Renewable Energy Mergers and Acquisitions Surge 40% in 2011
Renewable energy merger and acquisitions surged 40% in 2011, with solar energy and energy efficiency leading the way, according to a PwC report. Larger, billion-dollar, deals dominated, a sign of the sector’s increasing maturity, but persistent EU debt problems and overcapacity will continue to plague the sector and M&A in 2012, PwC believes.
LA’s Transition to a Greener Economy
Our economy – and thus, our lifestyle – is firmly entrenched in the infrastructure that surrounds us and how we use it. This makes it extremely challenging to change how we live. At the VerdeXchange Conference in my home city of Los Angeles last week, I was pleased to encounter a group of individuals from government organizations and the private sector coming together to figure out how to transition Los Angeles to a greener economy. Even as a resident working in the sustainability field, I was surprised to learn about some of the work being done to green the city’s most carbon intensive and highly polluting facilities, operations, and infrastructure.
From Detroit to Doha, Citizens Are Building a Greener Economy
My recent stay in Detroit and current trip to Doha have opened my eyes to how citizens are taking matters into their own hands and building more sustainable economies.
EU on Track to Exceed 2020 Carbon Emissions Targets
Reaching a 30% by 2020 EU emissions reduction target would be less than originally estimated, according to an EC study that also includes a plan that not only spreads the costs more equitably, but could benefit weaker member countries financially.
Corruption and Sustainability: Like Oil & Water Do Not Mix
Recently, the Guardian ran a post addressing the question of why eliminating corruption is crucial for sustainability. A first glance the two topics might seem unrelated—the one about criminal behavior and the other about something like environmental responsibility.
Where exactly then, do the two ideas come together?
AbleBanking: A New Bank the Big Ones Shouldn’t Ignore
Did you know Bank of America donated around $200 million last year to charitable causes? It sounds impressive, until you find out that that’s 0.02% of deposits. With all the consumer uproar around banks adding new fees, and the huge success Bank Transfer Day had getting people to move their money to a local credit [...]
India Emerges as Solar Energy Hotspot
A growing host of India’s business conglomerates is leveraging the Indian government’s national solar energy program and investing in the sector, that latest being the Bhanshali group’s Talma Chemical Industries. Talma’s Visual Percept Solar Projects intends to invest in building 100-MW of solar energy generation capacity.
California Renewable Energy Off to a Good Start in 2012 with Five Big Projects
Renewable energy is getting off to a good 2012 start in California with the approval of 5 renewable energy projects that will bring more than 1-GW of clean electrical power and more than 2,900-GWh per year of clean energy on-line. California’s Public Utilities Commission approved investor-owned utility contracts for three SunPower solar, one NextEra Energy wind and one Pattern Energy wind energy project with Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric and San Diego Gas & Electric.
The Real Solar War: US Manufacturers and Installers Fight Over Cheap Chinese Panels
There is a heated debate going on between people who are supposed to be on the same side of the aisle. Yet, when you hear their passionate arguments and the way they describe the damage the other is causing the US, you start wondering if they actually share anything in common. No, I’m not talking about [...]
EU Passes Law that Says: The Chicken Comes First
We’ve all heard the famous rhetorical question, “which comes first, the chicken or the egg?” Well, I’m here to tell to you that the answer is—it depends. If you’re the American egg industry, then the answer is clearly, the egg. In fact, they don’t give a hoot about the chickens and would do away with [...]
Our Perspective on the 8 Strategic Factors Shaping Oil Price in 2012
The price of oil is still one of the most important factors shaping the economy. It can determine not just how much you’ll pay for a gallon of gasoline but also how fast the American and the eurozone economies will recover. It even has a say in who will be the next American president. This [...]
Professional Sports Provide Needed Economic Stimulus in St. Louis
3p is proud to partner with the Presidio Graduate School’s Macroeconomics course on a blogging series about “the economics of sustainability.” This post is part of that series. To follow along, please click here. By Erik Distler In St. Louis, MO, city employees were bracing for the fourth straight year of mandatory furloughs designed to [...]
BP, Halliburton Go to War Over Deepwater Horizon Disaster
The legal battles surrounding the Deepwater Horizon 2010 drilling disaster promise to be just as messy—and more lengthy—than the spill incident itself. The latest shots in this seemingly neverending exercise in passing the buck were fired last month when oil giant BP went to court in New Orleans claiming that US contractor Halliburton (yes, that Halliburton) [...]
Should Coca-Cola Use its Power to Promote Social Justice in Swaziland?
It’s never dull at Coca-Cola. The company didn’t have much time to recover from its white polar bear can campaign fiasco and the accusations it tried to stop a ban on sales of disposable plastic water bottles in the Grand Canyon National Park before a new crisis arose. This time the negative attention concerns Coca-Cola’s presence in [...]
Picasso Got It Right: Sustainable Production and Profitable Consumption
Business exposure is a misnomer in art school, and that’s a shame. Without entirely compromising the integrity of the artistic process, I think there are opportunities for visual artists to maximize profits and reach a new audience of collectors. The process of creating editions is one approach towards sustainable production and profitable consumption.
Chinese Clash with EU Over Carbon Regulations for Airlines
Were the celebrations too early? Earlier this week, I reported on the launch of the new European scheme requiring airlines to pay for the carbon emissions of their flights to and from Europe. As I mentioned, most of the world was pretty angry with the scheme and many countries protested and promised to take an [...]
FDA Caves in to Lobbyists on Antibiotics, Putting Public Health at Risk
Maybe it all goes back to high school science. Maybe the reason I’m sitting here, writing, with urgency about the importance of sustainability, is because over the past fifty to a hundred years, businesses, with a few notable exceptions, have spent too much time concentrating on Physics and Chemistry and not enough time on Biology [...]
Business Predators & Prey
Design strategy and Innovation are preparing businesses for survival. Many aspects contribute to a business succeeding. I believe these include intuition, speed, and agility.
Five Megatrends Creating 2012′s Trillion Dollar Global Sustainable Economy
2012 will be the milestone year that the US economy demonstrates sustained economic growth through adoption of 21st century’s sustainable solutions. Earth 2017‘s economic model estimates that sustainable product solutions have now achieved the breakthrough trillion dollars per year in global annual revenues level and is on the path toward achieving $10 trillion of annual [...]
Transforming Our Economic System From Egocentric Domination to Ecocentric Real Wealth
A reoccurring theme has been emerging in conversations with my friends and colleagues: our economic system.
Does our current economic system work? Who does it serve? Who is it damaging? Is it sustainable? Is there a better way? Can the system be changed?
India’s Solar Future Burns Bright
India is poised to become a solar powerhouse, a possibility on its way to becoming a reality, with sunny prospects for the awakening subcontinent’s economic future. The Indian government has recognized the opportunity they have in a land where the sun shines more than 80 percent of all possible hours, and has set a goal [...]
Happiness is Serious Business
In a world where every day conversations revolve around economic crises, political conflicts and natural disasters, it is no wonder that there is a new found interest in the subject of happiness. As all subjects related to sustainability become increasingly popular, I reflect on the sustainability of the human race and the important role that happiness plays in it.
The Keystone XL Pipeline and Jobs, Jobs, Jobs
Just a few weeks ago it seemed that President Obama struck a fatal blow to the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline, when he decided to delay a review of the project until after the November elections. That may not have been quite enough to kill the massive project outright, but another devastating blow came just before [...]
USDA Approves Monsanto’s Drought Resistant Corn Amidst Skepticism
Last week the USDA’s Animal and Plant Inspection Service (APHIS) announced that it was allowing unlimited, nonregulated planting of Monsanto’s MON 87460 genetically modified corn trait, which was designed to be resistant to certain kinds of drought. This trait will be combined with other traits also approved on the same date, to provide corn that [...]
Fallacies of Free Markets
Examines assumptions underlying arguments for a pure free market system, showing the abstract notions that build the foundations of free market theory and providing examples of why those assumptions do not hold true in reality.
BP Moves Beyond Solar
On May 19, 1997, John Browne, then the CEO of BP, gave his famous ‘Climate Change: the New Agenda’ speech at Stanford, outlining BP’s new approach to global warming. One part of that new agenda was a foray into new energy technologies, particularly solar. Now it looks like solar is about to join the rest [...]
2011: The Year in Sustainability
Without a doubt, the year 2011 has been a remarkable year in the journey to a sustainable future. There have been some exhilarating highs and some devastating lows. While a steady drumbeat of warnings about climate destabilization persists, growing ever louder, the response seems to finally be an awakening of consciousness of the need to [...]
An Oregon Model for Sustainable Cities (and It Ain’t Portland)
Gresham, Oregon has made great strides in its drive to craft a model for sustainable cities. One key aspect of its success has been a strategic, public-private partnership with Veolia Water NA, the centerpiece of which to date has been managing the city’s wastewater treatment plant.
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Have your event listed here.
Webinar: Feb 17Greening Stonyfield Farm: As a consultant with Stonyfield Farm for the past 12 years, Switzer Fellow Tim Greiner will discuss efforts to broaden and deepen sustainability within the company. He will discuss the company's efforts to track its environmental impacts, barriers the company had to overcome.
Webinar: Feb 29Product Scorecards for Sustainability: Product scorecards that detail and evaluate environmental and sustainability aspects of products are increasingly adopted by leading companies. This webinar covers the best practices in this area and a case study by Seventh Generation.
NY: Mar 19-20Wall Street Green: The longest running and most comprehensive environmental market event in the industry. The Wall Street Green Summit covers cutting edge content, industry developments and features the practitioners and the leaders of tomorrow.
Bay Area: Mar 22-23GRI Certified Training: Demand for sustainability experts is growing rapidly as companies look for proven professionals. For companies, GRI trained employees mean faster implementations and better use of the GRI Sustainability Reporting Framework. Join our partner ISOS group for this two day session. Early bird discounts apply!
SF: Mar 26-28Cleantech Forum San Francisco: The 2012 Cleantech Forum San Francisco will mark the 10th anniversary of Cleantech Forums, the annual gathering of the global clean technology innovation community. Our theme this year is “The Power of Global Partnerships,” an exploration of how strategic relationships are playing an ever more important role in the future of clean technology. For a $300 Discount use code "VIPofTriplePundit " More Info.
SF: April 10-12 Navigating the American Carbon World: The must-attend event for professionals in the carbon landscape. Over the past decade, NACW has consistently provided informative content, thoughtful discussions and outstanding opportunities for collaboration.
Have your event listed here.
Webinar: Feb 17Greening Stonyfield Farm: As a consultant with Stonyfield Farm for the past 12 years, Switzer Fellow Tim Greiner will discuss efforts to broaden and deepen sustainability within the company. He will discuss the company's efforts to track its environmental impacts, barriers the company had to overcome.Webinar: Feb 29Product Scorecards for Sustainability: Product scorecards that detail and evaluate environmental and sustainability aspects of products are increasingly adopted by leading companies. This webinar covers the best practices in this area and a case study by Seventh Generation.NY: Mar 19-20Wall Street Green: The longest running and most comprehensive environmental market event in the industry. The Wall Street Green Summit covers cutting edge content, industry developments and features the practitioners and the leaders of tomorrow.Bay Area: Mar 22-23GRI Certified Training: Demand for sustainability experts is growing rapidly as companies look for proven professionals. For companies, GRI trained employees mean faster implementations and better use of the GRI Sustainability Reporting Framework. Join our partner ISOS group for this two day session. Early bird discounts apply!SF: Mar 26-28Cleantech Forum San Francisco: The 2012 Cleantech Forum San Francisco will mark the 10th anniversary of Cleantech Forums, the annual gathering of the global clean technology innovation community. Our theme this year is “The Power of Global Partnerships,” an exploration of how strategic relationships are playing an ever more important role in the future of clean technology. For a $300 Discount use code "VIPofTriplePundit " More Info.SF: April 10-12 Navigating the American Carbon World: The must-attend event for professionals in the carbon landscape. Over the past decade, NACW has consistently provided informative content, thoughtful discussions and outstanding opportunities for collaboration.Have your event listed here.
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