Top 7 Green Corporations of 2010

Cutting up the credit cards is probably the greenest thing anyone could do but sometimes, buying new stuff—or patronizing a favorite restaurant—is necessary. When those times come, there's no reason to feel guilty—especially when choosing a company that respects the environment as much as the bottom line.
Last year, Greenopia ran through dozens of companies in a variety of categories to compile a trusty list of the greenest corporations, by category, of 2010. Of course, it's already 2011, but in the coming months these will be the places to go for shopping needs—and the model for any up-and-coming top green corporation.
Check out what companies took the top spot in their category in 2010:

Ikea
With over $28 billion in annual sales, Ikea proves you can be a large chain and pursue sustainability in an aggressive way.
71% of all IKEA products are recyclable, made from recycled materials, or both. The company recycles 84% of the waste generated in its stores while almost half of Ikea's energy comes from renewable sources.

Patagonia
Patagonia, the environmentally and socially responsible clothing manufacturer, is often cited as one of the greenest companies in the US.

Their products are made with recycled and low-impact materials and they've greened their offices and distribution network. Patagonia has even gone as far as to provide life cycle analysis for several of its products.

Pizza Fusion
Lovers of green pizza rejoice. Pizza Fusion not only offers all organic pizzas but have implemented green measures across the board.

Many of their spaces are LEED certified, employees wear organic cotton uniforms, deliveries are made by hybrid vehicles and best of all Pizza Fusion has a cool return incentive -- return a used pizza box and get a discount next time.

Honest Tea
Honest Tea is natural, organic, and fair trade. Greenopia calls them greenest large beverage company around.

Here's why:

From efficient production to energy usage offsets, green building design to the lightweight plastic bottles free of hazardous chemicals, Honest Tea sets the bar for green beverages everywhere.

Honda
The winner of the "drive" category was producing hybrids way before the Prius, Honda led the way for mainstream hybrids with the release of the Insight in 1999.

With an average fleet mileage of 25.81 miles per gallon, that's right Honda has one best overall scores a of any car company with 10 or more models. This complements their Civic hybrid and Honda Insight and many more hybrids in the works.

Virgin
With Richard Branson at its helm, it's not surprising Virgin gets top honors as the greenest airline in Greenopia's guide.

Virgin's modern fleet of planes are very efficient in emissions and their specially designed winglets lead to better fuel efficiency. Virgin has tested several planes powered solely by biofuels and its headquarters is LEED certified.

Dell
Dell is one of the largest computer companies in the world and it's making efforts to become the greenest.
Dell has a large number of EPEAT certified products and considers the products' life cycle during production. Dell also has a comprehensive take-back program—recycling its own products for free and accepting other brands for a small fee.

Biggest Solar Installation in World to be Built in South Africa

South Africa is to unveil plans this week for what it claims will be the world's biggest solar power plant—a radical step in a coal-dependent country where one in six people still lacks electricity.

The project, expected to cost up to 200 billion rand ($28.9 billion), would aim by the end of its first decade to achieve an annual output of five gigawatts (GW) of electricity—currently one-tenth of South Africa's energy needs.

Giant mirrors and solar panels would be spread across the Northern Cape province, which the government says is among the sunniest 3 percent of regions in the world with minimal cloud or rain.

The government hopes the solar park will help reduce carbon emissions from Africa's biggest economy, which is still more than 90 percent dependent on coal-fired power stations. In April, the World Bank came in for sharp criticism from environmentalists for approving a $3.75 billion loan to build one of the world's largest coal-fired power plants in the country.

Energy is already a high priority in South Africa where, at the end of racial apartheid, less than 40 percent of households had electricity. Over 16 years the governing African National Congress has undertaken a huge national expansion, with a recent survey showing that 83 percent are now connected, but power outages are still not uncommon in both townships and middle-class suburbs.

An estimated 200 foreign and domestic investors will meet this week in Upington, Northern Cape, with a view to funding the hugely ambitious solar project. A master plan will be set out by the U.S. engineering and construction group Fluor. This follows a viability study by the Clinton Climate Initiative, which described South Africa's "solar resource" as among the best in the world.

Jonathan de Vries, the project manager, said today: "I'd hate to make a large claim but yes, this would be the biggest solar park in the world."

De Vries said the park, costing 150–200 billion rand ($21.7 billion to $28.9 billion), would aim to be contributing to the national grid by the end of 2012. In the initial phase it would produce 1,000 megawatts, or 1GW, using a mix of the latest solar technologies.

An initial 9,000 hectares of state-owned land have been earmarked for the park, with further sites in the "solar corridor" being explored.

De Vries, a special adviser to the energy minister, said the Northern Cape had been chosen forinsolation readings (a measure of solar energy) that rank among the highest in the world. "It hardly ever rains, it hardly has clouds. It's even better than the Sahara desert because it doesn't have sandstorms."

The Orange River would provide water for the facilities, he added, while existing power transmission lines would be closer than for similar projects such as in Australia.

Northern Cape, which contains the historic diamond-rush town, Kimberley, is South Africa's biggest province and one of its poorest. But it is hoped that the park would create a "solar hub" and regenerate the local economy with fresh opportunities in manufacturing.

South Africa currently consumes 45–48GW of power per year. It is estimated this will double over the next 25 years. "In South Africa over 90 percent of our power comes from the burning of coal, and we need to reduce this because of our international obligations on climate change," de Vries said.

"If this proves to be cost competitive with coal and nuclear, the government will roll out more solar parks. This is a very bold attempt."

He added: "Solar power isn't a panacea that will cure all, but it's a part of the solution, and a very important part. There are zones in the world that are ideally suited to it, often those with low population density."

Can Renewables Hold Their Price as Fossil Fuels Get Expensive?

As gas prices rose, we all started salivating at the prospect of renewable, made-from-waste biofuels that were cheaper than dyno-diesel. Unfortunately, as soon as the price did drop below the average forecourt price, the co-op was immediately inundated with new bargain hunting members and the pumps were drained dry. When prices switched back, the cheap fuel lovers disappeared. The result, unfortunately, was a policy to peg the co-op's prices as always being just above those of regular diesel.

But all this does not mean that renewables must always remain more expensive than so-called conventional energy. As demand rises, supply is constrained, but that should lead to more investment in more supply. As production capacity increases accordingly, we should then see economiesof scale ensuring cheaper and cheaper renewables, even as gas and coal prices keep going up.

Some folks are arguing, for example, that solar could reach grid parity as soon as 2015. (Others are arguing that focusing on grid parity is entirely the wrong question.)

That's why the announcement from Good Energy—the 100% renewable energy provider that was previously in a public row with wind pioneers Ecotricity—that they would maintain a winter price freeze as other utilities hike their rates had me pricking my ears:

"The move to hold prices down demonstrates Good Energy's commitment to ensure that green energy is more accessible. The 100% renewable electricity supplier hopes this will encourage consumers to switch to greener energy as the price differential with many fossil-fuel-based suppliers is reduced, especially since three of the Big 6 have recently announced price hikes."

Whether or not this price freeze represents a permanent narrowing of the gap between conventional electricity and newer, less polluting sources—or whether it is a clever, but temporary, marketing move to grab more customers and harness the outrage at price rises—remains to be seen. But anything that helps drive customers, and investment, into the development of wind, solar and tidal energy can only be a good thing in my book. I'm just hoping those customers stick around if prices rise again in the future.

The Art of Wind Energy

Innovation is a beautiful thing- but it isn’t always pretty. Advances in energy production and distribution can provide added convenience and comfort to our lives, but the assemblies can be eyesores upon the landscape. The wind turbine for example can appear garish upon a tranquil landscape. A new wind energy concept, the Windstalk, attempts to create an energy source that is not only renewable but beautiful. Establishing a connection between technology and nature, the Windstalk transforms energy production into a work of art.

The Windstalk was initiated by the New York design firm Atelier DNA for an international competition held by the Land Art Generator Initiative, an organization that promotes the construction of installations that serve not only as sources of large scale renewable energy but also as public art displays.

The designs were to be created for one of three possible tourist destinations that would draw people from around the world to experience the installations: in Dubai, adjacent to Ras Al Khor Wildlife Santuary, in Abu Dhabi between Yas and Saadiyat Islands, or on the airport road near the Masdar City site in Abu Dhabi, the site chosen for the Windstalk. Designs were to be three-dimensional, have a sense of beauty, utilize energy from nature, create no emissions, be safe to viewers, and be feasible in their construction and technology.

The Windstalk concept takes queues from nature itself, designed to imitate the motions created in nature by the very element it uses to produce energy- the wind. An array of tall, slender stalks, sway in the wind like a field of wheat. Kinetic energy from this swaying is converted into electrical energy by generators in each stalk base.

How does this new design work? The team from Altelier DNA explains: “Within each hollow pole is a stack of piezoelectric ceramic discs. Between the ceramic disks are electrodes. Every other electrode is connected to each other by a cable that reaches from top to bottom of each pole. One cable connects the even electrodes, and another cable connects the odd ones. When the wind sways the poles, the stack of piezoelectric disks is forced into compression, thus generating a current through the electrodes.”

The creators estimate the Windstalks could create a comparable amount of energy to that of a traditional wind farm. Although each stalk will produce less energy than a single turbine, more Windstalks will fit into a given area. The Windstalk would be one of the first tests of piezoelectrics used at this large of a scale.

Windstalk is composed of 1203 stalks, approximately 180 feet high, with circular bases ranging from 32 to 66 feet in diameter. The stalks are just under a foot in diameter at the base, slimming to two inches at the top. 20 inches at the top of the stalk are lit with LED lamps that glow as the stalks sway with the wind and go dark when the stalks are still.

As a public art installation, the Windstalks become much like a park since visitors can walk from one stalk base to the next and explore the installation. As the circular bases of each stalk are sloped, visitors can comfortably sit or lie upon them, watching the Windstalks sway in the wind. The Windstalk concept illustrates how advances in technology do not have to compromise the beauty of our environment, and that the best solutions to keeping our world sustainable are often the most appealing choices.

Written by :

Samantha Longshore

Green Life Store - Wind Turbines

The Future We Want Is Already Here, It's Just Unevenly Distributed by Lloyd Alter, Toronto

Jonathan Hiskes at Grist describes The Future We Want, a multimedia exhibition, website and IMAX movie that projects a positive, uplifting view of a "clean energy economy that creates jobs, protects the environment and provides a secure and prosperous world for our children." Hiskes focuses on a short video showing the impact of a light rail system being installed in Kansas City, shown above.



To be fair to the Future We Want project, the video is not part of the project, although it was prepared by one of the partners in it, Jonathan Arnold of Arnold Imaging. And one has to agree that a positive vision of the future would be a nice change from the usual dystopian stuff. But Arnold's view of Kansas City has lovely new buildings and light rail, and no cars and few people. The present doesn't and the future won't look like that.

In fact, I'm not certain that we need to do computer imaging of a future we want; it already exists.


Wikipedia Commons

There are many good examples of light rail, but to be realistic, they also have to show lots of cars, because the rail actually displaces them when it is a dedicated right of way, or slows them down in a shared street. That's why the new Mayor of Toronto wants to rip them out and replace them with buses. People take transit when roads are full and driving is less comfortable; Empty streets means empty streetcars. A future we want will have crowded streets.


Image Credit Lloyd Alter

We have a future we want in cities like Paris where streets are walkable,


Image credit Mikael at Copenhagen Cycle Chic

Or in wind-powered, dense, cycle crazy Copenhagen;



Or in car-free, solar powered Freiburg.

As William Gibson said, The future is already here, It's just unevenly distributed.

More in The Future We Want

More Visions of the future:


From the Past: Cities of the Future

GPS Devices Installed in African Rhinos' Horns

Original photo: Jim Epler / CC
by Stephen Messenger, Porto Alegre, Brazil

In addition to their thick, leathery hide and imposing stature, now a group of African rhinos have one more tool to help protect them against poachers -- GPS locating devices embedded directly into their horns. Five such animals in South Africa's Mafikeng Game Reserve were recently equipped with the small tracking chips which will help park officials monitor their movements and alert them to any possible threats from illegal hunting. Conservationists hope that by upgrading the animals with technology of the 21st century it may help ensure this endangered species will still be around at the end of it.

According to a report from the BBC, after initial testing earlier this, five rhinos on the reserve were equipped with the GPS chips. Park veterinarians were able to add the tracking devices with very little discomfort to the animal, by placing it in hole drilled into a 'dead' portion of the animals' horns.

The satellite locating device can be monitored by cell phone, allowing officials to know the rhinos' whereabouts and to be alerted to any suspicious movements within the park -- or a concerning lack of movement.

Lead security officer of the park, Rusty Hustler, explains to the BBC how the GPS chips will help officials protect the animals from threats from poachers when an alarm sounds indicating unusual activity:

There are a number of alarms that can be programmed: one for excessive movement, so if the rhino starts running, and another that goes off if the rhino sleeps for longer than six hours, which is abnormal.
Not only will the tracking devices help keep the rhinos alive, says Hustler, but it also could be used to track down any poachers who manage to hack off the chipped horns and elude the authorities. And given the likely success of the program, soon more rhinos may be similarly tagged in the future and in other wildlife reserves throughout the region.

A bit of extra protection couldn't come any sooner for the Africa's endangered rhino population. In recent years the animals have been under increasing threat from the onslaught of poachers who can make a small fortune selling their prized horns in the illegal wildlife trade. Some cultures believe that rhino horns have medicinal qualities -- though they're composed primarily of keratin, like fingernails.

But perhaps, where logic and stepped-up enforcement have failed thus far in adequately protecting one of the world's most majestic and endangered species, this technical upgrade could actually be the thing that helps save them. And, with any luck, we can return to Rhino Beta before too long.

Why the World Must Not Consider Nature 'Priceless'

If Mother Nature had a bank account, she would be one wealthy lady -- at least that's according to a report released today on The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB). In hopes of countering the notion that environmental systems are literally priceless -- that is to say, without an agreed upon monetary value -- the 10th UN conference for the Convention on Biodiversity aims to quantify nature in economic terms. It is only when the environment is considered a financial asset, claims the report, that the most devastating of human activities will be truly robbed of an economic incentive.

The lead-author of the TEEB report, Pavan Sukhdev, draws a direct parallel between harmful human-caused problems like pollution and habitat loss, and the lack of economic value to placed upon the world's ecosystems:

We argue that the economic invisibility of nature is one of the main drivers for the loss of biodiversity and the ongoing degradation of ecosystem.
In a previous report from TEEB, the convention estimated the value of devastated environmental assets to be at least $2 trillion dollars a year. Now, the group is trying to find a way to enact their assessments in a meaningful way that governments will agree upon globally. The Convention on Biodiversity hopes their latest report will help establish a new international goal for curbing the loss of biodiversity by 2020.

One such example of nature's service that has yet to be measured monetarily is the tireless work of pollinating insects which makes agriculture possible. "A bee doesn't send you and invoice," says Sukhdev, indicating the importance of determining the value of its labor, lest it be exploited or placed in jeopardy.

Reports have placed the value of insects that pollinate human crops at over $211 billion.

Other examples of the economics of nature are as follows, taken from a 2005 report from TEEB, via Time.

US$ 50 billion
The annual loss of opportunity due to the current over-exploitation of global fisheries. Competition between highly subsidized industrial fishing fleets coupled with poor regulation and weak enforcement of existing rules has led to over-exploitation of most commercially valuable fish stocks, reducing the income from global marine fisheries by US$50 billion annually, compared to a more sustainable fishing scenario (World Bank and FAO 2009).

US$30 billion - US$172 billion

The annual value of human welfare benefits provided by coral reefs. Although just covering 1.2% of the world's continent shelves, coral reefs are home to an estimated 1-3 million species including more than a quarter of all marine fish species. (Allsopp et al. 2009). Some 30 million people in coastal and island communities are totally reliant on reef-based resources as their primary means of food production, income and livelihood. (Gomez et al. 1994, Wilkinson 2004) Estimates of the value of human welfare benefits provided by coral reefs range from US$30 billion (Cesar et al. 2003) to US$172 billion annually (Martinez et al. 2007)

While it might be hard to argue with the importance of giving nature the monetary value she's due, getting governments and corporations to acknowledge it will be an up-hill battle. "It could happen, but not in today's environment," Patrick Michaels of the Cato Institute told the New York Times. "Right now, people -- and not just in the US -- people are worried about the economic contractions more than they are about environmental protection."

But monetizing nature, if you will, would not necessarily create a new financial burden to a world in troubled economic times. The NY Times cites a situation in which farmers in New York were given a $1 billion incentive to reduce water pollution caused by runoff. In the long run, the state saved $8 billion dollars by not having to build a wastewater treatment plant that would have been needed to combat the problem without better agricultural management.

So far, developing nations like Brazil and India have stepped forward in support of the TEEB report's findings, and they aren't alone. The EU has also voiced their willingness to comply with creating a system by which the environment would be placed into the marketplace along with other global assets.

Sukhdev says he hopes that, despite however long it may take to achieve a international consensus on the TEEB report, it will only be a matter of time before the United States signs on as well. "We are at a state now where the rate of loss of ecosystem services and the rate of loss of biodiversity is so severe we cannot treat them as mere externalities of economics," he said.

It only makes sense that Mother Nature be valued appropriately in a world that runs on money -- after all, if she continues to be exploited without consequence, perhaps one day our currencies may only be valuable for kindling.