Category Archives: Carbon Management

carboNZero Holdings Becomes the First Non-UK Company to Provide PAS 2050 Certification

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on May 1, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

AUCKLAND, New Zealand–(BUSINESS WIRE)–carboNZero Holdings, the world’s leading greenhouse gas (GHG) certification company today announces that is has become the first non-UK company to provide accredited certification for product carbon footprints under British Standard Institute’s (BSI) PAS 2050. carboNZero Holdings’ adoption of PAS 2050 as the standard for product carbon footprinting will arm its clients with a competitive edge in securing favourable recognition among their customers and promote ease of entry into the UK market.

“Clients of carboNZero Holdings are utilising CEMARS and carboNZero certification to not only ‘walk the talk’ with respect to their environmental claims, but also to clearly differentiate themselves from competitors with internationally recognised standards in measuring, managing, and reducing or offsetting their carbon emissions”
“We are pleased to reach this major milestone at carboNZero Holdings. Our product certification offerings, now in accordance with PAS 2050 guidelines ensures our clients are in parallel with international best practise so that organisations can extend the scope of their carbon footprints to include the impact of goods and services they produce”, said carboNZero Holdings Technical General Manager, Ann Smith. Continue reading →

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Citi to Purchase 1.17 Million Tonnes of Carbon Credits

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on April 28, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–In a deal that combines microloans in Mongolia with the sale of carbon credits on the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), Citi’s London-based Environmental Products Trading and Origination team, working with Citi Microfinance, has agreed to purchase 1.17 million metric tonnes of carbon credits over the next seven years from Seattle-based social enterprise MicroEnergy Credits. The carbon credits will be generated by capturing reductions of greenhouse gas emissions following the installation of more efficient household insulation and heating fixtures in Ulaanbaatar, the capital and largest city in Mongolia. The purchase and installation of the fixtures will be funded through microloans from Mongolia’s XacBank.

“Under this arrangement, we are implementing an innovative market-based strategy to tackle real challenges faced by developing countries.”

Under the arrangement, a XacBank customer will purchase an energy efficient stove or home insulation products like a “ger blanket,” which covers a ger, the traditional and ubiquitous Mongolian portable tent-like structures in which more than one quarter of the Ulaanbaatar population lives. Gers are traditionally under-insulated and heated by inefficient coal-burning stoves that contribute to Ulaanbaatar’s especially severe air pollution. Ger blankets greatly increase heat retention, and, like energy efficient stoves, lower the rate of fossil fuel consumption and carbon emissions. Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, BusinessWire, Carbon Management, Climate Change, CSR, Emissions Trading, Energy Management, Green Business, Sustainability News | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Technologies and Practices Could Limit Total Data Center Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 13% Through 2016

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on April 27, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

As corporate computing requirements grow steadily and consumer-focused IT services continue their rapid expansion, the demand for data center capacity continues to rise.  The rapid adoption of IT use in the emerging economies is also providing a powerful engine for the growth of data center capacity.  In turn, the growth in demand is further increasing these facilities’ energy footprint.  Today’s data center industry consumes around 1.5%% of the world’s energy.  Data center operators are struggling to keep energy demand in check while continuing to grow their capacity.  The need to reduce energy consumption is being driven by a diverse set of factors that includes the rising price of electricity, greenhouse gas emissions, information technology improvements, cloud computing, virtualization, large advances in cooling techniques, and significant improvements in monitoring and management tool suites.

According to a new report from Pike Research, the widespread adoption of energy efficient data center technologies and best practices could significantly limit the growth of emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from data centers over the next several years.  If current trends continue, GHG emissions from data centers are expected to total 1326 million tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent; green data center best practices could reduce that total to 1156 tons, a difference of 13% compared to the business-as-usual trend, according to the cleantech market intelligence firm’s analysis. Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Carbon Management, CSR, Energy, Energy Management, Green Business, Green IT, Information Systems, Sustainability News, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

sPower™ Installs Solar Electric Systems for the University of Utah

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on April 23, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

SALT LAKE CITY–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sustainable Power Group (“sPower”) has announced the installation and commissioning of solar power generation systems on the rooftops of the Natural History Museum of Utah and the HPER East Building at the University of Utah. The Natural History Museum’s system is a 330-kilowatt system and the HPER East system is a 263 kW system. The combined systems consist of 2,470 Sharp photovoltaic panels covering 40,000 square feet of rooftop space. The Sharp modules are American-made, manufactured in Memphis, Tennessee. sPower partnered with Okland Construction of Salt Lake City, Utah to build the systems, and McCalmont Engineering of Campbell, California to design and engineer the systems.

sPower will own and operate the systems for 20 years and will sell the power to the University of Utah under the terms of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). This third-party ownership arrangement was made possible due to a $125,000 Blue Sky Grant from Rocky Mountain Power, as well as a $1,000,000 grant awarded to the University through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“We are excited about this system for numerous reasons including the long-term direct financial benefits from solar energy, the duty that we feel to be good stewards of our planet, and the educational opportunities that this will offer our students. This project is consistent with our Energy and Environmental Stewardship Initiative: 2010 Climate Action Plan, wherein we set a goal to be carbon neutral by 2050,” said Dr. David Pershing, President of the University of Utah. Continue reading →

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Posted in Alternative Energy, Business, BusinessWire, Carbon Management, CSR, Energy, Energy Management, Goods, Services & Product Design, Green Business, Green Living, Home Energy, Solar, Sustainability News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How Green is your iPad? (Infographic)

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on April 21, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

A great infographic that describes the entire embedded carbon story of the iPad. Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Carbon Management, CSR, Goods, Services & Product Design, Green Business, Green Marketing, Green Supply Chain, Sustainability News, Sustainability Practices, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Global Smart Grid IT Market Will Reach $8.6 Billion by 2017

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on April 12, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

Billions of dollars are being invested in smart grid infrastructure, including smart meters and distribution automation systems.  Recognition is growing, however, that the true value of this investment can only be realized by a parallel investment in a new generation of utility information technology (IT) systems that can help collect, manage, and analyze the vast amounts of data generated by smart grid technologies.  Energy companies must become as focused on data and information management as other industries, such as finance, telecommunications, and retailing, have become over the last two decades.

This recognition is leading to a new focus on, and increased investment in, software and IT services for the smart grid.  According to a new report from Pike Research, the global smart grid software market will be worth $1.3 billion by the end of 2012 and will reach $2.9 billion by 2017, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.2%.  The total software and related IT services market is forecast to reach $4.3 billion by the end of 2012 and grow to over $8.6 billion by 2017, with a CAGR of 15.5%. Continue reading →

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Posted in Alternative Energy, Business, Carbon Management, Energy, Energy Management, Green Business, Green IT, Information Systems, Smart Grid, Sustainability News, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

ConAgra Foods Program Saves Nearly 300 Million Gallons of Water, Eliminates 61,000 Tons of Waste, and Reduces Carbon Emissions

by 3BL Media Press Release
Posted on April 12, 2012 by 3BL Media Press Release

(3BL Media) Omaha, NE – April 11, 2012 – ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG) announced today the winners of its 2012 Sustainable Development Awards, an internal awards program intended to drive and reward innovative approaches to sustainability that produce tangible business results. The more than 100 entries collectively:

  • reduced carbon emissions by more than 43,600 metric tonnes;
  • eliminated 61,000 tons of landfill waste and 4,800 tons of packaging material;
  • and conserved 295 million gallons of water.

Additionally, the projects delivered more than $28 million in savings, demonstrating the economic value of the company’s commitment to sustainable development.

ConAgra Foods started the Sustainable Development Awards in 1992 to encourage and incentivize employees to proactively look for ways to eliminate waste, reduce energy and conserve water through smart design. Winning teams are awarded a $5,000 grant from ConAgra Foods to apply toward a sustainable community service project. Continue reading →

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Posted in 3BL Media, Business, Carbon Management, CSR, Energy Management, Goods, Services & Product Design, Green Business, Green Facilities, Health, Press Companies, Recycling & Waste, Sustainability News, Sustainability Practices, Water Usage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Major Investors Warn Energy Companies of Business Risks in Flaring Gas at Shale Oil Wells

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on March 30, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

(3BL Media) Boston, MA – March 29, 2012 – With escalating shale oil production putting the US on track to become the world’s largest oil producer, investors are challenging an increasingly common industry practice – burning off or ‘flaring’ associated natural gas from shale oil wells – as environmentally damaging, economically wasteful and a threat to the industry’s bottom line.

“We are concerned that excessive flaring, because of its impact on air quality and climate change, poses significant risks for the companies involved, and for the industry at large, ultimately threatening the industry’s license to operate,” wrote three-dozen investors in a letter sent this week to 21 of the industry’s largest shale oil producers, including Continental Resources and Chesapeake Energy.

The letter notes that in North Dakota alone, which produced an average of 418,000 barrels each day last year and is now the third largest source of domestic oil production behind Texas and Alaska, annual flaring-related emissions were equivalent to more than two million tons of carbon dioxide, as much as adding 384,000 cars to the road. Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Carbon Management, Climate Change, CSR, Emissions Trading, Energy, Energy Management, Environment, Green Business, Health, Pollution, Sustainability News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment
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