In Business, Creating Sustainable Enterprises & Communities

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTS

In Business, July-August, 2006, Vol. 28, No. 4, p. 8

CAR SHARING SERVICE LAUNCHES MIDWESTERN HUB
As dozens of its new cars hit the streets, Zipcar - North America's largest provider of self-service cars for use by the hour - opened a center for its midwestern operations in Chicago. “Chicago is ready for

Zipcar,” says Jerry Roper, president of the city's Chamber of Commerce. “Zipcar offers anyone who lives or works in the city an alternative to the high cost of vehicle ownership.” (Check out membership at www.zipcar.com.)
New members are joining Zipcar at the rate of over 3,000 per month. Studies show that each Zipcar is responsible for taking more than 20 privately owned vehicles off the road while also increasing use of public transit by 47 percent. Members also report that belonging to Zipcar saves them over $435 per month. “Zipcar's premier car sharing service will expand Chicago's transportation options, increase the affordability of urban living and improve the lifestyle of many Chicagoans,” says Scott Griffith, Zipcar CEO.
Zipcar has realized a 100%+ increase in the number of new members and vehicles over the past year alone. It is the first car sharing service in North America to attain profitability in all of its established markets, which include New York City, Boston and Washington, D.C. Zipcar has over 60,000 members having access to 1,600 vehicles across the country and in Canada. In May, Zipcar announced it had secured $20 million in vehicle lease financing from GE Capital. Currently operating in 12 states and provinces, Zipcar plans to further expand into additional major metropolitan markets in the near future.

HIGH-QUALITY BAGS AND ACCESSORIES FROM A PHILIPPINES WOMEN'S COOPERATIVE
A Toronto-based company has launched a line of high quality bags and accessories handcrafted by a women's cooperative in the Philippines from colorful discarded juice containers. The line of Bazura Bags introduced to the U.S. features more than 80 styles. Most popular designs are coin purses, messenger bags, lunch bags and purses, that include cell phone bags, key chains, placemats, etc. Eye-catching labels feature slogans and exotic fruit names like “Sun Glo” and “Zesto.”
By transforming “basura,” the Filipino word for garbage, into a unique collection of ecofashion, the sewing cooperative that began with six women has blossomed into more than 500 members. Half the employees work full time at the co-op which pays children to collect over 50,000 used juice containers per day after school. Container are washed, sanitized and expertly stitched into bags, accessories, footwear, etc., then sold in over 15 countries.
“We hope our bags will inspire others to recycle post-consumer products into beautiful utilitarian items,” says Larry Duprey, founder and president of Bazura Bags. The ecofashion materials retails from $5 to $40, are available at many stores, and online at www.bazurashop.com. For company information, visit www.bazurabags.com.

BIOGAS UTILIZATION SYSTEM CONVERTS FOOD PROCESSING PLANT INTO GREEN ENERGY GENERATOR
According to engineers with Burns & McDonnell based in Kansas City, an innovative biogas utilization system is saving a Penford Food processing plant in Richland, Washington thousands of dollars in utility costs. Biogas from the plant's wastewater pretreatment facility is used to power a dual-fuel boiler that produces steam for wastewater heating. The Penford system has an additional control feature of allowing gas to be burned in the boiler at widely variable rates, eliminating the need for expensive biogas storage and compression systems. The system leads to an approximately three-year payback from reduced capital and O&M costs. “Eliminating the need for biogas storage and compression, combined with the automatic dual fuel capability opens the door for many small and mid-sized 'green energy projects' that did not previously exhibit favorable economics,” observes Chris Snider - lead engineer with Burns & McDonnell.

DOCUMENT SHREDDERS TAKE AIM AGAINST IDENTITY THEFTS
Paper recycling takes on a new role when it comes to cutting up personal records from such places as doctors' offices, banks, investment firms, etc. One such paper recycling company is Just-N-Time Dynamics of New York founded by Stephanie Mack, a former hospital administrator. She takes her 800-pound industrial shredder mounted on a 26-foot-long truck to her clients' location and then sells the shredded output to a paper recycler, reports Joseph Fried in the Job Market section of The New York Times.
Started in 2001, Just-N-Time is one of 1,500 to 2,000 companies offering document destruction services. “I always wanted to go into business for myself,” adding that her hospital work made her aware of the problem of disposing of records in compliance with privacy laws. After preparing a business plan with help from the New York State Small Business Development Center, she bought her mobile shredder - hiring an employee to run it. Total start-up expenses were approximately $200,000 (mostly from her savings). After a slow start, sales have accelerated; revenues doubled in 2004 and again last year. She's optimistic about similar increases this year. As a result, concludes Mack in her interview, “I plan to acquire a second mobile unit toward the end of the year.”

CALIFORNIA PLANT TO PRODUCE OVER 35 MILLION GALLONS/YEAR OF ETHANOL
The primary goal of Pacific Ethanol, Inc. is to establish itself as a leader in production, marketing and sale of ethanol and other renewable fuels in the Western U.S. Established in 2003, the company is constructing a large-scale facility in Madera County, California which by the fourth quarter of this year will produce over 35 million gallons of ethanol/year. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently issued Executive Order S-06-06 which called for California to produce a minimum of 20 percent of its own biofuels by 2010 and 40 percent by 2020. Of the estimated 900 million gallons of ethanol consumed each year in California, only five percent is produced in the state.

NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NAMED AT ORGANIC TRADE ASSOCIATION
Caren Wilcox has been selected as the new executive director of the Organic Trade Association based in Greenfield, Massachusetts. She succeeds Katherine DiMatteo who served in that role since 1990. During DiMatteo's tenure, OTA was instrumental in shaping national organic standards and promoted organically produced goods in North America. In her past jobs, Wilcox led the National Association of Women Business Owners, served as Region III Advocate for Small Business, and was the first Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

MUNICIPAL RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING GRANTS IN PENNSYLVANIA ADD UP TO 116 PROGRAMS AND $20 MILLION
“Recycling is a growth industry with many kinds of business opportunities, from waste management to manufacturing to inventing new technologies,” said Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell when announcing 116 new grants totaling $20 million. Added Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen McGinty: “These grants also ensure that recycling continues to be a strong contributor to Pennsylvania's economy.” They provide composting and recycling services for some 10 million residents.
Pennsylvania's recycling and composting industries are leaders in employment, payroll and sales numbers. More than 3,247 recycling and reuse businesses and organizations generate more than $18.4 billion in gross annual sales and provide jobs for more than 81,322 employees at an annual payroll of approximately $2.9 billion. These businesses add more than $305 million in taxes to the state treasury.
In 2004, nearly 4.8 million tons of municipal waste were recovered in Pennsylvania. The economic value of remaking that waste into new and useful products exceeded $113 million. Communities avoided more than $259 million in disposal costs based on the estimated statewide average disposal cost of $54 per ton.
By recycling more than 1 million tons of steel cans, appliances and similar materials, Pennsylvania industries saved almost 1.3 million tons of iron ore, 718,460 tons of coal, and 61,582 tons of limestone. Through recycling newspapers as well as office and mixed paper, the state saved the equivalent of 8.2 million trees. On average, a live tree removes 60 pounds per year of air pollution from the environment.
The state's recycling programs are supported by a $2 tipping fee on each ton of waste deposited in Pennsylvania landfills. However, that fee runs only through 2008. Rendell is working with the Legislature to extend that deadline so the Commonwealth continues to enjoy the economic and environmental benefits of recycling. Also announced was the availability of the 2006 round of Recycling Development and Implementation Grants. Municipalities are eligible for 90 percent funding of approved recycling program costs. Grants of up to $500,000 are available. Applications must be received or postmarked by October 20, 2006. For more information on recycling grants, visit DEP's website, www.depweb.state.pa.us.