Budding new technology brings clean energy

Bloom Energy is changing the way the world thinks about energy. Today, most electricity is supplied over a network of cables stretching for kilometers from their source to reach the end user. Most often the power is generated by burning fossil fuels or any other method we can use to crank a turbine, be it nuclear fission or renewable energy. Bloom Energy plans to change all of that by commercializing fuel cells in a way that has never been accomplished.


In 2001 Dr. KR Sridhar and his colleagues at NASA had finished a research project which tested and developed fuel cell technologies that were to be used for missions to Mars. With every space mission, satellites and manned stations require power, which typically comes from solar panels or batteries. When Dr. Sridhar used the concepts for applications on Earth, Bloom Energy was born.

Although many experts are skeptical about the feasibility of the product for personal and commercial use, they are all agree that we need cleaner sources of energy. Find out more about Bloom Energy by visiting www.bloomenergy.com.

Read more on this article...

Share

More then green grass at stadiums

At the AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants they have enough eco-friendly features to cut their annual energy and water bill in half which can run to the same amount of a small city.

The stadium holds 45,000 fans. It serves recyclable eco-friendly napkins, toilet paper, containers, and utensils; composts more than 50% of the stadiums waste; and the scoreboard is solar powered.

Vancouver's Empire Field is made from around 22,000 recycled tires. Nationals Park in Washington DC is equipped with a green roof donated by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and was the country's first stadium to be LEED-certified. Sports teams are focusing on recycling and efficiency in their facilities which is attracting lucrative corporate sponsorships with green messaging.

Not all teams are on board with this new greener message. The Cowboys stadium is an energy-guzzling super giant averaging over $200,000 in monthly utility bills consuming as much power as Santa Monica, California. Read more on this article...

Share

Effective Green Marketing

Consumers want to be green, think green and buy green. But what is a green product? How do we define a green product? How does the consumer know if the supposed green product is actually truly a green product? These questions and concerns about actualy green products and products falsely advertised to be green, come from the trust issues between consumers and manufactors. Some manufactors will bend the truth to make a sale.
Consumers don't trust manufacturers to tell them the truth about how green the products really are. 
Stephen Wenc, the president of UL Environment has said there are,four basic challenges to effective green marketing:

• Lack of credibility by consumers 
• Confusion regarding sustainable product claims
• Manufactors reputation for "misleading claims"
• Liability risk from "greenwashing" under FTC Green Guides


Brooks Beard, a partner at Morrison Foerster; a law firm. Demonstarted how the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taking legal action against greenwashers. After almost a decade of no anti-greenwashing lawsuits.

Four steps to avoid claims and legal charges of greenwashing:

• Pick products or services you promote on green grounds with caution and care
• Be specific with word choices 
• Be specific about what part of your product or packaging is green
• Substantiate, always back up your claims


Theres a free hour-long webcast. It will provide more detail on the dangers and solutions to greenwashing Read more on this article...

Share

Chapel Hill Tires Co. competes with green marketing

Solar and other renewable energy’s are a great way to differentiate your company from competitors. The automotive industry is competitive and a cost conscious marketplace. With car maintenance and repair, all car companies look the same and offer the same services. Chapel Hill Tires Company knew they needed something different, something innovative and something that no one else in the marketplace was offering.


Chapel Hill Tires Company decided to provide solar installation. The solar installation is not an isolated step; Chapel Hill Tires Company is providing synthetic recycled motor oil, which uses 85% less energy of manufacture, through purchasing carbon offsets, and training staff in hybrid vehicle maintenance and repair.

Chapel Hill Tire Car Care Center

After doing so, the company got countless column inches in the local paper, earned a loyal customer following and the opportunity to talk about something other than tires, oil changes, or repairs.

A company needs to be able to show how they are different from their competitors in terms of the services provided before and after the sale and their values. Besides that, all that matters to a customer competitive prices. If a company is known for bad work and poor service, it won’t matter how many solar panels or how green the company is, it still won’t make a different or positive impact for that company.

Going green is a savvy business move, and a good marketing strategy. Find out more about Chapel Hill's environmental initiative.

Read more on this article...

Share

"The Story of Electronics", designing e-waste

 Another fantastic video by The Story of Stuff Project, Annie Leonard presents The Story of Electronics which shows how product designers have reduced product costs at the expense of increased environmental costs.

The "design for the dump" mentality is leading to expanding electronic waste. Companies are pushing products to market which are not designed to be used beyond the next innovation, and consumers are left with very few environmentally friendly choices. Annie gave the example of her old DVD player which would cost much more to fix than to purchase a new one, and we can all think of similar products which we have used ourselves.


Millions of products which use precious metals and toxic materials are poorly recycled, if at all, and negatively impact the communities located near the waste. Maybe it's time to design products to be modular, for a longer lifespan, and to proactively offer a product "take back" program.

Consumers need to demand better choices from companies and not just the lowest prices, or the newest gimmick. When we begin making demands from the companies which ultimately serve us, we can make a positive effect on our world and live on a healthier and happier planet.

Visit The Story of Stuff Project for other great videos and join the project.

And while you're at it, follow us on twitter, digg, and youtube. Read more on this article...

Share