Mike Hower
Managing Director, Sustainability & Social Impact
Deutsche Bank
Mike Hower is tagged in 1051 stories.
Page 4 of 53.
Collaboration /
To mark its 150th anniversary, German firm BASF is hosting a ten-day program in Ludwigshafen focusing on one of the most pressing global challenges: Given the limited resources, how can we secure our energy supply also in the future?By 2050, global energy demand is forecast to rise by more than 50 percent, BASF says, and new solutions will have to be developed in order to secure the energy supply in the future.Germany, in particular, is in the midst of an energy transition: Electricity generation is becoming increasingly decentralized. As a result, electricity grids and energy markets will have to change and become more flexible. That’s why BASF says it chose to make “smart energy” the theme of the tour stop in Germany.
- 8 years ago
Leadership /
Despite the recent horrific acts in Paris, next week world leaders will converge on the city for the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference — otherwise known as the Conference of the Parties (COP) 21 — to achieve what many hope will be the first legally binding and universal agreement on climate change.
- 8 years ago
Behavior Change /
At least 36 percent and up to 57 percent of the the tree species in the Amazon Rainforest should qualify as threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, the most widely recognized authority on threats to species conservation, according to a new study published in the journal Science Advances, as reported by The New York Times.
- 8 years ago
Behavior Change /
Danone, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble and Unilever continue to lead the corporate sector in making and living up to zero-deforestation commitments, but many firms have yet to make public sustainability commitments, according to a new ranking by the Global Canopy Programme.
- 8 years ago
The Next Economy /
After a slow start 6 years ago when the G20 and APEC made commitments to phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, about 30 countries have launched or accelerated fossil fuel subsidy reforms, according to a new paper by the New Climate Economy.The paper, Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform: From Rhetoric to Reality, identifies the lessons learned from past attempts to reform fossil fuel subsidies, explores why progress has been slow and outlines the principles for successful reform.
- 8 years ago
Cleantech /
Telecommunication company Globe Telecom is advocating responsible use of mobile devices in school campuses in the Philippines to leverage advancement in information and communications technology, according to a recent announcement.While government learning institutions are now adopting the use of ICT materials, the use of digital technologies as a learning tool is not as widespread as it should be, Globe Telecom said.However, even if technology is available in the schools, children increasingly are gaining access to some devices, as internet-enabled smartphones abound.
- 8 years ago
Cleantech /
GRI, developer of one of the world’s most widely used sustainability reporting standards, has launched its latest Linkage Document at the Fourth United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights.Linking G4 and the UN Guiding Principles highlights the connections between the GRI G4 Reporting Guidelines (G4) and key concepts of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. These include due diligence, grievance mechanisms and impact assessments — undertaken both for operations and suppliers — which are also recurring concepts throughout G4.
- 8 years ago
Collaboration /
A majority of business leaders say that a long term agreement at the UN climate summit (COP21) in Paris is critical to supporting private sector investment in low carbon solutions, according to a global study by the United Nations Global Compact and Accenture.The UN Global Compact-Accenture CEO Study report, Special Edition: A Call to Climate Action, also reveals that executives see action on climate change as an opportunity for growth and innovation that will be essential to securing competitive advantage in their industries.
- 8 years ago
Product, Service & Design Innovation /
As a newborn startup, going it alone isn’t easy. Although the romantic conception of the birthplace of world-changing, disruptive businesses tends to be Harvard dorm rooms or parents' basements, this just isn’t the case for most fledgling firms.And having a great idea doesn’t guarantee that it will translate into a viable long-standing company. Often the devil is in the most mundane details, such as accounting, office space and legal services. In response to these growing needs, dozens of business “incubators” have sprouted up across the country to help nurture startups into the “next big thing.”
- 8 years ago
Waste Not /
Researchers from UC Davis and UC Cooperative Extension are testing a new method for capturing excess water flows during California’s rainy season by diverting it from rivers into the network of canals running through Central Valley farmland, SFGate reports.This irrigation system remains empty during the rainy months, and the scientists are exploring the possibility of filling some canals with water and directing it onto farmland where it can seep underground.
- 8 years ago
Collaboration /
EVgo, an electric vehicle (EV) DC fast charging solutions firm, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the University of California, San Diego to help support developments in sustainable energy technology, according to a recent announcement.
The agreement formalizes an already strong collaboration focusing on the intersection of electric vehicles and energy storage, and EVgo says it is leading two projects at the university.
In the first project, EVgo has constructed a site for assessing how owners of EV DC charging sites can leverage solar, battery storage and control systems to mitigate site host demand charges and provide services to the grid.
- 8 years ago
New Metrics /
Between 470 to 760 million people could lose their homes to rising sea levels if carbon emissions meet or exceed 4°C of warming — the direction in which business-as-usual is heading — with unstoppable rises to occur over centuries, according to a new report and searchable interactive maps published by Climate Central.
- 8 years ago
Cleantech /
A detailed analysis of 10 electric vehicle (EV) fast charging NRG EVgo Freedom Station sites at Whole Foods Market locations in the San Francisco Bay Area shows a 191 percent increase in EV charging over the last year.EV drivers also show a significant preference for DC fast charging, 12 to 1 when comparing the number of charging sessions to the Level 2 charging also available at those locations. In September 2015 alone there were nearly 6,900 DC fast charge sessions at those stations.
- 8 years ago
Cleantech /
Up to 28 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions will be captured by existing operational carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects this year, according to a new report launched today by the Global CCS Institute.Now in its sixth year, the Global Status of CCS 2015 profiles two large-scale CCS projects: the Canadian Quest project and the Uthmaniyah CO2-EOR Demonstration Project in Saudi Arabia. Uthmaniyah is the first large-scale CCS project in the Middle East.At the launch of this year's report, the number of operational projects stands at 15, with another seven projects in various stages of construction and due to come online in the next 18 months.
- 8 years ago
Supply Chain /
Organizations making up the so-called “Freedom Ecosystem”, including businesses, government, civil society, the funding community and the broader public, can form critical partnerships to help end modern day slavery, according to a new report by Deloitte and nonprofit Free the Slaves.The Freedom Ecosystem – How the Power of Partnership Can Help Stop Modern Day Slavery is the product of a years-long collaborative effort between Deloitte and Free the Slaves, which describes how the Freedom Ecosystem can use collective action to remove conditions that allow slavery to exist.
- 8 years ago
Marketing and Comms /
Millennials will lead the way for small and medium businesses (SMBs) in future conversations and efforts around conservation, energy efficiency and environmental stewardship, according to a new survey by Cox Enterprises.The second annual Cox Conserves Sustainability Survey found that Millennials have a huge appetite for sustainability and will drive adoption of these practices. Millennials showed greater knowledge about sustainability than other age cohorts and a strong interest in implementing sustainable business practices, but noted that in their current roles, they lacked the influence needed to effect change.
- 8 years ago
Cleantech /
Google, along with thinkstep, architecture and engineering tech company Flux and nonprofit Healthy Building Network (HBN), last week launched a new collaborative open data initiative to combine health and environmental impact data on building materials that empowers the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry to achieve greater sustainability.
- 8 years ago
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging /
The Dow Chemical Company on Tuesday announced the launch a new family of resins that offers unprecedented performance levels to help customers address some of today’s most challenging packaging performance gaps.Innate Precision Packaging Resins are created from a patented molecular catalyst coupled with advanced process technology, which Dow says will empower customers to unlock new packaging opportunities through “unmatched stiffness-toughness balance, processing ease and improved sustainability profiles.”
- 8 years ago
New Metrics /
Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health have found that carbon dioxide (CO2) has a direct and negative impact on human cognition and decision-making, according to a new study, as reported by ThinkProgress.These impacts have been observed at carbon dioxide levels that most Americans are routinely exposed to today inside classrooms, offices, homes, planes and cars.
- 8 years ago
New Metrics /
Microsoft has, as of July 1, 2015, achieved carbon neutrality across its manufacturing operations, according to the company’s 2015 Citizenship Report.The software company’s data centers, software development labs, offices and business air travel have been carbon neutral since July 2012.Microsoft was able to achieve carbon neutrality across its global operations due to its internal carbon fee. The program puts a price on carbon and makes the company’s business divisions responsible for the cost of reducing and compensating for the carbon emissions associated with their electricity use and air travel.
- 8 years ago