The UN Copenhagen Climate Talks failed. Image from rediff.com

The BBC theorizes why the most anticipated event in the fight against global warming failed to achieve anything. Despite the presence of over 100 world leaders, extensive press coverage, and greater awareness of the Earth’s rising temperatures, the Climate Talks could not make an agreement on future carbon emissions regulations. With the diversified interests of nations, EU politics, and poorly executed strategies, the event, unfortunately, resulted in no concrete conclusion.

However, this does not necessarily hurt the green job industry. Though the Summit failed to reach an agreement, it did confirm “that climate change is central to the political thinking of every country on the planet.” The protests and press coverage also increased public awareness, making the topic as popular to debate as the health care battle.

Most importantly for green economy, the Summit proved that “green growth is now the prevailing economic model of our time. The idea that addressing climate change is bad for business was buried at Copenhagen. Countries from both developed and developing worlds have announced low-carbon economic plans and are moving forward.”

So, while no draft was drawn, the awareness created has urged countries to focus on green sectors in order to sustain and improve economies. And, with massive snowstorms attacking the East Coast, Europe, and now the Midwest, the world will focus on green jobs like renewable energy jobs, energy conservation jobs, water engineer jobs, sustainability director jobs, and environmental educator jobs.

Cross-posted to dansmolen.com and thegreensuits.com:

Greetings from the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. where, over the past weekend, the Godzilla of snowstorms (a.k.a. Snowzilla) dumped a record 23 inches of the white stuff on the ground.

While the three days of public school preceding the Christmas break have been cancelled, life is returning to normal.

Mail delivery has resumed. Ample supplies of bread, milk, and toilet paper have returned to the shelves of area supermarkets. And as you can see, there is great joy in the land; the conditions for sledding are truly amazing!

So, how ’bout that global warming?

2009 is a year that most of us would prefer to forget. The job market is still in the tank, and may remain that way for awhile. The official unemployment rate is currently at 10 percent, but really, somewhere between 17 and 20 percent of the nation is “between jobs.”

There is a lot of shared misery. And it takes a lot for us to keep smiles on our faces as we wonder, “will this nightmare ever end?”

Personally, I believe 2010 will be our turnaround year. While the pace of the recovery may seem too slow for most, I do believe that there will be considerable improvement in the overall economy and our fortunes.

Already, there are positive signs: ambitious executives have decided to follow their dreams and become entrepreneurs. Men and women – who suffered downsizing earlier in the year – are using their time (and their nest eggs) wisely to refine their business strategies and marketing plans, and craft unique value propositions that they hope will turn their dreams of running profitable businesses into reality. I am pleased that many are looking to make it big in the green spaces (renewable energy, greentech, cleantech, and other verdant areas), or by helping conventional companies embrace the triple-bottom-line.

Entrepreneurs are key to turning around the economy and creating millions of new green jobs.

Yes, things are about to get better.

During the First Quarter of 2010, my new book – Tailoring the Green Suit: Empowering Yourself for an Executive Career in the New Green Economy - will be published. Currently, the manuscript is in editing and the dust cover is being designed. I am so pleased by the “buzz” this book has created; many of you have written to ask when and where the hardcover and e-book versions may be purchased. Those details are to be determined; however, Sturdy Roots Blog and the new The Green Suits website will provide all the details.

As you and your family gather for the holidays, please recognize that things are going to get better. Resolve that 2010 will be your breakout year – the year that you set the wheels in motion to start that great green business executive career you’ve long wanted.

If you have snow on the ground (like we do here in the Metropolitan D.C. area) then enjoy this highly unusual but wonderful White Christmas season.

Then, let’s all rock in 2010: it is going to be an amazing – and verdant - new year!

Peace.

A survey by Underwriters Laboratories found out that most homeowners look for energy efficiency when purchasing new home appliances.  More than half look for energy efficiency as one of the top two things they look for, ranking safety not so high.  My only defense as one of these homeowners purchasing a lot of new appliances is it wasn’t even a thought in my mind that they might not be safe!

 Looking for the UL mark on the packaging is helpful when purchasing new energy efficient appliances for your home.  That mark will give you the relief that the product has undergone rigorous safety testing, and is free of any safety hazards. 

Cost and Energy savings are the two top factors when purchasing a new appliance for homeowners but safety should really be a top priority, what good is the appliance if it causes damage to the home or person? 

The 300 million dollar rebate program that encourages homeowners to buy energy efficient appliances will be a great time for people buying energy efficient appliances to make sure they meet safety standards before purchasing them for their home. 

If you are not replacing your appliances you should double check your connections and all of your appliances as a whole to make sure they are running how they should. 

Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has designed a website, www.ul.com/appliancesafety .com  to help consumers learn more about the Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program and to help them understand appliance safety as well.  This website will also allow consumer to learn when the rebate program starts in their state, also which appliances will qualify for rebates as well as how much each appliance will get towards the rebate.  The website will also help you determine if you need a new appliance or if the one you currently have is fine.  It also has some great tips on how to keep you’re a[appliance working like new. 

Posted by: Kate Kiselka, follow me on twitter

The Copenhagen summit is the world’s last chance to save the planet from “catastrophic” global warming, according to a major study led by Lord Stern of Brentford, the country’s leading authority on climate change.

Without an international agreement to limit global warming, temperatures are likely to rise by 9F (5C) by the end of the century – triggering mass migration, warfare and world hunger, according to the report.

But Lord Stern, who produced the report together with the London School of Economics and other leading academics, said it was still possible for the world to keep the temperature rise below 3.6F (2C) – but only if world leaders agree to cut global emissions at next week’s UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen.

However the world must be prepared to spend more money on tackling climate change through both public finance and a new raft of “carbon taxes”.

Lord Stern described the summit as the “most important gathering since the second world war, given what is at stake”.

His comments come as the Prince of Wales confirmed he would attend the summit to urge world leaders to take action against climate change. The outspoken campaigner on environmental issues it expected to put particular emphasis on the need to stop deforestation.

“Let us not allow mistrust, pessimism and lack of ambition to take us stumbling into profound dangers. Instead let us have real vision and leadership in both developed and developing countries which seize the opportunities offered by Copenhagen, for us, our children and future generations,” he said.

The former World Bank economist’s report on climate change in 2006 – known as The Stern Report – is regarded as the single most influential political document on climate change in Britain.

However, Lord Stern admitted that even he had underestimated the risk of global warming in the past.

His new report, compiled with the London School of Economics, University of Leeds and Economic and Social Research Council, has calculated the cuts the world will need to make in greenhouse gases to stand a good chance of keeping temperature rises within a safe limit.

Previously Lord Stern had said the world must keep levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere below 550 parts per million of carbon dioxide. However, following scientific evidence that the world is losing its ability to absorb carbon dioxide in the soils and oceans, he said this will now have to be kept below 500ppm.

This will mean halving the amount of carbon dioxide the world is currently pumping into the atmosphere through factories, transport and other emissions.

“It is possible to create a 50/50 chance of avoiding a rise in global average temperature of more than 2C, which many scientists regard as the threshold for dangerous climate change,” he said. “To do this we need to halt and reverse the growth of annual emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, reducing them from about 47 billion tonnes in 2010 to about 44 billion tonnes in 2020, and decreasing to must less than 20 billion tonnes in 2050.”

Lord Stern said that the world could achieve these targets if the rich countries reach their most ambitious targets. He said the European Union should agree to cut emissions by 30 per cent by 2020 and the UK should cut greenhouse gases by more than 40 per cent over the same period. This would mean the “decarbonisation” of electricity by switching to nuclear or renewables, replacing petrol cars with electric vehicles and insulating all homes.

The former adviser to the UK Treasury has also advocated individuals “do their bit” by eating less meat, flying less and recycling more.

Lord Stern said the developing world will also have to make cuts, as these countries will be responsible for most emissions in the future as countries like China grow.

However this will require finance from the rich world to help less developed economies switch from dirty coal-fired power stations to new technologies like wind and solar. Poor countries will also need money to adapt to the effects of climate change such as flooding and droughts.

In his 2006 report Lord Stern suggested that it would cost the world between 1-2 per cent of GDP to tackle climate change. But he said rich countries should be prepared to spend more than that.

He admitted this could mean “carbon taxes” on polluting goods and services such as long haul flights, dirty factories and carbon intensive goods such as fruits and vegetables from abroad.

“We may have to work on new sources of finance, on the use of auction revenues, on taxation of aviation and maritime, on revenues from carbon taxes. We have to work out the best way of generating new revenues to cover those kinds of support we should be looking for,” he said.

Lord Stern, who is now chairman of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change, said world leaders at Copenhagen must agree to cut emissions while also providing a “global” fund to help poor countries of at least £30 billion per annum by 2015 and rising to £120 billion during the 2020s.

“An agreement now lies in the hands of world leaders who can make decisions across a full range of political issues that relate to climate change. They must demonstrate determination and vision. We must have an agreement that will ensure future generations can enjoy the opportunities for sustainable growth that are offered by the low carbon economy, and that are free from the severe risks that would arise from unchecked climate change. We cannot afford the cost of failure on climate change,” he said.

By Louise Gray, Environment Correspondent

Imagine a trash can that actually sorts your recyclables for you–and then tells you how much money your garbage is worth. Currently being developed at Georgia Tech, Smart Trash receptacles are being touted as an ecologically sound method of waste disposal that’s easy and rewarding to use.

Trash receptacles equipped with scanners that read bar codes and other product tags would record much of what is thrown away, along with the items’ potential re-sale value. They would then relay that information to recycling centers via WiFi. Recycling centers would set aside anything hazardous or toxic for treatment, storage, and safe disposal. Anything of value would be auctioned off, with proceeds going to the consumer, who would have the option of receiving cash back or applying the earnings to next month’s sanitation bill.

The cash incentive and user-friendliness of Smart Trash technology is intended to encourage more consumers to recycle and also enable them to easily recycle many more items than the current system allows, such as consumer electronics, for example. Developers are betting that the benefits for consumers (not to mention the environment) will outweigh any embarrassment of leaving yet one more digital trail behind.

Source: Georgia Institute of Technology, www.gatech.edu.

The President of Venezuela was right when he said “if the climate was a bank, they would have already saved it”.  After the world financial crisis and quick jump to action to save the worlds banks with billions of dollars “lent” in bailout money around the world; the latest disastrous outcome at Copenhagen, makes the above statement seem right on the money.

Along the lines of the United Nations and other various bilateral or World organisations the failure at Copenhagen has shown yet again that a conglomerate of interests/nations just doesn´t work. Only bilateral action can be relied upon to make any meaningful steps to halting our march towards climate disaster.

It’s now time for individual nations, bilaterally or not, to make their own commitment to abating climate change and move forward by themselves.  Waiting on any world body to decide anything meaningful has no track record of working. Look at Rwanda, Darfur, Croatia etc  the UN has proven a political and economic hole that soaks up billions of dollars in money that could be better used creating jobs in the green economy.

The planet needs individual action not world in-action.  Globalisation for want of a better word is dead, experience shows us it doesn’t function.

Jerome Ringo, President of the Apollo Alliance, gave the following speech at the 2009 National Bioneers Conference:

Look out for the coming post about how industries and governments can work together to make the new green economy a reality.

Had there not been such a significant breakdown in the ethical standard of enforcing the rules and regulations that have been on the books for some time, “crisis” would not be the dominant word used to describe our current economic situation.

When we get behind the wheel of a car, it is the responsibility of each and every one of us to drive their vehicle in such a manner that maintains safety for themselves and others, regardless of what the road and weather conditions may be — or we pay the price.

Through Core Asset Conservation, the individual takes back control and ownership of their future.  By taking the initiative to reduce the levels of personal exposure to unnecessary risks, the individual is in a much stronger position to keep themselves and their families in step with the unalterable cycles and milestones of life, regardless of what a constantly changing environment may put before them.

Ultimately, ethical systems that stand the test of time are built, maintained and sustained by a preponderance of ethical individuals… a simple fact of life.

The following video by Graham Veysey summarizes the proceedings of the Sustainable Cleveland 2019 Summit hosted by Mayor Jackson.

I have heard multiple Clevelanders state their frustration about the lack of visible results that have come out of the Sustainable Cleveland 2019 Summit so far.  But what I say to them each time is that this is a 10 year project.  And we are responsible for the results.

This past Tuesday, a slew of Sustainable Cleveland Summit participants attended the Mini-Summit for Communications hosted by Andrew Watterson, Chief of Sustainability for the City of Cleveland.  The purpose of the gathering was to construct (through the Appreciative Inquiry process) the tools and information systems needed for communication about Sustainable Cleveland 2019. 

The overarching outcome of the process was that all the participating groups agreed that some website hub for interpersonal connections and information sharing is needed.  Such a website would help the City, the Summit Council and Steering Committee, the Summit Action Groups, Sustainable Cleveland stakeholders and the public know what is cooking in the Sustainable Cleveland 2019 kitchen.

Other progress coming out of the Summit includes:

•  The City’s Office of Sustainability has completed their report of the Summit, which describes what happened over the 3 days in August.
• The Sustainable Cleveland 2019 Council has met and has agreed to hire a consultant to produce a strategic plan for Sustainable Cleveland 2019 going forward.
• The Sustainable Cleveland 2019 Steering Committee has met and will be meeting again on February 11-12 to plan the next Summit in 2010.
• Representatives from all of the Summit groups gathered on November 17th to describe progress and needs within their groups, as well as to collaborate with other groups.

The Summit Action Groups continue to evolve as the City, Council and Steering Committee organize for success.  My suggestion for those of you who don’t see enough action is to start acting.

Every year, more companies across the globe are recognizing the importance of sustainability and CSR reporting for improved reputation and financial returns from customers and investors, in addition to increasing cost savings and risk aversion.  In 2008, 84 percent of the 250 largest global companies by revenue reported on sustainability performance, 75 percent of which used the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework for their reporting process[1].

The GRI provides a standard framework and guidelines for measuring and reporting an organization’s economic, environmental, and social performance.  The GRI framework yields reliable, credible and comparable metrics through its use of performance indicators in 6 key categories: Environmental, Human Rights, Labor Practices and Decent Work, Society, Product Responsibility, and Economic.  By reporting on the indicators most relevant to their operations, organizations can present their significant environmental, social and economic impacts and opportunities. 

But at first glance, the number of indicators within each category may seem intimidating and even confusing.  To help organizations understand what these indicators mean, as well as where and how to start their reporting process, BrownFlynn Learning provides its signature course, “The GRI Process”, and has recently partnered with Symbiotic Engineering to offer a comprehensive course on GRI’s 30 Environmental Indicators.

On February 11, 2010, BrownFlynn Learning will complement its training session for “The GRI Process” (February 9-10) with the one-day course focused on the GRI Environmental Performance (EN) Indicators.  Environmental engineers (bios below) will help participants garner an in-depth understanding of the standard protocols and methodologies for setting goals and for tracking and reporting environmental performance toward those goals.  Instructors will delve into how the environmental indicators relate to benchmarking, reporting GHG inventories and life cycle analysis, and addressing problems faced by participants.

Expected Outcomes of the Environmental Indicator Course:

• How to use the Environmental Indicators as the basis for the business case for sustainability.
• The current methodologies and protocols relevant to the North American market for reporting the Environmental Indicators.
• How to benchmark, set goals, and respond when the company is going off goal.
• How these indicators are used for reporting to other agencies, such as the Carbon Disclosure Project.
• The course will include discussion of using information collected for GRI for other reporting protocols such as the Carbon Disclosure Project. Instruction will also consider Life Cycle Analyses that takes a broader view of the environmental impact.

Agenda:

8:30 – 8:45am: Welcome and Introductions of Trainers

8:45 – 9:00am: Environmental Indicators and the Business Case for Sustainability

9:00 – 10:15am: Core Indicators Overview

10:15 – 10:30am: Break

10:30 – 11:15am: Core Indicators – Setting Baselines

11:15 – 11:45am: Additional Indicators Overview and Baselines

11:45am – 12:30pm: Lunch

12:30 – 1:30pm: Goals, Benchmarking and Utilizing the Management Disclosure

1:30 – 2:45pm: Reporting GHG Inventory and Life Cycle Analysis

2:45 – 3:00pm: Break

3:00 – 3:45pm: Case Study

3:45 – 4:30pm: Remaining Participant Questions, Discussion and Wrap Up

Trainer Bios:

Mark Reiner

Mark is a founding Principal of Symbiotic Engineering in Boulder, Colorado. Symbiotic was formed in 2006 and is a Colorado-based energy/carbon consulting firm that focuses primarily on environmental life cycle analyses and the development of web-based tools that integrate utility data, GIS, and structure attributes from tax assessor databases to develop energy intensity patterns of individual properties, neighborhoods and service areas.  Mark specializes in materials evaluations and overall sustainability reporting using GRI G3 International protocols.  

Previous to starting Symbiotic, Mark was the co-lead for the infrastructure assessment for the Master Plan of Kigali, Rwanda while also serving as the Projects Director for Engineers Without Borders – USA.  He has also served as adjunct faculty at the University of Colorado at Denver where he taught “Urbanization of Developing Nations”.  He received his PhD from the same institution in Civil Engineering. 

Michael Whitaker

Dr. Michael Whitaker is a founding Principal at Symbiotic Engineering, LLC, with a focus on conducting greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories and life cycle assessments (LCA) both domestically and internationally.  Currently, Michael directs Symbiotic Engineering’s GHG management, LCA, and sustainable real estate development and quantification programs.  Using internationally accepted methodologies and life cycle systems thinking, Michael quantifies energy, emissions, and material flows to develop action items that enhance the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of clients. 

Prior to co-founding Symbiotic Engineering, Michael focused on analyzing the life cycle GHG impacts of transportation and electricity generation systems and on developing GHG emission reduction strategies for private organizations and public entities.  His experience encompasses a variety of organizations including municipalities, universities, governmental laboratories, real estate developers, and other domestic and international companies.  In 2007, Dr. Whitaker completed his PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado Denver as part of the Urban Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering Project with his work focusing on comparing the life cycle GHG impacts of urban mass transit systems in the U.S. and India.

For more information about this course and to register, visit http://www.brownflynnlearning.com.

Materials and Resources ::  12.5 points achieved out of 16 points available::

With the intent of designing durable buildings and limiting waste, MR 1 addresses the framing order waste factor, of which we achieved less than 10%.  We also used framing efficiencies which included extensive pre-cut framing packages sizing headers for loads, blocking for the installation of drywall and cabinetry, and other high performance building techniques. We did not get points for our detailed framing documents because we did not have detailed designs for every wall including interiors and due to this, we forfeited 1.3 which is detailed cut lists and lumber orders – although I have to give a call out to Dave Pearson of Pearson Woodworking, Jay Smith of Smith Ingram and Mike Anderson of Anderson Woodfloors for their incredible use of materials. Dave and Jay achieved a less than 2% waste on interior finish wood work, creative using extra boards to build custom closets, shelves, and even cubbies for my kids’ rooms. Mike did an amazing job with managing waste from our Carlisle wood floor installation. We had so little waste, that we were able to install wood floors in the mud room, wine cellar and AV equipment use with assumed waste factor. Amazing and it brought my cost per sq/ft down incredibly!

MR 2.2 addresses Environmentally Preferable Products (EPP) which in addition to FSC certified products, really addresses product certifications, VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) content and local production or products used inside the home.  This following is the breakdown of what we applied for, surpassing the maximum of 8 points in this section.

1. Exterior wall: framing — FSC Wood 92% from National Lumber, COC listed on orders – ½ pt EPP
2. Exterior wall: siding – 100% FSC White CEDAR shingles from Liberty Cedar, COC supplied — ½ pt EPP
3. Flooring: Carlisle, reclaimed hardwood floors of 3150 sq/ft plus 100 sq ft, for 71 % of floor, finished with low VOC compliant umber stain and Tung oil finish, factory applied. Additional ½ point for all LOW VOC for all flooring including Fireclay Debris tile (50% recycled materials), Marmoleum which is SCS FloorScore certified. – ½ pt EPP  and – ½ pt low emission
4. Carpet: Mohawk CSI Green Label Plus Certified “green” low VOC, recycled content, BiOH Low VOC eco pad, recycled content – ½ pt low emission
5. Floor Framing: Engineering floor system from Boise Wood – see VOC reports – ½ pt low emission
6. Foundation: Cement with up to 30% flyash for all poured foundation, footings produced by Richmond Ready Mix in Wyoming, RI. – ½ pt EPP and ½ pt local
7. Interior Wall Framing: 100% of interior 2×4s used were FSC certified from National Lumber -– ½ pt EPP
8. Interior wall, ceiling, millwork: paint — All interior surface coatings for primer and paint were Sherwin Williams ZERO VOC Harmony paint — – ½ pt low emission
9. Landscape: 100% of front and rear porch and decking is made from Accoya FSC certified wood – – ½ pt EPP
10. Cabinets: Cabinets locally made by Crownpoint cabinetry using locally harvested 100% FSC maple, zero UREA formaldehyde (Kitchen and bath) — – ½ pt EPP; – ½ pt low emission and – ½ pt local production
11. Counters: Paperstone kitchen counters made from 100% recycled content, ZERO urea formaldehyde. EcoTop bathroom counters with recycled content and ZERO urea formaldehyde, reclaimed hardwood countertop with ZERO urea formaldehyde, bathrooms counters with integral sinks are Kohler cast iron made of 93% recycled iron with no urea formaldehyde — – ½ pt EPP
12. Doors – Installed all Masonite FSC- certified 2 panel interior doors – ½ pt EPP
13. Trim – 100% of millwork and wood trim was FSC-certified pine, also used FSC certified Centurion for board and batten and beadboard, and wood ceiling in media room — – ½ pt EPP
14. Adhesives and sealants – 100% of all adhesives and sealants on the project from wood floor glue to calk, to putty to mastic to sealers were require by the subcontractor to meet the LOW VOC requirements. Support documents included. (We would spot check materials regularly) — – ½ pt low emission
15. Window Framing – All window framing was built using FSC certified framing lumber with COC. — – ½ pt EPP
16. Insulation — Western GacoGreen 052 Wall Foam with VOC of 30.4 g/L — – ½ pt low emission
17. Sheathing: 100% of our sheathing was Advantech which SFI certified (competitive to FSC and same exacting standards) –should count. – but no points because it’s not FSC, but I thought Advantech deserved it.

The last portion of materials and resources included our construction waste reduction program. We had a fairly intense waste program onsite include, at all times a wood recycling and mixed waste bin. Throughout the job we also brought in metal recycling (during HVAC) and cardboard which we would bring to the site when we needed it, stacking and storing cardboard in the garage to minimize the dumpsters onsite and the soil compaction. Over the building period of 14 months, we only sent two 15-yard mixed waste dumpsters to the landfill, in total diverting 87% of our construction debris to recycling. This totaled just 1.2 lbs of waste per finished area (average is 4.5 lbs).

Had we not achieved all of our Innovation & Design points, we could have applied for an additional 1.5 point for Exemplary performance in MR 2.2, but we only applied for .5.

Posted by KDL | follow me on Twitter: newscaster

After riots and shocking police response, the Copenhagen talks have resumed but too slowly the UN climate chief told BBC News.

One obstacle is China’s refusal to have “its emission curbs internationally verified.” As the world’s largest carbon emitter, the country’s agreement proves essential to reaching a deal, and to the future of carbon emissions.

Also aggravating debates is the request for developing nations to abide by the same regulations as developed nations. Though the UN wants to create a fair deal, economically struggling countries tormented by famine and disease have much greater difficulty reducing carbon emission than those with better technology and a stronger economy. China along with several other developing nations refuse to accept this request.

The final talk will be held this Friday. Over 100 world leaders including President Obama will attend.

Last month, the US administration announced a series of emission targets. It pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 17% from 2005 levels by 2020, 30% by 2025, 42% by 2030 and 83% by 2050.

Though the Conference faces many challanges in its last few days, the publicity and protests reveals the world’s evolving awareness of the environmental issues; an awareness that was not present ten years ago. While violence and police brutality disrupt the conference, the high levels of anticipation indicate a promising future green economy, bringing more climate health jobs, energy conservation jobs, air pollution specialist jobs, and solar jobs with other green jobs.

We’ve left our small and mid-sized businesses behind [that employ 80% of our workforce]; and we’ve left our American people behind… This does not an economy make.

President Obama is trying to nudge banks in the right direction, at least on the surface:

-Make more loans to small and medium-size businesses.

-Increase modifications of underwater mortgages.

-Bring executive compensation under control.

-Give more support to legislation overhauling financial regulation.”

Ring in the Holiday Season right with renewable energy at St. Thomas Episcopal Church!

WHAT: Solar Holiday Lights Celebration

WHEN: Tuesday, December 15 – 5:30 p.m.

WHERE: St. Thomas Episcopal Church (2898 South 48th Street) in Springdale

Join the Sierra Club and fellow community residents to light up the evening under the church’s windmill. Speeches will highlight clean energy solutions. Free Hot Apple Cider!

For more information, contact Benn Davenport at benn.davenport@sierraclub.org or (501) 301-8280. Visit St. Thomas Episcopal Church online at www.stthomasspringdale.org.

The conundrum, which came first the chicken or the egg is much like the green jobs dilemma today in the USA. Although substancial funding has been made available by the government to increase green jobs in the USA, without green businesses to create these jobs most of that money has been going to conventional non-green jobs such as transportation, (the building of highways) and to the purchase from foreign manufacturers of renewable energy components (solar panels etc.).

This blog was started with the vision of; helping American entrepreneurs to think green and begin creating the thousands of green jobs that our government is willing to subsidize, greening the American economy, and lifting the poor in this country out of poverty while improving the quality of life for all Americans.

I invite readers to link to relevant articles or to comment on all postings on this blog. Together we can move the country forward.

A longtime OG&E executive, Peter Delaney will give a Clinton School lecture titled, “Challenges Behind the Switch: What One Electric Company is Doing to Keep the Lights on in Challenging Times.” Named president and CEO of OG&E in September 2007, Delaney will discuss his company’s efforts involving renewable energy, energy efficiency and transmission and how those efforts are affecting its Arkansas customers. OG&E currently serves more than 75,000 Arkansans.

WHEN: Monday, December 14 – 12-1 p.m.

WHERE: University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service – Sturgis Hall

Reserve your seats by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or calling (501)683-5239.

The publication by the High-level Group on Green Enterprise Developing the Green Economy in Ireland last month sets out the case that ‘the green economy can make a significant contribution to Ireland’s economy by creating employment and export opportunities in areas such as renewable energy, energy efficiency and consultancy, waste management, recovery and recycling and water and wastewater treatment’ .  Indeed Mary Coughlan Tánaiste and Minster for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Eamon Ryan, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources , both take the position that the green enterprise sector is central to the development of the smart economy in Ireland. It is interesting to note, however, the almost complete absence of any attention to social matters in this document. ‘Green’ and ‘enterprise’ seem to be solely conceptualised as environmental and commercial. This is a narrow view that harks back to an archaic, but still persistent, technical fix approach to societal problems where it is assumed that a win-win situation for the environment and the economy will inevitably trickledown to the social and community. This has not proven to be the case in the past so it is not clear why it will be the case in the future.

The document squarely ignores the immensely innovative work, work that is absolutely enterprising, already done by communities for communities in the pursuit of sustainability and resilience.  Activities of community-based, not-for-profit (although by no means necessarily unprofitable) organisations around the country already promote a ‘green economy’ in its broadest and most valuable sense. This work, including that of community-based recycling schemes, rural transport networks, community gardens, community sustainable energy initiatives, biodiversity protection and environmental education programmes provide employment (often for the most disadvantaged in our society) but much more. The added value of these initiatives in terms of developing self esteem, social skills and cohesion, civic engagement and mutually supportive co-operation (which may be termed social capital in the round) are hard to quantify but extremely significant nonetheless. Where communities are mentioned in the report it is in the context of educating them to accept new technologies in their backyard or by curtailing the planning system(one of the last statutory areas in which people can, in theory, express their views on immediate changes to their lived environments) to facilitate developments.  The document does identify a need to provide a ‘showcase for innovation through supporting easier access to environmental research and development, information on technological developments, and the creative, educational and community sectors in developing environmental products and services’(p.31), but the primary motivation for community engagement seems to be improving the ‘green brand’ of Ireland such that  ‘the vision of a green economy and society … provides a powerful marketing tool to encourage potential students to study engineering and related disciplines’ (p.37). Little is said about the climate justice implications of moving towards a low carbon society. Perhaps this is unsurprising given the faithful following of OECD definitions of the green sector and the useful disciplines to promote it which are confined to chemistry, material science, mechanical and electrical engineering, biotechnology, environmental sciences and ICT. Indeed Mr Angel Gurria, Secretary General of the OECD, at the recent launch of the OECD’s Conclusions and Recommendations of their second Environmental Performance Review of Ireland (at Trinity College Dublin 4^th November 2009), when questioned, was unable to provide any indication that the OECD considers climate justice to be an important issue. While normally conceived of as a rich vs. poor country issue climate justice has more complex geographies that are, and will increasingly be, created by inequalities within as well as between nations

The report of the high-level group on green enterprise indicates that  there remains a predilection for business as usual free market environmentalism with all the tools and technologies commonly associated with a neoliberalisation of  both nature and society. What is needed is a suite of innovative approaches to the economic and environment crises currently faced in Ireland, and globally, approaches that recognise and support the worth of social creativity as a crucial third pillar of sustainable development.

Anna Davies

As heads around the world are turned towards the Copenhagen Climate Conference, waiting for legislative promises and actions, there is undoubtedly an acute awareness at this point in time of the dangers and opportunities that Climate Change poses to all humans alike.

At BrownFlynn, we think about these challenges and chances on a daily basis.  It’s what we do.  We help organizations of all kinds find ways to fine-tune their environmental, social and economic practices so that what they do aligns with what they believe.

This past year, however, BrownFlynn took a long look inside to find what we can do to become more sustainable environmentally, socially and economically.  And we found room for improvement.

This week, in synch with the international Climate Conference, BrownFlynn is launching our first sustainability report for 2008-2009.  Although it is unique for a sustainability consulting firm of our size (currently 9 women) to publish a sustainability/CSR report, we believe that no matter the size of our impact on this planet and its atmosphere, we have a responsibility to practice what we teach and to help abate the threats of Climate Change.

In our report, we go over the process we went through to engage our stakeholders; to create teams around Environmental Stewardship, Employee Health & Wellness, Community Engagement, Employee Orientation and Business Innovation; and to set goals for future improvement.  In the coming years, we have committed to measuring our progress towards our goals and to transparently reporting that progress in annual sustainability reports.

How can you help take action on Climate Change?

Use the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework.  Create a sustainability report.  Make progress.

We believe in the wisdom of the adage, “What gets measured gets managed.”  As the first organization in the U.S. to become a GRI-certified trainer, we use the GRI framework for our own reporting process and for the process that we use with our clients… so that we all know what to measure.

GRI offers a roadmap and standard international guidelines for how to make an organization more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.  According to the KPMG International Survey of Corporate Responsibility Reporting in 2008, 84% of the 250 largest global companies (by revenue) report on sustainability performance, 75% of which use GRI.

Climate Change is seemingly too large a task for any single organization to tackle.  But if each of us commits to setting up the infrastructure in our organizations to support action towards becoming more sustainable, then everyone will benefit.

Come take a look at our online, interactive sustainability report to see how we did it and how we will continue to address these important global issues, one step at a time.

The Little Rock Sustainability Commission meets today between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Willie L. Hinton Neighborhood Resource Center (3805 W. 12th) in Little Rock. Meetings are open to the public. Public comments are heard at the end of each meeting.

The Little Rock Sustainability Commission formed in Spring 2008 at the recommendation of a City Manager-appointed task force that examined the opportunities and benefits of a sustainability policy for the City of Little Rock. The commission’s purpose is to serve as a liaison between the Citizens of Little Rock and the City of Little Rock’s City Manager, Mayor, Board Directors, and Departments on matters relating to the sustainability of the City. Membership consists of seven to fifteen residents of Little Rock appointed by the Mayor.

For more information, contact (501)371-4510 or SustainLR@gmail.com.