Category Archives: CSR

EPA Names Eastman Chemical Company 2012 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year

by 3BL Media Press Release
Posted on April 8, 2012 by 3BL Media Press Release

(3BL Media) Kingsport, TN – April 5, 2012 – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named Eastman Chemical Company (NYSE:EMN) as a 2012 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for strategically managing and improving energy efficiency during 2011. Through its partnership with the ENERGY STAR program, Eastman has improved its energy performance, saved money and helped to protect the environment for future generations.

Eastman is one of only two chemical companies to ever achieve the distinction of ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year. A total of 40 organizations from about 20,000 ENERGY STAR Partners are being honored this year. In choosing Eastman for the award, the EPA recognized Eastman’s dedication to saving energy, its commitment to measuring and tracking progress, and its efforts to communicate the importance of energy efficiency to a wide audience, distinguishing the company as an industry leader.

“Eastman is pleased and honored to be named an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for 2012,” said Jim Rogers, chairman and chief executive officer of Eastman. “This recognition confirms our efforts in achieving energy efficiencies in our operations and is a key part of our commitment to being a sustainable chemical company. We are proud of Eastman’s partnership with ENERGY STAR and our energy management accomplishments.” Continue reading →

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Luminant Plants Over 1.7 Million Trees as Part of 2012 Reforestation Program

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on April 3, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

DALLAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–With recent rainfall providing ideal ground conditions, crews are wrapping up their efforts to plant more than 1.7 million tree seedlings at Luminant mine sites. The annual four-month project is part of Luminant’s long-standing commitment to quickly return mined land to productivity.

“We are looking forward to seeing this year’s seedlings take root and grow.”

“This program is something we look forward to each year, but especially this year after last summer’s drought and its impact on tree and plant life in Texas,” said Sid Stroud, director of environmental mining. “We are looking forward to seeing this year’s seedlings take root and grow.”

With the help of tree-planting machines capable of planting up to 10,000 seedlings a day, 35 species ranging from winged elms to a variety of oaks are now growing across Luminant mine sites. Some species will be used for commercial timber production, while others will help establish quality wildlife habitat. Continue reading →

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Viridian Energy Celebrates Earth Month in April and Will “Make Your Mother Proud”

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on April 3, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

NORWALK, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Viridian Energy, a leading provider of affordable, green energy, is celebrating April as “Earth Month” with a 30-day sustainability campaign. Viridian will host community events to engage members of local communities to “Make Their Mother Proud”. This month-long campaign emphasizes Viridian’s core mission, “Local Change, Global Impact”.

“Our goal for Earth Month is to provide our customers, associates, and community members ways to engage on a local level, but also ultimately contribute to the overall global impact and mission of Earth Day”

Viridian has planned community events throughout the month of April in the company’s current markets of Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Illinois. They will also host sustainability events in Massachusetts, where the company is engaging with communities prior to launching customer enrollment in June. Viridian has teamed up with community groups and green organizations to support and sponsor local events that are focused on improving the environment and encouraging greater sustainability. Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Energy, Business, BusinessWire, CSR, Energy, Energy Management, Green Business, Green Living, Green Marketing, Home Energy, Press Companies, Sustainability News, Sustainability Practices | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Annual Utility Spending on GIS Tools and Services Will Reach $3.7 Billion by 2017

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on April 3, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

Spatial data underlies everything an electric utility does. An intelligent power grid requires deep situational awareness of power generation, transmission, distribution, and customer assets in order to optimize performance and to meet reliability commitments. Land-based and street-level data, ownership/real estate, vegetation, network topology, GPS location data, census data, and many others forms of geospatial information are critical to the successful performance of the smart grid. The geographic information system (GIS) is a foundational technology linking every activity of an electric utility ‑ including design and construction, asset management, workforce management, outage management, and, increasingly, real-time grid operations. The adoption of smart grid technologies by electric utilities is driving renewed attention and increasing investment in GIS and related applications. According to a new report from Pike Research, utility spending on GIS services, software, and tools will increase steadily over the next five years, reaching $3.7 billion in 2017.

“The smart grid has energized electric utilities to think creatively about how to improve the delivery of electrical power and the business and workflow processes that enable it,” says vice president Bob Gohn. “As the deployment of intelligent field equipment, particularly advanced metering infrastructure, has surged, the applications leveraging this infrastructure are increasingly dependent on GIS-based data for critical real-time performance.” Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Energy, Business, CSR, Energy, Energy Management, Green Business, Green Living, Home Energy, Smart Grid, Sustainability News, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

2012 Green Power Leadership Awards Nomination Period Open

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

(3BL Media) April 3, 2012 – Sponsored by the Center for Resource Solutions (CRS), the Green Power Leadership Awards are competitive awards that recognize outstanding commitments and achievements in the green power marketplace. The CRS Market Development Awards recognize individuals, companies, or other renewable energy industry leaders that are building the market for green power. Awards will be given in the following categories:

  • Best Marketing Campaign by a Green Power Supplier - Recognizes an innovative marketing campaign by a green power supplier. Marketing materials and themes that are inventive and original will be recognized. Materials used across all media (print, radio, TV, Web, and collateral materials) are eligible for entry.
  • Best Green Power Education Outreach Program - Recognizes effective and unique outreach programs focusing on education related to green power. This award will honor work that spreads the word about the environmental benefits of green power and efforts to boost public interest in renewable energy.
  • Best Marketing Campaign by a Green Power Purchaser - Recognizes an outstanding promotional campaign by a purchaser of green power. This award will honor a company or organization that has purchased or generated green power and has actively promoted their use of green power internally or externally in an innovative or compelling way.
  • Green Power Leader of the Year Recognizes outstanding leadership by an individual who is leveraging their influence, position, celebrity, or purchasing power to expand the prevalence of renewable energy. Continue reading →
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New TCO Criteria for IT Offers 3rd Party Verification of Responsible Production

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

STOCKHOLM, April 1, 2012 /3BL Media / PRNewswire/ – TCO Certified, the international third party sustainability certification for IT products, now requires independent verification of ethical working conditions among electronics manufacturers applying for product certification. In light of recent reports of deficient working conditions at electronics manufacturing plants, the launch of new tightened social responsibility requirements offers the industry an effective and credible way to improve and verify their progress towards more ethical production practices.

Niclas Rydell, Manager for Certification and Development at TCO Development, believes now could be a turning point for the industry as a whole: “From TCO Development’s perspective, we know that professional IT buyers are placing greater demand on their vendors to ensure that products they buy are made in an ethically responsible way. The recent reports of inadequate working conditions, salaries and worker health & safety at Apple supplier Foxconn in China, are no doubt concerning. However we believe the situation is indicative of an industry-wide problem — one where there is a greater need for independent systems that can verify a company’s actions and progress towards key labor conventions established by the ILO. This is what TCO Certified is designed to do. We also welcome the important steps now being taken by FLA and Apple to move their production in a more socially responsible direction.” Continue reading →

Posted in 3BL Media, Business, CSR, Electronics, Goods, Services & Product Design, Green Business, Green IT, Green Living, Green Supply Chain, IT Policies, Procedures & Strategy, Sustainability News, Sustainability Practices, Technology | 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 →

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

Porter Airlines to Conduct Canada’s First Biofuel-Powered Revenue Flight

by 3BL Media Press Release
Posted on March 23, 2012 by 3BL Media Press Release

(3BL Media) Toronto, ON – March 22, 2012 – In mid-April, Porter Airlines plans to use one of its Bombardier Q400turboprop airliners to conduct the first biofuel-powered revenue flight in Canada. On February 9, 2012, in preparation for Porter’s upcoming flight, a Bombardier Q400 turboprop test aircraft became the first aircraft in Canada to fly on the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D7566 bio-derived jet fuel, which was recently certified.

“We are timing our biofuel-powered flight close to Earth Day to emphasize the contribution that biofuels are expected to make in helping the aviation industry meet its targeted reduction in emissions,” said Robert Deluce, President and Chief Executive Officer, Porter Airlines. “Q400 and Q400 NextGen aircraft are already among the ‘greenest’ aircraft in the world and the use of biofuel will make the aircraft even more environmentally conscious.”

Porter’s biofuel-powered revenue flight will utilize a 50/50 blend of biofuel with Jet A1 fuel. The biofuel portion is derived from the oilseed crop, Camelina sativa* (49 per cent) and Brassica carinata* (one per cent). Continue reading →

Posted in 3BL Media, Alternative Energy, Biofuels, Business, Business Transportation, Carbon Management, CSR, Energy, Energy Management, Green Business, Green Marketing, Pollution, Sustainability News, Sustainability Practices | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
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