Archive for December, 2007
EC commits EU to Energy Star
EU adds another star.
“The requirement of the new Energy Star Regulation to apply ambitious energy efficiency criteria in the public procurement of office equipment will further push manufacturers to put efficient equipment on the market while making good use of public money. This achievement proves the EU’s commitment to turn ambitious energy efficiency goals into reality”, remarked Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs.
Source: Commissioner Piebalgs welcomes adoption of the new Energy Star programme (Europa.eu)
International standards, written into procurement policies, driving efficiency. Amazing. Congratulations all round.
No Comments » | Tags: energy star, eu, procurement
Posted by Trevor on Thursday, December 20th, 2007 | Permalink |
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Perfect Doesn’t Exist.
Except in the case of my fashion sense.
So says the executive director of Earth Pledge in a NY Times article about the eco-fashion industry. Right on.
Rather than feeling guilty about not having a closet full of eco-clothing, we’re better off recognising that a lot of people are looking for ecolabels and it’s not that hard to do. A key statistic in the article notes, “More than half of the 2,007 respondents in a shopper survey in September by BBMG, a branding agency, said they were looking for certification seals on green claims to feel confident about their purchases.”
Life is full of compromises and choices. Like it or not, most of us need clothing and right now most of what’s on the market isn’t top notch eco-friendly. I’m not going to feel guilty about my wardrobe. Looking ahead, it’s going to get easier to find clothes with ecolabels and choose them.
Hopefully, they’ll eventually become the norm, and I can go back to choosing clothes solely on the basis of what is going to impress the ladies. In the meantime, there’s some labels here dedicated solely to textiles (two are Swiss, why are the Swiss always so far ahead? Is it the cheese?), and some others here that cover a whole range of retail goods.
No Comments » | Tags: clothing, retail goods
Posted by Jacob on Thursday, December 13th, 2007 | Permalink |
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Skinning the Carbon Cat
Carbon offsetting can make you richer.
Royal Hawaiian Honey is the first U.S. food product to be certified Carbonfree, according to a report in environmental leader. Carbonfree was launched in July and certifies products as being Carbonfree based on a life cycle assessment of the total carbon footprint of a product which is then offset through any of three options: renewable energy, energy efficiency, or reforestation.
The fact that Carbonfund offsets using renewable energy investments raises an interesting point. From what I understand if you select the renewable option you essentially pay them to put money into an industry that, according to the Cleantech Index currently has a combined market capitalization of approximately $290 billion. Further, their backtesting of that index indicates that it significantly outperformed the S&P 500, Dow Jones 30 Industrials, and NASDAQ indices over the past 3 and 5-year periods.
It seems to me like Carbonfund should be taking people’s money, investing it, taking a commission, and giving them their cash back with interest. Heck. I’ll make the World an offer right now. Instead of giving Carbonfund your offset money, calculate the amount of cash required to offset here, give it to me, I’ll invest it in the Cleantech Index for your for 1% commission (less than most fund managers by far), and give it back to you at any time you want. Even if you lose 30% you’re still 70% better off moneywise than giving your money to Carbonfund. Plus, if you make money, you get all the interest.
That of course doesn’t mean Carbonfund is bad at offsetting carbon. In fact, one of the benefits of CarbonFree is that it uses the money to buy certifed renewable emissions credits - meaning that people who give them their money are given some assurance that their emissions are actually being offset.
As an everyday consumer you may not want to bother with investing in a renewable energy fund. The point I’m making is that if you want to, you do have that opportunity. There’s more than one way to skin the carbon cat, and it doesn’t always have to cost you money.
No Comments » | Tags: carbon, standards
Posted by Jacob on Wednesday, December 5th, 2007 | Permalink |
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Certified greenhouse gas professionals
Not just hot air.
Spring 2008 is back to school for verifiers, validators, and consultants - ECO Canada, the Standards Council of Canada, and the federal government are establishing a national certification system for greenhouse gas professionals in Canada.
Ensuring that greenhouse gas emissions (and their reduction) are evaluated and documented accurately is essential for establishing trust in greenhouse gas inventories and realistic goals for reduction.
We’ll look forward to adding this certification to ecolabelling.org once it gets off the ground!
Learn more:
No Comments » | Tags: global warming, greenhouse gas
Posted by Trevor on Wednesday, December 5th, 2007 | Permalink |
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