3p Contributor: Corina
Recent Articles
Ask a Climate Expert at ClimateBiz.com
This month ClimateBiz.com is kicking off its brand-new Ask the Climate Expert column. Every other Monday, expert-in-residence Dr. Mark C. Trexler will answer readers’ questions on emissions reduction, climate risk management, and other hot topics. Read about Mark’s professional background and start getting your climate questions answered today!
Women Continue Their Search for Equal Rights
International Women’s Day started today with a march for equal rights. 30,000 people were expected in Sao Palo, Brazil to begin the world march in search of an international charter for women’s equal rights. The sexual revolution may have changed the lives of millions, but it has not yet reached much of the world’s female population living in exploitation, oppression and violence.
According to a report published Tuesday by the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 70 percent of the 1.3 billion people living in poverty are women. And although women hold 39 percent of the world’s 2.8 billion jobs, a higher proportion than ever before, “the best paid jobs are overwhelmingly reserved for men,” the confederation said.
Old Containers Come to Aid in Sri Lanka
The Seattle-based firm, Team Hybrid, in partnership with non-government organizations Asiana Education Development and Doctors of the World, is transforming shipping containers into well-designed health clinics that can be put into long-term use in Sri Lanka. The aid stations will be outfitted with medical supplies and moved to a new location every four months. The team hopes to have them in place by April. Sustainable Metropolis has more on this story.
New Water-Based Paint Reduces VOCs, CO2 Emissions
Toyota Motor Corp. and Daihatsu Motor Co. have jointly developed a new environment-friendly, water-based paint and new painting methods. These new technologies are expected to reduce VOC emissions by about 70 percent and CO2 emissions by about 15 percent compared with conventional processes, resulting in the lowest emission levels in the world. Daihatsu began selling cars painted with these new technologies on December 20, 2004. Learn more about this innovation in this months Japan for Sustainability.
New Tool to Green Campus Emissions
A new online tool by the nonprofit Clean Air – Cool Planet was launched a to help colleges and universities take action to reduce the threat of global warming. The Campus Climate Action Toolkit was in development for two years and contains a spreadsheet for taking an inventory of emissions, a guide to identifying emissions reduction targets and developing a campus climate action plan, case studies of projects and measures from other institutions, and a variety of links to resources for specific action steps. Even if you’re not in college, it’s a great resource.
Building Equity, Reducing Risk: What’s CSR Got to Do With It?
Wondering how to stay on the cutting edge of business and sustainability? The answer: Conferences One annual event that always makes my top 10 list is the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES). This year, April 13 and 14, the organization brings together a distinguished panel of experts to discuss the progress and challenges involved in taking corporate social responsibility deeper inside the executive offices, boardrooms and the investment community. Hope to see you there!
TerraPass: “Kyoto for Commuters”
Industrious MBA students at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School turned a professor’s challenge into a successful and innovative environmental service. The company, TerraPass, is helping individual drivers offset the carbon dioxide emissions of their vehicles by purchasing carbon credits through the Chicago Climate Exchange, dubbing it “Kyoto for Commuters.”
The new company was initially created as a project for a course on operations management taught by Professor Karl Ulrich in the MBA program at Wharton. “I gave the students a rough concept hoping to marry the theory with practice in real-world problem solving. The students turned this concept into an environmentally friendly business,” says Prof. Karl Ulrich.
The students, all MBA candidates with diverse backgrounds worked in teams to launch TerraPass in January 2005, less than 6 weeks from its start. The company has now attracted over 300 members and has offset more than 3.5 million pounds of CO2 for its customers. Way to go Wharton!
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