BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTS

In Business, May-June, Vol. 29, No. 3, p. 8

TO GUITAR MAKERS' EARS, SAVING TREES PICKS UP THE TEMPO
Christian F. Martin IV is the sixth generation to run his family's guitar-making business, C.F. Martin & Co., reports The New York Times. But he is the first to worry about the woods used to build those guitars. Several species of tropical woods - like mahogany, ebony and rosewood - have become much scarcer for makers like Martin, Taylor, Fender and Gibson. These instrument makers have banded

together to protect the “good wood.” They have joined with Greenpeace to bring attention to forest sustainability.
Greenpeace heads the Musicwood Coalition to promote better logging practices, particularly in the rain forest region in southeast Alaska. Greenpeace wants private logging companies to apply for certification by the Forest Stewardship Council. The forest coordinator in the region says that the amount of Sitka spruce used by guitar manufacturers is a tiny fraction of the total shipped. As few as 150 logs are enough to supply the whole industry each year. Nearly 80 percent of the spruce cut in Alaska is shipped to Asia, primarily Japan, for home building.

SMALL TOWN TRADES COWS FOR RENEWABLE WIND POWER
The cover story in the Summer 2007 issue of on earth published by the Natural Resources Defense Council - written by Joseph D'Agnese - tells how an entrepreneur named Bill Moore helped a struggling farm town turn a stiff wind into hard cash. Moore arrived in Lowville, New York - about 60 miles south of the Canadian border - owning a company, Atlantic Renewable, that had developed two wind farms - one with seven turbines and another with 20.
Eight years later, windmills now stud the flat landscape - each turbine taller than the Statue of Liberty. This is Maple Ridge Wind Farm, the nation's largest new alternative energy project east of the Mississippi River. They are capable of producing 320 megawatts of electricity. Moore believed strongly that his wind turbines could bring new jobs, stabilize tax revenues, and raise the quality of the local schools.
The county will divide the revenue among the towns based on their number of turbines. Martinsburg with 1,249 people has 102 turbines, writes D'Agnese. Though it typically collects $370,000/year in property taxes, its first payment from Maple Ridge amounted to $1.13 million. Lowville with a 4,548 population, got only $110,000 since its windmills number 15. Local schools got the largest share 40 percent and $3.4 million annually.
Sums up author D'Agnese in his final paragraph: “For Moore, 51, this project is part of a larger personal goal that goes back more than 25 years, when he wrote his undergraduate thesis on energy regulation. 'I've wanted to do this for years, show people that renewables are real, that they are here and now. Every time I drive to Lowville and see that plateau with the wind coming across it and the turbines catching it, I get a big thrill.'”
U.S. wind power plants are capable of producing 31 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year - and avoid the release of about 23 million tons of carbon dioxide. To date, there are wind energy projects in 40 states.
To contact Natural Resources Defense Council about on earth, and its many activities, visit www.nrdc.org/onearth or write to 40 West 20th St., New York, NY 10011.

ZERO WASTE KITS FEATURE COMPOSTABLE TABLEWARE
The Spring/Summer 2007 issue of Eco-Cycle Times describes the Zero Waste Event Kit that offers compostable tableware and a third season offering of Eco-Cycle's Microbe Brew full of living microbes and beneficial compounds.
At the core of each Eco-Cycle Event kit is a selection of tableware made of compostable plant starch, cornstarch or sugar cane (no nonrenewable petroleum-based plastics). The kit is designed for a group gathering of 25 to 150 guests with the idea of creating a Zero Waste Zone. It may include compostable hot 'n cold liquid cups, compostable plates, bowls, utensils, and 100 percent postconsumer recycled paper napkins.
And Eco-Cycle's Microbe Brew helps plants survive the hot, rainless weather through its liquid soil amendment that keeps plants hardier and pest-resistant. For the third year in a row, Boulder, Colorado's water customers get a 50 percent discount on the Brew since the Conservation Office encourages its use as a water-saving measure. Prices are $2.50/quart and $6/gallon. Visit: www.ecocycle.org or
e-mail: recycle@ecocycle.org.

NEW SOLAR FACILITY IN PORTLAND, OREGON GETS PRAISE FROM GOVERNOR
Solaicx - a maker of monocrystalline silicon ingots for photovoltaic applications - announced in mid-June that it plans a new facility in Portland, Oregon. It follows a successful financing round by the D.E. Shaw Group. “I am pleased that Solaicx will be locating in Oregon, creating good paying jobs and adding to our high-tech cluster,” said Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski. “It confirms that our commitment to sustainability is on track to become the national leader in renewable energy.”
The plant, which will have an initial run-rate of 48 megawatts, will create roughly 100 new jobs by the end of 2007. In 2008, Solaicx plans to expand the plant's capacity from its initial 12 silicon ingot growers to a total of 36 growers. At full capacity, the facility will produce 142 megawatts of solar ingots and wafers per year.
“We looked at the state of Oregon's generous financial incentives for renewable energy and Portland's deep base of skilled labor in silicon manufacturing, and decided that the port is an ideal place for our continued growth as a company,” said Jeff Jones, vice president of Manufacturing for Solaicx. “This welcoming atmosphere will allow us to meet our goals and rapidly ramp-up to full production by the end of 2008.”

ECOIST AND COCA-COLA PARTNER IN HANDBAGS MADE FROM LABELS
Ecoist (www.ecoist.com) - an eco-fashion accessories company - has launched a line of handbags made from misprinted Coca-Cola bottle labels. The partnership will pursue Ecoist's mission to have more individuals who live a modern, eco-minded lifestyle to join the Ecoist movement. Most labels will be sourced from bottlers located in Peru, which has a production center operated by a fair trade manufacturer called Prosostenible S.A.
Ecoist was founded in 2004 by brothers Yair and Jonathan Marcoschamer along with their mother and sister-in-law, and has kept millions of excess packaging from going to landfills. For more details, e-mail: yoni@ecoist.com, or visit: www.ecoist.com.

HYBRID TAXIS WILL CUT EMISSIONS BY 215,000 TONS IN NEXT FIVE YEARS
An aggressive plan by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will steadily convert all 13,000 of the yellow taxis to hybrid technology by October 2012. The proposal will reduce carbon emissions by 215,000 tons annually and more than double gasoline mileage. According to city analysts, converting the taxis to hybrids will have the same impact as removing more than 30,000 vehicles from NYC streets. Adds Bloomberg: “Implementing tougher standards for more than 13,000 taxis will provide the same clean air benefits as removing 32,000 privately owned cars from our streets, which will significantly reduce air pollution that causes childhood asthma.”
Currently, there are about 375 hybrids, which will jump to 1,000 by October 2008 and 4,000 by October 2009. By October 2010, 7,000 yellow cabs will be hybrids - 53 percent of the total fleet. By October 2011, the numbers jump to 10,000 cabs - or 76 percent of the fleet. Taxis must achieve at least 25 miles per gallon after 2008, and 30 mpg after October 2009.

Copyright 2007, The JG Press, Inc.