2Sustain

Starbucks wants mayors and other municipal leaders to evaluate and improve local commercial and residential recycling systems, so that the company can develop what it calls a “comprehensive recyclable cup solution” by 2012.

Starbucks made the pitch last week at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C.

As I’m sure you realize, current recycling capabilities vary considerably from city to city and county to county. So, Starbucks is looking  to partner with a variety of groups –including municipal governments, raw materials suppliers, cup manufacturers, retail and beverage partners, recyclers, environmental NGOs and experts from the academic sector –to rethink recycling programs and create sustainable systems that can work across its entire nation-wide value chain.

“Scalability is critical. We can only achieve it if we take a holistic approach and join forces with our entire value chain,” says Jim Hanna, Starbucks director of Environmental Impact. “Mayors are uniquely positioned to mobilize stakeholders at a grassroots level and help drive solutions that will make our cups and other packaging more broadly recyclable in form and in practice.”

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Last week, more than 80 CEOs from leading U.S. businesses sent a letter to President Obama and members of Congress calling on them to move quickly to enact comprehensive climate and energy legislation that will create jobs, increase the nation’s energy independence, and enhance U.S. competitiveness.

Now, the same group, We Can Lead, is applauding the commitment to clean energy jobs and comprehensive climate and energy legislation that President Obama expressed in the State of the Union address last night.

“President Obama stressed the importance of creating new American jobs through proposals including the passage of comprehensive energy and climate legislation that will help American businesses invest in the transition to a new energy economy, create millions of new American jobs over the next decade, and enhance U.S. competitiveness,” We Can Lead says in a press release. “We applaud the President’s commitment and look forward to working with the Administration and Congress to promote American job creation and enhance the ability of American companies to compete in the global race to lead the new energy economy.” (more…)

Back in September 2009, ProGreenSports polled more than 50 North American professional sports teams in the National Football League, National Hockey League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball. The survey results released yesterday reveal, rather convincingly, that pro sports teams are increasingly “going green.”

For example: (more…)

On Friday, Nike released its fiscal 2007 to 2009 Corporate Responsibility (CR) report in which it outlines long-term strategies designed to prepare the company to thrive in a sustainable economy.

Nike says these new strategies represent a shift from a previous CR model based on risk management, philanthropy and compliance. Now, the company will focus on innovation, collaboration, transparency and advocacy. This new push for “Sustainable Business and Innovation” (SB&I) will be more seamlessly integrated across Nike’s business strategies, creating a more sustainable approach aimed at providing greater returns to its business, communities, factory workers, consumers and the planet, according to a press release.

The Nike CR report outlines some important initiatives for the company including: (more…)

Over the past month, UPS has deployed 245 new delivery trucks powered by Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to cities in Colorado and California. They join more than 900 CNG vehicles already in use by UPS worldwide.

Specifically, the new trucks are now at work in Denver (140 trucks) and four cities in California: San Ramon (18), Fresno (16), West Los Angeles (59) and Ontario (12). They are expected to yield a 15 percent emissions reduction over the cleanest diesel engines available in the market today. (more…)