News

Nancy Pelosi Praises Portland Sustainability

Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, lavished praise on Portland for taking initiatives on sustainability that she said would pay dividends in economic growth during a visit to the city Thursday, which included a tour of a recently weatherized home of a northeast Portland family.

PACE Setback: Alternate Strategies Could Save U.S. Investment in Residential Clean-Energy and Efficiency Programs

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) recently derailed one of the most popular and important tools for financing energy efficiency and clean-energy job creation. The tool, called Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE), had attracted interest from communities across the country and millions of dollars in federal funding. Now, PACE programs for residential homes are all on hold, or canceled, while states and municipalities consider different strategies.

Community groups recruit neighbors for Clean Energy Works Portland

Over 300 residents from Portland’s Cully neighborhood gathered at Rigler School in early August to learn about the “Changing the Climate in Cully” initiative. As part of the Clean Energy Works Portland (CEWP) residential weatherization retrofit program, homeowners who choose to participate in the Cully neighborhood project will improve the comfort and value of their homes, save energy and create family-supporting jobs in the community.

Portland Launches Fifth Phase of Retrofit Pilot Program

During the peak days of summer, Portland's richly diverse Cully Neighborhood enjoyed a cool breeze as residents gathered for a neighborhood ice cream social last Thursday. The Metropolitan Alliance for Common Good (MACG), Sierra Club Oregon Chapter, LiUNA, and the City of Portland organized the event to launch the neighborhood phase of the city's retrofit program, Clean Energy Works Portland (CEWP).

Green Goal of 'Carbon Neutrality' Hits Limit

Computer giant Dell Inc. said this summer that it has become "carbon neutral," the latest step in its quest to be "the greenest technology company on the planet." What that means, and what it doesn't, may surprise Dell customers and other consumers who have been bombarded with bold environmental promises from major corporations.

UK Launches First Carbon Footprint Label for Retail Clothing

The UK fashion retail market has claimed the world’s first carbon footprint label for clothing. Continental Clothing, described as an ethical and eco-chic manufacturer, working with Carbon Trust, is launching the world’s first Carbon Reduction Label for textile products.

Avoiding the Pitfalls of Product-Level Carbon Footprinting

As companies implement their GHG reduction strategies, many are turning to product level carbon footprinting for insight. By mapping carbon throughout a product’s lifecycle — from the raw material stage to final disposal — it becomes easy to pinpoint where emissions are highest. This powerful (often surprising) insight can trigger the will to drive sustainability deeper into the business.

Accounting for Emissions: Emerging issues and the need for global accounting standards.

This article introduces practitioners to the fundamental accounting issues concerning emissions of GHGs. The key elements of “cap and trade” programs are discussed since they are the predominant market mechanism employed globally to limit GHG emissions. Finally, we examine attempts by standard setters to fill the void in the authoritative accounting guidance in this area and the consequences of the diverse accounting practices that have emerged globally.

Yahoo! Dropping Carbon Offsets for Greener Data Centers

Yahoo’s co-founder David Filo, together with New York Governor David Paterson and Senator Chuck Schumer, announced plans to build the greenest and most energy-efficient data centers in the world.

Saving Energy and Growing Jobs

With elected leaders at every level of government promoting “green jobs” as an economic savior, out-of-work Portlanders might want to know where to find those jobs.

Coca-Cola Enterprises Emissions Reductions, Recycling Goals

Coca-Cola Enterprises, the bottling, marketing and distribution arm of the beverage giant, today released its latest sustainability report, including setting a series of goals for its corporate responsibility and sustainability efforts, called "Commitment 2020." The company, which employs about 72,000 people in its service area of North America and Western Europe, said it plans to cut its overall carbon footprint by 15 percent before 2020, compared to its 2007 baseline.

Accountants Get Briefing On Environmental Reporting Requirements

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) has released its second sustainability briefing to help UK accountants deal with new environmental reporting requirements, according to Accountancy Age. The briefing includes advice on new regulations, risk management, and adapting environmental policies into daily financial operations.

Walmart's Sustainability Index: The Hype and the Reality

Walmart has just unveiled its new Sustainability Index, a project that's been in the works for more than a year, but which is -- finally, after much anticipation and more than a little handwringing by industry, activists, and others -- part of the public discourse. The advance stories over the past few days have been amped up to the point of breathlessness, involving adjectives like "huge" (perhaps) and "audacious" (probably), with one story suggesting the Index will "shake the world" (um, no comment). Such hyperbole is understandable: any green commitment that Walmart makes is potentially a big deal. But now that reality has hit, it's time to take a more sober assessment of what's really going on here.

Tesco Shifting Away from Packaging Weight Reduction Goal

Tesco’s new corporate responsibility report signals a change in direction for reducing the environmental impact of packaging in its stores.

The Next Energy Innovators

BusinessWeek and GreenBiz.com have assembled a list of 25 intriguing energy startups, including young companies that tap geothermal heat, turn waste into biodiesel, and more

Companies Need to Better Understand Emissions, Impacts from Global Supply Chains

Operations, logistics and supply chain executives need to better understand the emissions and impacts from the entirety of their operations in order to improve their environmental performance as well as improve their bottom line, according to a new study.

Into the Wild Blue Yonder: Eco-Rating Systems

The idea of one overarching eco-rating system for every retail product based on a stringent lifecycle analysis might be considered the holy grail of sustainability-focused businesses. Would it still be if such a system were developed by private industry? How about if it were developed by Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer?

Finding the Energy Efficiency Sweet Spot

Over the past year, some of Oregon's efficiency brain trust have begun to implement two innovative financing programs that have the potential to unlock the carbon-reduction, cost-saving, and job-creation power of energy efficiency.