PRESS RELEASE -
UPS (NYSE:UPS) today announced updates to 125 hybrid electric delivery trucks that extend their range and improve fuel economy as part of the company’s broader Rolling Laboratory approach.
A compact, quiet-running 2-cylinder engine replaces a prior 4-cylinder engine to extend their range, improve performance and fuel efficiency. The updated trucks deliver significant fuel economy equivalency gains – up to four times the fuel economy of a gasoline-powered vehicle. They will be deployed in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Nevada, Ohio and Texas later this year.
LEADERSHIP -
Last week, the Government of Canada released the 2015 Progress Report and 2016-2019 draft of the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS).
MARKETING AND COMMS -
Air pollution in China is unavoidable, and a huge health problem. Last year, a Berkeley Earth study found that deaths related to the main air pollutant, PM2.5 particles, total 1.6 million a year or 17 percent of China’s mortality rate.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Biofuels have been a topic in aviation sector corporate responsibility for several years, leading to numerous initiatives from airplane manufacturers and airlines to advance their research and development. Boeing, for example, has been working with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other partners towards a goal of producing 1 billion gallons of aviation biofuel by 2018.
CLEANTECH -
A new collaboration between Cree Inc. and Cisco Technology, Inc. enables light-emitting diode (LED) lighting to be connected through the internet and customized for each building to create more productive spaces while saving energy and
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
This week, paint and coatings manufacturer AkzoNobel issued 126,785 carbon credits – worth over $500,000 – to 16 ships that reduced their emissions by switching the coating on their hulls. The vessels were ‘rigorously assessed’ by an independent auditor, RINA Services and The Gold Standard Foundation, to verify their fuel consumption data.
CLEANTECH -
California’s drought is contributing to a dangerous cycle: Reduced water flows have reduced hydroelectric power generation, leading to an increased reliance on natural gas for the state to meet its energy needs. Since climate change is worsening California’s drought, and emissions contribute to climate change, well, the situation is not good, to say the least.
CLEANTECH -
This week, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched the “Better Buildings Challenge SWAP,” a three-episode web-based reality series in which Hilton Worldwide and Whole Foods Market swap energy-management teams at their facilities in San Francisco.As part of the SWAP, each team identified innovative ways to save energy in Hilton San Francisco Union Square, a 1.8 million sq. foot hotel and Whole Foods Ocean Avenue, a 25,600 sq. foot grocery store. See episode one, below:
COLLABORATION -
Ford Motor Company is proud to become the first automaker to join the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC), a nonprofit coalition of leading electronics companies dedicated to improving the social, environmental and ethical conditions of their global supply chains.
CLEANTECH -
The U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision to delay the enforcement of President Obama’s Clean Power Plan was a victory for the coalition of 27 industry opponents and mostly Republican-led states that believe the regulations are a “power grab.” In response, a bipartisan group of 17 states has announced that they will collaborate to expand clean energy, modernize energy infrastructure, and drive change.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Last month, IKEA’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Steve Howard, raised eyebrows at a panel debate by suggesting that in some parts of the world we have reached the point of ‘peak stuff’, a comment that was interpreted by some as a warning that consumer appetite for home furnishings had reached a crucial turning point.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
When it comes to fuel economy, lightweight design and temperature control are important considerations for cars and airplanes alike – and the impact of a coat of paint might surprise you. Vehicles with more reflective coatings or with less paint can be more efficient.According to the U.S. Department of Energy, hot weather can increase vehicle fuel economy because engines warm up to an efficient temperature faster, summer grades of gasoline can have slightly more energy, and warm air causes less aerodynamic drag than cold air. However, the use of air conditioning can reduce a vehicle’s fuel economy by more than 25 percent in very hot conditions.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
There are still 2.4 billion people without access to toilets, risking their health and safety on a daily basis. Costs, culture, and a lack of awareness of the dangers of unsanitary practices pose substantial challenges and have resulted in an ongoing search for a sustainable and affordable “next-generation” toilet.
CLEANTECH -
On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with conservatives seeking to delay the enforcement of President Obama's Clean Power Plan until legal challenges are resolved. The move is a blow to the administration and a victory for the coalition of 27 mostly Republican-led states and industry opponents that call the regulations "an unprecedented power grab."The temporary stay came from a 5-4 majority of the justices; the high court's four liberal justices said Tuesday they would have denied the request for delay.
WASTE NOT -
Unilever today announced a new industry-leading achievement of sending zero non-hazardous waste to landfill across more than 600 sites, in 70 countries, including factories, warehouses, distribution centers and offices. Having identified the different non-hazardous waste streams in its operations, Unilever has now found alternative routes for the waste from these sites.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Could the health and environmental benefits of taxes on sugary drinks and carbon-intensive foods outweigh the out-of-pocket costs? New research from Oxford University and the University of Reading suggests that is indeed the case. A study published in BMC Public Health found that a combination of a sugar tax on soft drinks and a food-based carbon tax in the United Kingdom could raise £3.6 billion in revenue, reduce carbon emissions by 19 million tonnes, and increase life expectancy.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Product carbon footprinting is not a philanthropic act undertaken by companies to save the world. It has real commercial returns. It helps businesses to understand how to optimise the design and creation of their products or services, prompting them to improve efficiency in their own operations and within their supply chains.
CLEANTECH -
Global fuels giant ExxonMobil seems to be unmoved by the investigations into its climate change lies – first in New York and now in California – and the international Paris Agreement that calls for limiting global temperature rise below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
A competition that began in October, the CoolCalifornia Challenge, is motivating Californians in 22 participating cities to reduce their water and energy consumption. The cities are competing for a share of $150,000 to put towards local sustainability projects and the coveted title of “Coolest City in California,” and Mayors and city officials are joining in the fun by releasing rallying call videos to encourage their constituents to take part.
COLLABORATION -
Representatives from almost 200 countries convened in Paris in December to reach the most significant agreement on climate change since the topic initially surfaced as a political priority some decades ago.