2Sustain

It’s a familiar debate in the month of December. Eco-minded consumers want to know which is more sustainable: a fresh cut Christmas tree or an artificial one?

This year, an ISO-compliant third-party peer reviewed Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) gives us some insight and helps clear up common misperceptions about the environmental impacts of Christmas trees.

The study, conducted by the international research firm PE International, found that ultimately, consumers need to consider a number of different factors before deciding which type of tree is more environmentally friendly. For instance, the findings show that length of ownership, disposal method and “tree miles” can make a difference regarding which tree is more “green.”

The ISO-compliant third-party peer reviewed LCA was sponsored by the American Christmas Tree Association (ACTA), a non-profit organization representing artificial Christmas tree retailers and real Christmas tree retailers.  Based on the results of the study, the ACTA recommends that consumers demonstrate responsible consumerism by following these steps: (more…)

Last week, President Obama directed all federal agencies to make at least $2 billion worth of energy efficiency upgrades over the next two years –at no up-front cost to taxpayers.

From the presidential memorandum:

The Federal Government owns and operates nearly 3 billion square feet of Federal building space. Upgrading the energy performance of buildings is one of the fastest and most effective ways to reduce energy costs, cut pollution, and create jobs in the construction and energy sectors. We have a responsibility to lead by example, reduce our energy use, and operate our buildings efficiently.

Meeting that responsibility requires executive departments and agencies (agencies) to evaluate their facilities, identify potential savings, and appropriately leverage both private and public sector funding to invest in comprehensive energy conservation projects that cut energy costs. The Federal Government can do so by increasing the pace of the implementation of energy conservation measures, and improving the results from its energy efficiency investments.

This directive will be paired with another $2 billion effort in the private sector to upgrade energy efficiency at commercial and industrial properties.   (more…)

European consumers and business decision-makers are increasingly eager and willing to invest in making their buildings and homes more energy efficient, according to a recent survey conducted by online research organization OnePoll, on behalf of Autodesk, Inc.

More than 2,000 European residents in the UK, France, Germany and Italy participated in the study. Approximately 25 percent were business owners, directors or senior-decision makers. The results show that: (more…)

Last week, the H.J. Heinz Company released it 2011 Corporate Social Responsibility Report and announced that the company is on track to achieve or surpass its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, solid landfill waste, energy consumption and water consumption by at least 20 percent each by Fiscal Year 2015.

Since the baseline year of 2005, Heinz has achieved the following cumulative reductions through Fiscal Year 2011, which ended on April 27:

• 45.6 percent global reduction in solid waste per 100 metric tons of production globally
• 21.8 percent global reduction in water consumption per metric ton of production globally
• 13.2 percent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions per metric ton of production globally
• 15.1 percent decrease in energy consumption per metric ton of production globally

The 2011 report, which adheres to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G3 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines, also includes these additional highlights from 2011: (more…)

Xerox has released its sixth Global Citizenship Report which highlights how the company’s continued innovation supports the triple bottom line, commonly referred to as “people, planet and profits.”

For example, Xerox says it leverages the power of technology to help customers reduce their carbon footprint.  The company offers:

• managed print services which can cut paper use through digital imaging, archiving and indexing.
• solid ink technology which generates less waste.

Xerox also: (more…)