One of the challenges faced by businesses and governments as we move toward a post-carbon society is that the rules and standards seem to keep changing. As with the organics industry in the early 1980s, it is difficult to identify what “sustainable business” really means, how it is best measured, and how to compare the actions of one company with those of another with any kind of similar yardstick.

There are a handful of widely recognized products (ISO 14001, GRI, Six Sigma) that track, analyze and allow apples-to-apples reporting on company operations practices, but for most consumer products no single standard has yet prevailed. This leaves room in the current “green rush” for misleading marketing, and for brand competition as companies position themselves to fill the void.  Read more »

A pilot program launched in Denver last week aims to show drivers how their habits effect greenhouse gas emissions by tracking how much time they spend idling and how much extra fuel they use due to sudden changes in speed. Real time wireless monitoring will send data from city vehicles to an online database that can be analyzed to determine low- and high-emitting driving habits.

While it sounds a bit Orwellian, it will be interesting to see whether and how the City can convert this information about driving behavior into actual behavior change and emissions reductions.

According to the press release and Denver Business Journal:

“Driving Change,” a $400,000 program launched last week, will install equipment developed by Denver-based Cartasite Inc. in individual cars to track idling and fuel consumption caused by speed changes via wireless connectivity to a database developed by the Enviance corporation. Rapid acceleration and hard braking can lower gas mileage by as much as 20 percent, and idling is believed to consume one cup of fuel every five minutes.

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As much as I appreciate the concept of Earth Day, I hate the fact that, for one short day a year (or at least the week surrounding it), dozens of groups compete for media and audience attention for events and opportunities related to environmental health and sustainability. While there were many sleepy years between Earth Day’s kickoff in 1970 and its recent revival, when one day may have sufficed to do it all, the explosion of interest in green issues and activities means that no matter how fast you move, you’ll miss something good. And the universal goal of strong media coverage will never be achieved if all events are grouped in a single day or week. On the other hand, the more varied and numerous the activities, the greater chance that many people will be engaged, and that’s probably a good thing.  Read more »

If a picture is worth more than a thousand words, then these videos focusing on global warming and energy conservation should hit their mark in this era of YouTube, viral marketing, and multimedia messaging. But are they effective at changing individual behavior? You be the judge:  Read more »

Just Out: beginning this spring, a limited number of hybrid vehicles in Colorado will receive the same privileges in HOV lanes as carpoolers. Hybrid drivers must apply to CDOT for special decals that will give them access to HOV lanes on I-25, Highway 36 and Santa Fe drive in Denver. The goal is ostensibly multifold:

• Incentivize the use of highly efficient vehicles by making it easier for them to bypass traffic jams.
• Reward purchase of hybrid vehicles, which still cost a premium up front, by providing preferential road conditions for them.
• Limit the number of eligible vehicles to avoid the congestion that has resulted in such programs in Washington DC, California and elsewhere.  Read more »

BetterBagsColorado is lobbying the Denver City Council to impose a 10-cent surcharge on take-home bag from grocery stores with annual revenues of $2 million or more. The proposed tax is intended to protect the environment by reducing demand for plastic and paper bags, thereby reducing related pollution and landfill impacts. Their hope is that this type of charge will discourage casual consumption and disposal of bags, and encourage the reuse of existing bags or cloth bags.  Read more »