In Business, Creating Sustainable Enterprises & Communities

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTS

In Business, November-December, 2005, Vol. 27, No. 6, p. 8

AIRPORT COMPLETES CYCLE OF COFFEE GROUNDS
Fulfilling their reputation, many of the 29 million annual passengers and workers at the Seattle-Tacoma, Washington airport drink coffee from more than 55 specialty shops, restaurants and lounges

. And each month, the airport recycles 19,000 pounds of coffee grounds. Cedar Grove Composting in nearby Maple Valley mixes the grounds with landscape trimmings, and the Port orders compost from Cedar Grove by the truckload for airport landscaping.
“In addition to coffee grounds, the airport recycles such things as cooking oils, plastics, cans, pallets, batteries and copier cartridges,” says Doug Holbrook, manager of utilities and business development. Since the program was expanded in 2001, recycling has increased 900 percent and in 2003 received the Washington State Recycling Association's award for Environmental Excellence.

BIODIESEL COMPANY BUILDS DISTRIBUTION THROUGHOUT NORTHWEST
SeQuential Biofuels, LLC is a biodiesel marketing and distribution company that supplies blends for heat, power and transport to businesses, government and individuals throughout western Oregon and western Washington. In partnership with regional fuel distributors, SeQuential provides pure biodiesel (B100) directed to customers through its mobile retail pump, also offering a 20 percent biodiesel blend at its locations in Eugene, Portland and elsewhere. Founded by Josh Endicott, Tomas Endicott and Ian Hill in 2002, the company is working to expand the fleet and retail markets throughout the Pacific Northwest. SeQuential also continues to research the feasibility of other biofuels and biobased products from feedstocks collected or produced in the region. For details, visit the website: sqbiofuels.com.

CLEAN ENERGY RESOURCE TEAMS REACH OUT FOR BIOFUELS TO PROTECT FUTURE
CERTs - Clean Energy Resource Teams - are connecting Minnesota citizens with technical resources needed to implement community-scale energy efficient projects. CERTs are presenting community-wide programs that would double biodiesel use in 15 southwest Minnesota counties. Another team in the center of the state is highlighting the work of the Minnesota Ethanol Co-op in Little Falls to be powered with waste wood and biomass. NW CERT is helping a University of North Dakota team with an on-site biomass gasifier. The NW CERT is also exploring potential for biogas at food processing plants. CERT is partnering with the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute to set up a biomass exchange web site. For additional details on programs, contact Karla Kingsley via email at: kkingsley@mnproject.org.

GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM CERTIFIES RESOURCE-EFFICIENT PRACTICES
Built Green is an environmentally-friendly, nonprofit, residential building program of the Master Builders Association, developed in partnership with King and Snohomish Counties and other Washington State agencies. Their website, www.BuiltGreen.net, provides easy-to-understand rating systems, which quantify building practices for remodeling and new home construction. The Built Green logo provides assurance that builders use certified sustainable construction features. Builders offer these features in an area of more than 4,000 square miles in the state, and homes are crafted to exceed building codes.

SUPERMARKET CHAIN WINS RECYCLING AND SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION AWARDS
Based in Boise, Idaho, Albertson's Inc. received an America's Marketplace Recycles! Award from the International Council of Shopping Centers and also the New England's grocery industry first Environmental Design certification for a “new green Shaw's supermarket” in Worcester, Massachusetts.
The Shaw's store - honored with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) award - was redeveloped on a former contaminated industrial site. It is the first supermarket in New England and only the second in the nation to complete the rigorous certification process by the U.S. Green Building Council. The 78,000 sq ft store contains energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, environmental monitoring and controls, and water-saving features. Over 80 percent of the building was constructed using recycled materials, most of which were obtained from within a 500-mile radius to save on transportation fuel costs and to support local suppliers. Additionally, virtually all of the construction debris from the former structure was diverted from the landfill and recycled. The store was designed to reduce the company's electrical use by at least 20 million kilowatt hours per night while also lowering energy costs.

PAPER CHEMICALS COMPANY INVESTS IN CLEANTECH FIRM PRODUCING COATINGS
A $15 billion global paper chemicals company, Akzo-Nobel, has made a strategic investment in an SJF (Sustainable Jobs Fund) portfolio company, EvCo Research, of Atlanta, Georgia. In the latest SJF Journal, EvCo is described as a cleantech company which produces recyclable, water-repellent and strength-enhancing coatings for the paper and packaging industries. The coatings are made from recycled PET soft drink bottles. “We are quite pleased with this transaction,” says David Kirkpatrick, SJF Ventures Managing Director. “The synergies between EvCo Research's proprietary PET chemistry and Eka's worldwide market reach should produce great results for both firms.” (Eka is a subsidiary of AkzoNobel.)
Adds Scott Seydel, EvCo president and chairman: “Over the past several years, we have worked hard at developing the market for our recycled PET barrier coatings and wet end chemistry for the paper industry. Eka's presence in the market now brings additional resources to bear to help capitalize on the growing market.”

ORGANIC TRADE SURVEY LOOKS INTO THE FUTURE
The Organic Trade Association in Greenfield, Massachusetts conducted a survey of industry research groups and member companies to get a picture of the organic industry 20 years from now and came up with these predictions.
The organic industry can be expected to continue growth, but a slower pace in sales - not at the current rate of 15 to 20 percent annually but more like five to 10 percent by 2025; Average consumer household in 2025 will buy organic products on a regular basis, including food items as well as organic clothing, household cleaning products and personal care items, Organic products by 2025 will be sold “anywhere and everywhere;” Increases in organic sales will mean increased U.S. organic acreage; Younger shoppers will continue to be interested in organic foods, “particularly as Gen Xers pass down their belief systems.” Ethnic shoppers, including Asian Americans and Hispanic Americans, will continue to be more likely to buy organic products in proportion to their representation in the general population.
Government support of organic agriculture will be crucial to maintain the industry growth potential. The U.S. government will need to support farmers in their transition to organic production, and to enforce the standards to minimize consumer confusion.
Annual sales increases in the $2 billion range are seen as feasible. This would mean that U.S. organic food sales could reach $50 billion by 2025, representing nearly six percent of total U.S. food sales. About percentage of farmland certified organic by 2025, respondents gave answers ranging from eight to 15 percent, for a projected average of 12.6 percent or acres certified organic, versus the less than one percent that today is certified.

GREEN GRASS WITHOUT TOXIC PESTICIDES AND FERTILIZERS
There are now at least 10 organically managed golf courses around the country, several created after local authorities approved construction if the new facility was maintained without chemicals. According to a report in OnEarth, published by the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Vineyard Gold Club on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts uses full sunlight and good airflow to keep grasses healthy while spraying natural bacterial insecticides to control pests. About the same amount is spent on maintenance as on a conventional course, explains superintendent Jeff Carlson, since more money is spent on labor but less on high-priced chemicals.
“We don't have wall-to-wall perfection throughout the entire golfing season,” says Carlson, “but I think you wouldn't see a very big difference between our course and other private golf courses. Our members belong to some of the finest courses in the country, and we seem to be meeting their high standards.”