e-commerce gone green

The Daily Green Helps with BACK TO SCHOOL:

Back to school time is right around the corner. Soon you’ll be bombarded with so many advertisements for notebooks, planners, pens and other supplies, it will be hard to avoid buying products – unfortunately, many of these items take a toll on the environment. So rather than running from store to store trying to find the greenest school supplies, look through this list compiled by The Daily Green to see this year’s eco-friendly choices.

Source: http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/green-school-supplies-2010?click=getstarted

Snippet from Earth911.com:

5. DIY lava lamp

Now you don’t have to take a trip to that creepy Spencer’s store in the mall to go back to your teenage years.

OK, we’ll admit that this design from Simple Earth Media doesn’t have the zing that your old $40 lamp had, but it’s no doubt a fun rainy day project for the kids.

Difficulty level: Beginner

What you’ll need: plastic water bottle, vegetable oil, funnel, water, food coloring, masking tape or glue

How to make it:

1. Peel of the label and wash your bottle. Fill 3/4 of the bottle with oil.

2. Fill a measuring cup with an equal amount of water and add a couple of drops of food coloring.

3. Pour colored water into bottle of oil. Secure cap with glue or masking tape, and have a great time.

Bonus tip: Make sure your kids appreciate the oil-doesn’t-mix-with-water analogy before splurging on that real lava lamp.

Source: http://earth911.com/news/2010/07/26/6-ways-to-reuse-plastic-bottles/

A snippet:

Myth #4: One person can’t make a difference.

Does it really matter if you don’t recycle or if you throw your food waste away instead of composting it? Yes. Much of what is in our landfills could have been reborn as a new product had it been reused. According to the EPA, 63.9 percent of what goes into landfills is paper, plastic, metal and glass.

An additional 44.8 million tons of food scraps and yard waste resides there as well, and the rotting organic matter in landfills turns into methane, one of the most potent global warming gasses.

With natural resources dwindling and climate change looming, it is more important than ever to utilize and support strong recycling infrastructures, while at the same time looking for creative ways to transform our trash into new stuff.

Another way is to convert your online store to a solar powered one with Earth Friendly E-Commerce!

Source: http://earth911.com/news/2010/03/29/6-busted-eco-myths/

Another Everyday minor step:

According to Origins, everyday packaging accounts for about one-third of all landfill waste. Cosmetic containers are usually made from plastic #5, or polypropylene. Similar in chemical make-up to plastic #3, this plastic resin is commonly found in everyday products like yogurt cups and bottle caps, but it is often left out of curbside recycling programs.

However, for cosmetic containers and bottle caps, there are several options for drop-off recycling. (Gentlemen, we’re talking to you, too! Don’t forget about those jars of aftershave.)

Origins retail stores accept empty cosmetics tubes, bottles and jars for recycling – regardless of the brand. Bonus points: Origins will give you a free sample of its high-performance skincare products in return.

Another option is the Back to M.A.C program, which accepts its own brand of cosmetic packaging for recycling. Simply take your containers to any M.A.C department store counter and receive a free lipstick for your contribution.

Finally, Aveda is a great option to recycle your bottle caps. The retailer’s recycling initiative accepts twist-on caps from shampoo, water, soda, milk and other beverage bottles; flip-top caps on tubes and food product bottles (such as ketchup and mayonnaise), as well as laundry detergents and some jar lids such as peanut butter.

Not sure if it’s time to throw it out? The average lifespan for your cosmetics is 1-2 years, give or take depending on the product. However, the general rule-of-thumb to always abide by is the odor test: if it smells, toss it!

To find local recycling centers for plastic #5, check out Earth911.com.

From Wired.com:

Product Features

• Portable and plugs into any outlet with power you can use anywhere in your home
• Unlike existing micro-inverters, the Sunfish has built-in circuit protection and doesn’t require a dedicated electrical panel
• No contractors, no installers, no additional wiring, and no drywall to tear out – up and running in about an hour
• Same cost as a household appliance with a payback in 3-4 years or less
• Web-based tracking and monitoring with onboard Wi-Fi, upload data directly into Google PowerMeter

Sunfish works like this: You lay out a solar-panel and hook it up to the power-module. Plug this into any power-socket in your house. Then, plug in the accompanying circuit-monitor, a controller box which connects to the power-module via Wi-Fi and lets you keep an eye on things (via any web-connected device). That’s it. As long as the sun is shining, the setup pumps electricity into you mains circuit.

There are two models. The 200-watt version will power your lights (although why you would run lights with the sun shining outside is a mystery). The 1kW version will take care of washing machines and the like. If you need more power, you can just plug in more boxes.

It’s ingenious, and because its so easy to install it is pretty much portable: a boon for those in rented accommodation. The Sunfish will be available next year, at planned prices of $600 to $900 for the smaller model and $3,000 to $4,500 for the bigger one. Clarian, the company behind the device, says that a unit will pay for itself in a couple years.

SolarCity today announced that it is taking a $21.5 million round of funding led by Mayfield Fund, and the company’s previous investors Draper Fisher Jurvetson, DBL Investors and Generation Capital. The company’s prior funding totaled approximately $134 million, and included investors First Solar, JP Morgan and Elon Musk.

SolarCity helps businesses, home owners and government agencies adopt solar power and save money using clean energy versus electricity generated from non-renewables. It designs, installs and provides finance options for the development of solar projects. In 2008, it provided and installed the thousands of solar panels that grace the roof of eBay Inc.’s green building in San Jose.

Earlier this week, SolarCity signed a new partnership deal with Rabobank, the international private bank with a triple A credit rating. The bank has agreed to provide solar project financing for its commercial clients via SolarCity. Rabobank N.A. in California also installed solar power generating rooftops at six of its retail locations.

More from the site:

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2010/07/14/solarcity-funding-july2010-21-5-million/

Biofuel producer Solazyme delivered 1,500 gallons of its algae-based jet fuel to the U.S. Navy’s testing and certification program today, helping the military reach its goal of switching half of its fleet to clean fuel by 2020. The Navy will use the fuel to power jets.

Solazyme produces fuel by fermenting algae to create oils and biomaterials including fuel, skin care, chemical and animal feed products. The company claims the Solajet HRJ-5 fuel it delivered to the Navy produces 85% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels. In the next two weeks, Solazyme will also provide the Navy with 20,000 gallons of F-76 naval distillate fuel to be used in military ships.

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2010/07/19/solazyme-navy-jet-fuel/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29

Driverless cars, recycling of rainfall and biodegradable roofs made from soy beans – novel as they sound, there is an annual event where they can all be found all at the same time and place: world fairs.

These environment friendly features fit well with the next world fair, this time to be held in Shanghai. Some 200 countries and international organizations will go to the Chinese city for the Expo 2010 that will run from May until October.

“I heard that the Japan pavilion was made of a special thin material that can generate electricity on top, while the Switzerland pavilion is made of soybean fiber that can both generate electricity and be degradable,” said Wan Gang, China’s minister for science and information technology.

“It sounds novel to me, and we should seize the opportunity to learn the new technologies of the world,” he added.

The Shanghai World Expo 2010 will show the latest clean energy technologies and products. But the event itself will try to be green.

Electricity generated from 4.6-megawatt solar power generators will power the five-month long event, said Mr. Wan.

Another 34 units of 3-MW wind power generators currently under construction will help provide electricity for the 5.8 kilometer exposition site that will house an estimated 70 million visitors.

Energy-efficient L.E.D. lamps will light the expo’s four pavilions, the China Pavilion, Theme Pavilions, Expo Center and Performance Centre. Pavilion-making has traditionally been must-see features at each world fair.

The expo is also trying to address the critical issue of water use. “All rainfall within the main areas of the expo garden can be recycled for daily use,” said Mr. Wan, referring to installed devices on the pavilions that collect and recycle rainwater.

Collected rainwater from Sunshine Valley in Yanqing county in Beijing will also supply water for more than 30 public toilets installed at the site to serve approximately 8,000 visitors at any one time.

Source and full article: http://www.ecoseed.org/en/general-green-news/green-business-news/green-business-news/6587-Solar-and-wind-power-ecofriendly-Shanghai-World-Expo

Global asset manager Schroders said investors should pay attention to businesses benefiting or likely to benefit from global efforts to ease or adapt to climate change – including companies in China.

A China Daily report quoted Schroders as saying that climate change’s consequences will provide attractive investment opportunities, and that it sees China as today’s frontrunner in that investment arena.

China reportedly shows a strong performance in battling climate change compared with competitors in the renewable energy sectors of wind and solar.

Simon Webber, manager of the Schroder International Selection Fund Global Climate Change Equity, explained how the threat of climate change will drive economic behavior and affect a vast range of investment opportunities.

“Clean energy, low-carbon fossil fuels, energy efficiency, environmental resources and sustainable transport – the five key themes are within a ‘predictable revolution’,” said Mr. Webber.

He said that the development of low-carbon economic transition plans will intensify policies and drive capital while energy prices increase. This scenario will lead to intense competition among investors which, in turn, will push yet again low-carbon businesses.

Mr. Webber said companies’ process of determining their assets will be altered, due to rising costs associated with climate change mitigation and adaptation and its resulting financial implications.

Source and full article: http://www.ecoseed.org/en/general-green-news/green-business-news/green-business-news/6788-Climate-change-industries-may-drive-economies-in-the-future

The United States market for renewable energy certificate (R.E.C.) has defied the recession, showing continued growth that could potentially treble its size by 2015 and demonstrating the overall resilience of the renewable energy sector, according to market analyst Pike Research.

In a new study, Pike Research said that the two distinct R.E.C. markets in the United States – compliance market and voluntary market – have continued to grow despite the prevailing economic downturn.

The compliance market involves utilities mandated by state renewable portfolio standards to source a percentage of their electricity load from renewable sources.

On the other hand, the voluntary market is made up of companies, institutions, organizations and individuals that buy R.E.C.’s. to show environmental commitment.

Under its most-likely scenario, Pike Research said R.E.C. sales in the compliance market alone will surge by over 50 percent and reach 179 million megawatt-hours in 2015.

The forecast scenario, which took into account renewable energy standards at the federal level, predicts that the R.E.C. market could grow three times larger at 329 million MWh by 2015.

“Our analysis indicates that both the compliance and voluntary R.E.C. markets will continue healthy growth rates no matter what happens, but the real game-changer would be federally mandated targets for power generation from renewable energy sources,” said Clint Wheelock, managing director at Pike Research.

Source and full article: http://www.ecoseed.org/en/general-green-news/green-business-news/green-business-news/6962-U-S-renewables-all-set-for-triple-growth-despite-recession