Green Business, Carbon Offsets, Green Economy

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Smarter U.S. Power Usage Could Save $120 Billion: Study

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Technology to help Americans reduce electricity use when the grid is stressed could help utilities save $120 billion on spending for new power plants and transmission lines, government officials and researchers said on Wednesday after a study in the Pacific Northwest.

A year-long "smart grid" study showed consumers saved 10 percent on power bills and cut power use 15 percent during key peak hours, the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory announced.

Wal-Mart Faces Hurdles in Green Electronics

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - A campaign to reduce packaging has been a success for Wal-Mart Stores "green" campaign, but a move toward environmentally friendly electronics is proving that changing the mechanics of a TV is much more complex than changing the mechanics of a cereal box.

Manufacturers that sell goods in Wal-Mart's stores have responded quickly to the company's request to cut packaging waste, slashing the size of cereal boxes or bulking up toilet paper rolls to eliminate the need for extra cardboard centers.

Potato Chips Get Eco-Friendly

Frito-Lay, after realizing how much energy it takes for its factories to make (not to mention eat) potato chips, has announced that it will take an Arizona factory off the grid.

The design is capable of reducing electricity and water consumption 90%. And the company was only aiming for a 50% reduction. In total, greenhouse gas reduction could be at up to 75%. The factory has a totally revolutionary design.

Coalition Petitions SEC for Corporate Climate Disclosure

Environmental groups, including Environmental Defense, CERES and Friends of the Earth, joined with foundations, concerned investors and state officials from across the country in filing a landmark petition last week asking the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to require publicly traded companies to assess and fully disclose their financial risks related to climate change. The 22 petitioners cite unequivocal scientific evidence along with widespread business recognition that the risks and opportunities corporations face as a result of climate change are material to shareholder investment decisions and should be disclosed under existing law.

MBA Programs Turn Out Green Grads

OAKLAND — Business professor John Stayton remembers when eyes would start rolling at the idea of a "green MBA." These days, business schools across the country are incorporating the environmental and social costs of doing business into their curricula. A few, like the program Stayton directs at Dominican University of California, aim for an all-green program.

New Corporate Push on Global Warming

NEW YORK (AP) -- The world's biggest companies are making climate change a bigger priority, in part through more widespread disclosure of carbon emissions, an annual report to be released Monday shows. Former President Clinton was scheduled to join the nonprofit Carbon Disclosure Project on Monday to announce the results of its latest checkup on the world's biggest companies and how they plan to deal with the risks and opportunities associated with greenhouse gas emissions and energy use.

What Are Carbon Offsets?

What are carbon offsets? Well, suppose that your activities contributed to the release of too much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, perhaps by excessive reliance on personal travel by air or automobile. However, you aren't able to reduce this travel, but you still want to plant trees to compensate for your emissions. This would create a carbon offset. Similarly, if you had a company and wanted to compensate for your emissions, you might create an offset by…

At The Office

Tips From The EPA

Business and home offices use a significant amount of electricity for heating and cooling, lighting and operating equipment. Here are four easy ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help make the air cleaner: Office equipment and electronics use energy even when idle or on stand-by.

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Florida farmland up to 1,000 ft. inland from Biscayne Bay is being infiltrated by salt water, rendering the land too toxic for crops. Salt water is also nibbling at the edges of farms on Maryland¹s Eastern Shore.

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