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Cleantech

The latest products, services and cleantech applications and how they are tackling some of our most pressing social and environmental issues.

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Startup Aims to Get People in the 'Habit' of Eating What Their Bodies Truly Crave

Habit, a new startup at the intersection of nutrition, technology and food delivery, will offer personalized nutrition solutions for the likely millions of Westerners who have yet to find a 'diet' that works for them.

New Campaign Puts Smart Thermostats to Work for Climate Change Research

Smart thermostat company ecobee has launched a first-of-its-kind program inviting its customers to voluntarily contribute their home heating and cooling data to advance energy and climate change science. Historically, studies using home energy use data have been limited to small groups of homes, but smart homes could allow far more information to become available for research. With over one million customers, ecobee is hoping many of them will opt-in to sharing their data, anonymously and securely, to advance innovations in energy efficiency.

Airbnb, SolarCity Partner to Incentivize Members to Switch to Clean Energy

Airbnb has formed another strategic partnership aimed at increasing the environmental benefits of home sharing: Airbnb and SolarCity, the nation’s largest solar power provider, have joined forces to connect Airbnb hosts and guests with an affordable and sustainable way to power their homes with solar energy.

How DONG Is Working to Turn the Tables on 'Black' Energy

Here’s what you need to know about DONG Energy right now: It’s the largest energy provider in Denmark, and since 2008, has pivoted from being primarily an oil and natural gas provider to now offering more than 55 percent renewable energy to its customers.

The Business Case for One Map in Indonesia

One of the major challenges in stopping illegal deforestation in Indonesia is the existence of numerous, conflicting concession maps, based on which level of government, or ministry, you talk to. This means for companies such as Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), APRIL or Felda, the land they have been granted could also have been given to another company, or conflict with indigenous or customary community land. And that's a problem.

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Trending: Chicken of the Sea, Google Set to Make Waves with Seafood Traceability Platforms

Following numerous reports of slave labor in seafood supply chains, traceability seems to have (finally) become a priority for the industry.

White House, Google, Amazon Launch Big Data Tool to Help with Climate Resilience Planning

Despite international efforts to curb climate change, communities and companies alike need to prepare for the impacts of a changing climate. With this in mind, The White House has launched a new public-private collaboration to improve the availability and usability of data and information for climate resilience. Companies including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google, Microsoft and IBM’s The Weather Company are working alongside NGOs and four U.S. Federal agencies to execute the project.

This Virtual Planning Tool Helped San Francisco Develop a Tech Roadmap for Its Sustainability Goals

A data-driven modeling tool is helping cities – including San Francisco – reach their sustainability goals by outlining which technologies will provide the greatest impact. According to a study released last week, electric car sharing alone has the potential to reduce emissions by half a million tonnes by 2050 – representing a 13 percent reduction in GHGs from a single technology.

RE100, EP100 Convince Even More Big Names to Invest in Cleaner, Smarter Energy

During Climate Week NYC 2016 this week, several companies made bold commitments through The Climate Group’s two leading corporate energy campaigns: RE100, which is focused on transitioning to 100 percent renewable power, and EP100, a new initiative focused on doubling energy productivity.

More Than 3/4 of Americans Say Next President Should Speed Up Adoption of Renewable Energy

As Americans count down to Election Day, more than three-quarters (78 percent) believe the winner of the presidential race should prioritize the faster adoption of renewable energy, according to the seventh annual Sense & Sustainability® Study released by G&S Business Communications (G&S). The G&S Sense & Sustainability Study was conducted online by Harris Poll in August 2016 among 2,007 U.S. adults.

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Uncovering Solar Power’s Hidden Environmental Costs

It’s been a good couple of years for the solar industry. In 2015, some 7.5 megawatts were added to the grid in the United States, according to the Solar Industries Association (SIA), which fueled 19 percent in the photovoltaic market over 2014.

How 2 Sports Giants Are Racing to Save the World

Meet two racers who share a need to push the envelope - whether the subject is figuring out how to go a few millimeters per second faster than before or preserving endangered species.

Tuna Supply Chain Successfully Tracked, Traced Through Blockchain Tech

Consumers are hungry for greater transparency - especially when it comes to fish. A recent study found that more than half of consumers are willing to pay more for certified sustainable seafood products. Yet, the industry’s complicated global supply chains have made traceability a challenge and have allowed forced labor to thrive.

Offshore Wind Costs Hit Record Low with New Dutch Wind Farm

Only four years ago, offshore wind farm developer DONG Energy set an ambitious 2020 target to build offshore wind energy for less than €100 per MWh. The target was also later adopted by the offshore wind industry. With Borssele 1+2, the forthcoming wind farm in the Netherlands, the target has now been reached. Head of Wind Power at DONG Energy, Samuel Leupold, says: “With Borssele 1 and 2, we’re reaching a critical industry milestone more than three years ahead of time. This demonstrates the great potential of offshore wind.”

SAP Finds Savings of $33T, 7.6 Gigatons of Carbon in Digital Business

Six industries could enjoy massive savings and emissions cuts by digitizing their business processes and applying data to monitor resource use. According to SAP, Europe’s largest software company, each of the identified industries could cut at least half a gigaton of carbon emissions by making such changes, and together, they could help save around $33 trillion worth of resources and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 7.6 gigatons by 2030. In order of highest potential emissions cuts, the six industries SAP identified are: utilities (2.2 gigatons); agriculture and food production (1.6 gigatons); transportation and logistics (1.5 gigatons); construction (1.1 gigatons); manufacturing (0.7 gigatons); and retail and consumer production (0.5 gigatons).

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How United Technologies Is Propelling Us Toward a Future of Sustainable Urbanization

News Deeply, in partnership with Sustainable Brands, has produced a series of profiles looking at how brands are tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges. The goal is to examine trends and gather insights from a new wave of corporate citizenship – in an era when the private sector is increasingly expected to play a positive role in improving our lives and societies. This is the 7th article in the series.

Personal Sustainability Alert: FordPass Just Might Help Take the Pain Out of Finding Parking

More than one-third of American adults agree: Finding parking in many major cities is such a pain that they’re ditching driving to avoid the hassle. But with Ford’s new FordPass® platform, drivers can eliminate that anxiety — and avoid a showdown over parking — before they even get into their car.

Ford Doubling Team, Partnering with Startups to Offer Fully Autonomous Ride Sharing by 2021

Ford has announced a plan to have a ride-sharing service featuring high-volume, fully autonomous, Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)-defined level 4-capable vehicles in commercial operation by 2021. To get there, the company is investing in or collaborating with four startups to enhance its autonomous vehicle development, doubling its Silicon Valley team and more than doubling its Palo Alto campus.

Cleantech Companies Delivered Triple the Returns of Fossil Fuel Companies Over Past Decade

A report released today from As Yow Sow and Corporate Knights reveals that a list of 200 clean energy companies known as the Carbon Clean 200™ (Clean200™) show a simulated annualized return of 21.82 percent over the past decade – nearly triple that of the Carbon Underground 200™, a list of fossil fuel companies being targeted for divestment, which generated a 7.84 percent annualized return over the same period. The Clean200’s high figure was largely due to the explosive growth experienced by Chinese cleantech firms, but firms outside of China still had figures superior to the S&P 1200 global benchmark and Carbon Underground 200.

5 Ways Entrepreneurs Are Helping to Solve Climate Change

On April 22 – Earth Day 2016 – a record 175 nations agreed to keep this century’s global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius by signing the Paris Agreement, conceived at last year’s Paris Climate Conference (COP21). While unclear what country-level solutions will emerge, we know moving towards a low-carbon future is a critical component.

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