Green Ideas Take Root in Business

For U.S. companies, going green has never looked so good.In one of the most dramatic turnabouts in corporate America, previously environmentally apathetic businesses of all sizes and in all industries are rushing to portray themselves as Earth-friendly or touting the eco-friendly aspects of their newest products.

Hardly a day goes by without announcements hawking the latest green initiative, new store or design. Corporate executives are flocking to green-marketing seminars. Even the Business Roundtable, a group of 160 chief executives of major U.S. companies, recently sounded the alarm about the need to reduce greenhouse gases.

In Michigan, it's playing out in everything from landscape services selling special lawn-care programs to protect the watershed to energy-saving skylights and refrigerated cases at a new Wal-Mart set to open Wednesday in Livonia. A Grand Rapids firm has rolled out the first tradeshow exhibit system made of recyclable and renewable materials.

With rising numbers of consumers awakened to the threat of global warming, being seen as green has become a competitive advantage, some marketing experts say. "It's sort of sexy to be green," said Bonnie Carlson, president of the Promotion Marketing Association. "Corporations are jumping on the bandwagon because there's a real positive halo attached to that position."
At the same time, businesses' environmental records face more scrutiny. Climate Counts, a new nonprofit, has evaluated and ranked the climate-change efforts of 56 large companies. Consumers can download free pocket guides with the rankings.

The growth of green marketing
But image isn't the only motivation. Green products often command premium prices. And reducing energy usage helps companies save money. In addition, companies in certain industries such as oil and gas hope to stave off tough climate-change regulations by selling themselves as environmentally conscious, said Thomas Lyon, a professor of sustainable science, technology and commerce at the University of Michigan's business school.

Various industries are "now positioning themselves for a carbon-constrained world," he said. U-M also has tapped into this market. Lyon heads the school's Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise, which offers a 3-year program that allows students to earn a master of science degree from the School of Natural Resources and Environment and an MBA.

"The challenge is to take something that is not naturally green and make it into a green product," said Sun Yu, president of Berkley-based Zen Design Group, which created a line of electronic toys that doesn't use disposable batteries.

Green marketing takes many forms, from traditional advertising to sponsorships of environmental groups or events such as the recent Live Earth concerts.

As it has spread, it also has become increasingly sophisticated. Gone are the days when companies simply labeled themselves or their products as green. Now, businesses must explain how they're green and advertise in multiple venues, not just television, said David Lockwood, research director at Mintel, a Chicago market research firm.

"Green awareness has progressed to the point where there is skepticism," he said. Lockwood and other marketing experts also warn that selling a product based on its green attributes alone often doesn't work. Ironically, to be successful, companies also must offer some non-green value, such as greater convenience or savings.

"The trick is to have products that are needed and to make them better," he said.

Companies' claims checked
The rise of green marketing has raised concerns about greenwashing -- companies exaggerating their products' eco-friendly attributes or making misleading claims about their environmental efforts.

"There are more and more pressures for companies to start appearing green," said Michelle Chan, Friends of the Earth's program manager for green investments. "Therefore, there are more and more promises."

But with technology, businesses could find it harder to get away with greenwashing than in the past. The Internet makes it easy for dishonest ad campaigns to quickly gain notoriety. And dozens of watchdog groups have sprung up to help consumers discern who's telling the truth. These efforts could ensure that green marketing doesn't lose its effectiveness and become a fad.
"If anything, it's overwhelming, this wave of awareness," said Kert Davies, research director for Greenpeace. "Hopefully, this sticks around and is not just a phase."

Honda: Solar Production Begins

Though Honda has been mass producing solar cells since October, and has begun sales of them, the opening of Honda Soltec’s production facility in Kumamoto, Japan makes it official: Honda’s in the solar business.

As you’d expect from the cutting edge car company, the product is state of the art. Honda is using thin-film, copper, indium, gallium and selenium (CIGS) cell technology - a technology still trying to gain footing against tried and true silicon solar. But Honda says that overall, in the big picture, grand scheme of things, CIGS is greener than silicon solar. The company says CIGS use 50 percent less energy to manufacture, start to finish, than conventional silicon crystal solar cells.

The new facility will reach full speed of 27.5 megawatts annual capacity by next spring. Honda says that’s enough to power about 9000 Japanese homes. Already the Soltec subsidiary has 80 distributor locations in Japan and will have 200 there by the end of 2008. In conjunction with the commemoration of the new plant Honda will begin exports of the solar products.
The plant will employ 150.

Honda now says it’s in the energy creation business. Aside from its well-respected gasoline generators, the company also makes home cogeneration (micro combined heat and power) units on sale in Japan and the US (the US variation of it being developed and offered by Climate Energy of Massachusetts); is developing new technology to produce ethanol from cellulose; and continues to develop and sell fuel cell vehicles (10 of which have been sold so far in the US.)

Initially there will be two Honda Soltec products, 125-watt and 115-watt modules. Interestingly enough, both are the same size (1417 x 791 x 37 mm)( about 56 x 31 x 1.5 inches). Prices are factory set at 57,500 Yen ($511) and 49,800 ($442) respectively. Prices may vary of course, taxes additional.

The Soltec CIGS modules are solid black in color which will make them easy to integrate into building designs. Honda has done so with the Kumamoto facility.

Links:
Honda Global
http://world.honda.com

Honda Soltec (Japanese)
http://www.honda.co.jp/soltec

Climate Energy
http://www.climate-energy.com

From: environmental news network

Data center goes green for energy savings

IT doesn't do "green." Hardware refresh cycles are constantly shrinking, sending tons of server flotsam into the waste stream. Equipment is packed so densely that companies are requiring hundreds of watts per square foot in their facilities.

In fact, the requirements of IT departments have been so far opposite the sustainable design movement that the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a nonprofit organization that promotes and certifies environmentally friendly buildings, has so far opted not to address data center facilities at all.

But that hasn't stopped people from trying, and Washington, D.C.-based mortgage company Fannie Mae has recently certified the first green data center under the USGBC's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.

The Fannie Mae Urbana Technology Center (UTC), located in Urbana, Md., is a mixed use building, housing traditional office space, as well as a data center. The architecture firm Gensler designed the building and coordinated LEED certification for the project.

Joseph Lauro, Gensler's senior project architect of the UTC, had worked on several sustainable design projects in the past, but said this project was a new experience for everyone involved.

"We had to be creative in boosting the sustainability factor in every aspect of this project, from selecting only the most energy efficient systems to recycling construction waste at the project's end," Lauro said. "We were able to reduce overall energy consumption by 20%."

According to Lauro, the biggest challenge with designing a green data center is that the buildings are energy hogs, with built-in redundancies and staggering amounts of equipment. Lauro said EYP Mission Critical Facilities, a New York City-based IT infrastructure consulting firm tried to be as energy efficient as possible and used Energy Star-rated equipment as a guideline on the project.

All of the mechanical, electrical and computer systems were selected for maximum energy efficiency, as well as lighting systems. The data center is expected to operate at a maximum of 125 watts per square foot.

Other green strategies included putting catalytic converters on the backup power diesel generators, as well as minimizing the footprint of the data center.

And while certifying a green facility can be an expensive process, Fannie Mae expects to save on operations and maintenance costs.

"The Urbana Technology Center's LEED certification will translate into significant lifecycle savings, while providing our employees with a healthier, more comfortable work environment. It also allows us to be a good neighbor within the local community," Brian Cobb, Fannie Mae's senior vice president for enterprise systems management, said in a statement.

The LEED standards cover more than just electrical efficiency, though. The UTC features recycled materials, low emission paints and carpeting, as well as sustainable landscaping features.

While the USGBC doesn't have plans to design a specific LEED program for the data center, this project has opened the door for other facilities.

"By forging the way for green data centers, Fannie Mae and Gensler have pioneered a new building type for sustainability," said Max Zahniser, LEED new construction certification manager of the USGBC. "It's a considerable achievement and an important contribution to help advance green building into the mainstream."

The LEED program has been around since 1999, and has several different iterations, including separate standards for new construction and existing buildings. Several high profile facilities have been certified under the standard in recent years, including the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Ark. and IBM's Tivoli headquarters in Austin, Texas.

From: techtarget