REYKJAVIK, Iceland–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Landsvirkjun, Iceland’s national power company has announced its aim to power 1% of the European datacenter industry with electricity from renewable hydroelectric and geothermal sources by the year 2020. The estimated electric energy needed to achieve this target is around 1.5 TWh, about 10% of the company´s current generation. The ambition is based on Iceland´s ample renewable power development opportunities and the fact that the country has been attracting considerable datacenter industry investment drawn by the compelling power proposition, solid infrastructure, and world-class business environment.
“Iceland offers differentiating economic advantages with the most competitive power prices in Europe, a commitment to long term contracts and reliable renewable energy. This makes it particularly attractive for international sustainable business development, especially in sectors such as datacenters where value is attached with being green and secure.”
Landsvirkjun´s power proposition is to provide the most competitive energy prices in Europe. Recent public quotes from the company offer fixed real rates of $43/MWh in 12 year contracts. In comparison, European average real market rates were from $65/MWh in 2011 on short term contracts with prices expected to increase considerably over the coming decade. In addition, Iceland’s power is 100% renewable from hydro and geothermal sources and the quality of delivery has recently been singled out by the World Economic Forum as being among the top three in the world. Continue reading →
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 →
(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) Tulsa, OK – March 19, 2012 – Parisleaf Printing and Design recently completed the CurrentState™ Sustainability Audit and received Platinum Certification – the highest certification level available.
The Client’s Challenge
Parisleaf is a Printing and Design company located in Gainesville, Florida. Parisleaf provides a variety of services which include printing, branding packages, web and logo design.
Parisleaf’s largest challenge is that traditional print related goods and services can have a significant negative impact on the environment. Negative impacts occur at all stages of the paper life cycle - the harvesting of trees, the processing of wood fiber into pulp and the disposal of paper products at the end of their useful life.
However, Parisleaf has overcome these challenges. They offer carbon negative printing and web solutions to its clients. Parisleaf is able to achieve this because of their innovative green practices and the steps they take to mitigate their effect on the environment. Continue reading →
Enhanced Reporting Capabilities to Help San Diego Regional Transportation Network Reduce Energy Costs, Lower Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Increase Renewable Energy Generation
North County Transit District (NCTD), the agency responsible for public transportation in North San Diego County, CA, selected Oracle to support its sustainability reporting goals.
A vital part of San Diego’s regional transportation network, NCTD serves more than 12 million passengers annually through a family of transit services, including bus system, commuter rail service, paratransit and light rail.
To meet the requirements of the American Public Transportation Association’sCommitment to Sustainability program, NCTD needed a dedicated system that could automate and streamline the collection and analysis of sustainability metrics including greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption.
WASHINGTON, Jan 10, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — The Coalition For American Electronics Recycling (CAER) today announced that it has received the endorsement of the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC — www.ASBCouncil.org ) in support of federal legislation that will restrict export of toxic electronic waste (e-waste) from the U.S. and spur creation of tens of thousands of jobs through expansion of the domestic recycling industry.
“The Responsible Electronics Recycling Act addresses two important issues at once: reducing the dumping of toxic e-waste in developing nations and fostering economic and job growth for responsible recycling companies in the U.S.,” said Richard Eidlin, the ASBC’s Policy Director. “The American Sustainable Business Council sees the Act as another critical step towards reducing the broad health and environmental risks associated with hazardous and toxic chemicals. Communities across the U.S. stand to benefit from the new, high quality jobs that the fledging E-Waste will create with passage of this legislation.” Continue reading →
The production of computers is energy and material intensive, it creates significant amounts of waste, and uses many toxic materials. Therefore it is critical to purchase, use and dispose of computers in the most sustainable manner possible.
Below are some tips to help you green your computer usage.
✔ Turn on your energy management features - All computers, regardless of the operating system, come with energy management features. Be sure these setting put your computer in ‘hibernate’ or ‘deep sleep’ mode after a certain period of inactivity.
✔ Turn off your screen saver - While helping save your screen, screen savers do not save electricity. Depending on the complexity of the screen saver, the screen saver may be using as much processing power as when you are using your computer to run programs. Opt to have your computer go into ‘hibernation’ or ‘deep sleep’ after a period of inactivity as opposed to using screen savers to protect your screen. Continue reading →
“CurrentState is a necessity for every company that is serious about going green”Ramon Ginah, CFO – Francesca Furzi
“I would highly recommend CurrentState for any company exploring sustainability”Tim Gilbert, Plant Manager – FasCast Inc
(Press Release) Tulsa, OK – January 13, 2012 – Caelus has released the CurrentState™ sustainability audit for business.
The world of sustainability can be a confusing place. It is easy to get lost in the sea of acronym-rich reporting initiatives, certifications, eco-labels and regulations. However, the most important thing for businesses is missing – a comprehensive tool that tells tells companies exactly what they need to do. This is why we developed CurrentState™.
The CurrentState™ Sustainability Audit is a ‘best practices gap analysis’ and a ‘business practices maturity analysis’ combined into one tool – nothing more, nothing less. Simple elegant, and in our opinion a game-changer.
Does this sound simple? That’s because it is. Why hasn’t this been done before? Because nobody has created a framework that clearly and comprehensively defined sustainability – until now.
Sustainability Defined
CurrentState™ is based on our Three Tiers of Sustainability™ framework. Our framework clearly defines sustainability and in our opinion has been the ‘missing link’ in sustainability consulting. Our framework organizes sustainability into three primary activity groups: Green IT, Facilities and Business. These three groups are further divided into 25 (more specific) sub-groups. If an activity is related to sustainability in business, it will have a place in the framework.
By having a comprehensive framework, we are able to answer another very important question all businesses have – Are we doing everything that we can in order to go green?
Why CurrentState™?
In addition to being a revolutionary approach, CurrentState™ offers business other distinct advantages.
CurrentState™ is delivered directly to your desktop. No need for time-consuming, money-wasting meetings. Time is money, especially when your paying by the hour. CurrentState™ is not charged by the hour and delivers the same questions a consultant would, but at your convenience and with no chance of missing anything
This method of collecting information is efficient. What we do with the information once we receive it is also efficient. We have automated many of the non-analytical steps of the consulting process, so as soon as qualified sustainability consultant begins on your case, they will be able to begin analysis immediately. This allows us to deliver a Findings Report in a matter of days, not weeks or months.
Another advantage is that CurrentState is focussed. CurrentState™ does not count carbon or advise you on the ROI of specific projects. It is focused on determining exactly the activities your organization needs to conduct or consider. The result – your team will not be wasting valuable time hunting for data for activities that may not be needed.
Finally, your Findings Report will spell out in specific terms exactly what tasks need to be done (Quick Wins) and what things you need to consider (Recommendations) in order to improve your sustainability performance. Ratings and analysis for each sub-category is also generated. For most organizations, these tasks can be used as the basis of a sustainability implementation plan. Add some resourcing, budget and do a little ROI analysis and you will have a plan that leaves no leaf unturned and would make any CSO proud.
The Findings Report
The Findings Report is ‘boardroom ready’ and is delivered in both PowerPoint and pdf formats. Each report will contain over 100 specific quick wins (shorter-term, easily achievable tasks) and recommendations (longer-term activities). “In essence, if you add resource requirements and budget to the report, you will have a nearly complete Sustainability Program. This is exactly what our clients are doing and their reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.”
The Findings Report can be used as:
a blueprint to develop a sustainability program;
a method to demonstrate to management, a board or the public an organization’s sustainability achievements;
a way to quickly identify gaps in your current sustainability efforts;
a way to document and track sustainability performance from period to period;
and a way to determine current compliance with major international standards and certifications.
An excellent infographic that tells the story of eWaste. Continue reading 
REYKJAVIK, Iceland–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Landsvirkjun, Iceland’s national power company has announced its aim to power 1% of the European datacenter industry with electricity from renewable hydroelectric and geothermal sources by the year 2020. The estimated electric energy needed to achieve this target is around 1.5 TWh, about 10% of the company´s current generation. The ambition is based on Iceland´s ample renewable power development opportunities and the fact that the country has been attracting considerable datacenter industry investment drawn by the compelling power proposition, solid infrastructure, and world-class business environment.
