Obama 2013 Budget Seeks to Make Renewable Tax Credits Permanent

President Obama's 2013 budget has proposed business-tax reform including support for renewable energy. His reforms would make the temporary tax credits for renewable energy production permanent as well as making them refundable. The budget is part of the President's energy plan to double electricity output from clean sources by 2035.

Environmental Politics: Obama Versus the Republican Presidential Hopefuls

When it comes to the environment, President Obama differs significantly from the current field of Republican presidential hopefuls. For starters, Obama accepts the scientific veracity of climate change where Republicans tend to deny the very existence of anthropogenic global warming.

Clean Energy Excerpts of President Obama's 2012 State of the Union Speech

Members of the US House and Senate, along with hundreds of distinguished guests, convened at the Capitol on Tuesday, January 24, 2012, at 9 p.m. for President Obama's third State of the Union Address. According to article II, Section 3, Clause 1 of the US Constitution, the President must “give to the Congress Information on the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.” Here are excerpts of the President's speech related to the environment, the green economy and clean energy:

President Obama Stops Keystone XL Pipeline

On November 10, 2011, President Obama stood up for Americans and put the future of the planet ahead of Big Oil. Citing climate change President Obama sent the Keystone XL pipeline project back for review until at least 2013. The announcement is a reflection of the President's commitment to clean energy.

Videos: Interface's Sustainability Challenges are Being Met with Innovation, Partnerships and Collaboration

Interface has successfully overcome many challenges through innovative thinking, partnerships and collaboration with their stakeholders. There is a great deal we can learn from Interface's journey. In the process of making their company sustainable, Interface has also doubled profits. Interface's sustainable journey is known as "Mission Zero" to realise this mission the company had to overcome many common challenges including things like technology barriers and costs.

Video: Ray Anderson on Sustainable Business

Ray Anderson, was the founder and CEO of Interface inc. At the helm of this company he has increased sales and doubled profits while transforming Interface into a global sustainable leader. In this video Ray, who passed away on August 8 of this year, shares a powerful vision for sustainable commerce.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Videos: Interface's Sustainability Challenges are Being Met with Innovation, Partnerships and Collaboration

The Sustainable Supply Chain Efforts of Interface Inc

Interface inc. quickly learned that the substantial majority of their product’s footprint was incurred before their raw materials reached their receiving docks. It became clear to Interface that to be completely sustainable they needed to educate and actively engage their suppliers on their sustainble efforts known as the "Mission Zero" journey.

Interface's Environmental Product Declarations and Standards

With the mix of green product claims in the marketplace today, it is increasingly important to be transparent about product, which is why Interface has adopted Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) as a communication tool.

Interface Inc is a Model of Transparency

Interface is committed to being transparent about their progress toward Mission Zero™ Transparency is a way they share their knowledge and experience – providing a model for other businesses on their sustainability journeys. In this way, they hope to achieve the bigger goal they have set for themselves: to become a restorative company by the power of their influence. It is through the collective impact of thousands of companies on sustainable journeys that Interface can go beyond being a green company to being a catalyst for change.

Ray Anderson's Sustainable Legacy: Interface, Inc. Part Two

When Interface first began its Mission Zero® journey, they started by focusing on waste, adopting aggressive zero waste goals. To drive progress toward these goals, they created programs that defined, measured and communicated their efforts.

Ray Anderson's Sustainable Legacy: Interface, Inc. Part One

The sustainable efforts of Atlanta-based Interface, Inc. have been recognized around the world. Interface Inc (NASDAQ: IFSIA), is a global leader in the manufacture of environmentally-responsible floorcoverings and other textiles.

Interface's journey started in 1994 when their Founder and Chairman Ray Anderson challenged the company to adopt a bold sustainable vision, something that would later be called Mission 0. This new mission would require new thinking and a new business model. Ray's vision became a passion for sustainability took hold with their people and the company was transformed.

Interface's Award Winning Sustainable Product Innovation

Under the direction of Ray Anderson, Interface inc. worked hard to develop new product lines that are less injurious to the environment. Their progress in redesigning their products and reducing their carbon emissions has been recognized around the world.

Interface’s sustainability successes are defined by innovation. Their commitment to the companies sustainability goals is known as Mission Zero®. The company's mission has fostered an entrepreneurial spirit inspiring innovative thinkers to imagine unique solutions. Mission Zero® has changed the way Interface designs and makes products. They have made great strides towards more sustainable products by using recycled and biobased raw materials and developing ways to recycle their products. They are also redesigning their processes to reduce the resources required to make their products.

Ray Anderson's Interface One of the "Best Corporate Citizens"

Ray Anderson's Interface Inc, was consistently among the 100 Best Corporate Citizens even as the economy began to show signs of recession in 2007. The 100 Best Corporate Citizens is an annual survey that focuses on the corporate responsibility performance of major U.S. companies. Winners are selected from a list of more than 1,100 of the largest publicly traded companies in the U.S.

Summary of Accolades Received by Ray Anderson

Ray Anderson was widely respected and he received recognition from government, environmentalists, and business groups. Here is a summary of some of his notable accolades:

Ray Anderson's Alliance for Sustainability Award

In 2006 Ray Anderson was honored with a sustainability award by the Alliance for Sustainability. The Sustainability Awards were bestowed on Ray based on an extensive public nomination process that recognizes both exemplary leaders that have made significant contributions to sustainability and those that have helped to create a world that is ecologically sound, economically viable, socially just and humane.

The Washington Post Pays Tribute to Ray Anderson The Greenest CEO in America

Ray Anderson was a self made man who was a sustainability pioneer. As reported in a Washington Post article by Emily Langer, "Ray Anderson was often described as the greenest CEO in America for his crusade to turn his billion-dollar carpet company into an environmentally sustainable enterprise."

Ray Anderson Time Magazine's Hero of the Environment

The late Ray Anderson was a sustainability pioneer who was awarded many accolades including one from TIME Magazine. Ray Anderson is the founder and chairman of Interface Inc., in 2007 he was named one of TIME Magazine’s international ‘Heroes of the Environment.’

Ray was one of only 43 people who were acknowledged for their work to encourage environmental best practice. Other winners in 2007 included Prince Charles and Al Gore. Ray commented, “To be recognized alongside such notable people is a testament to the pioneering spirit of Interface. If a single, $1 billion company can make a difference, imagine the impact if everyone did it.”

The Life of Sustainability Pioneer Ray Anderson

The world has lost a great advocate of industrial environmental sustainability. Ray Anderson, the founder of Interface, Inc., and sustainability pioneer, died on Monday, August 8, 2011.

His story is a tale of redemption. His journey to sustainability starts in 1994 when he realized the damaging impact his carpet manufacturing company was having on the environment.

Survey Shows China More Receptive to EVs than America

Electric Vehicles (EVs) may be taking the world by storm but public acceptance is better in China than it is in America. These are some of the conclusions of a 2011 Accenture survey tiled "Plug-in Electric Vehicles: Changing Perceptions, Hedging Bets".

Globally 58 percent of respondents said they favor plug-in electric vehicles as a long-term substitute for internal-combustion vehicles. In the US only 46 percent of respondents said that they favor plug-in electric vehicles replacing conventional vehicles over time.

Germany is a green energy leader and they are vying for leadership in the electric vehicle market, but only 53 percent of the population see electric vehicles as a viable, long-term replacement for conventional cars.

In Italy, 76 percent of the population surveyed favored electric vehicles as an eventual substitute for conventional vehicles. In China, the number was a staggering 86 percent in favor of plug-in electrics.

Traditional consumption patterns may help explain the difference. In China people appear to be more comfortable with charging their cars at electric fueling stations, while Americans and respondents from the rest of the world prefer charging their cars at home. Some 65% of global respondents stated that they would prefer to charge their vehicles at home as did 77 percent of respondents in the US. In China only 35% of respondents would prefer charging at home.

The Chinese are also more interested than the rest of the world in knowing where the EV power source is coming from. Accenture’s study indicated that globally 45 percent of respondents expressed a desire to know where the electricity to charge their electric car comes from. In the US, only 43 percent were concerned about the origin of their electric power, while in China 62 percent wanted to know where their power came from. This is a critical issue in the sustainability profile of an EV as a car powered by electricity from renewable energy is much better for the environment than EVs powered by the burning of coal

As revealed by the Accenture study, the Chinese are also more forward looking in terms of emerging technology. Although battery exchange may win out over home charging, 62 percent of Americans surveyed would prefer to charge a battery over exchanging it, while 35 percent of the Chinese respondents favored charging over an exchange.

A J.D. Power and Associates Report predicts that China is expected to reach sales of 35 million light-vehicles in 2020 while the US can expect sales of 17 million light-vehicles.

The US may be well positioned to lead the EV revolution, but with its massive domestic market and receptive population, China will give America a run for its money.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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The US is Positioned to Lead the Global Competition for EV Supremacy

The US is well positioned to lead the global competition for EV supremacy. A 2010 McKinsey research firm study suggests that the US is the nation most likely to lead the world in electric car ownership in the coming years.

America is the home of car culture and the nation has a strong domestic auto market. The US has one of the largest vehicle markets in the world and this trend is expected to continue well into the future. According to a J.D. Power and Associates Report, the US is expected to reach 17.4 million auto sales in 2020. Market analyses by energy research firm SBI Energy show that of the 204 million personal vehicles in the US, the average household owns 1.9 vehicles. The viability of the US bid for EV supremacy also derives from the fact the America is the world's wealthiest nation.

According to an SBI Energy report, Electric Vehicle (EV) and Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) Markets Worldwide, in the six years between 2004 and 2009, the number of HEV available models around the world has tripled to 29 and the number of brands producing hybrids has jumped from six to fourteen. In fact, almost a third of the hybrids being offered in the US have 2010 as their first model year.

Global sales of hybrid electric vehicles rose 33% in 2009 with 700,000 vehicles sold in an unfavorable climate that saw the overall auto market plunge worldwide. "SBI Energy's first EV market study entitled, Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure Manufacturing projects North America will hold 20% of the electric vehicle infrastructure manufacturing market by 2014, driven by government incentive programs and the movement toward eco-friendly consumer lifestyles," says Shelley Carr, publisher for SBI Energy. "While government capital is vital, growth also depends heavily on the investment interests of the private sector and the adoption of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles by consumers."

China is already a leader in the transition from fossil fuel powered cars to electric vehicles. China has a proven capacity for mass producing things inexpensively. Chinese auto manufacturers also have a huge domestic market. A J.D. Power and Associates Report predicts that China is expected to reach 35 million light-vehicle sales in 2020.

China is not alone in its pursuit of global supremacy, Germany and France are also vying for leadership in the EV sector.

Despite serious challenges, America's viability as a global EV leader was corroborated in a study that says the US is the most likely to spearhead a movement toward electric cars from gasoline-driven cars as a means of mass transportation. This is the finding of a research index from McKinsey & Company, a global consultancy firm.

McKinsey’s electric-vehicle index gauges nine variables including consumers’ favorability toward electric cars, a segment where America ranks highly. The US ranked first in the electric-vehicle index ahead of France, Germany, China and other Western European countries.

America is in a competitive position due largely to government support of EVs. In 2007, Congress set aside $25 billion in Department of Energy low-interest loans to encourage the advancement of alternative-fuel vehicles, including EVs. The DOE has made $8.5 billion in loans to Nissan, Ford, Tesla Motors, Tenneco and Fisker Automotive. President Barack Obama also earmarked another $2.4 billion in grants for battery-makers and other electric-vehicle component-makers in 2009. The stimulus package also included a $2,500 to $7,500 tax credit to consumers who purchase EVs.

These investments have put America in the position to lead the race to be the leader in one of the most expansive economic and technological opportunities of our times. The demand for EVs is sure to keep growing. As this demand grows so will the response from automakers. Nissan and General Motors already plan to have a combined capacity to build hundreds of thousands of EVs in the US by next year (2012).

The growth of EV sales will also positively impact associated industries. Pike Research projects that $61 million will be spent across the US on EV charging equipment during 2011.

This is a boon for American business, not only in terms of the vehicles themselves but in terms of the infrastructure needed to support EVs.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Survey Shows China More Receptive to EVs than America
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