Behavior Change / On Friday, Subaru released a trailer for “Who We Are Is What We Leave Behind,” a video series documenting the car company’s National Parks zero-landfill initiative. See episode one below: - 7 years ago
Waste Not / Two Canadian non-profit groups have partnered on a Kickstarter campaign in hopes of producing 50,000 snack bags for hungry children in Edmonton, Alberta. - 7 years ago
Behavior Change / One year after drugstore chain CVS Health stopped selling cigarettes, the company released new data that shows the decision has influenced tobacco sales across many types of retailers and announced a new school-based tobacco-prevention program. - 7 years ago
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging / Plastic bottles are some of the worst offenders in packaging waste, but sales of bottled water continue to grow: U.S. bottled water volume apparently rose 7 percent last year. - 7 years ago
The Next Economy / There is a building sense of urgency among leading businesses, public figures, and concerned citizens as the United Nations’ Conference of the Parties (COP21) approaches.In December, over 190 government representatives will gather in Paris to discuss a new agreement on climate change. The message to them is clear: We need bold action. - 7 years ago
Product, Service & Design Innovation / Tesla Motors is charging forward with a new partnership with home-sharing startup Airbnb and a record-breaking variant of its Model S, the P85D.The Tesla Model S P85D smashed the Consumer Reports’ rating system, setting a new benchmark for a perfect overall score.At the Consumer Reports test track in East Haddam, Connecticut, the car initially earned a raw 103-point score in the 100-point-based rating system. Consumer Reports made changes to its scoring methodology to account for the car’s exceptionally strong performance, and awarded the Tesla Model S P85D a final score of 100 points. - 7 years ago
Waste Not / Striving toward sustainability is an ongoing trend in the fashion industry, as companies and consumers continue to find alternatives to cheap, disposable clothing and wasteful production practices. The latest: American textile manufacturer Polartec this week celebrated recycling its billionth plastic bottle. - 7 years ago
Supply Chain / Over 35,600 people have signed a Courage Campaign pledge to boycott several popular California produce companies after news that they may be using contaminated oil industry wastewater to grow their crops. - 7 years ago
Waste Not / The Rothes CoRDe, a John Dewar & Sons distillery part-owned by The Combination of Rothes Distillers, is the latest facility under the Bacardi umbrella to produce energy through a biomass boiler fuelled by Scotch whisky distillery by-products. The Dewar's facility produces enough energy to power entire communities of neighboring distilleries — along with about 8,000 homes.“A number of whisky companies are part of an industry consortium looking at sustainable ways of processing by-products from our distilleries,” says Iain Lochhead, Operations Director for John Dewar & Sons Ltd., part of the Bacardi group of companies. - 7 years ago
Collaboration / A remote village in Kenya could have access to 15 million gallons of clean water by the end of the year — funded by Unilever shampoo, deodorant and body wash sales at Walgreens. - 7 years ago
Cleantech / President Obama made several announcements on Monday at the National Clean Energy Summit in Las Vegas, mainly related to executive actions under the Clean Power Plan. New financial commitments include $1 billion in loan guarantees for “innovative” energy projects, $220 million in energy-saving activities for veterans and low-income households, and $24 million for 11 solar panel technology development projects. - 7 years ago
Collaboration / New research from international non-profit organization WorldFish makes a strong case for how to improve nutrition in Bangladesh. The study finds that there are significant health benefits associated with the use of small fish in chutney and flour, especially for pregnant women and infants.Bangladesh has high rates of undernutrition; 24 percent of women in Bangladesh aged 15-49 have a body mass index (BMI) below the healthy range. For infants and children, undernutrition is a major cause of stunting which can adversely affect their development, especially in the first 1,000 days of life. - 7 years ago
Waste Not / You might already be using them in your garden or they might be fueling your commute — but now you can use them in your 3D printer: Coffee grounds seem to be wasted less and less by the day, thanks to waste-to-energy and upcycling efforts across the globe. - 7 years ago
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging / A recent report from Transparency Market Research revealed that sustainability awareness is driving the demand for paper packaging. Paper is the largest material type in the packaging market and is growing, since it is both economically and environmentally appealing.Volatility in raw material prices, energy costs, and the global economy have significantly affected the global packaging market, motivating companies to develop recyclable and reusable packaging. - 7 years ago