In Business, Creating Sustainable Enterprises & Communities

IN BUSINESS WORLD

In Business, May-June, Vol. 29, No. 3, p. 4

MARRIOTT HOTELS MAKE PLANS TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
Marriott International has announced that it is on schedule to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly one-fifth in the period from 2000 to 2010. In January, the hotel chain said it had reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 70,000 tons in one year, in part by making each guest room more

energy-efficient, leading to an emissions drop of about two percent. Marriott is also launching a global tree-planting project, planting 3,000 trees at hotels to offset greenhouse gas emissions.

FILTERED TAP WATER BECOMES THE “RAGE” AT CALIFORNIA RESTAURANTS
“Serving our local water in reusable carafes makes more sense for the environment than manufacturing thousands of single-use glass bottles for someone to use once and throw away,” says a website at a San Francisco restaurant called Incanto. This approach has become far better known as Alice Waters - “the godmother of things organic, sustainable and local” - banned bottles of still water at Chez Panisse in Berkeley and started serving only house-made sparkling water this year. The “eat local” movement first became popular in California, writes Marian Burros in The New York Times, so it makes sense that “drink local” is catching on there.
The downside is economics. Restaurants buy bottled water for $1 or $2 and sell it for as much as $8 - giving it the highest markup of any item on the menu. But there is a bright side to the change. Seltzer Sisters - a company in Redwood City - sells seltzer made from local tap water in old-fashioned reusable glass bottles. Its sales in Berkeley have risen 20 percent in the last six months.
One consultant said he is confident that if restaurants are pressed to eliminate bottled water, they will figure out how to do it. “No one is more adaptable than a restaurateur,” he explains, noting that they whined when smoking was banned but “survived beautifully.”

CLEAN ENERGY ACTIONS URGED IN U.S. SENATE
The Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) urged members of the U.S. Senate to support clean energy priorities which include: Adopt a National Renewable Portfolio Standard; Extend tax incentives for homes, commercial buildings; Upgrade building codes; Promote innovative utility rate design and smarter meter technology. “The Senate should create a balanced national energy strategy that creates jobs and economic opportunity in the U.S.,” writes Lisa Jacobson, executive director of BCSE. “A sustainable energy policy will provide a down payment on reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change.” For more details on BCSE, visit www.bcse.org.

CLIMBERS FROM JAPAN REMOVE GARBAGE FROM MOUNT EVEREST
The world's highest mountain, at 29,028 feet, has also been labeled the world's highest garbage dump. During recent years, tons of trash have been left behind by “would-be summiteers” - tents, oxygen bottles, pots, stoves, etc. The Japanese climber Ken Noguchi observes that his teams have hauled 19,800 pounds of trash in five trips since 2000. But, he adds, this year the amount of waste on the mountain “has drastically decreased.”

STRONG BIODIESEL POLICY COMMITMENT NEEDED IN NEW FARM BILL
Seeking to have the new Farm Bill call for pro-biodiesel provisions - like the Biodiesel Incentive Program and Biodiesel Education Program - the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) urges these measures be included. “Construction of our biodiesel facility is the direct result of programs in the 2002 Farm Bill,” said Neil Rich, CEO of Riksch BioFuels of Crawfordsville, Iowa. The plant created 14 high-quality jobs in southeastern Iowa to allow it to produce 10 million gallons of biodiesel annually. “Through biodiesel, soybean growers can help fuel the nation,” added soybean grower John Hoffman from Waterloo, Iowa.
Every renewable fuel program worldwide is supported by government funding. A number of countries subsidize biodiesel production or offer incentives for biodiesel export. Besides competing with subsidized imports, the U.S. biodiesel industry is struggling to establish itself at a time of extremely volatile energy markets. Long-term forecasts expect biodiesel demand to increase average soybean prices nearly 10 percent by 2015.

EDUCATING REGULATORS ABOUT USING GREEN MATERIALS
“Our challenge today is not the development of new technologies. It is to get people to start using the technologies we've got,” stated Chairman David Wu of the House Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation during hearings on reducing water runoff caused by roads and parking lots. One witness told the committee members that the key barrier is a lack of awareness to demonstrate that these materials will help communities comply with the Clean Water Act.
Runoff is a major contributor to water pollution, especially where there is concentrated oil, gasoline, heavy metals and other pollutants which can flow unimpeded into our nation's water. A one-acre parking lot can produce 16 times the runoff of a one-acre meadow. Local groups have been working to develop simple yet innovative solutions that integrate control of nonpoint source water pollution.

MIDWEST LEGISLATORS WOULD HAVE FARMERS GROW CELLULOSIC ENERGY CROPS
Three senators from Minnesota, Iowa and North Dakota would encourage farmers through proposed legislation to grow cellulosic energy crops for producing fuel. One is titled the “Farm-to-Fuel Investment Act” and provides financial incentives for getting growers to raise energy crops within 50 miles of a biorefinery. The Renewable Fuels Association is backing the proposals, noting that increased use of ethanol will require producing fuel from crops other than corn alone.

BRAZIL AND U.S. SEEK WAYS TO STRENGTHEN BIOFUELS PARTNERSHIP
A memorandum of understanding between Brazil and the United States stresses “the importance of biofuels as a transformative force in the Western Hemisphere to diversify energy supplies and improve sustainable development of biofuels.” Goals include working with the International Biofuels Forum to develop biofuels standards and codes and establishing a collaborative program using shared expertise, molecular biology, and creating an ethanol cluster to integrate all aspects of ethanol production. Brazil has been at the forefront of renewable energy production since the oil crisis of the 1970s. Meanwhile Purdue University engineers in Indiana have proposed a new environmentally friendly process for generating liquid fuels from plant matter in agricultural and forest waste - adding hydrogen from a “carbon-free” energy source during gasification.

BOSTON TO PLANT 100,000 TREES TO INCREASE “FOREST CANOPY” BY 20 PERCENT
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino announced that the city will plant 100,000 trees by 2020 to increase its urban “forest canopy” by 20 percent. Called “Grow Boston Greener,” this partnership between public and private sectors will connect the U.S. Forest Service and the city's Urban Forest Coalition. “This is about civic engagement and strengthening neighborhood roots,” explained Menino, “an investment that can bring people of the community together. Trees help communities by making people feel better about where they live.”
An assessment made last summer showed Boston's current cover at 29 percent - compared to other cities like Baltimore (20 percent) and New York City (25 percent). Formed in March, 2005, the Coalition includes the Forest Service, Boston Parks and Recreation Dept., Massachusetts Dept. of Conservation and Recreation, Earth Works, MA GIS, Mapping Sustainability, Neighborhood Development, Urban Ecology Institute, and the regional Natural Resources Institute. For more details visit www.bostonforest.org.

MARLBORO COLLEGE LAUNCHES MBA IN MANAGING FOR SUSTAINABILITY
A two-year Master of Business Administration program at the Marlboro College Graduate Center (802) 251-7644) responds to the need to educate business leaders to understand the value of people, planet and profits. “We want our graduates to run organizations in ways that value employees, respect local cultures and preserve the environment,” explains program Director Ralph Meima.
The Marlboro MBA is expected to be of particular interest to professionals involved in renewable energy, environmental technology, organic products; those seeking to learn how climate change and fossil fuel scarcity can create new socially responsible business opportunities. Business leaders estimate the “green economy” represents more than $230 billion annually in sales of socially and environmentally responsible products. “We'll teach them how to use business as a tool for positive change,” adds Marlboro College President Ellen McCulloch-Lovell. Taught in person and online, students will meet at the Marlboro College Graduate Center in Brattleboro for four days each month. For more details, visit www.mba.marlboro.edu.

DESIGNING A HEALTHY, GREEN HOME
Alex Wilson - founder of the excellent newsletter, Environmental Building News - has written a book called Your Green Home that describes design and construction of structures with minimal negative impacts, that are safe and healthy for occupants. The book provides concepts about the relationship between a building and the land, how to foster a sense of community, with energy-saving roots that lead to solar and less fossil fuel.
Its chapters discuss design, materials and products, renewable energy, indoor environments, construction waste, landscaping and costs. There is, of course, important advice on managing organic waste and involving the entire family. Published by New Society Publishers, the book can be ordered for $17.95 plus shipping at www.BuildingGreen.com.
Notes Bill McKibben: “Alex Wilson is the dean of green building in this country. This synthesizes a lifetime of research and experience into an invaluable book for anyone with a home or who plans to get one.” Last week, as an example of the progress being made, Los Angeles added incentives for projects using green construction when it gave priority treatment for water and electrical connections for buildings that meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards administered by the U.S. Green Building Council.

WITH MORE TURKEYS THAN ANY OTHER STATE, MINNESOTA RUNS INTO PROBLEMS WITH MANURE BURNING
Minnesota produces more turkeys than any other state, but is having problems with using manure as power plant feedstock. A proposal to create a $200 million power plant to burn litter has become a target of environmental advocates who question its earth-friendliness, writes Susan Saulny in The New York Times. Critics say the litter, of all farm animals' manure, is most valuable as a rich, organic fertilizer. Detractors call it “another pollutant-spewing, old-technology incinerator dressed up in green clothing.”
Counters Rupert Fraser, chief executive for Fibrowatt which is building the plant: “We're seeking to provide an environmentally sustainable service to the industry which produces renewable energy. We are doing everything to the highest possible standard.” Turkey farmer Greg Langmo, who has 49,000 birds producing 8,000 tons of manure a year, asks: “Is it green enough? I'm in no position to judge that. It just feels right. And I think the vast majority of Americans would look and say, 'I think it makes sense.'”

NEW LEGISLATION WOULD PROMOTE DEVELOPMENT OF BIOGAS
Wisconsin Congressman Ron Kind has introduced a bill that would develop renewable energy from animal waste by providing tax incentives and loans for small businesses to promote anaerobic digestion. “I recognize that biogas is just one part of our larger course to energy independence, but it's one that will invest in rural communities and grow our economy,” said Kind. His bill would offer producers a tax credit of $4.27 for each unit of biogas. Currently, there are 16 farm digesters in operation in Wisconsin, and it's estimated that if all 186 farms in the state with 500-999 cattle installed digesters, enough power would be generated to power thousands of homes.