The GREEN MARKET ORACLE

Saturday, October 13, 2012

The Business Opportunity Afforded by a Low Carbon Economy (Video)

An Environmentalist and a Buddhist Monk Discuss Human Behavior (Video)

Sacred Economics: Exploring the Myth of Separation (Video)

Help Reader's Digest Find Canada's Greenest Towns

Reader’s Digest is holding a competition for "Canada’s Most Interesting Towns" and one of the categories is "Canada's Greenest Cities." Canadians from coast to coast are welcome to share their stories and images. To participate simply send a story and photos reviewing a town that leads the way in environmental issues and action.

Some of the accomplishments that qualify a city as "Canada's Greenest," include:

Recent Events Prompting US Voters to Act on Climate Change

A whole host of events have transpired in the US this summer that should make it easier for voters to understand the tangible implications of climate change. From dwindling Arctic ice, heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and record setting ocean temperatures, voters have a many good reasons to factor climate change into their voting decision this November.

The month of July was the hottest month ever recorded in the lower 48 states in 125 years of record keeping. A report prepared by Democrats in the House Natural Resources and Energy committees, showed that 64 percent of the continental US suffered through drought this summer. Wildfires consumed huge swaths of the West. Ocean surface temperatures in the northeastern Atlantic broke the previous record. As noted in National Geographic, the summer of 2012 also saw the Arctic sea ice sheet melt "further, and faster, than has ever been seen before in human history."

Although US voters have lots of reminders of the veracity of climate change, it remains to be seen if this will have any impact at the ballot box.

Making Climate Change an Issue in the 2012 Presidential Election

Despite a petition asking Jim Lehrer, (the moderator of the first presidential debate), to put climate change on the agenda, the question was never raised. The petition contained 160,000 signatures and was drawn up by a coalition of nine different nonprofit groups.

"If the debate is intended to cover our nation's most important challenges, climate change must be part of the discussion," said Steve Cochran, vice president of climate and air at EDF. "The threat to our environment is simply too great to ignore."

The Citizens United court decision is helping Mitt Romney, the vehemently anti-environment Republican presidential contender. If the Republican nominee were to win the US presidential election it would be a devastating blow for the environment. With the help of unlimited spending he very well might succeed.

As reported by the Center for Public Integrity analysis, the Citizens United court decision is heavily favoring Romney. Since Labor Day, 70 percent of outside spending on the presidential race was made possible by the court decision.

Green Jobs Infographic

Infographic by Jobvine Jobs

Conservative Confusion about the Role of Government in Support of Green Jobs

According to traditional conservative doctrine, governments do not create jobs only free markets can do that. However, economists around the world contradict that facile and dated logic. Investment in green job creation is a short term strategy that helps green industries to grow. Helping green industries to achieve economies of scale reduces costs, enhances competitiveness and provides jobs. Government investments also drive innovation.

The jobs creation potential of the green economy is unparallelled and governments all around the world see the wisdom of helping to grow their tax base by supporting green industry. Green-collar jobs are high paying positions that benefit the environment while cutting pollution and reducing waste.

The Clean Technology Trade Alliance (CTTA) is a non-profit trade organization whose founding premise is based on the concept that supporting and improving the environment for future generations can only be accomplished through private sector action. Although they strive to support the environment and strengthen the economy, the CTTA sees efficiency as the driving force of business rather than environmental concerns.

Romney Lied about the Success of Obama's Green Stimulus

During the presidential debate, Mitt Romney lied to the American public about the success of President Obama's green stimulus spending. A big part of the success of the Democrat's stimulus spending concerned the creation of green jobs. The US unemployment rate is now at 7.8 percent, this is the first time since the President took office that they have dropped below 8 percent. The President's support for green jobs are part of this favorable employment trend. According to a study from the Bureau of Labor as of 2010 there were already 3.1 million green jobs in the US. While the Obama administration was growing the number of green jobs, the Republicans were pushing legislation that undermines green job growth.

Here are ten careers that give you a chance to help reduce human impacts on the environment. No matter how you look at it, green jobs are are on the increase all around the world. In addition to the important field of green energy contractors here are ten areas that are vital for the health and well being of our environment.

Sustainable Brands London Conference (Event)

Sustainable Brands Conference will take place on November 27 and 28 in London, UK. A community of sustainable brand innovators from around the world has been steadily growing. This past year, 1,300 business leaders within the Sustainable Brands community gathered in the United States from over 20 countries across the globe to hear success stories and form productive partnerships aimed at turning sustainable innovation into competitive opportunity. The stage is now set for the community to convene for the first time in London to explore up-to-the minute ideas for building sustainable brand success. Now is your chance to discover what happens when brand strategists & design innovators connect with sustainability teams and thought leaders to drive disruptive innovation that leads to market leading business and brand value.

The Regeneration of CSR 10th Annual Summit (Event)

The Regeneration of CSR 10th Annual Summit, will take place on November 7, 2012 at 7:30 AM - 9:00 PM Eastern Time. The event will be held at One King West, 1 King, Street West, Toronto, Ontario. Hear inspiring speakers and network with peers. The 10th Annual Summit is subtitled "The Essential Role of Business in Building a Sustainable Future."

For the last decade CBSR has gathered industry and thought leaders to explore and share CSR issues of importance to corporate Canada. Each year they bring together North America’s top experts, executives and practitioners from leading companies, governments, academic institutions and non-governmental organizations.

GRI’s first Canada Conference will take place on October 16 and 17, in Toronto, Ontario. The Conference is a result of the partnership between GRI Focal Point USA, Sustainalytics, the Toronto Stock Exchange and York University’s Schulich School of Business.

On Friday, October 12, 2012, 8 am to 7 pm, "Go Green Innovation Convention Chicago" will take place at the Marmon Grand Conference Center, 2230 South Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL. The convention will provide an opportunity for all attendees to have access to Green Employment Resources, Green Business Specialized Marketing Training Sessions and Green Funding Solutions Workshops.

The corporates sponsors for the event include: B&B Communications, Inc., Best Windows, Inc. Bronzeville Chamber of Commerce, Creative Capital Corporation, Diversity MBA Magazine, ECO Smart Builders, Inc. F.E.S.I.I Energy Services, Green Energy LLC, Silver Springs MD, Green Tech Business, Network, Inc, NFP, Intercon Solutions-,(The Solution To Your E-Waste Problem) Pipshaw Enterprise, Marmon Grand Corporation, Radiant Heart Creations, Solar Power Resources & Associates, Synergy Environmental Solutions, Inc, The Black Oaks Center For Sustainable Renewable Living, The Chicago Center For Green Technology, Townes & Associate, Inc., FundAbility Inc,, The "GOOD" Doctor, Paralegal School of Chicago, Inc NFP, & TikoDane Community Centre, and Katete Zambia.

The Carrotmob Concept from Local Small Business to Global Campaign (Video)

Carrotmob Buys Coffee to Fight Climate Change (Video)

Carrotmob in Madison (Video)

Carrotmob Campaign in Kansas City (Video)

Eyewitness News Covers a Carrotmob in San Francisco (Video)

The First Ever Carrotmob Campaign (Video)

An Explanation of the Carrotmob Concept (Video)

Organized Consumer Purchasing can Change Business (Video)

Coalition Resists EPA's Waiving of the RFS

A group has come together to resist the possibility that the severe drought conditions in the US mid-west this summer, will prompt the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to waive the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). To engage the American public and rally support, the coalition of renewable energy stakeholders has launched a new website called Fuels America, and a new twitter feed, @fuelsamerica.

“Fuels America is built around one core idea: renewable fuel is essential to the U.S. economy, our nation’s energy security, our rural communities and the environment,” noted former Congressman Jim Greenwood, President and CEO, Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) in the release.

Here is an excerpt from a September 28, 2012 Climate Progress article titled "Obama Versus Romney: Everything You Need to Know About Where the Candidates Stand on Energy Policy." The article was written by Daniel J. Weiss and and Jackie Weidman

The United States is in the midst of significant changes in our energy outlook. We are producing and burning more natural gas for electricity, while reducing coal use. Domestic oil production is at a 15-year high while oil imports are at a 15-year low. Renewable electricity doubled over the past four years, while worldwide carbon pollution and the impacts of climate change grow. The next president will face these and other serious challenges posed by a changing energy world.

A webcast titled Enterprise Sustainability Management – Proactive, Global Information Strategy is a New Business Imperative, will take place on Wednesday, October 17, 2012, 8am Pacific/11am Eastern.

Companies around the world are gravitating toward a unified strategy for Enterprise Sustainability Management (ESM) that standardizes and consolidates a broad spectrum of data and workflows across the organization. They are using this holistic approach to address proliferating challenges in environmental, health and safety, operational risk management, product stewardship, energy, carbon, and beyond. Successful companies are integrating sustainability initiatives from all of these areas into core business operations in order to drive operational excellence.

The Obama Administration Has Grown Renewable Energy

Electrical generation from renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and geothermal has grown dramatically under the Obama administration says Ken Bossong, Executive Director of the SUN DAY Campaign. Bossong cites two new government studies that show a near doubling of non-hydro renewable energy sources contributing to US electrical generation since president Obama took office.

As reviewed in a Huffington Post article, Americans want more renewable energy whether they support Obama, Romney or are undecided. On the issue of global warming, the 7 percent of voters who are undecided tend to be more like Obama supporters than Romney supporters. Undecided voters tend to believe in anthropogenic climate change and support renewable energy.

Sixty-one percent of the undecided voters said they see global warming as an "important issue" they'll consider when making their choice. Seventy-five percent of Obama supporters said the same, while only 32 percent of likely Romney supporters see global warming as an important issue.

President Obama reiterated his desire to end tax breaks for big oil and reaffirmed his support for new sources of energy like solar, wind and biofuels. The President also stated that his administration has helped to create 5 million new private sector jobs. To increase these numbers the President wants to invest in education and create 2 million new places in community colleges.

For his part, Mitt Romney said "I like coal!" He wants to see the tar sands pipeline ferry dirty oil through the US. He repeated the old Republican refrain of energy independence through more fossil fuel. He also wants to do away with "excessive" regulations.

Carrotmob's Partnership with Unilever

Carrotmob is a social venture organization that harnesses the influence of consumers on sustainable consumption. Carrotmob organizes crowdsourced “buycotts,” in which consumers use their purchasing power to push businesses to be more sustainable. Now Carrotmob is joining forces with Unilever, one of the world’s largest consumer packaged goods companies.

Brent Schulkin, the founder of Carrotmob staged his first campaign in 2008, with a small liquor store in San Francisco that installed energy-efficient lighting. Most recently Carrotmob worked with Thanksgiving to develop a campaign to help finance wind powered transportation of coffee.

In today's economy, convincing people to part with an extra dollar or two on behalf of a worthy cause isn't as simple as it used to be. With budgets tightening and a renewed focus on value, many consumers want to know "what's in it for me?" before doling out their money or time. Join MSLGROUP's Anne Erhard as she discloses the keys to crafting successful cause marketing campaigns in this hour-long session focused on incentivizing consumer engagement.

The webinar will take place on October 24, 2012 from 1:30pm to 2:30pm ET. The cost is $99 or FREE to Members. For more information or to register click here.

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The Climate Voters Project

A new project, called Climate Voters, could be operated within the League of Conservation Voters, or could be part of a collaborative effort in which many environmental organizations participate.

This is the project’s slogan:

We care about climate change and we vote. Climate change is happening now. We need public policy to address this problem. We will vote and campaign against those who refuse to acknowledge the problem, and for those who will address the problem.

Climate Voters’ mission is to give a political voice to growing numbers of people concerned about climate change. As the problems connected with climate change worsen, political infrastructure needs to be put in place to mobilize and organize a movement that forces politicians to take the issue seriously.

While there are environmental organizations that dabble in electoral politics and voter engagement organizations that dabble in environmental issues, there is no organization that is currently exclusively electoral and exclusively focused on climate change. An important niche for pushing policy change is currently not being filled.

While the League of Conservation Voters deals with a large number of environmental concerns, there is no voter engagement operation that speaks to and mobilizes citizens whose primary concern is climate change. The League could use its expertise in environmental voter engagement to build up this separate organization within its umbrella, or the League could put together collaborative effort with other organizations, like 350.org, which is focused on climate change but has no electoral operation.

While there are those who question the science behind climate change, these people will be increasingly marginalized as the problem becomes undeniable. Climate change is going to become more and more important in public policy as the environmental situation becomes more dire; rising sea levels, extreme weather, shrinking glaciers and all these trends will bring with them the rising tide of climate refugees. Climate change will become more salient as an issue and candidates will be forced to take a position on whether they want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. There will be an unmet need to mobilize voters on climate as the issue consumes more and more of our political discussion.

The increasing politicization of the climate change issue means voter mobilization is a crucial step in a winning political strategy. Politicians, who argue against cutting emissions, are getting more and more bold. Their bold statements make them more politically vulnerable. There needs to be pushback from an organization that is electorally focused. As the problems and evidence mount, it will become easier and easier to silence the climate deniers.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions will require policy change at the federal level. For this to happen, politicians will need to feel the heat on Election Day. When politicians take the political power of the climate change activists seriously, they will pass laws to reduce emissions. Existing environmental non-profits are not taken seriously enough on Election Day because they don’t have the capacity to deliver votes and by doing so, unseat politicians. This is why Obama is afraid to even bring up the issue in this campaign because Climate Voters are not perceived as a potent force in election campaigns.

Some may argue it is too early to build up Climate Voters, that there are just not enough people who care about the issue, that climate change is vague, far away and does not engage people’s emotions. But I would argue this is why we need to start the campaign now that targets various constituencies and find a way of framing this outreach that engages people’s emotions. We can begin with the environmentalists, there are enormous lists of environmental votes that we can compile, then we can move on young people — after all it is their future which is at stake, then farmers, who have outsized influence in Congress due to the make up of the senate. Farmers will certainly be on the front lines of the climate struggle. Then there are the various people in involved in the burgeoning clean tech and renewable energy industries. We see how wind power could play a role as Obama and Romney fight for voters in a battleground state like Iowa. Lastly, we could target mothers and seniors with a direct emotion appeal: aren’t they concerned about the world they are leaving their children and grandchildren?

A political movement to address climate change will not be built on its own. We need to put the infrastructure in place as public opinion moves and concern grows and politicians won’t act unless the Climate Voters force them too by raising their collective voice on Election Day.

Source: Global Warming is Real (http://s.tt/1nhYi)

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Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Newsweek's Dirtiest Companies in America

As reviewed in the Daily Beast in 2011, Newsweek ranked the most environmentally unfriendly companies based on ecological impact and corporate management. The companies with the lowest scores in Newsweek’s Green Rankings are in the energy, food and beverage, materials, and utilities sectors.

There are even a few financial services companies at the very bottom of the list. This reflects the fact that some of these companies have investment portfolios which include firms with environmentally damaging activities, such as coal mining or gas drilling.

Nasa Graphically Illustrates Warming

This very short visualization from NASA shows two global warming scenarios. In the first carbon dioxide (CO2) reaches 550 parts per million (ppm) by 2100 in the second CO2 reaches 800 ppm by 2100. Both scenarios are grim reminders of why we must reduce C02.

The Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) is ostensibly for companies who have a smaller impact on the environment, but some of the companies in the index are not even remotely green. One prominent example on the DJSI includes a Canadian oil gas company called Enbridge Inc. Enbridge is a company that is helping Canada to expand its role as a dirty energy superpower, they have proposed new tar sands pipelines.

Enbridge's proposed Northern Gateway heavy crude pipeline would run between the Edmonton area in Alberta and Kitimat, British Columbia. The Pipeline would serve as a key export link to Asia that would see massive oil tankers navigating narrow coastal waterways.

Here are the 2012 ranking of companies in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) as announced by Sustainability Asset Management (SAM). SAM is an investment boutique focused exclusively on Sustainability Investing, and S&P Dow Jones Indices. The Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) manages about $6 billion in assets through a variety of financial products.

As reviewed in a September 13 press release, almost 10 percent more companies participated this year as compared to last year, which Guido Giese, Head of Indexes, SAM interprets as “a strong signal of the increasing recognition that integrating sustainability into corporate strategies is essential to the bottom line."

Big Oil's Influence on US Politicians

A new analysis from the NRDC Action Fund and the advocacy group Environment America reveals that money from oil interests appears to be influencing the voting records of US lawmakers. The analysis of the relationship between oil money and American politicians was published on September 12 in a report titled "Who Votes Dirty?" Along with examining the votes on House and Senate bills for or against air pollution regulations, the NRDC analysis also looked at campaign contributions from "dirty industries."

The NRDC Action Fund analysis found a strong link between campaign contributions from polluters, and votes against clean air legislation. Congresspersons who took more than $100,000 in campaign contributions from career polluters also voted against clean air laws nearly twice as many times as those who accepted less than $100,000 from dirty industries. In the Senate, those who took more than $500,000 in campaign contributions from career polluters, voted against clean air laws three times as often as those taking less.

A new analysis from the NRDC Action Fund, released in conjunction with advocacy group Environment America reveals "Who Votes Dirty?" The report, released on September 12, lists members of the US House and Senate as either "clean air heroes" or "dirty air villains" based on their votes on legislation related to air pollution. According to the NRDC's analysis, 99 members of the House and 43 senators were dubbed heroes, while 139 House members and 39 Senators were labeled villains.

A large number of the Dirty Air Villains, 48 Congressmen and 25 Senators, represent districts in towns and cities the American Lung Association (ALA) have ranked as the 25 most polluted cities in the US.

Each year The Green Market puts together a summary of the latest information and resources on sustainability in education. This series reflects the importance of the green schools movement to contribute to the growth of the global economy and the health of the planet.

Last year over 70 posts came together to create the Green Schools Series 2011. In 2010 there were more than 60 posts that comprised the series for that year.

This year there are a total of more than 65 posts for the third annual installment of the series. In addition to posts on programs and campuses, there are two new sections on "Teacher Resources" and "Business Schools."

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Saturday, October 13, 2012

Friday, October 12, 2012

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

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Thursday, October 4, 2012

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Monday, October 1, 2012