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Innovation & Technology

The latest products, services, design approaches and business models that are helping organizations of all sizes deliver on their sustainability ambitions and establish a new business as usual

Solar Power Plays Big at New 49ers Stadium

The new football stadium for the San Francisco 49ers will produce enough solar power to offset the energy demands created from home games, the team announced last week.

Patagonia Cultivating Sustainable Wool in Namesake Region

Outdoor apparel company Patagonia is working to restore grasslands in its namesake region of Argentina through a partnership with The Nature Conservancy and Ovis XXI, an Argentine company working to improve the economic, environmental, social and human sustainability of the sheep-based supply chain.

Daimler, Ford, Renault-Nissan To Co-Develop Fuel Cell Vehicles

Three global automakers have signed an agreement to jointly develop a fuel cell system to power zero-emissions vehicles.

Circular Economy Promises $700 Billion in Savings for Consumer Goods Industry, Report Says

The consumer goods industry could save $700 billion in materials alone through the adoption of a circular economy, according to a new report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The report also details how land productivity and supply chain stabilitydesigning products so they can be recycled or reabsorbed into the biosphere without toxic residuals.

Kendall-Jackson Joins Green-e Marketplace with 100% Renewable Energy Commitment

The Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) announced Wednesday that Kendall-Jackson and parent company Jackson Family Wines, based in Santa Rosa, CA, have joined Green-e® Marketplace after purchasing 36,000 megawatt-hours of Green‑e Energy-Certified renewable energy certificates from NativeEnergy. The purchase covers 100 percent of the total annual electricity needs for Kendall-Jackson's U.S.-based operations. By participating in Green‑e Marketplace, Kendall-Jackson can now display the Green‑e logo to inform its customers of its commitment to clean, renewable energy.

How Your Cotton T-Shirt Can Make a Difference

Your favorite t-shirt is made from more than cotton and memories.One key ingredient that doesn’t show up on your shirt’s label is water. Amazingly, it can take 2,700 liters to produce the cotton needed to make a single t-shirt.

Book Review: Zeronauts by John Elkington

Zeronauts: Breaking the Sustainability Barrier by John Elkington, EarthScan, London; Routledge, New York, 2012

How Gravity Could Help Save the Earth and Its Residents

Smoking kills. That shouldn’t come as much of a brow-raiser. But did you know that in most parts of the world, it’s not necessarily tar, nicotine and carcinogens that are leading to early deaths? It’s smoke.

Cleantech

The cleantech sector — including, but not limited to, alternative energy generation — is growing by the minute and holds the answers to many sustainability questions. This channel highlights the diverse set of cleantech applications and the latest breakthroughs tackling problems around energy, water, waste, transportation, ecosystem monitoring, population dynamics, social tensions and behavior change worldwide.

AT&T Home Management Platform Includes Energy Options

AT&T announced a March launch date for its long-awaited Digital Life platform, which will allow homeowners to take greater control of their energy consumption, among other features that are likely to become commonplace in homes of the future.

Scientists Make LEDs 55 Percent More Efficient by Imitating Fireflies

This post first appeared in Grist on January 8, 2013.LEDs are already much more efficient than any other light bulb out there, but a group of scientists figured out how to make them a whopping 55 percent more efficient — by looking at fireflies.

Reckitt Benckiser To Reduce Water, Carbon by One-Third

Reckitt Benckiser, the parent company of well-known consumer brands such as Clearasil and Lysol, announced a new sustainability strategy targeting water conservation, more sustainable health and hygiene innovations for women, and further decreases of its carbon footprint.

Business Model Innovation

This channel will examine business model innovation.

Starbucks Introduces $1 Reusable Coffee Cup

In an effort to increase customer adoption of reusable cups, Starbucks is rolling out a new low-cost reusable tumbler this week, according to reports.The plastic cups will be roughly the same size and appearance as the company’s paper cups and will cost $1. Starbucks will give a 10 cents discount to customers using the cups, so the cost is recouped after 10 uses.