Cleantech
The latest products, services and cleantech applications and how they are tackling some of our most pressing social and environmental issues.
Breakthroughs Converging to Completely Derail Fossil Fuels
What will ultimately push fossil fuels back the way of the dinosaur? Purely and simply, is it our ethics and our resolve as consumers and brands that will end our dependence on dirty energy. The response to Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement — in which business and civic leaders vowed to continue working towards clean energy, anyway — is easily part of the mix. The response demonstrated a deep level of commitment.
Shell CEO ‘Welcomes’ Idea of Banning Petrol in UK Before 2040
Ben van Beurden, CEO of Royal Dutch Shell, said he welcomed the idea of bringing forward the UK’s ban on new petrol and diesel car sales that is currently set for 2040. MPs,
CO2 Challenge Seeks New Tech to Help Cargill Decarbonize the Shipping Sector
A new global challenge aims to find and scale new technologies capable of reducing a ship’s gross carbon dioxide emissions by ten percent. Businesses and entrepreneurs with a product in need of commercial assessment, testing, investment and scaling are invited to apply to participate in the “CO2 Challenge,” launched by Cargill in partnership with DNV GL and Rainmaking.
Vancouver Economic Commission: “If We’re an Island of Green, We’re F***ed”
Striving to be the world’s greenest city by 2020, Vancouver has adopted several ambitious action plans and goals. The Vancouver Economic Commission (VEC) set to work in 2010 to define what a “green job” was at the city level in order to meet the City’s economic goals to double the number of green jobs and the number of businesses engaged in greening their operations within a decade. Since then, VEC has been building relationships with investors, helping local cleantech firms increase their exports, and using city infrastructure projects to lead by example.
Mars Australia to Match 100% of Its Electricity Use with Renewable Energy by 2020
Mars Australia has signed 20 year power-purchase agreements (PPA) with Total Eren to generate the equivalent of 100 percent of Mars’ electricity from renewable energy by 2020. In addition to its latest agreement in Australia, Mars is already using or purchasing renewable electricity to cover 100 percent of its operations in Belgium, Brazil, Lithuania, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Where Next for Subsidies as Electric Vehicles Mainstream?
The future of transport is shaping up electric — by 2040, more than half of all new car sales and a third of global fleet will be electrified, according to research from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Its latest forecast shows sales of electric vehicles (EVs) increasing from 1.1 million worldwide in 2017 to 11 million in 2025, then surging to 30 million in 2030 as they become cheaper to produce than internal combustion engine cars.
Bluon Ready to Lead Industry Through Rigmarole of Replacing Refrigerants
As we get ready to judge our semi-finalists in the 2018 Sustainable Brands Innovation Open, we wanted to check in with last year’s semi-finalists to learn about the impacts they continue to have on the business world. Here, we catch up with Bluon Energy.
Immotor’s LEVs, Battery-as-a-Service Model Transforming Transit Worldwide
As we get ready to select our semi-finalists for the 2018 Sustainable Brands Innovation Open, we wanted to check in with last year’s semi-finalists to learn about the impacts they continue to have on the business world. Here, we catch up with Immotor.
4 Hidden Costs of Sustainable Logistics for Small Businesses
These days, there is more pressure than ever on businesses to be environmentally conscious, reduce their impact and do their part to keep the planet healthy. Logistics is a major area of focus for many, with a lot of potential for impact due to traditional transport’s huge fuel and energy requirements.
Technology: The Trojan Horse for Hotel Sustainability
Technology has been quickly evolving into many markets such as clothing, food, health and home, and hotels are certainly no exception. As the industry is disrupted by more privatized options such as AirBnb and VRBO, Bloomberg reports that technology has become “top of mind for hotels,” as they seek to compete by providing amenities and new services for luxury vacationers and business travelers.
Why Business Needs to Collaborate for a Clean Energy Future
Many people assume that tech companies are always competing. But as we celebrate Earth Day this year, we’re feeling grateful for our tech peers. When it comes to the environment, working together allows us to make bigger strides toward our shared sustainability goals — and collaboration is the only way forward.
The US Has a Low-Carbon Vehicle Fuel — But It's Being Thrown Away
The United States generates millions of tons of food scraps; inedible fats, oils and greases; sewage and manure. Some of this organic waste is used for energy or fertilizer, but most of it — around 50 million tons a year — is sent to landfills, incinerated or otherwise left to decompose.
GM, L’Oréal Compete on DOE’s Latest Better Buildings Challenge Swap
In season 4 of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Better Buildings Challenge SWAP web series, energy management teams from General Motors (GM) and L’Oréal USA visit each other’s facilities in search of opportunities to reduce their energy use and save money.
How Corporate Fleets Can Go Carbon-Negative Now
Many corporate leaders committed to supply chain sustainability are waiting for a full range of electric vehicles to hit the market to achieve zero emissions from their heavy-duty truck fleets. But there’s no need to wait: With a new model natural gas engine now in commercial production, fleets can meet their heaviest-duty needs using carbon-negative renewable natural gas (RNG) in near-zero-emission natural gas trucks.
Ford: A Measure of Progress
In Henry Ford’s day, there was no term for environmentalist. But he had a goal of zero waste to landfill, just as we do today, based on his belief that nothing should be wasted. Those values still hold true at Ford. Currently, conversation is underway on setting the near-term standards for fuel economy. It is a critical one for all of us who care about the environment and our customers, and we all need to work together to ensure there is a win on both fronts.
12 Asian Entrepreneurs Win $10K for Low-Carbon Mobility, Plastic Waste, Energy Ideas
UN Environment has awarded seed funding to twelve young people with business ideas on how to foster energy-efficient, low-waste and low-carbon lifestyles. Each of the winners of the Asia Pacific Low Carbon Lifestyles Challenge will receive US$10,000 and mentorship to help bring their ideas to fruition.
Middle School Students Are Saving Rainforests Using Old Smartphones
Hundreds of students from Los Angeles STEM programs will participate in one of the largest student-driven programs ever launched to protect the world’s rainforests. Rainforest Connection’s “Planet Guardians” program will guide middle schoolers in building solar-powered listening devices using old smartphones. These “Guardian” devices will be installed high in the trees of fragile rainforests to capture sounds of illegal logging and alerting forest rangers in real time.
$94B Needed to Realize RE100 Renewable Energy Targets by 2030
Cross-Posted from Finance & Investment. Bloomberg New Energy Finance has released a new report that reveals that signatories of the RE100 initiative have a long way to go to achieve their 100 percent renewable energy targets by 2030. For the initiative’s 128 members to meet their goal, they will need to spend an estimated $94 billion. According to Bloomberg, this is enough to procure 172 TWh of renewable power and add 87 gigawatts of new wind and solar power capacity.
Global Cities Committed to 100% Renewable Energy More Than Double in Two Years
Renewables are on the rise — according to new data published today by CDP, over 100 cities around the world are now getting at least 70 percent of their electricity from renewable sources such as hydro, geothermal, solar and wind. The list includes large cities such as Auckland, New Zealand; Nairobi, Kenya; Oslo, Norway; Seattle, USA; and Vancouver, Canada; and is more than double the 40 cities who reported that they were powered by at least 70 percent clean energy in 2015.
Trending: Big Boosts to Fuel Cell, Solar Technology
Clean, efficient electricity is essential for constructing a low-carbon future, but more advanced technologies are needed to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels. Scientists around the world are rising to the challenge, delivering new energy solutions that could finally tip the scales in favor of sustainability.
