Leading With Small Acts of Sustainability

Intengine's Writer Community

August 31, 2020

It’s time we talked a bit about what defines a Sustainable Business. Not the big players, the ones who are providing renewable energy solutions or leading a global stand on human rights, although these companies have our thanks.  

A range of innovative solutions for mitigating harmonics

Sustainability Matters

August 31, 2020

‘Harmonics’ refers to deviations from the desired model sinusoidal AC line voltage and the current waveforms. These deviations, or harmonic distortions, have historically been low in magnitude. However, more recently, there has been a considerable increase in harmonic distortions attributed to the use of power electronics, non-linear commercial and industrial loads, and Variable Frequency

...

Soaring growth in offshore renewables puts wind in the sails of the energy transition

Ethical Corporation

August 30, 2020

Oceans are critical in the battle against climate change, absorbing 25%-30% of annual CO2 emissions, but it is a role that is being undermined as oceans warm and become more acidic. In the future, scientists say, the greatest CO2 mitigation potential will have to be found not in the depths of the oceans, but in what lies on top: renewable energy installations like offshore wind, wave and tidal energy and floating

...

Amazon hands Mercedes-Benz its biggest electric vehicle order to date

GreenBiz Group

August 28, 2020

Amazon hands Mercedes-Benz its biggest electric vehicle order to date Katie Fehrenbacher Fri, 08/28/2020 - 00:00 German auto giant Mercedes-Benz announced its largest order of electric vehicles to date Friday: 1,800 electric delivery vans for retail giant Amazon to use across Europe. The deal shows how companies are increasingly paying attention to ways to decarbonize

...

‘Real talk’ with two environmental justice leaders

Grist News

August 27, 2020

Yudith Nieto and Mustafa Santiago Ali dig in on climate justice, intersectional work, and solidarity.

Reducing gas usage with renewable energy heating

Sustainability Matters

August 27, 2020

With gas still a key part of many industrial heating applications, researchers are looking renewable alternatives. In a project supported by ARENA and the new Reliable Affordable Clean Energy for 2030 Cooperative Research Centre (RACE for 2030 CRC), researchers from the University of South Australia’s Future Industry Institute (FII) are currently prototyping a commercial-scale system that

...

Reducing gas usage with renewable energy heating

Sustainability Matters

August 27, 2020

With gas still a key part of many industrial heating applications, researchers are looking renewable alternatives. In a project supported by ARENA and the new Reliable Affordable Clean Energy for 2030 Cooperative Research Centre (RACE for 2030 CRC), researchers from the University of South Australia’s Future Industry Institute (FII) are currently prototyping a commercial-scale system that

...

Despite record oil price fluctuations, circular plastic strategies prevail

GreenBiz Group

August 27, 2020

Despite record oil price fluctuations, circular plastic strategies prevail Jesse Klein Thu, 08/27/2020 - 01:45 The coronavirus pandemic threw almost every market into a tailspin, including the notoriously sensitive oil market. And when crude oil prices fell into negative territory in April, the recycled plastic industry experienced a reckoning. Would corporations still invest in

...

Applying science and healthcare principles to soil wellness can help our planet

GreenBiz Group

August 27, 2020

Applying science and healthcare principles to soil wellness can help our planet Poornima Param… Thu, 08/27/2020 - 01:00 Basic human health principles tell us that we should diagnose before we treat and that we should test before we diagnose.  From annual physicals and screenings to blood tests and imaging exams, providers and specialists have many new tools and resources

...

Amid devastating forest fires, One Trillion Trees movement puts down U.S. roots

GreenBiz Group

August 27, 2020

Amid devastating forest fires, One Trillion Trees movement puts down U.S. roots Heather Clancy Thu, 08/27/2020 - 00:02 This week marks the launch of the first regional chapter of the ambitious global movement to plant 1 trillion trees — a natural climate solution seen as critical for helping draw down the earth's carbon debt, and an idea that has been spreading like wildfire

...

Can sustainable aquaculture feed the world?

Ethical Corporation

August 26, 2020

Aquaculture, the farming of aquatic animals and plants in the sea or inland waters, ­­has a crucial role in meeting the challenge of how to feed a growing population while reducing the environmental impacts of food production, experts say. It can also create jobs and improve security of food supplies at a time of great economic uncertainty due to the coronavirus

...

Adelaide Cemeteries awarded environmental accreditation

Sustainability Matters

August 26, 2020

Adelaide Cemeteries has gained internationally recognised ISO 14001 environmental certification, reportedly becoming the first cemetery operator in Australia to do so. Adelaide Cemeteries CEO Robert Pitt said significant work had been undertaken over several years to improve environmental performance. “Environmental sustainability is a key pillar of Adelaide Cemeteries’

...

What Are Stem Cells?

Amelia Grant

August 26, 2020

Stem cells is a very discussed topic lately: They are suggested to be used in cosmetic procedures and even added to creams. They are extracted from milk teeth and umbilical cords. They are used in the treatment of various diseases. 

Where there's hope for speeding up business action on plastics

GreenBiz Group

August 26, 2020

Where there's hope for speeding up business action on plastics Elsa Wenzel Wed, 08/26/2020 - 02:01 In 10 short years, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) arguably has done more than any other group to define and advance the circular economy. Its landmark report, "The New Plastics Economy" (PDF),  sounded the alarm in 2016 that if "business as

...

A new app tracks your carbon footprint in real-time. It’s funded by BP.

Grist News

August 26, 2020

Is it time to forget about your carbon footprint?

Renewable energy credit marketplace planned for Southeast Asia

Sustainability Matters

August 25, 2020

Australian energy trading technology company Power Ledger has expanded its partnership with Thai renewable energy business BCPG to create a Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) marketplace in Thailand and the broader Southeast Asian region. The project builds on Power Ledger’s existing relationship with BCPG that initially involved the deployment of Power Ledger’s peer-to-peer (P2P)

...

Renewable energy credit marketplace planned for Southeast Asia

Sustainability Matters

August 25, 2020

Australian energy trading technology company Power Ledger has expanded its partnership with Thai renewable energy business BCPG to create a Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) marketplace in Thailand and the broader Southeast Asian region. The project builds on Power Ledger’s existing relationship with BCPG that initially involved the deployment of Power Ledger’s peer-to-peer (P2P)

...

New sparks for the electric vehicle industry

GreenBiz Group

August 25, 2020

New sparks for the electric vehicle industry Zoé Bezpalko Tue, 08/25/2020 - 01:45 Thinking back to the beginning of 2020 can seem like a lifetime ago. Before the pandemic took root on a global level, the transportation industry was already in the midst of a great and exciting transition. The move to electric vehicles (EVs) was intensifying.  Take General Motors, for example. In early

...

Green energy solution for Greenham

Sustainability Matters

August 24, 2020

Simons Green Energy conducted a feasibility study to assess the suitability of HW Greenham & Sons installing a mixed-fuel cogeneration system at their meat processing site in Tongala, Victoria. The system needed to offer significant environmental benefits and make sound financial sense. Subsequently awarded the project, Simons provided the client with an end-to-end solution from initial design to

...

The rise (and rise) of sustainability-linked finance

GreenBiz Group

August 24, 2020

The rise (and rise) of sustainability-linked finance Joel Makower Mon, 08/24/2020 - 02:11 One silver lining of this horrific moment is the rise of loans, bonds and other financial instruments linked to sustainability outcomes. In this sense, "sustainability" is broadly defined to include environmental issues as well as social ones. And, more recently, a new subcategory of, yes,

...

This is why investors want financial regulators to tackle climate risk

GreenBiz Group

August 24, 2020

This is why investors want financial regulators to tackle climate risk Ravi Varghese Mon, 08/24/2020 - 01:15 To understand economic crises of the recent past, present and future, there may be no finer teacher than Michael Lewis. Many readers will be familiar with Lewis’s book "The Big Short," which documented how excesses in global credit markets spawned a worldwide

...

FutureFeed launches to take methane-busting seaweed to market

Sustainability Matters

August 23, 2020

CSIRO has announced the formation of a new company — FutureFeed — to commercialise a livestock feed additive made from the seaweed Asparagopsis, which has been shown to reduce methane emissions in beef and dairy cattle by more than 80%. AGP Sustainable Real Assets-Sparklabs Cultiv8 Joint Venture, GrainCorp, Harvest Road, Woolworths and CSIRO have committed to investing in the company, with

...

There's a big appetite for farm-to-consumer shopping

GreenBiz Group

August 21, 2020

There's a big appetite for farm-to-consumer shopping Jim Giles Fri, 08/21/2020 - 01:45 Avrom Farm sits in the hills above Green Lake in central Wisconsin. With 5,000 chickens, 200 pigs and six acres of vegetables, it’s a minnow in an industry dominated by an increasingly small number of producers and processors.  In March, a stay-at-home order hit the region. In just a

...

Why e-commerce retailers should increase transparency about their products

GreenBiz Group

August 21, 2020

Why e-commerce retailers should increase transparency about their products Deonna Anderson Fri, 08/21/2020 - 01:15 When shopping online, consumers are able to see a lot of information about a product. There’s the product description and specifications of an item. For a bottle of perfume, the listing would declare the fluid ounces and describe the scent. A piece of clothing would show

...

In Appalachia, he’s helping former miners dig into new opportunities

Grist News

August 21, 2020

Brandon Dennison is on a mission to save West Virginia’s economy while preserving its unique history.

Journey Foods uses AI to create sustainability recipe for food manufacturers

GreenBiz Group

August 20, 2020

Journey Foods uses AI to create sustainability recipe for food manufacturers Jesse Klein Thu, 08/20/2020 - 02:00 Riana Lynn’s company, Journey Foods, is dragging the packaged food business into the 21st century.  "Food manufacturing has really only scaled up in the last 60 years," she said. "And that means we’re also working on very antiquated

...

Why the District of Columbia is a leader in energy efficiency

GreenBiz Group

August 19, 2020

Why the District of Columbia is a leader in energy efficiency Catherine Nabukalu Wed, 08/19/2020 - 01:30 One of my favorite sessions from VERGE 2019 was a presentation by Amory Lovins on the expanding energy efficiency cornucopia. Among several things, he discussed the vital benefit of energy efficiency in working toward environmental sustainability through emissions reductions without

...

Ulta Beauty is bringing refillable containers back to the cosmetics industry

GreenBiz Group

August 18, 2020

Ulta Beauty is bringing refillable containers back to the cosmetics industry Jesse Klein Tue, 08/18/2020 - 02:00 The beauty industry has a plastic waste problem. And it knows it. A quick Google search brings up articles from Allure, National Geographic, Forbes, Teen Vogue and 31,800,000 other results about the issue.  It seems those concerns finally have reached a critical mass,

...

When facts fail to convince, storytelling may do the trick

Grist News

August 17, 2020

A new study suggests that feelings might be the key to changing conservatives' hearts on climate change.

Reusable packaging provides untapped payoffs for business

GreenBiz Group

August 13, 2020

Reusable packaging provides untapped payoffs for business Joana Kleine Jäger Thu, 08/13/2020 - 01:45 Remember the time when milk was delivered to your door in reusable glass bottles? If not, you were probably born during the plastics-era, which began about 50 years ago. Until the 1980s, glass or cotton bags were the go-to packaging materials for many products, such as milk and flour.

...

Post-COVID, should countries rethink their obsession with economic growth?

Grist News

August 11, 2020

How a warming climate moved a fringe economic idea into the mainstream

Microrecycling science: revolutionising recycling and manufacturing

Sustainability Matters

August 10, 2020

Pioneers of ‘microrecycling science’ at UNSW’s Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) have developed a technology that is set to propel advanced manufacturing in Australia while also addressing the nation’s waste management challenges. Developed by Professor Veena Sahajwalla and her team, the novel ‘material microsurgery’

...

How sustainability vets align their work-life identities

GreenBiz Group

August 10, 2020

How sustainability vets align their work-life identities Ellen Weinreb Mon, 08/10/2020 - 01:00 As our professional colleagues in the Sustainability Veterans group expressed their sense of overwhelm and concern around the coronavirus pandemic and Black Lives Matter, we also reflected on how it relates to our lives, and vice versa. Sustainability Veterans is a group of professionals who have

...

Does your state want to cut carbon emissions? These old laws could be standing in the way.

Grist News

August 10, 2020

Outdated policies that favor fossil fuels could thwart states' climate goals.

Investors say agroforestry isn’t just climate friendly — it’s profitable

GreenBiz Group

August 10, 2020

Investors say agroforestry isn’t just climate friendly — it’s profitable Stephanie Hanes Mon, 08/10/2020 - 00:15 This story originally appeared in Mongabay and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalistic collaboration to strengthen coverage of the climate story. In the latter part of 2016, Ethan Steinberg and two of his friends

...

Vinyl Council of Australia updating best practice criteria

Sustainability Matters

August 9, 2020

Criteria for the Vinyl Council of Australia’s Best Environmental Practice (BEP) PVC product verification scheme will be reviewed and updated following discussions with the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA). Best Practice PVC products, independently verified as fully compliant with the scheme, are recognised in Green Star building rating tools, as well as other public and private

...

Father-daughter research project details COVID lockdown’s effect on emissions

Grist News

August 7, 2020

We'd need a yearly quarantine to get emissions down enough to limit global warming.

Planting tiny urban forests can boost biodiversity and fight climate change

GreenBiz Group

August 7, 2020

Planting tiny urban forests can boost biodiversity and fight climate change Alex Thornton Fri, 08/07/2020 - 00:30 How much space do you think you need to grow a forest? If your answer is bigger than a couple of tennis courts, think again. Miniature forests are springing up on patches of land in urban areas around the world, often planted by local community groups using a method

...

New York is spending $1 billion to help residents conserve energy — and lower their bills

Grist News

August 4, 2020

The state is partnering with investor-owned utilities to provide energy-efficient solutions to more than 350,000 low-to-moderate income households.

Powder coating: an unacknowledged waste stream

Sustainability Matters

August 3, 2020

Concerns about the impact of nanoplastics and microplastics (NMPs) on global ecosystems has been on the radar for many years.1 Most attention to date has focused on microplastics in waterways and oceans, but much is unknown about their occurrence on land.2 NMPs contaminate practically all areas of the world including air, soil and water — streams, rivers, oceans and even arctic snow.3 They have been

...

Peatlands could become a climate feedback loop we definitely don’t want to trigger

Grist News

August 3, 2020

A new experiment provides a window into the future of peatlands, the world's largest natural carbon store.

ABB builds facility for EV chargers in Italy

Sustainability Matters

August 2, 2020

A new facility for electric vehicle chargers is being developed by ABB in San Giovanni Valdarno, Italy. The $30 million, 16,000 m2 facility will serve as a global Centre of Excellence and production site for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. It is expected to be operational by the end of 2021. The project follows a $10 million investment in a new fully sustainable, global e-mobility headquarters

...