesses James Murray predicts that the next 12 months will see green businesses accelerate their inevitable march into the mainstream BusinessGreen, 31 Dec 2009 www.businessgreen.com For the past two years, one phrase has appeared so often...  read more



Greener Pastures Ahead? Five Trends You’ll See in 2010 Posted By Environmental Leader On December 21, 2009 @ 1:33 am In Business-to-Consumer, Green Marketing, Guest Column, Strategy & Leadership | 2 Comments   www.environmentalleader.com Where is green going in 2010? Here are five...  read more



  What Are You Excited Most About in 2010? www.greenbiz.com By GreenBiz Staff Created 2009-12-24 17:38 Oakland, CA — "Thinking about your company’s green initiatives for 2010, what are you most excited about?" As the sun began to set on 2009, we asked that question...  read more



  An interview with Whole Foods CEO John Mackey By Brian Gaar Updated: 12:39 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20, 2009 www.statesman.com   By its founder's own admission, the past fiscal year was a trying one for Whole Foods Market Inc. Chief executive John Mackey likened it to hitting rough...  read more



  Sustainable Workplace Cultures Social, Environmental and Economic Sustainability in Organizations www.workplaceculture.com May 30, 2008 Andree Iffrig How sustainable is your organization? How healthy is your workplace culture? Use five factors to rate your organization on the...  read more



  10 Best Practices for Building Green Teams By Deborah Fleischer Created 2009-12-07 13:13 www.greenbiz.com GreenBiz.com and Green Impact have partnered to release a new report, "Green Teams: Engaging Employees in Sustainability." Based on interviews with green team leaders...  read more



  A Dozen Tips for the Total Greening of Your Business By Carrie Langford Created 2009-12-03 12:32 www.greenbiz.com During the past several years, the word "green" has taken on new meaning and usage as it has quickly entered the business vernacular in its many forms. What was...  read more



  Madison Gas & Electric, serving customers in Madison, Wisconsin, created an inexpensive 30 secondtelevision commercial showing local viewers how easy it is to pay their bills online. The commercial aired for two weeks at the end of September, 2009 during which time the daily e-bill...  read more



 Con Edison, a utility company servicing customers in New York, highlighted the positive impacts of going green with paperless e-bills. In September, Con Edison added e-bill messaging on the bill envelopes which generated a level of enrollments that broke the record set back in November, 2007...  read more



Making an Impact with PayItGreen NACHA's PayItGreen program is an important industry initiative focused on educating consumers and businesses about the positive environmental impacts of choosing electronic payments, bills and statements over paper. Millions of tons of paper are used each year to...  read more



  The Eight Biggest Myths about Sustainability in Business By Vijay Kanal Created 2009-11-23 04:45 www.greenbiz.com In our research, and in engagements with dozens of Fortune 1000 companies, we are sometimes surprised at the reluctance to pursue environmental sustainability initiatives,...  read more



  - SlashGear - http://www.slashgear.com - Dell goes green with new packaging for Mini 10 netbooks Posted By Shane McGlaun On November 18, 2009 @ 7:14 am In archive | No Comments Dell is trying to give itself a green makeover to not only help the environment and give it more of a green...  read more



  Nike, Stonyfield Farm, Unilever Top Latest Climate Counts Scorecard By GreenBiz Staff Created 2009-11-18 06:00 Manchester, NH — Nike has taken the top score for the annual Climate Counts scorecard for the second year in a row, but there are some companies hot on Nike's heels and...  read more



Going Green in Marketing Communications Nov 13, 2009 1:42 PM, By Scott Richardson www.chiefmarketer.com   The future of business has a big streak of green. Leading companies know that adopting green business practices makes sense not only for the environment. Being environmentally...  read more



  Take Care Using the Word 'Sustainability' By Roberto Piccioni Created 2009-11-13 08:00 www.greenbiz.com Why do some people bluster when you talk about sustainability while others get excited? Consider the question: "How’s your marriage?" Answer: "Fine, it's...  read more



  WHY YOUR COMPANY SHOULD USE ELECTRONIC BILLING By Mark Henricks www.allbusiness.com When one of Victor Bousso’s customers phones in an order for audio equipment to Sound Factory, Bousso goes online and logs on to his electronic billing service. He types the customer...  read more



  The Companies Mixing Up Greener Cement By Jonathan Bardelline Created 2009-11-12 07:00 www.greenbiz.com Oakland, CA — You don't have to look far to see just how much concrete humans use. Everything from highways to high-rise and bridges to runways around the world are made with...  read more



  Consumer Brands Should Think Twice Before Making Green a Fundamental Part of Brand Messaging, Veteran Store Designer Says www.sys-con.com   NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwire) -- 11/04/09 -- Retailers, foodservice chains and consumer product manufacturers should think long and hard before...  read more



  Corporate Citizenship Can Behavioral Economics Jump-Start Green Leadership? Avril David 11.03.09, 2:58 PM ET     If you've eaten in a hurry in New York City lately, then you're no stranger to the type of behavioral nudging that can be done by making you aware of hidden facts...  read more



  The Big Picture on Eco-Engineering Our Environmental Impact By Dave Douglas Created 2009-11-03 05:15   www.greenbiz.com [Editor's Note: GreenBiz.com is pleased to present the first in a series of excerpts from Dave Douglas's new book, "Citizen Engineer: A Handbook...  read more



  Southwest rolls out ‘green plane’ to show commitment to environment By Richard N. Velotta (contact), In Business reporter Fri, Oct 30, 2009 (3 a.m.) www.lasvegassun.com DALLAS — Southwest Airlines hopes to enhance its reputation for being green, as in profitable, by...  read more



  Using Sustainability Labels to Drive Performance By Melissa Schweisguth Created 2009-10-28 13:16 www.greenbiz.com It seems like a new sustainability certification or standard is announced weekly. As these increase, along with corresponding logos and taglines, so too have questions...  read more



  MINI-FORESTS RISE FROM PAPERLESS BILLING AS CON EDISON SEEDS 5,000 TREES NEW YORK – Con Edison today joined legendary entertainer Bette Midler’s New York Restoration Project (NYRP) and the New York City Parks Department to plant 5,000 trees at Alley Pond Park in Queens, Marine...  read more



  Is it Really That Easy Going Green? by Jeremy LaDuque, Elements Inc. www.renewableenergyworld.com We all know that person who fashionably expresses concern for the destruction of our environment – and then they drive off in their gas-guzzling SUV to their home that's lit up like a...  read more



  Do People Really Care About the Climate? By Joel Makower Created 2009-10-25 17:55 www.greenbiz.com Do people care about the climate? It's an open question these days, and opinion polls offer little help. Some show that climate ranks fairly low among public concerns, while others...  read more



  What Business Pros Can Learn from School Kids About Corporate Responsibility By Tom Savage Created 2009-10-21 21:41 www.greenbiz.com You don't necessarily need an expensive MBA or a degree in environmental sciences to learn about social and environmental responsibility. In fact, many...  read more



  The Yin and Yang of CSR Reporting By Jill Kolling Created 2009-10-22 01:59 www.greenbiz.com Crafting an effective corporate social responsibility (CSR) report is both an art and a science. A blend of facts and feelings. An amalgamation of quantitative and qualitative parts assembled...  read more



  Is green business good business? You wouldn't think accounting would have an environmental angle TERRENCE BELFORD www.theglobeandmail.com Special to The Globe and Mail Published on Monday, Oct. 19, 2009 12:00AM EDT Last updated on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009 3:37AM EDT Number...  read more



Six Key Lessons on Mapping Out a Business Case for Sustainability Initiatives By David Bent Created 2009-10-19 16:03   www.greenbiz.com "Finding the business case" is the holy grail of corporate sustainability professionals. For over a decade they've set out to...  read more



  Bridging the Apathy Gap - What Motivates Consumers? By Suzanne Shelton Created 2009-10-19 09:59 Published on GreenBiz.com (http://www.greenbiz.com) We have long preached that screaming "Save money!" at consumers isn’t enough to get them to make energy efficient upgrades...  read more



  Fiserv Drives Paperless Bills with New E-mail and Mobile Presentment www.paymentsnews.com Fiserv has announced that Biller Direct HV, a hosted solution that integrates electronic billing and payment (EBP) capabilities into company websites, has been enhanced with new delivery and...  read more



Eco-friendly relationships blossom at green-networking events Groups have sprung up around the country to provide a way for environmentally minded entrepreneurs to meet and drum up business. By Cyndia Zwahlen September 29, 2009 latimes.com SMALL BUSINESS Environmentally minded business...  read more



  E-bill and recurring online payment usage impact customer retention, profitability and on-time bill payments BROOKFIELD, Wis., Aug 13, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV),the leading global provider of financial services technology solutions, today announced a new study that...  read more



By James Murray, BusinessGreen LONDON, UK -- Several U.K. supermarkets are facing fresh calls to sever ties with meat suppliers in Brazil facing prosecution for their alleged involvement in illegal deforestation. Following the release earlier this month of a Greenpeace investigation linking a raft...  read more

Consumer

Organic Chocolates Chocolate -- how we love thee! Unfortunately, conventional chocolate production isn't good for the Earth, fueling wars in Africa, engulfing rain forests, spreading toxic pesticides and paying out meager wages (especially to child workers). But luckily for us chocoholics there is...  read more



Even Flowers Can Be Greener Flowers are the classic symbol of love, so why not make sure your gift shows love for the Earth and respect for those who made it, by choosing organic and Fair trade-certified blooms? While all the flowers may not be organic certified, "fair...  read more



Soft, silky and gorgeous, the newest intimate green fashions are made from organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, recycled fibers and other sustainable touches. Read more: http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/green-lingerie-organic#ixzz1l9DWnYqi  read more



10 Green Building Predictions for 2012 By 3p Guest Author | January 18th, 2012 1 Comment While the economy has not been kind to most new home builders, Earth Advantage has seen a surging interest in home energy management and energy improvement among homeowners. Those builders and remodelers who...  read more



Buy from Bulk Bins Packaging makes up more than 30% of all consumer waste. At health food stores like Wild Oats/Whole Foods, community co-ops and even many supermarkets, you can often get foods from bulk bins, whether that's candy, bagels, rice or honey. Choosing this option will save packaging...  read more



How Greener Medical Products Can Address Health Concerns By Kathy Gerwig Published January 19, 2012 When patients are admitted to a hospital, they expect to be treated in an environment that helps people heal. They might be surprised to learn that hospitals across the U.S. use products and...  read more



Sell Your Old Clothes In years past the options for getting rid of old clothes were limited: Junk it, donate it, give it to a friend or turn it into a rag. Thanks to Internet innovations, we now have moneymaking options like eBay and Craigslist (someone might pay for that retro T-shirt) and far...  read more



Get a Laptop A laptop uses as little as 10% as much energy a typical desktop computer uses, and it takes up a lot less space on your desk. In fact, if you actually keep it on your lap, it would take up no space at all! If you do have a desktop computer you feel you need, consider an Energy...  read more



Go to the Library The Internet hasn't killed print — not yet. If you're a bibliophile whose library overfloweth, or a magazine or newspaper subscriber who watches unread issues pile up on the nightstand, it may be time to reintroduce yourself to the local library. Borrowing one book at a time...  read more



Stop Receiving Junk Mail The average American household receives an estimated 850 pieces of junk mail every year — enough, as we all know, to cover our kitchen tables several times over. It's no coincidence that paper makes up one-quarter of all landfill waste, or that the junk mail...  read more



Switch to Paperless Billing There are pros and cons to paperless billing, but the pros easily outweigh the cons when it comes to both clutter and environmental impact. A paperless bill only clogs your email inbox (a topic for another day) whereas a paper bill clutters your desk. And saving paper...  read more



Get a few sturdy reusable shopping bags — and use them! The average American uses about 500 plastic shopping bags every year. If you're a hoarder, or at all concerned about the old Reduce Reuse Recycle mantra, you've probably been stuffing these under the sink, or in some closet for years, in...  read more



Make a dent in holiday waste this year. Make a dent in holiday waste this year by "recycling" your fresh Christmas tree after you are done celebrating. Instead of taking up valuable space in landfills, where decay is painfully slow because of a lack of oxygen, Christmas trees can be...  read more



Dress warmer for winter, even inside. Gone are the days (for most of us at least) when we can afford to lounge around in our underwear while it's frosty outside. Remember what we said about each degree on the thermostat costing you money? Roughly speaking, a light long-sleeved sweater is worth...  read more



Pay less for hot water by insulating pipes. That can also help decrease the chance of pipes freezing, which can be disastrous. Check to see if your pipes are warm to the touch. If so, they are good candidates for insulation. (Use the same method to determine if your hot water heater would benefit...  read more



The Race to Greener Bottles Could Be Long Pepsi plans to make bottles out of agricultural products. By WILLIAM NEUMAN Published: December 15, 2011 Over their decades of competition, the battle between Coca-Cola and PepsiCo has taken on many colors — brown (cola), orange (juice), blue...  read more



San Francisco Interior Designer Ian Stallings Says Green Design Choices Can Save Money and the Environment   Saturday, December 17, 2011   Building on his work with the Conrad Foundation and the Gay Straight Alliance Network (GSA Network) to make public schools better and safer, San...  read more



Green Technology Expected to Help to Save the Economy Author: YaShekia King Published: December 11, 2011 at 5:32 am A rising number of entrepreneurs are delving into a sea of green – a wave of opportunities in the green technology industry that have the potential of producing millions of...  read more



 Are Your Holiday Presents Good for the Environment? Some tips to make your holiday gifts more environmentally friendly: 1. Give gifts that cut down on packaging. Make jams, cookies or decorations. Give lottery tickets, restaurant certificates or online gift cards. 2. Give to a charity in...  read more



 Be Green with Your Last-Minute Shopping When you're completing your holiday shopping, save the environment by: 1. Using your own environmentally friendly shopping bags. 2. Buying less food than you think you will eat. There are always leftovers. 3. Looking for the products with the least...  read more



 What To Do With the Holiday Waste After the holidays this year, keep your green going with these easy tips: 1. Don't throw away food! Add it to a compost pile or take it to the office and share it with your friends. 2. Recycle your Christmas tree. It makes great mulch. 3. Save holiday...  read more



Believe it or not, switching to recycled toilet paper can change the world. If every household in the United States bought just one four-pack of 260-sheet recycled bath tissue, instead of the typical tissue made from virgin fiber, it would eliminate 60,600 pounds of chlorine pollution,...  read more



 Electric power plants are the country's largest industrial source of the pollutants that cause global warming. By snuggling under a blanket on the couch on a snowy winter night instead of turning up the heat, or enjoying the breeze from a fan in the height of summer instead of turning up the...  read more



The Pony Express Returns! -or- Why Electronic Delivery Makes More Sense Than Ever by Ron Daly Nostalgia is bringing back some interesting things nowadays. The Smurfs are in my DVD player (my daughter's choice, not mine), the Muppets are back in theaters, and I could swear I've seen the New Kids...  read more



Christmas tree farms are havens for birds, create jobs and are sustainable. Look for trees that come from your local area, if possible. Fake trees, on the other hand, are made from petrochemicals, often come from far away places such as China and are not biodegradable once you decide to toss them in...  read more



Questions About Your Community: What steps can I take to make my holiday an eco-cool event that is both joyful and good for the earth? As we enter the holiday season, consumers flock to malls, department stores and outlets in droves to search for that perfect gift, that one card that says it all,...  read more



Green Laundry Products Gain Share Nov 28, 2011 12:00 PM, By JEFF WELLS Green laundry products are tough on stains and gaining share against the competition PRICE SENSITIVITY IN THE LAUNDRY category has been like a stain that just won't come out. According to market research firm Mintel, laundry...  read more



9 Tips To Keep Holiday Shopping Sane (and Green) These tips will help you (and not marketers) stay in control of your shopping experience – and your budget. By Dan Shapley The holidays are a joyful time, and there's little that feels as good as giving someone you love the perfect gift. But...  read more



Green Tips for Holiday Shoppers The stockings are hung by the chimney with care. But when it comes to green shopping, are consumers aware? If you eat less meat, buy local and consolidate your shopping trips, you may make it to the top of Santa's list of good green shoppers. But your ascent may...  read more



Green Holiday Wrapping Can be Reused, Recycled - and Free I love surprises, so using some kind of wrapping adds to the fun of giving the present. Otherwise, why not just throw the gift at the giftee and say, "Hope you like it!" What I hate is seeing so much beautiful paper just being...  read more



10 Ways to Eat Clean & Green Below are 10 ways to make Earth Day mean something all year long. Eat less meat. Over half of US farmland is devoted to growing food for the animals we eat. Raising animals for food generates more greenhouse-gases than all the cars, trucks, trains, ships, and...  read more



Black Friday and the Size of the Sustainable Consumption Challenge Do we really need to start the holiday shopping season on Thanksgiving night? Here's a comment that showed up yesterday on an April 2011 blog post [Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn: Sustainability is all about people] that I wrote...  read more



Americans Less Clueless About Looming Phaseout of Traditional Bulbs Americans are finally showing significant awareness of the impending phaseout of commonly used incandescent bulbs in a move toward more energy efficient lighting. Fifty-five percent of the people responding to the latest Socket...  read more



U.S. Bank Recognized by Newsweek for Its Environmental Sustainability Efforts November 09, 2011 | Business Wire, Inc. MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- U.S. Bank, lead bank of U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB), has once again been recognized for its environmental sustainability efforts. The company placed...  read more



  If going green was a class in school, recycling would be the very first lesson. For most of us, recycling has become a piece of cake.  Most communities offer easy ways to recycle at home, at work or school and out and about.  You’ve probably mastered the art of recycling...  read more



  It’s that time of year to do a chimney inspection! Not just because Santa will be bowling down soon, but because we’re headed into the stormy season, which may leave you powerless and in need of some serious heat. It’s a good rule of thumb to inspect your chimney thoroughly...  read more



Turning plastic bottles, old car seats, used wine corks and old barns into elegant floors By Joan Morris Contra Costa Times Posted: 11/04/2011 02:00:00 PM PDT Flooring companies, ever mindful of construction guidelines that require "green" additions in new home construction, are...  read more



Feeling a bit bottled up in the bathroom? Try switching your liquid hand soap to bar. Unlike liquid soap, bar soap typically comes a in easy-to-recycle paper box or light plastic wrap. You’ll be skipping out on the plastic bottle waste that pumps the soap – and the plastic bottles that...  read more



Door Dilemma  When exiting a large store, you’re often faced with a choice: the automatic door, or the ol’ push/pull door. While most people choose the automatic door, you’re special and you realize that everything automatic requires energy to automate. Why not use your own...  read more



  your biggest fan. Fans might seem like a summertime appliance, but those ceiling fans you’re lucky enough to have in your home can actually help keep your home warm during the cold weather months too. When the climate you live in turns chilly, set your ceiling fan at its slowest speed...  read more



  Changing your water filter, though good for water quality can be wasteful in respect to water quantity. The instructions usually suggest running a litre or two through the filter before the water becomes taste worthy. Next time around, collect those extra jugs of waste water to quench the...  read more



  cinema verde. This time of year there are more great movies to see than time and money to see them all.  If you’re checking out a flick this weekend, try bringing your own water in a reusable container.  Bringing your own water will cut back on waste and save you...  read more



The rise of the eco-concierge Will there soon be thousands of consultants on hand to help us go green? In this file photo, Len Bicknell walks from his house to his garage where his solar energy panels are mounted on the roof in Marshfield, Mass. Will "eco-concierges" soon be on hand to...  read more



Why So Green(ish)? A new survey commissioned by SC Johnson on American attitudes and behaviors with respect to the environment reveals that individuals feel as if they know more about the environment today than they did 20 years ago (yay). But they also feel less powerful to do anything to...  read more



'Green' homeownership about lifestyle as much as build standards "It ain't easy goin' green," Kermit the Frog would say about the latest green building techniques detailed in the International Code Council's 700 National Green Building Standard. But it's easier than he might think. The...  read more



  green jobs If you’re currently unemployed or are just looking to do something new, consider working in the green sector.  If you’re reading this tip, you must already have an interest in making the planet a more livable place for all of the people, animals and plants...  read more



Environmental Tips For Kids With the advent of technology and fast paced development, environment degradation has reached its zenith. The pollution of all the natural resources has become a common feature, especially in the urban areas. With the increase in population, more and more resources are...  read more



 Energy-saving tips for fall As leaves keep turning orange, here's how you can stay green As autumn settles in and we set back the clock, rake the leaves and stoke the furnace, we have a lot of assumptions about the most environmentally friendly ways to proceed. But are those assumptions...  read more



Our taste for coffee has hit forests and biodiversity, but efforts are afoot to make production more sustainable. The main environmental impact of coffee results from the production of the beans – but it can be done sustainably. Photograph: Michael Jenner / Alamy/Alamy The world's second...  read more



 online and on time. Cut back on your tree-dependency by switching your current calendar over to an electronic one. Electronic calendars are easy to maintain on your computer or your cell phone and feature lots of snazzy features, like automatic reminders for birthdays and important...  read more



 a case of the spins. Spinning — the high-energy stationary bike classes that burn 500+ calories per session.  If you’re into spinning, ask your gym to consider installing Green Revolution energy generators and monitors on its Spinner bikes. ...  read more



in your face. Were you kind to your skin this summer? The hot months are often brutal for the body’s biggest organ with sun, wind, sweat and sunscreen wreaking havoc on your epidermis. Before you stock up on a shopping cart full of cleansers, scrubs, creams and serums, consider a...  read more



meatless mid-day. You may have heard by now that one of the most drastic ways to reduce your impact on the environment is to go veg. Raising animals for human consumption takes a big toll on the environment, from water consumption and contamination to the growing, harvesting and shipping of feed...  read more



reduce, reuse, reply. We all agree that junk mail is the worst. But do you know just how bad it is? Every year, 100 million trees, 28 billion gallons of water, and $320 million in local tax money are used for the production and disposal of junk mail. Remove yourself from bulk-mailing lists, and...  read more



Green cleaning doesn’t have to end at the bathroom door; start with vinegar, baking soda By Associated Press, Published: September 20 Cleaning the bathroom can be daunting, even if you’re armed with traditional cleaners laden with bleach and strong but perhaps environmentally...  read more



  keep the “e” in email. Americans discard 4 million tons of office paper every year, which breaks down to enough wasted paper per person that each of our piles would be as tall as a two-story house. Reduce your impact! At the very least, make a personal pledge to stop printing...  read more



  remove the fruit before recycling. Did you know that in most places, recyclables with food stuck to them are considered contaminated and are thrown in the trash by the recycling center?  You’re already doing your part by recycling, so go one step further by protecting your...  read more



  ring a ding ding. If you’ve been shopping for soda and water in cans instead of plastic bottles lately, good for you! That’s a great green step. Go one step further by buying cans packaged in recyclable cardboard boxes instead of clustered together in plastic rings. Plastic...  read more



  follow the straight and narrow. While you may march to the beat of your own drummer, it’s important to stick to the path sometimes. The next time you’re hiking or strolling through a park, remember to keep to the designated paths. Straying from the man-made areas can actually...  read more



Play safe: The green-toy industry The green-toy industry shows a promise of growth provided children are educated as to why they should choose such toys over the rest By Adrienne Harebottle, Features WriterPublished: 00:00 September 10, 2011 We think of children's wellbeing whenever the issue...  read more



  get what you demand. Rent your movies “on demand."  Many cable companies (especially if you have a digital cable service) now come with standard pay-per-view programs ready for you to enjoy instantly. Just think: if we all ordered our movies digitally, there would be less...  read more



  tap out. Next time you turn on the tap take note of how much water you actually use for the task at hand and how much goes down the drain, never to be seen again. 7-12 litres of water is used up every minute the tap runs. Here are some easy tips to conserve precious water in your home: Skip...  read more



Gen Y Views Direct Deposit as Way to Be Environmentally Friendly By Jackie Stewart SEP 8, 2011 9:41am EDT New data about employees' attitudes toward direct deposit released on Wednesday found that Gen Y is more likely than other generations to use direct deposit as a means to reduce their impact...  read more



  don’t forget to brush! Using a toothbrush to carefully clean hard-to-reach areas in your home (like in between tiles) is often referred to as punishment in Army movies, but it’s also a great example of reuse. Before your past-its-prime toothbrush hits the garbage, why not throw...  read more



  burnin’ love. As Summer melts into Fall, you might be savoring some last-minute camp fires, or getting ready to warm up your home with the fireplace. Whether your hearth is at home or outside, be mindful of what you burn. Just because something can burn doesn’t mean...  read more



  we like to flex, too. Considering ditching your car for good, but worry about the occasional trips where bags of groceries outweight arm strength while standing on a bus? Have no fear: Zipcars and Flexcars are here. Many cities have started programs to make it extremely...  read more



Green Your Back-to-School Supplies Eco-friendly choices for back to school August 18, 2011  Heading off with your child to stock up on shiny new school supplies is always a treat--new, perfect notebooks, folders, binders, pens, pencils--a metaphor for a fresh start to the school year. It is...  read more



  save the trees, please. You already know about the importance of saving on paper and using recycled paper, but lots more of your daily wastage grows on trees. Non-recycled toilet paper, paper towel and tissues are made from virgin fiber, which may even come from the old-growth forests that...  read more



 where’s the beef? Reducing the amount of meat you eat in a week can have a big Environmental impact. According to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the production of one calorie of animal protein requires more than ten times the fossil fuel input as a calorie of...  read more



Operation handbag: Recycle everything inside BY TERRI BENNETT, MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERSAUGUST 15, 2011 Think about all the business cards, plastic, receipts, pens, and so much more. You can actually recycle nearly everything inside and avoid dumping any of it into the trash. Most women are...  read more



  are your appliances passive aggressive? You’ve gotten into the habit of switching off your out of use appliances, but did you know that many appliances enter “passive standby” mode when they are turned off (so they can start up quickly when turned back on), and continue to...  read more



  skip your daily dose of iron. Whoever decided that linen and cotton were the official fabrics of summer must not have had to do their own laundry. While these fabrics help keep you cool in the hot summer months they do more than their fair share of wrinkling. The next time you find yourself...  read more



keep off the grass. The birth of what we now call the “lawn” dates back to Versailles with Louis XIV’s obsession with controlling his natural surroundings. Lawn care (making pretty shapes out of greenery) was considered a hobby to the aristocrats who believed it set them above the...  read more



  from laundry to lakes. Detergents are soaps made from synthetic materials, and have a long history of being loaded with Phosphates. Phosphates help boost the cleaning efficiency of detergent, but have harmful effects on rivers, lakes, streams, and other fresh waters. Phosphorous is an...  read more



   dab’ll do ya. Reduce could be the least popular of the three recycling Rs, so flex your muscle by reducing your impact in the shower. You’ve probably not read the directions on the back of your shampoo or bodywash lately (cause why would you?), but if you have,...  read more



  shady business. Gasoline evaporation occurs in your vehicle when the engine is hot whether it’s running or not. Obviously nothing can be done about this when the car is on but parking in the shade can significantly lower the temperature of parked vehicles and thereby reduce the amount...  read more



  double tall mulch, please. Everyday coffee is brewed worldwide. Unfortunately, millions of pounds are discarded when they could be used in the garden as mulch, compost, fertilizer and so much more. Did you know caffeine slowly releases nitrogen? Nitrogen is a fertilizer, so sprinkling used...  read more



Shopper Receipts Join Paperless Age By STEPHANIE CLIFFORD At an Old Navy store in Manhattan the other day, Fabienne Michel made a routine purchase of khaki shorts. But she left the store without something equally routine: her receipt. The sales clerk had sent it to Ms. Michel by e-mail....  read more



  give flowers a break. Cut flowers are kind of like crushes: they’re fun, fleeting and usually end up nowhere. While flowers are pretty, the flower industry is not. Most cut flowers are grown in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia in large greenhouses where underpaid,...  read more



  no sweat. During the summer, heat is often the enemy; it burns your skin, frizzes your hair, makes your legs stick to the car seats and makes everyone smell a little funky. Opening windows at night to bring in the cool breeze is a great cool-down option for some parts of the globe, but...  read more



  rent a hybrid. We stand on our feet for those greenies who opt for a bike or bus over a car as your means of getting around. We also recognize that once in a while you might need a set of powerful wheels to get the job done. More and more rental companies are offering hybrids for just a few...  read more



Eat less meat, especially less red meat, to improve your health and the health of the environment By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist Eating large amounts of red and processed meats increases exposure to toxins and is linked to higher rates of cancer, heart disease, and obesity. Red meat...  read more



Green Appliance Mandates Make Consumers See Red By H. Sterling Burnett Posted on Jul. 19, 2011   The Federal Government is considering new energy efficiency mandates for icemakers. Before starting down this path it should carefully examine the differences between the rosy promises and the...  read more



Saving the Environment, One Garment at a Time By Analisa Harangozo Email the author July 15, 2011 Print&nbps;0 Comments Walking into Hesperian Cleaners in Castro Valley, don’t expect to smell carcinogenic solvents on the clothes hanging on conveyor belts. The only thing you may get...  read more



Pen, Pencil, Plate Bringing your lunch to work or school is a great way to save money, curb calories and reduce the amount of to-go packaging with your name on it. Make lunchtime even greener by stashing a durable place setting in your desk or locker. Need to reheat last night’s leftovers or...  read more



According to the American Littoral Society, in 1998 over 176 million pounds of cigarette butts were discarded in the U.S. This number has likely increased with the prevalence of indoor smoking bans and more outdoor puffing. All the little butts add up to a big problem when they find their way into...  read more



During the summer, heat is often the enemy; it burns your skin, frizzes your hair, makes your legs stick to the car seats and makes everyone smell a little funky. Opening windows at night to bring in the cool breeze is a great cool-down option for some parts of the globe, but suggest it to someone...  read more



Give Flowers A Break Cut flowers are kind of like crushes: they’re fun, fleeting and usually end up nowhere. While flowers are pretty, the flower industry is not. Most cut flowers are grown in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia in large greenhouses where underpaid, non-unionized...  read more



An average top-loading washing machine uses 50 gallons of water per load, and 933 kWh of electricity per year. Since Americans alone wash over 35 billion loads of laundry per year, the numbers are more than a little scary. Reduce your impact by running only full loads of laundry. If you don’t...  read more



Water Water, Everywhere Usually when you think of gray water (if you haven’t thought about it, gray water is clean water used once, then re-used again for other jobs where it doesn’t need to be so squeaky clean), it means getting into the plumbing and installing a complicated water...  read more



Green Your Sunscreen If you’re ready to enjoy some hot fun in the summertime, don’t forget to protect yourself from harmful Ultraviolet Rays. While covering up with light-colored clothing and sporting a hat or head scarf is the most effective way to block the sun, you may find that...  read more



Nothing says summer like clothes drying on the line. But if you don’t have a back yard or if the bad weather won’t dry your clothes, get an indoor drying rack. Drying racks are inexpensive and you’ll make the money back in no time by saving on the electricity consumed by your...  read more



Keeping fuel consumption low is important to your wallet and to the planet. The best way to save gas is to drive less or to share your ride with someone else. If you’ve got a road-trip planned and you’ve just got to do it alone, consider your gas tank before you adjust the temperature....  read more



Flight Attentive If you should find yourself soaring through the friendly skies sometime soon, take a look down at the Earth and keep it in mind when the beverage cart rolls down the aisle. One easy way to minimize your impact is to drink your beverage straight from the can, instead of from a...  read more



Dig Deeper These days, it’s more than just being green — it’s trendy too. While we think it’s great environmentalism has gone mainstream, it also means it’s a little harder to wade through the not-so-green stuff to get to the real deal. There’s a term for...  read more



Free From The Tree One of the coolest organizations we’ve heard of lately is Fallen Fruit, a grassroots Los Angeles-based group dedicated to mapping out the public places in that city where fruit trees grow or overhang. What does that mean? It means they provide maps on their website of...  read more



If you’re growing your own tomatoes this year, you deserve a pat on the back. Growing your own produce is a great way to eat locally and reduce your impact on the environment. That said, you may find that we’re not the only ones applauding your efforts to grow your own — birds love...  read more



Sod Story Do you have fresh sod in your yard? If so, use it to start a new green habit: composting! While the sod is still in its settling-in phase, place small food and paper scraps underneath different sections of grass. All of the water and the groundworms that are present under the sod will...  read more



Beer Garden If you’ve got hostas or cabbage in your garden, chances are you’ve had a run-in or two with slugs. How do you know if you’ve got slugs? If the leaves of your garden plants start to look like swiss cheese overnight, you’ve got slimy little suckers chomping away on...  read more



"Hubway” Boston’s New Bike Share Program Beginning this July the city of Boston is launching a bike share program similar to those already existing in many major cities in Europe. The program is set to begin with 600 bikes at 61 kiosks throughout the city and they hope to grow to...  read more



la vida local. While traveling away from home, you might find yourself looking for that perfect souvenir to commemorate the trip. While that’s a great idea, be sure what you bring home helps, not hurts, the place you want to remember. As a general rule, sand, shells and other natural...  read more



BYOC. Summer time is synonymous with pool parties, campfire cookouts and backyard bbq’s. And while you might agree that the smell from a grill can spark up nostalgia, keep the memories clean and green by minimizing the disposables at your celebration. Whether you’re throwing or going to...  read more



Thaw Out Frozen food takes way longer to cook than thawed food, so defrost your food before putting it in the oven or on the stove to save energy. Sure, in a rush you could use a microwave to do the job, but to save that energy, place the food in a bowl and run it under cold water until the...  read more



 The Fourth R When you invest in rechargeable batteries, you aren’t just Reducing and Reusing, you’re also…wait for it… Recharging. Recycling batteries is very important, but reducing the number of batteries we consume is even better. Rechargeable batteries are handy...  read more



Aluminum foil – you can’t beat the heat it keeps but let’s take a closer look at this wonder wrap. Aluminum comes from Bauxite, a rock that can only be extracted through strip mining – an intense process that totally taxes the environment. Tons more energy is required to...  read more



Did your washer or dryer recently bite the dust? Looking to spice up your tired laundry room? Consider investing in front loading machines as opposed to those traditional top loading beasts. Front loaders use nearly 40% less water – crazy! They also require less detergent and spin faster so...  read more



Before the 1950’s, the average toilet used a whopping 7 gallons of water per flush. That number has decreased steadily over the years but it wasn’t until 1994 that it became law in the U.S for tanks to flush no more than 1.6 gallons (6 litres). If your porcelain throne is considered an...  read more



Though not quite as bad as nails on a chalkboard, creaky, squeaky doors can still be incredibly annoying. Usually, a petroleum-based lubricant is used to silence the issue, but why not try this common household product instead?Stop the squeak with one the most versatile products in the pantry: olive...  read more



Did you know that using lids on all your pots will not only heat things up faster but also save 20-30% of energy? How about harnessing some of that heat?  Next time you’re cooking with gas (or electric), turn the burner off a little early and use the residual heat to cook your...  read more



Green as a Status Symbol: Why Increased Prices May Increase Sales A commonly heard, and personally experienced, critique of the sustainability movement is the relatively high cost of green products compared to traditional products. I can spend .99 cents on a bottle of shampoo that cleans my hair...  read more



ifixit. You fix it. We can all fix it. E waste (discarded computers, electronics, televisions, mobile phones etc) is showing up in our landfills and contaminating our water, air and dirt at a rapidly growing pace. According to Environment Canada, more than 140,000 tons of E waste is thrown away...  read more



Keep your fins up Coral reefs are known as the rain forests of the ocean and a mecca for over 25% of all marine life – everything from tiny sponges to giant sea turtles. The reefs protect from soil erosion, control carbon dioxide and also bring a great deal of business to struggling...  read more



So fresh and so clean. Do you like your home or car to smell like an Ocean Breeze, an Autumn Sunset or a Fresh Baked Birthday Cake? If so, you’re probably like millions of others who use air fresheners. Do you know what’s in your air freshener? If not, don’t feel bad. Until...  read more



Framed. In the spirit of making a few changes around the house this month without buying anything new, may we suggest doing a little framing around the house? Take old frames and make them new again with a quick coat of non-toxic acrylic paint in a bright color, then frame an old letter or...  read more



Hung out to dry What’s that smell? The scent of fresh laundry has long been one of our favorite smells as we’re passing by an apartment building or house. That is, until we found out what an energy hog a traditional clothes dryer can be and that line drying clothes actually smells...  read more



Freshening Up Your Mattress All you need to do is take all the bedding off (presumably to wash it) and sprinkle baking soda over the top of your mattress. Leave it on for at least 15 minutes (longer if you think it needs it). Next, you'll vacuum up the baking soda, making sure you don't miss any...  read more



Muffin Tin Planters As spring gets underway, live plants abound both indoors and out. A neat way to plant some green in the kitchen is with a baking tool: a muffin tin! The wells in a muffin tin are the perfect size for holding small live plants directly from the nursery flat. Choose a moss as...  read more



Eliminate Outdoor Odors With Oats So you're all set to have the party of the century at your new place. You've got a great backyard and enough space to have one heck of a bash, but there's just one problem — something smells yo! We've got an easy way to banish any smell your outdoors has to...  read more



Eco-friendly Mulches Lately, I've heard a lot of confusing information about mulch. We've been told it's wise to use because it helps conserve water, fights erosion, and blocks weeds. But I've also heard there's mulch that's toxic to dogs, harmful to plants, and one where trees are harvested just...  read more



Small steps in going green can deliver big savings An environment-friendly car will save you significant gas money, but you’ll have to shell out $18,000 for the least-expensive hybrid or $33,000 for the only all-electric sedan on the market. Likewise, putting solar panels on your roof may...  read more



Okay, admit it. Straws are totally unnecessary inventions. You might say you need one to drink out of cans since those can get dirty in warehouse storage. And others might say they alleviate tooth decay for soda drinkers. But we say they just end up as garbage anyway. In 2006, the Great Canadian...  read more



How to Be A Greener Restaurant Guest It's easy to be green... 1. Pass on the water as an additional beverage. If 1 in 4 guests pass it could save 25 million gallons of water a year! 2. Skip the straws and utensils. If you don't need it, let your server know. You could help save on solid...  read more



Cornmeal: The All Natural Weed Blocker You probably have a container of cornmeal somewhere in your cupboards, but you probably didn't know it could be used in more places than your kitchen. What if we told you to take it outside? For most of us cornmeal is used in cooking and the idea of it being...  read more



From Japan, gardening in reused bottle caps Heightened interest in all things green means that gardens are popping up everywhere. We've seen them in greeting cards, we've seen them in giant bubbles — we've even seen them created on the sly in guerrilla fashion. The latest spotting? Gardens in...  read more



 Old billboards repurposed into unique placemats Billboards may offer a striking way to advertise your brand, but they also come at a financial and environmental cost. They are replaced as often as once every month, with each one generating up to one hundred pounds of plastic to be disposed of...  read more



A Richer Shade of Green If you’re looking to roll your green into something greener, consider looking into green or other socially responsible investment opportunities. Of course, not all of us are in a position to play the stock market, but if you’re considering making even a tiny...  read more



MSNBC.com April 13, 2011 Wednesday 8:37 PM GMT 3 things to watch for with paperless statements BYLINE: CANDICE CHOI SECTION: NEWS; Personal finance HIGHLIGHT: Having your bills mailed to you month after month is bad for the environment. But many of us can't break the practice because paper...  read more



Paint The Town For Free Got spring fever? Spring is a great time to try a fresh coat of paint to brighten up your home. Before you do, check out if there is a recycling center near you. Some cities have recycling centers that let you drop off leftover paint in an effort to prevent paint from ending...  read more



Calcium Rich We love eggs; they’re delicious, versatile, nutritious and inexpensive. Another reason to love eggs is for how useful they can be apart from eating. Should you find yourself hard-boiling eggs for breakfast, deviled eggs or just for salads, consider using the shells for seedling...  read more



How to Make the Most of a Crawl Space  Ahh, crawl spaces - those lovely subterranean areas that often consist of dirt, cobwebs and feelings of claustrophobia. Even though we may try to avoid them, improving an existing crawl space is actually an important step in greening your home....  read more



GET ON BOARD WITH SWACHA The campaign, promoting PayitGreen™ month in April and Direct Deposit and Direct Payment Month in May is set to launch on Monday, April 4, 2011 and will run through Tuesday, May 31. This is a part of SWACHA’s efforts to encourage Americans to go green by using...  read more



Spring Clean Your Air with These Eleven Easy Plants Whether you work in a cubicle, an open plan office or at home, fresh air is key to health and productivity. According to NASA research, adding at least one potted plant per 100 square feet of floor space drastically improves the air and reduces...  read more



Short Cuts Long locks got you down? Think about an update to your look this spring – and cut it off! Not only can you donate your hair to cool charities like Locks of Love, but shorter hair means you’ll be saving in the shampoo, conditioner, and water department each time you step in...  read more



Shed Some Water Weight Did you know every new pair of jeans costs nearly 3,000 gallons of water to make? It’s true! According to “The Green Blue Book” by Thomas M. Kostigen, it takes 2,247 gallons (a worldwide average) to grow enough cotton to make a pair of jeans. How? Well,...  read more



Manage Sprinkler Systems Remotely Have you ever seen the sprinklers go on while it's raining outside? Automatic sprinkler systems on golf courses, industrial parks, and large lawns aren't necessarily in tune with the natural environment. A new techy solution by Cyber Rain connects automatic...  read more



How to Stop Phone Book Delivery It seems that at least a couple of times a year we arrive home to the discovery of a big stack of phone books at the front door of our building. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a single person in our building who actually uses a phone book so they usually...  read more



Make Your Own Easy Eco Hair Treatment Every once in a while it's nice to pamper yourself and your hair with a great treatment. Rather than shelling out for a store bought option, which is likely full of chemically things and housed in yet another plastic container, why not try this incredibly easy...  read more



No More Wire Hangers. While most of us will do anything to avoid paying an arm and a leg to have our socks washed on vacation, sometimes the need to take advantage of hotel laundry is too great. But have you ever noticed how many bells and whistles come with this service? Socks and undies arrive...  read more



Ready to start spending some time outside? Start thinking about some garden projects, like reusing an old bucket, basket, or wheelbarrow and bump your garden decor up a green notch. We were inspired by a friend of ours made a mini-garden on wheels from an old wheelbarrow she found in a...  read more



Okay, Chef Boyargreen, we know you like to bake and cook. Next time sugar cookies call to you, do your energy bill a favor and unplug that electric mixer, get a big spoon, and mix by hand. This ancient method was used for centuries before the birth of the Kitchen Aid era – and people cooked...  read more



Green Cleaning -- Spring Cleaning Guide Take the toxic chemicals and fumes out of your spring cleaning routine with this guide to green cleaning your house from top to bottom. Green cleaning is an eco-friendly way of scrubbing down the house using natural products that don't damage the...  read more



Shape up and ship out something new with your next package. Instead of stuffing your goods with Styrofoam peanuts, corrugated paper, tissue, plastic bags of air or bubble wrap (basically filler that fills landfills), opt for something more sustainable – ExpandOS! Made from 100%...  read more



When they paved paradise and put up a parking lot, they probably weren’t thinking about how all of that concrete and cement was going to affect our waterways. It’s true: rainwater has nowhere to go when it hits pavement, so it runs down storm drains, bringing all of the dirt, oil, grit...  read more



forever in blue jeans Keeping your house properly insulated is an important way to reduce energy use and the costs associated with heating, ventilation and air conditioning. In the old days, insulation was often provided by nasty stuff like asbestos. We’ve come a long way since then, but...  read more



worm your way. Nearly 30% of waste going to the landfill is organic. Know what that means? You can easily reduce the amount of waste going into landfills. And when you do that, you reduce the amount of green space eaten up by landfills. How? By composting, of course! We all know the smell of...  read more



According to the US Postal Service, US companies sent 100 billion pieces of direct (junk) mail in 2005 – that’s more than 300 pieces of bulk mail for every man, woman and child in America. Sick! One type of junk mail you may be receiving are credit card and insurance offers. If...  read more



Coffee’s For The Birds. You’ve probably heard of fair trade coffee but how about shade grown or bird friendly coffee? Coffee is an enormous agribusiness and therefore requires an enormous amount of land to get that morning joe into everyone’s mug. Often, precious ecosystems and...  read more



 Winter air is dry, which can lead to coughing, parched skin and lips and even bloody noses. You could consider investing in a humidifier, but why spend the cash or energy when you can humidify your home naturally? The next time you take a hot shower, close the tub’s drain, allowing the...  read more



How Green Is Your Cell Phone? GoodGuide, a startup that ranks goods on how sustainable they are, has released its latest green rankings for cell phones. The company rated 576 cell phone products and says the top rated phones have energy efficient chargers and are made of more sustainable...  read more



Would You Buy a $40 Light Bulb? This week, Philips Lighting said that its AmbientLED 12.5-watt bulb — which, just to confuse you, is also sold under the Philips EnduraLED brand — has qualified for a EPA’s Energy Star rating. That means that it’s an efficient and, quite...  read more



For many of us, it’s been a while since we walked the world in the hair color we were born with. You might be legally blonde, brunette, burgundy or black, but at what cost to your health and the environment? Chemical hair dye ingredients contribute to both environmental pollution and a variety...  read more



Pucker Up Did you know Hershey’s Kisses are wrapped with actual aluminum foil? It’s true! Another thing you may not realize is that all of that aluminum is recyclable! Producing aluminum, which is mined from bauxite ore, takes a lot of energy, but aluminum can be recycled over and...  read more



Draft Craft If your home is cold and you find yourself reaching for the thermostat dial, stop! You may not need to raise the temperature of your home, but instead make the most of the heat inside. The secret culprit making your space seem chilly may be a draft. Check your windows for leaky pains...  read more



Glass Half Full You’re trying to conserve water by reducing shower time, running the dishwasher only when it’s full and skipping a flush or two, right? Well, here’s a tiny way to reduce your impact: Find ways to use those half-empty (or are they half-full?) glasses of water you...  read more



Green Living Simplified Green living is easier than it sounds, and you don't have to completely overhaul your lifestyle and give up luxuries to be good to the environment. By Diana Rodriguez Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH Do you want to have a positive impact on the environment,...  read more



  unclog from catalogs. Each year, 19 billion catalogs are mailed to American consumers, using 3.6 million tons of paper from 53 million trees. To create that much paper, 38 trillion BTUs are used — enough to power 1.2 million homes per year, which contributes 5.2 million tons of carbon...  read more



go native. March is usually the month when the planting season begins, but if the turning of the new year has you feeling ambitious, why not get a jump on the planning while the iron’s still hot? If your yard is covered in snow right now, you might be thinking of how to rejuvenate your...  read more



  say “stick it” to a ticket. You may have been getting away with going 5 or 10 over for years without seeing the blue & red flashes of an officer behind you, but getting a ticket is not the only reason to put less pedal to the metal. Not only is following the speed limit...  read more



  use it and lose it. Let’s discuss hazardous waste. It’s kind of icky, kind of gross, and kind of dangerous. But let’s also be honest. It’s sometimes necessary. Sometimes you need stuff like antifreeze, paint, motor oil, and fertilizer. And sometimes you end up with...  read more



or here or to go? Going out to dinner is always a fun indulgence, but when you can’t clean your plate and it comes down to the time where you must decide whether to box it up or throw it out, think hard: will you really eat it later? Many of us have unknowingly trained ourselves to always...  read more



Go Green: Five green consumer trends for 2011 By Allecia Vermillion Posted Dec 23, 2010 @ 02:57 PM As more Americans become concerned with sustainability issues and eco-friendly habits, the days of specific eco-fads like reusable shopping bags and refillable water bottles have become everyday...  read more



Does Green Really Work When It Comes to Dishwashing? By Suzanne Shelton Published December 24, 2010 Email | Print | Single Page View Tags: Branding, Consumer Products, More... Branding, Consumer Products, Green Marketing 0 digg So here’s a consumer conundrum: Which is greener --...  read more



11 'Green Consumer' Resolutions for 2011 Smart, eco-conscious ways people can use their money to make Eagle Rock—and the planet— greener places. Add a comment (4 comments ) Email | Start Following | Print | | View full size PHOTOS (3) Your photos, videos & PDFs: Add To...  read more



Putting the environment on your shopping list It's getting easier to decorate, buy gifts and party in sustainable fashion during the holidays BY MATT SUTKOSKI, FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2010 With apologies to Irving Berlin, a Christmas carol:   "I'm dreaming...  read more



Wrap Green for the Holidays By The Green Connoisseur at Matter Network Thu Dec 9, 2010 3:56pm EST The fun and excitement of the holiday season is highlighted by the excitement of sending gifts to our family and friends. Add to that, we joy of tapping into our creativity by wrapping the gifts we...  read more



CMU's Green Design Institute Shares Green Tips for Harried Holiday Shoppers Advice Helps Consumers Determine if They're "Naughty or Nice" When it Comes to the Environment Carnegie Mellon University      If you eat less meat, buy local and consolidate your shopping...  read more



Green Living: Flying Greener Posted On: November 24 I have traveled a lot this year, both within India and abroad. My personal carbon footprint on a day-to-day basis is pretty great but all this flying has made it stratospheric. Yes, I have used carbon offsets but I have several gripes with...  read more



When 9 Miles per Gallon is a Step in the Right Direction By Mindy S. Lubber Created 2010-12-01 04:00 When does 9 miles a gallon sound just dandy -- environmentally and businesswise -- to a longtime sustainability stalwart like me? No, it's not because I've sold out and traded my Camry hybrid for...  read more



  lighten up. Friends have been telling us about the new LED lights they have purchased for their holiday decorating this year. The biggest question we had? “Do they look like LED lights?” You know, a little more “bright white” than...  read more



  trip out. This holiday, if you’re hosting guests or cooking a big meal, plan your shopping trips ahead of time. Try making a list, checking it twice, and figuring out where to go with the least impacting route in your car (think less miles/kilometers!) before you even leave the house....  read more



  hey, jute. Are all those nasty chemicals in floor rugs giving you the burn? Looking for a friendly alternative but don’t know where to turn? All we are saying is give jute a chance. Jute, a natural veggie fiber extracted from a flowering plant, is quickly making a name for itself as...  read more



  ’round and ’round. If going green was a class in school, recycling would be the very first lesson. For most of us, recycling has become a piece of cake.  Most communities offer easy ways to recycle at home, at work or school and out and about.  You’ve...  read more



Cosmetics Industry Needs a Little More ‘Green’ in their Diet LONDON—Practical sustainability initiatives for the beauty industry were extensively discussed at the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit, which came to a close in Paris at the Marriott Champs-Elysées hotel at the end...  read more



  for the folks with spokes. By now you know that reducing the amount of time you spend driving your car the more you reduce the amount of nasty emissions you’re putting out into the air. If you’ve taken to riding your bike as a transportation option either frequently or...  read more



  caffeinated compost. Next time you’re dropping by your local Starbucks for a cup of brew, don’t forget to ask them for a little somethin’ somethin’ for your garden too! Starbucks will happily give you their used coffee grinds to take home for your compost! Coffee...  read more



  just say no to smashing pumpkins. No, we aren’t talking about Billy Corgan and his recently reunited band that crooned their way through many of our youth days. We’re talking about your Jack-O-Lantern. You know, the one you painstaking carved into a masterpiece and illuminated...  read more



On The Money: Find a guide to green shopping By CHUCK MYERS - McClatchy-Tribune News Service The green revolution has reached well into the consumer realm, creating buying opportunities that can have a positive impact on both the environment and household budget. If you'd like to reduce your...  read more



Your Guide to Real—and Fake—Green Products By KIMBERLY PALMER Posted: October 27, 2010 It turns out that many of the so-called “green” products in our homes might not be so green after all. The latest study from TerraChoice, an environmental marketing firm, found that 95...  read more



 The leaves outside may be turning, but homeowners can stay green and save green by making their home energy efficient. Take advantage of financial incentives, increase the value of your home, and invest in the environment. Here's how: Green Up Your Appliances If any of your appliances are...  read more



Ten tips to green your Halloween Relaxnews Friday, 22 October 2010 On October 31 children and adults alike will be donning scary costumes, handing out sweets and partaking in other Halloween themed activities. A number of environmentally minded websites are offering advice on how to 'green your...  read more



Is there green to be made in the "green jobs" market? Discussing "green collar jobs" around here can produce a range of reactions, from optimism and encouragement to frustration and skepticism. Supporters point to the $3.2 billion that Congress included in the stimulus package...  read more



Mrs. Money: How a Vegetarian Diet Saves Money and the Environment One of the fastest ways to make an impact on your budget and lower your carbon footprint is to stop eating meat. When you stop eating meat, you help free up many resources that otherwise would be devoted to animals. Here's the low...  read more



 With car owners holding on to their vehicles longer and opting to take on some of their own repairs, AutoMD.com has released a list of tips — from recycling oil to using remanufactured parts — to help DIYers keep both their environment and their wallets green. AutoMD.com's team of...  read more



  online and on time. Cut back on your tree-dependency by switching your current calendar over to an electronic one. Electronic calendars are easy to maintain on your computer or your cell phone and feature lots of snazzy features, like automatic reminders for birthdays and important...  read more



Tips to help keep cars’ engines clean, environment, wallets green by The Weekly Driver News Service on Oct 11, 2010Make a Comment With nearly four in five car owners planning to drive their current vehicle for at least 50,000 more miles longer than they drove their previous car, AutoMD.com...  read more



Save Big: Five Things You Should Buy Secondhand 'GMA' Shows You How to Save 1 comment By ELISABETH LEAMY Oct. 12, 2010 PrintRSSFONT SIZE:SHARE:EmailTwitterFacebookMore Secondhand stores are booming, not despite the tricky economy, but because of it.   The Association of Resale...  read more



10 Green Business Ideas to Help Get You Started October 7th, 2010 | Fancy a green business? If you are a budding entrepreneur who is passionate about going green, you might want to check out how entrepreneurs turn their love for the environment into unique and interesting businesses. Here are...  read more



when life gives you lemons… … make more than lemonade. Lemons aren’t only great for cooking but excellent for cleaning too. Before throwing away your halved, squeezed out lemon, rub it over your cutting boards to clean and freshen. Sprinkling the lemon with a bit of sea salt...  read more



  push/pull When exiting a large store, you’re often faced with a choice: the automatic door, or the ol’ push/pull door. While most people choose the automatic door, you’re special and you realize that everything automatic requires energy to automate. Why not use your own...  read more



 Dry Cleaners and Greenwashing By MIREYA NAVARRO Keith Bedford for The New York Times This outlet in Manhattan dry cleans with liquid carbon dioxide, a greener alternative. New York City doesn’t lack for dry cleaners, but many customers these days want their clothes not only clean but...  read more



  let’s talk trash. Did you know that the average American family of four throws out $600 worth of unspoiled food each year? That’s a lot of waste, and reducing waste is the easiest way to help the environment. $600 worth of tossed food also represents trips to the store,...  read more



  your biggest fan. Fans might seem like a summertime appliance, but those ceiling fans you’re lucky enough to have in your home can actually help keep your home warm during the cold weather months too. When the climate you live in turns chilly, set your ceiling fan at its slowest speed...  read more



  ream team. Want to make a super simple change at the office that can help reduce your impact? Try increasing your print margins. It sounds too easy to be true, but it’s not! The more words you can put on a page, the less paper you’ll use. Consider asking your company to set a...  read more



 Environmentally Friendly Self-Storage Tue, Sep 21 2010 It's not romantic, but it's something that statistics tell us at least one out of every ten American households need at one time or another: storage. Though Storage is not inherently bad for the environment, any business that involves...  read more



How to go green without buying a Toyota Prius The evidence is clear-as a society, we need to be more environmentally conscious. Whether one believes in all the claims of global warming or not, it is an indisputable fact that we need to take better care of our environment. In the last 10 years,...  read more



  keep the “e” in email. Americans discard 4 million tons of office paper every year, which breaks down to enough wasted paper per person that each of our piles would be as tall as a two-story house. Reduce your impact! At the very least, make a personal pledge to stop printing...  read more



meatless mid-day. You may have heard by now that one of the most drastic ways to reduce your impact on the environment is to go veg.  Raising animals for human consumption takes a big toll on the environment, from water consumption and contamination to the growing, harvesting and shipping of...  read more



  berry interesting. By now you probably know that organic produce is usually better for you and for the planet, but according to a recent article in the LA Times, organic produce can actually boast more nutrients than their non-organic counterparts too.  Specifically,...  read more



  reduce, reuse, reply. We all agree that junk mail is the worst. But do you know just how bad it is? Every year, 100 million trees, 28 billion gallons of water, and $320 million in local tax money are used for the production and disposal of junk mail. Remove yourself from bulk-mailing lists...  read more



  green jobs If you’re currently unemployed or are just looking to do something new, consider working in the green sector.  If you’re reading this tip, you must already have an interest in making the planet a more livable place for all of the people, animals and plants...  read more



 Were you kind to your skin this summer?  The hot months are often brutal for the body’s biggest organ with sun, wind, sweat and sunscreen wreaking havoc on your epidermis.  Before you stock up on a shopping cart full of cleansers, scrubs, creams and serums, consider a...  read more



 Selling Sustainability to Whiskey Drinkers By Suzanne Shelton Published August 27, 2010 If I were to say, “Quick -- name five green products!” I’m betting Jack Daniels wouldn’t be at the top of your list. It should be. I had the pleasure of touring the one and...  read more



iPads and Kindles are better for the environment than books (Michael Sloan For The Washington Post)By Brian Palmer Tuesday, August 24, 2010 E-readers are everywhere, even at my local library. But what about the trees? You told us about reading the newspaper online vs. getting the print...  read more



  hard-boiled. The active ingredient in most drain-cleaners is sodium hydroxide, otherwise known as caustic soda or lye. It is a man-made chemical used for its corrosive properties, and corrosive it is! Not only is drain-cleaner deadly to ingest and irritating to your nose, throat and lungs...  read more



3 Pillars of a Food Revolution A few years ago, I stumbled on a United Nations study that transformed how I think about the climate crisis. In the report, researchers pegged greenhouse gases from the livestock sector at 18 percent of total global emissions. Combine this with other aspects of...  read more



  the rain in spain… The next time it rains, try collecting the drops in an easy-to-pour container for watering your houseplants. Potted plants, window boxes and indoor plants will love a healthy helping of freshly fallen rain. Another benefit? Rainwater is not only free to use, but...  read more



  save the trees, please. You already know about the importance of saving on paper and using recycled paper, but lots more of your daily wastage grows on trees. Non-recycled toilet paper, paper towel and tissues are made from virgin fiber, which may even come from the old-growth forests that...  read more



  a drop in the bucket. Sometimes the smallest culprit can cause the biggest damage: a tiny termite can ravage your home, a small mole could indicate skin cancer and a leaky faucet could be wasting up to 2,700 gallons of water each year. A fast drip from a faucet wastes about 265 gallons a...  read more



  keep off the grass. The birth of what we now call the “lawn” dates back to Versailles with Louis XIV’s obsession with controlling his natural surroundings. Lawn care (making pretty shapes out of greenery) was considered a hobby to the aristocrats who believed it set them...  read more



  drive me crazy. green is about tiny changes, big impact, and bigger initiatives. Check your basement or garage for old paint. Before you toss it in the trash or rinse it down the drain, stop! If you have old paint, your friends and neighbors might too. Consider organizing a paint drive in...  read more



 August 7, 2010 Finding New Life (and Profit) in Doomed Trees By LAWRENCE W. CHEEK SEATTLE THE wooden kitchen bar in the suburban home of Richard and Donna Majer has a canyonlike crack ripping right down its middle, which is exactly what the couple cherish most about it. It’s not just...  read more