CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
Global carpet-tile manufacturer Interface has announced it will switch to using 100 percent renewable gas at its manufacturing plant in Scherpenzeel, The Netherlands, beginning January 1, 2014. The company has signed a contract with sustainable energy supplier Eneco, which will supply the Interface plant with gas produced using certified 'green' waste from the food industry, provided by fish processor A. van de Groep.
ICT AND BIG DATA -
Oakland, CA-based software company Lucid and utility data management provider Urjanet today announced they are teaming up to solve one of the largest barriers to deploying energy efficiency: the cost of acquiring and managing building performance data.Through the new partnership, Urjanet’s utilityCONNECT service will automate the collection and delivery of electricity, water and natural gas billing, history and rate-plan data for Lucid’s BuildingOS energy-management platform.
ICT AND BIG DATA -
Philadelphia-based architecture firm KieranTimberlake has released a new software application that allows designers to measure the environmental impact of building materials directly in a Revit model.The application, called Tally, provides Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) on demand, backed by GaBi data from PE International. Autodesk, the maker of Revit modeling software, supported development and testing for the application.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
Innovative carpet-tile manufacturer and environmental pioneer Interface has announced its participation in 'Healthy Seas, a Journey from Waste to Wear' — a new initiative designed to address the growing environmental problem of marine waste. Interface is the first flooring company to participate in this global program, founded by yarn manufacturer Aquafil, conservation group ECNC Land & Sea Group, and Dutch manufacturer Star Sock, as part of Interface's long-term 'Mission Zero' sustainability goal.
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS -
Jones Lang LaSalle last week released its 2012 Sustainability Report, “Moving toward a more sustainable enterprise,” which details the company’s services, operations and client-focused strategies to achieve long-term sustainable solutions across five sustainability categories: energy and resources; client service excellence; green buildings; community and supply chain; and workplace, well-being and diversity.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
Products from ten companies have been selected as finalists for the Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Product Innovation Challenge, sponsored by the Schmidt Family Foundation and the Dutch Postcode Lottery. Three winners will be selected from this group and will share a cash prize of $250,000.The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, in partnership with Make It Right, launched its first-ever Product Innovation Challenge in November 2012. By June, over 100 products had been entered for consideration.
The General Motors Enterprise Data Center in Warren, Michigan recently received Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, putting it among the fewer than 5 percent of data centers in the U.S. to achieve such certification. This marks the company’s fifth LEED-certified facility.
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS -
A group of leading DIY retailers, builders’ merchants and manufacturers in the UK – including Argos, B&Q, Chandlers’ Building Supplies, Homebase, Travis Perkins, Saint Gobain, Wolseley UK and Southern Water — are joining forces to launch a voluntary labelling scheme to help consumers identify the water efficiency of bathroom fittings such as taps, showers, toilets and baths, according to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP).
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
In a global economy infamous for consumer consumption of “things,” Ecovative delivers environmentally responsible solutions with “win-win-win” materials. These materials are a win for our planet, for people and for Ecovative's profit. To achieve these universal benefits, instead of accepting the first, the fastest or the easiest option for production, our approach is to start from scratch and ask how nature accomplishes a task.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
Kaiser Permanente has announced it now will seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for all new construction of hospitals, large medical offices and other major projects.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
H&M announced Monday it has publicly committed to supporting the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, which was initiated by IndustryALL Global Union and UNI Global Union in response to last month’s deadly building collapse that has claimed some 1100 lives.
PRESS RELEASE -
BASF joins Habitat for Humanity for Earth Day
FLORHAM PARK, NJ, April 26, 2013 -- BASF employee volunteers joined Morris Habitat for Humanity today to build homes for three families in Madison, New Jersey.
More than 30 BASF employees worked on various aspects of construction, installing roofs, exterior walls and exterior frames for the homes.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
Walmart has released a new set of commitments aimed at increasing energy efficiency and achieving its goal of being supplied 100 percent by renewable energy by 2020.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
A recent report released by financial services firm Jones Lang LaSalle claims companies that implement successful sustainability initiatives solicit employee participation and recommends organizing the engagement process into three phas
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
The Bombay Sapphire gin distillery in Hampshire, England has become the first to achieve an “Outstanding” design-stage Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) accreditation, according to a recent announcement.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
Walgreens says it will build the country’s first net-zero energy retail store, producing energy equal to or greater than it consumes.The project is the latest of several sustainability initiatives for the company, including two stores that have achieved LEED gold certification, 150 stores utilizing solar power and 400 locations with electric vehicle charging stations.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
The Ethical Markets Green Transition Scoreboard® (GTS), which tracks private investments growing the green economy worldwide since 2007, found $4.1 trillion invested or committed as of Q4 2012, promising long strides away from the fossil-fueled Industrial Era in 2013.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
Twelve years ago, in response to growing demand from our customers, Shaw Industries set out to create a more environmentally responsible product alternative to the traditional PVC-backed carpet tiles prevalent in the commercial market.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
Macy’s, Sprint and Johnson Controls will upgrade more than 200 million square feet of building space to cut energy use by at least 20 percent by 2020, as part of the Obama Administration’s Better Building Challenge.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
The new football stadium for the San Francisco 49ers will produce enough solar power to offset the energy demands created from home games, the team announced last week.