Serving people, planet and profit: An 'integrated bottom-line' approach to looking at business for entrepreneurs, activists, and decision makers
Welcome to Triple Pundit. Economy, environment, and society are interdependent. For too long business has thought of itself as separate. We aim to change that. If you would like to contribute by becoming a columnist or simply have some ideas to share,
3P is excited to be attending the 2008 Sustainable Brands conference in Monterey, CA this June. If you are responsible for your company's brand or sustainability strategy, there is no more important conference to attend this year. Please register for the conference here, and we'll see you there.
The 3P Newswire has it's very own RSS feed. Just click here to subscribe.
Pablo is a Sustainability Engineer who uses his unique background to answer readers' sustainability-related questions. Pablo is a Sustainability Engineer and VP at ClimateCHECK. He is a graduate of the Presidio School of Management and earned his engineering degree from Cal Poly. 
He answers readers' questions with regards to such technical issues as energy consumption, efficiency, life cycle analysis, and environmental footprints of business. His perspective is that of a seasoned engineer with the added business sense that comes with an MBA in Sustainable Management.
Is it environmentally better to keep my 1986 Mercedes-Benz W126 or buy a new hybrid?
This is a question I have gotten a lot, and one that I have wondered about myself. You see a modern-day tie-dye aficionado puttering along the highway in his VW van with black smoke spewing out the back, and you have to wonder if we wouldn't all be better off if he traded it in for a Prius. The consensus among some environmentalists -- perhaps ones who drive late-'60s Mustangs -- seems to be that driving your old car creates significantly less pollution than the manufacture of a new car. I wish it were that easy.
The Argonne National Lab, a U.S. Department of Energy research center, has analyzed the material intensity and energy consumption of manufacturing vehicles and vehicle fuels. Their work is packaged in GREET models (for greenhouse gases, regulated emissions and energy use in transportation). According to the models, the average conventional internal combustion engine vehicle is made up of 61.7 percent steel, 11.1 percent iron, 6.9 percent aluminum, 1.9 percent copper/brass, 2.9 percent glass, and around 13.6 percent plastic/rubber. This information helps determine the energy required to produce a vehicle.
Continue reading at: http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/04/21/ask_pablo_cars/index.html
I've read in more than one place that 100 square miles of solar panels in the U.S. would meet all...[read more]
The great diaper debate of disposable vs. cloth now has a new dimension thanks to gDiapers, flushable nappies that are...[read more]
I am trying to decide whether to have a second child. I am wondering about the environmental impact that an...[read more]
Should I discard my still-working standard incandescent bulbs and replace them with compact fluorescents, or wait until they die a...[read more]
Valentine's Day is coming up, and I feel I should get my significant other some flowers. But I've read that...[read more]
Dear Pablo, Assuming that one can't break the habit of drinking pop, what kind of container is more environmentally friendly,...[read more]
I keep hearing that bottled water is the scourge of the Earth. But it sure is convenient. So what's so...[read more]
Thanks to readers like you, AskPablo has enjoyed overwhelming success over the last 66 weekly columns. Since we began tracking...[read more]
We've done it. We've finally reached the psychologically important $100/barrel oil. The recent surge that got us there is...[read more]
This week I got the following question from Barb: My community as well as all other surrounding cities here in...[read more]
AskPablo is on vacation this week. I would like to wish you and your family happy holidays and all the...[read more]
Recently I have been getting more and more questions regarding my very first AskPablo post. Michael and Phil both asked...[read more]
When hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast it not only uprooted and killed citizens, but it also killed millions of...[read more]
This week a frequent reader presented me with a common dilemma. "Does the fuel economy improvement of a hybrid really...[read more]
Now that turkey day is behind us the holiday season is in full swing. Despite my annual Grinch-like attitude, it...[read more]
This week Jamie asked me about the climate change impact of her company’s vehicle fleet and the options for reducing...[read more]
Many people have asked me about the feasibility of "clean coal" paired with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) as a...[read more]
When we read the words "Water, water everywhere, nor a drop to drink [sic]" from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem "The...[read more]
Despite its name, Greenland is anything but green (which I can appreciate since my name is also a bit misleading...[read more]
Kristina recently needed new car tires so she asked me where the old ones go. She wasn't referring to the...[read more]
This week's question comes from Richard. He asks how the price of Carbon Dioxide is determined. Unfortunately for me this...[read more]
This week I was asked by Craig how many trees his office kills each year. In order to give him...[read more]
This week I was asked by George about helicopter emissions. Recently Astrum Helicopters announced that they will be offering helicopter...[read more]
This week a reader asks about how much the now open Northwest Passage will save in shipping emissions. This year,...[read more]
While the business world is abuzz with talk of green and sustainable business practices, it's important to remember that workplace...[read more]
After seeing images of the melting Greenland Icecap on television this weekend my mother asked me if it would be...[read more]
This week I am going to examine the world of coal-fired power plants. Coal is an energy-dense substance found deep...[read more]
August 13th's article on desalination received a lot of great feedback. On reader informed me of a technology that uses...[read more]
This week Calvin Tran wrote to AskPablo about commuting. He wrote: "I spend a lot of time in traffic because...[read more]
 |
 |
Add this box to your site Add your feed to this box |
Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
The Lazy Environ- mentalist: Your Guide to Easy, Stylish, Green Living
World- changing: A User's Guide for the 21st Century
The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More
The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual
Walking the Talk: The Business Case for Sustainable Development
The Sustainability Advantage : Seven Business Case Benefits of a Triple Bottom Line
Blink : The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things
