Mike Hower
Managing Director, Sustainability & Social Impact
Deutsche Bank
Mike Hower is tagged in 1051 stories.
Page 19 of 53.
Cleantech /
Denmark has announced an ambitious goal to wean itself off of fossil fuels and power the entire country with renewables by 2050.What sets the Scandinavian country apart from other countries is that it is applying this goal to electrical production as well as transportation. Although some might argue the Danes are being overly optimistic, they are already above 40 percent renewable power on their electric grid and are headed toward 50 percent by 2020.
- 9 years ago
Leadership /
Sustainability leaders have increasing influence over decision-making, strategy and budgets in boardrooms worldwide, according to a new report by analyst firm Verdantix.
- 9 years ago
Cleantech /
Only seven companies representing just a quarter of the total photovoltaic (PV) module market share responded to the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition’s (SVTC) Fifth Annual 2014 Solar Scorecard, which ranks manufacturers of solar (PV) modules according to a range of environmental, sustainability and social justice factors.
- 9 years ago
Collaboration /
Saraya Co., Japanese manufacturer of hygiene and sanitation products, has joined the Business Call to Action (BCtA) with an initiative to decrease healthcare associated infections in Uganda.Saraya brings alcohol-based hand rub products to East Africa in an effort to reduce the spread of preventable diseases. The company has committed to improving the compliance rate of healthcare workers in Uganda and scale-up its products production and sales by 2016.
- 9 years ago
Waste Not /
Novelis, producer of aluminum rolling products, has announced a new commitment to convert all of its beverage can body sheet production to its evercan sheet by the end of 2017.
- 9 years ago
Marketing and Comms /
Nearly two-thirds (64%) of Americans say they are more inclined to support social and environmental issues in a variety of ways, including volunteering, donating and sharing information, after first “liking” or “following” an organization online, according to new research by Cone Communications.Americans also view their online activities as a positive way to make an impact on the issues they care about, with 60 percent believing tweeting or posting information online is an effective form of advocacy or support.
- 9 years ago
Products and Design /
U.K.-based startup Aquavus is developing a new technology that uses ultrasound to purify and desalinate seawater and clean contaminated water. The system uses powerful ultrasound to blast impure water into particles of less than 10 microns, which then evaporate and condense to form pure water.A single Aquavus unit can purify around 800 gallons a day—enough to supply clean water for 150 people each day in regions in the Global South where people consume just over five gallons per day for drinking, cooking and bathing.
- 9 years ago
Behavior Change /
AOL and SAP have joined a slew of tech companies to cut ties with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a conservative lobbying group that has become renowned for its opposition to environmental regulations.Last week, a company representative for SAP cited ALEC's conservative stance on climate change and its long-standing positions on gun control and voter rights as reasons for dropping support.Environmental organizations and public-interest groups have accused ALEC of denying the existence of climate change, which ALEC denies. However, ALEC sponsors model legislation that runs counter to the scientific consensus on climate change.
- 9 years ago
Products and Design /
Replenish Bottling, creator of the Replenish Refill System™, has launched a new product line that could change the way many water-based consumer products are designed, manufactured and sold.Using Replenish’s patented Refill System, the CleanPath line of products allows consumers to mix concentrates with water at home using a reusable bottle, thereby eliminating carbon emissions and plastic waste by over 80 percent.The Replenish packaging technology can be found in a new line of concentrate household cleaning and personal care items sold under the CleanPath brand exclusively on the shelves of 2,000 Walmart stores, in 200 Sam’s Clubs and on Walmart.com.
- 9 years ago
Collaboration /
Danielle Dahan has been named the Grand Prize winner of this year’s Climate CoLab, a project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that uses online contests to find creative new ways to address global climate change.Dahan took home the $10,000 award for her proposal, "Improve Building Energy Performance: Green Job Skills Training," which addresses the shortage of qualified personnel to maintain the increasingly sophisticated heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems installed in green buildings today.
- 9 years ago
Waste Not /
California’s recent ban on single-use plastic bags has, as one might expect, led to a boom for reusable bag manufacturers in the Golden State. One manufacturer, Earthwise Bag Company, says it increased the number of U.S. workers employed in the production of its bags by 300 percent in 2014, and has plans for further expansion in 2015 and beyond.
- 9 years ago
New Metrics /
Conservation impact investing totaled approximately $23 billion in the five-year period from 2009 to 2013, according to a new report by EKO Asset Management Partners and The Nature Conservancy’s NatureVest division.During the same period, private investments accounted for almost $2 billion of this market — an amount that is growing at an average of 26 percent annually, and is expected to reach more than $5.6 billion by 2018.
- 9 years ago
Cleantech /
Microsoft, Siemens and FuelCell Energy have come together to build what they claim is the first zero-carbon, waste-to-energy data center in the U.S.Microsoft's data center in Cheyenne, Wyoming uses biogas produced at the nearby Dry Creek facility, which is a byproduct of municipal wastewater treatment. Anaerobic bacteria produce the biogas while stabilizing solids removed from wastewater. The fuel cell electrochemically converts the biogas into electricity to power the Microsoft IT server container. Virtually no air pollutants are released because of the absence of combustion.
- 9 years ago
Leadership /
Current and future leaders believe the most significant leadership challenge facing business today is the integration of sustainability into core business operations, according to a new study by BSR, GlobeScan and Net Impact.
- 9 years ago
ICT and Big Data /
EcoLab and Trucost on Wednesday launched a free new tool to help companies assess water-related risks in financial terms and enable more informed decision-making.The Water Risk Monetizer is the first financial modeling tool that enables businesses to factor water into decisions that support business growth and help ensure the availability of this limited natural resource for future generations. The tool provides actionable information to help businesses understand the impact of water scarcity to their operations and quantify those risks in financial terms.
- 9 years ago
Behavior Change /
The Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) has announced that its membership has overwhelmingly approved global Principles and Criteria for defining sustainable beef and sustainable beef production practices.More than 96 percent of the GRSB General Assembly members voted in favor of the definition, principles and criteria. Every one of the five constituencies — producer, commerce and processing, retail, civil society and regional and national roundtables — voted to approve the definition.
- 9 years ago
Products and Design /
Timberland has announced a collaboration with tire manufacturer and distributor Omni United to create the first tires ever purposely designed to be recycled into footwear outsoles after their journey on the road is complete.
Timberland Tires represent a new model in tire innovation: a sustainable, tire-to-shoe lifecycle. The tires will be made in the U.S. (using both domestic and imported materials) and feature a rubber formulation that is appropriate for the recycling of the tires at the end of their useful life into shoes, rather than alternatives such as being used for tire-derived fuel or ending up in landfills.
- 9 years ago
Behavior Change /
Age is less of a factor than widely thought when it comes to workplace preferences in the U.S., according to a new workplace strategy report by CBRE Group.The study found that, while current assumptions about millennials are driving the design of many workplaces today, there is actually little difference in workplace preferences between millennials, Generation Xers and baby boomers. The study is based on aggregated CBRE Workplace Strategy surveys from more than 5,500 office workers across numerous industries,
- 9 years ago
Waste Not /
Southwest Airlines has announced the distribution of products made in Kenya and the U.S. as part of its global upcycling initiative LUV Seat: Repurpose with Purpose. The distribution in Kenya completes the second phase of the multi-year environmental program, which will upcycle around 80,000 former airline seat coverings into new leather products to provide training and jobs in several communities in addition to keeping these materials out of a landfill.
- 9 years ago
Cleantech /
Governments can keep climate change in check at manageable costs but will have to cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2100 to limit risks of irreversible damage, according to a new UN report, as reported by Reuters.The 40-page synthesis is a summation of 5,000 pages of work by 800 scientists already published since September 2013, and says global warming is now causing more heat extremes, downpours, acidifying the oceans and pushing up sea levels.
- 9 years ago