Social Responsibility and Sustainability News

Why Vote Mitt Romney? Not Because of Climate Change

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 15:54:42 -0400

Why Vote Mitt Romney? Not Because of Climate Change:

There are probably a couple of reasons to vote for Mitt Romney. Yet, climate change shouldn’t be one of them. If anything, climate change should be a deal breaker for any American concerned about climate change.Even Boyd Cohen who presented the argument that climate change might actually be a good reason to vote for Romney last year believes this is not the case anymore. “My rationale was that at the time, Romney was on record as accepting humanity’s culpability associated with climate change while Obama failed to deliver on his promises leading up to and following Copenhagen’s Conference of the Parties,” Cohen explains.

Europe Now Creates Enough Solar Power to Fuel Austria

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 15:53:18 -0400

Europe Now Creates Enough Solar Power to Fuel Austria:

Solar power has hit a rough patch in Europe the past year. From Germany to Spain, incentives to boost solar capacity have decreased while local companies struggle to compete against cheap Chinese photovoltaic (PV) imports. Despite the recent fiscal crises, however, solar energy, as stated in a recently released European Commission report, continues to surge ahead in Europe: 280-fold, in fact, between 2000 and the end of 2011. A sector that contributed 185 megawatts of power to Europe’s grid in 2000 has rapidly spiked and will continue its overall boom.

Corporate Social Responsibility in China: Outlook and Challenges

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 15:50:32 -0400

Corporate Social Responsibility in China: Outlook and Challenges:

I spent the last two years in Hong Kong where I consulted on Corporate Social Responsibility communications projects for various organizations in Hong Kong and mainland China. What is the current state of Corporate Responsibility there? The short answer is that Chinese companies realize they have greater responsibilities as their presence on the global playing field grows. Leaders of Chinese companies and officials of the People’s Republic of China are aware of the need to expand their corporate responsibility efforts.

In terms of the broad understanding of Corporate Social Responsibility in China corporations are realizing their responsibilities and are writing CSR reports and establishing programs directly related to their impact and values. Today in China, more than 100 million people live on $1 a day (BBC). There is much to be done.

More Coal Mining or Saving Tigers? India Wrestles with the Choice

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 08:28:00 -0400

More Coal Mining or Saving Tigers? India Wrestles with the Choice:

Maharashtra Forest Department officials have rejected proposed development of an open-cast coal mine in an increasingly diminishing area of Central India forest. Greenpeace India and other organizations have joined with local residents in opposing the plan. They’re now circulating a petition on the Web calling on the Prime Minister and national government to protect all Central India’s forests from coal mining, and to further investigate a scandal involving the PM, government and the nation’s powerful coal mining and industrial companies.

4 Reasons Why All Americans Should Worry About Wind Industry Layoffs

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 08:27:17 -0400

4 Reasons Why All Americans Should Worry About Wind Industry Layoffs:

Last week the American wind industry got a bit more turbulent after Siemens announced plans to lay off 615 workers in its plants in Iowa, Kansas, and Florida. Siemens is not alone – similar cuts, as the New York Times reported, are happening throughout the American wind sector – almost 1,700 employees have received pink slips industry-wide.

There are various reasons for these layoffs, from low natural gas prices to slow growth in energy demand because of the recession. Yet, the main reason seems to be the uncertainty about the extension of the wind production tax credit, which is supposed to expire by the end of this year.

The Changing Face of the MBA (Infographic)

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 22:08:21 -0400

The Changing Face of the MBA (Infographic):

Great news: more MBAs than ever will try out alternative career paths, even after snagging that degree.

Net Impact surveyed more than 3,000 respondents on the strengths of top MBA programs (turns out sustainability is not so fringe anymore) in order to give an unprecedented look into the current business school climate.

Ending India’s Massive Power Grid Outages

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 22:06:32 -0400

Ending India’s Massive Power Grid Outages:

On July 30th and 31st, the world’s largest blackout – The Great Indian Outage, stretching from New Delhi to Kolkata – occurred. This blackout caused by northern power grid failure left nearly 700 million people – twice the population of the U.S. – without electricity. A grid failure of this magnitude has thrown light on the massive demand for power in a country and its struggle to generate a much-needed power supply.

India aims to expand its power-generation capacity by 44 percent over the next five years.

eBay Partners with Microloan Lender Grameen

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 21:33:38 -0400

eBay Partners with Microloan Lender Grameen:

Cell phone use in developing countries is really growing. Three-quarters of the world’s population have access to cell phones, according to a Worldbank study released in July. Cell phone subscriptions increased from one billion in 2000 to over six billion currently. Over 30 billion cell phone apps were downloaded last year. The report predicts that ownership of multiple subscriptions is becoming more common, and the amount of cell phone subscriptions soon will exceed the amount of people on the planet. Cell phone use is very popular in Indonesia where 80 percent of the population is cell phone users, and 96 percent of cell phone users say they send text messages. However, almost 75 percent of Indonesians live on less than $2.50 a day.

Aurora Dairy Challenged for Misleading Milk Adverts

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 21:32:08 -0400

Aurora Dairy Challenged for Misleading Milk Adverts:

Milk product company Aurora Dairy recently found itself paying out $7.5 million to settle a lawsuit which accused the company of misleading consumers. The company which is based in Boulder, Colorado has been labeling its milk as organic in spite of the fact that its cows were confined to feedlots. Federal regulations mandate that dairy cows have to be grazed outdoors in order to label their milk as organic.

This isn’t the first time the company has been called to the mat for its misleading ads suggesting its milk comes from small organic farms.

Hey Apple, Where’s Your Soul?

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 02:42:21 -0400

Hey Apple, Where’s Your Soul?:

The new iPhone has arrived. And those who worship at the altar of Apple are salivating. The phone has a lighter-weight design. The larger screen makes room for another row of icons. The battery is better. The camera is more… well… camera-ish. Oh, rejoice!

Wait – what are we rejoicing again?

When we stop to think about how deeply Apple has penetrated our lives, one can’t help but be mesmerized. In a culture where we really don’t necessarily want to be caught sporting the same products as everyone else – designer blue jeans, new cars, fresh haircuts – there seems to be an overwhelming monopoly in our communication devices. Whether individually we like it or not, the iPhone reigns triumphant.

And Apple doesn’t simply own the mobile telephone market; they also dominate the corporate world. According to recent financial reports, Apple, with a net value of more than $622-billion, has become the most expensive public company of all time.

Would You Rather Have 10 Angry Investors, or 68,000?

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 02:37:28 -0400

Would You Rather Have 10 Angry Investors, or 68,000?:

About ninety-five percent of the projects on Kickstarter are non-industrial: movies, video games, food products. For the five percent that comprise the technology and design categories, the open nature of crowdfunding can create flurries of agita usually hidden behind the curtain of private investing and venture capital.

It came out last week that star Kickstarter project Pebble – the highest raiser on the site – had failed to ship their 85,000 e-paper watches on time to their donors/customers, without any explanation or new expected ship date.

What Color is Your Parking Lot: New Research Combats Heat Island Effect

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 15:20:12 -0400

What Color is Your Parking Lot: New Research Combats Heat Island Effect:

The art and science of sustainable coatings is on display at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, where researchers have taken over part of a parking lot to test a series of differently colored treatments intended to cool down paved surfaces that are exposed to sunlight.

Uncovered parking lots account for a large part of the surface area in typical cities, making them a major contributor to increased urban temperatures called the “heat island” effect. The extra heat packs a triple whammy by contributing to smog formation and adding to the public health impacts of excessive outdoor temperature, increasing the energy needed to cool interior spaces, and putting an extra strain on the grid by exacerbating peak energy loads.

FDA Issues Warning Letter To Lancome

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 15:18:43 -0400

FDA Issues Warning Letter To Lancome:

While browsing the counter of Origins, a cosmetics company that bills itself as a “natural skincare” company, the sales lady made some rather remarkable claims about a product. She told me that Plantscription SPF 15 foundation firms skin and smooths out wrinkles. According to Origin’s website, Plantscription SPF 15 is a “patent-pending, clinically proven anti-aging foundation.” Rather big claims for a little bottle of foundation. The implication is that the foundation can do what dermatological prescriptions for wrinkles can do. The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is getting fed up with such claims.The FDA reviewed Lancôme’s website and found even bigger claims, including that two of its products “boost the activity of genes.

Is the Internet Killing our Climate?

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 15:49:09 -0400

Is the Internet Killing our Climate?:

You’ve traded in your SUV for an economy car, your 60-watts for CFLs, and your garbage disposal for the added trouble of a compost bucket, all in the name of reducing carbon emissions and saving the world. But there’s another global warming culprit you might not have considered: your computer. More specifically, the internet surfing that you do with that computer.

In 2009, Harvard physicist Alex Wissner-Gross calculated the carbon emissions associated with individual Google searches.

How Local is WalMart’s Local Produce?

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 12:31:00 -0400

How Local is WalMart’s Local Produce?:

While locavores are busy these days debating the new Stanford research about the benefits of organic food, there’s an older debate they haven’t settled yet. This one concerns Wal-Mart and whether it can help scale up local food.

Wal-Mart’s vow in 2010 to double its sales of locally-sourced produce by 2015 created two camps – those who believe this step can take local food to the next level and those who suspect this is just another form of good old Wal-Mart greenwash that will have no substantial impact on local food.

If Corporations Are People, Then Why Not Rivers?

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 12:28:45 -0400

If Corporations Are People, Then Why Not Rivers?:

In 1982, filmmaker Godfrey Reggio released a film called KOYAANISQATSI. The title is the Hopi word for ‘life out of balance,” and it deals with the relationship between man and nature. From Reggio’s perspective, “There seems to be no ability to see beyond, to see that we have encased ourselves in an artificial environment that has remarkably replaced the original, nature itself. We do not live with nature any longer; we live above it, off of it, as it were.”

I was reminded of this film when I read the news item about the government of New Zealand granting legal personhood to the Whanganui River.

Free Range Eggs, Meet Free Enterprise

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 13:16:42 -0400

Free Range Eggs, Meet Free Enterprise:

The quest to find free range eggs, or organic eggs, or both, is often a confusing one for consumers. The standards over what defines a genuinely free range egg, or a barn raised egg or an industrial organic egg, cause plenty of arguments on both sides of the pond.

But no matter how you define what a free range egg, the fact is that more consumers, and businesses, now turn to more humane eggs. Large chains such as Burger King and Krispy Kreme have transitioned to either free-range or cage-free eggs. Whether this makes a difference in the nutritional value of these companies’ products is debatable, and animal rights activists have plenty to say whether “free range” truly is a plus for chickens.

Monsanto Was For GMO Food Labeling Before It Was Against It

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 12:54:42 -0400

Monsanto Was For GMO Food Labeling Before It Was Against It:

Now that Labor Day is past us, the election season will heat up and the advertising barrage is underway. One such battle will be over Proposition 37, which will require companies selling food products in California to disclose GMO ingredients on their packaging. So far Monsanto has led the anti-Prop 37 gauntlet, with over $4.3 million in checks written to defeat the initiative.

But despite Monsanto’s determination to sink Proposition 37, which so far scores about a 65 percent “yes” vote in the polls, Monsanto has not always taken such a strident position against GMO food labeling.

IKEA & UNICEF Partner to Give 74 Million Indian Children Better Lives

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 11:09:17 -0400

IKEA & UNICEF Partner to Give 74 Million Indian Children Better Lives:

The partnership between IKEA and UNICEF has worked towards providing a better live for over 74 million children in India. The partnership was launched with a campaign in the state of Uttar Pradesh to promote children’s welfare. This was expanded to include the state of Andhra Pradesh in 2006, especially targeting the cotton industry to end child labour.

According to CSRwire, in 2008, the partnership expanded to fifteen states with the aim to promote child rights, survival, growth and development. It is estimated that more than 28 million children are engaged in child labour and an estimated 4,700 children under the age of five die every day.

Marriott International Spotlights Planet and Youth Unemployment

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 07:41:18 -0400

Marriott International Spotlights Planet and Youth Unemployment:

Here’s one hotel chain, or rather, family of hotel chains, you can feel proud to support while on your future travels. Marriott International, Inc., where the Ritz-Carltons, Fairfield Inns, and Courtyards of the world call home, released its second annual full scale Sustainability Report for 2011-2012 (using the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines no less) just last week, and it’s looking especially good for the environment and the various youth employment programs the company supports. The report also details Marriott’s business values and goals for the coming years.

“For Marriott, creating a sustainable future includes preserving the environment, but it also means creating more jobs and stronger communities,” said Mari Snyder, vice president of social responsibility.