3p Contributor: John Laumer
Recent Articles
Business Not As Usual: Twitter Commentary On Corporate Succession Planning
- When corporate executive change gossip spills outside the pages of financial pages of record and onto thousands of cell phones, something big and new is going on. Wouldn’t you know, the first big example has something to do with maintaining a company’s green image. See Vattenfall Wakes Up to VattenFAIL Reputation: Did Twitter Help Topple CEO? for discussion. Business significance: U2/C3
Business Not As Usual: Astroturfing Follows Congressional Lead, And More
- US corporate-funded astroturfing continues, like a game of whack-a-mole. Expose one of these vampire moles to the light and another one pops up in a different sector. A uniquely American enterprise, the common thread which seems to tie all astroturfing together is Congress. Threaten Federal legislation and up comes a bloody gopher. Have a look at Americans Against Food Taxes?: Who’s Really Fighting Preventative Medicine? for a recent example. Business significance: U5/C3
Business Not As Usual: Hundreds Of Free Green Patents…And More
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Delinquent dioxane isomers seen lurking in darkened store aisles: Walmart to the rescue! Or not.
- Eco-commons, a project of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development now has over 100 public domain green patents available online. See Sharing Green Patents: Eco-Patent Commons & Green Xchange. for some details. Business significance: U1/C2
- Speaking of patents: Chinese banks are underwriting a US$1.5 billion dollar wind farm in West Texas, built using…you guessed it…turbines made in China. You won’t believe the cost analysis. See “Chinese” Wind Farm in Texas: Green Jobs FAIL? for details. Business significance: U5/C5
Business Not As Usual: Eyes On The Electric Vehicle Market…& More
Solving the chicken or egg dilemma for electric vehicles.
- Rocky Mountain Institute just rolled out another one of its typically fascinating crystal balls – one which gives a glimpse into the future of electric vehicles. Is yours one of the many businesses looking for opportunities in a booming electrical vehicle market? Timing will be everything. If your firm wants to catch the wave, or is just thinking about it, have a look at What Will It Take to Get EVs on the Road (Really) Business significance: U3/C5
Business Not As Usual: e-Readers Threaten Paper, Printer Markets, And More
e-Book readers, a threat to paper and printer markets?
- With e-Book designs improving and choices expanding, commodity pricing may arrive within a few years, threatening existing markets for books, magazines, printers, ink cartridges, and fine paper. Even printers and publishers need to pay attention. Get a status snapshot on this technology with Barnes & Noble Says Yes, Microsoft Says No to New e-Readers Business significance: U1/C5 (See rating explanation below)
Business Not As Usual: Sorghum Burning At Coal Plants, And More
- It’s not unusual to encounter wood-fired biomass power plants. Utilities in Europe and the USA currently add wood to the coal boilers. Here’s a new tactic for biomass burning. A large Louisiana coal-fired generator is planting a food crop as well as switch grass to do some trial burns. There are permitting and Cap & Trade issues worth contemplating. See Coal-Fired Power Generator To Supplement Boiler Feed With Switchgrass And Sorghum for details. Business significance rating: Urgency 2, and Criticality 4. (U2/C4).
Business Not As Usual: Apple Polishing; Footprint Verification, & More
- Apple has responded to years of NGO pressure tactics by posting life cycle inventory (LCI) study findings on its website. Such studies generally offer low business value and generate little consumer interest outside a small audience of the most eco-savvy. (Anyone seen peer reviewed, published evidence that life cycle inventory contributes to a business bottom line?) This is mostly about corporate image backup. See Apple Adds More Environmental Impact Information to Website for a full discussion. This particular apple seems unlikely to roll far from its tree; though others may elect to cultivate a green image in more effective, ways. I’m rating business significance fairly low – a scale explained at the bottom of this post – as U1/C3
Business Not As Usual: 12% Of Ocean Shipping Armada Stands Down, & More
- Up to 12% of the world’s cargo ships are standing down, absent cargo or crews. Will there be a commensurate reduction in shipping-related CO2 emissions? Will 2009 be the baseline year against which shipping companies could be required to accomplish reductions? For details, see Ghost Fleet Moored Off Singapore: 12% Of Ocean Shipping Armada Stands Down Business significance for #1 is :U2/C3.
- Do you work in a supply chain for the personal care products? Niche offerings from the green side are poised to threaten the market shares of multinational brands. An online distributor, Become Clean, is moving to be the Amazon of healthy and safe versions. For details, see Become Clean Offers 20% Off Natural Personal Care Products Business significance for #2 is :U1/C5.
Business Not As Usual: Chinese Environmental Activists Riot, And More.
If you’re in the business world, here are five recent TreeHugger.com posts we think you’ll appreciate seeing. Note the rating system introduced in this post ’roundup’ to help you grab the items that mesh with your needs in product design, market development, and corporate management systems. Business “criticality” (C) and “urgency” (U) are each ranked, subjectively, on a scale of 1 through 5, with 5 being the highest, and 1 the lowest. Instructions on how to put the rankings to use are at the bottom of this post.
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