New Service Launched to Help Customers Offset Shipping

A new service allows customers to calculate and offset the carbon impact of shipping individual packages.

ShipGreen uses a mathematical model to calculate the emissions of individual product shipment using the weight of each item, distance and means of travel, such as road, rail or air.

Similar services, the company claims, rely on flat rates or averages of all shipped products to calculate emissions figures and offset amount.

The service is geared toward online retailers, which can put a ShipGreen link on their websites that calculate of offset shipping. The ShipGreen service is free of charge for retailers.

During checkout, customers can choose an offset type, such as a wind, solar or forestry project. The company focuses on projects that are independently verified by third parties.

Projects include a hydropower plant in Indonesia, wind projects in Madagascar and New Zealand, a biomass facility in India, and a reforestation project in China.

ShipGreen co-founders Jason Sperling and Tim Buchanan also helped create the Prairie Tree Project in eastern Colorado, an afforestation venture that allows consumers personal offsets. The project also helps business audit their carbon footprints.

Arpad Horwath and Cristiano Facanha from the University of California, Berkeley, partnered with ShipGreen to create the emissions calculation model.

from: Climatebiz.com

Power Management Industry to Focus on Efficient Solutions in 2008

Hemen Cheng, Global Sales and Marketing Director, Automotive and Power Regulation Group, ON Semiconductor, discusses the power solutions trends in 2007, and gives his forecast on the industry for the coming year. Excerpts:

What were the main trends on power solutions in your markets in 2007?
One of the big trends for 2007 has been higher efficiency power supplies. This has been due to a number of different factors including market drivers which have seen demand for smaller size solutions with greater functionality, regulatory drivers such as changes to Energy Star ratings and California Energy Commission standards together with a greater focus on "green" products by end users. An example of how this has impacted the industry is the change in the power efficiency standard for ATX power supply from 80%+ to 85%+.

The challenge is for the power electronics industry to provide efficient solutions that cover the three major aspects of the energy efficiency—reduced standby power, improved active mode efficiency and reduced harmonic content or Power Factor Correction (PFC). Over the past few years ON Semiconductor has embraced this challenge and offers a full range of efficient power solutions "From the Socket to the Pocket".

Did you see any particular technologies start to gain momentum?
We have noticed an increase in market demand for high efficiency power supplies for the ATX computing market. Again we believe this is due to the general market trend for more integrated solutions with greater functionality, together with the end-user focus on "green" products.

What are the main concerns keeping your customers awake at nights?
Our customers’ business concerns are usually focused on how they can maintain the competitive advantage in terms of performance, cost and quality. With this in mind, ON Semiconductor strives to continually provide comprehensive total solutions featuring quality products as well as technical support to help our customers achieve their business goals.

Are there any trends or technologies that you think will be particularly significant in 2008?
At ON Semiconductor, we expect one of the key products trends for 2008 to be around applications. This focus on applications will be driven by the fact that specific applications optimize performance and cost, which in turn provides greater value to customers and their end products.

Where do you think ON Semiconductor will be developing products or services, which will create a distinct differential with their competitors, over the next 12 months?
ON Semiconductor ships over 2 billion products monthly and continues to operate with a strong global penetration of key applications and in a variety of regions.

One of the most impressive edges ON Semiconductor has is to actively partner with our customers in the development of new products and system solutions. We have established Solutions Engineering Centers (SECs) in different regions that work to address individual market segments and unique customer needs. For example, the SEC in Taiwan focuses on power and computing, the one in Korea concentrates on customer portable, and the SEC in Germany addresses the automotive industry.

We also have established joint power labs in China with market makers including Hisense Electric Company Limited, a world renowned electronic manufacturer; the Changhong Group, a world renowned consumer electronics solutions and services supplier; and with Kingvon Group, China’s largest set-top box manufacturer. Each of these is a corroborative effort. Targeting specific customers or situating ourselves in close geographic proximity to key customers’ design facilities, we have made ON Semiconductor’s technical expertise available to our customers. In return, our customers have helped us better define and develop differentiated products. These partnerships have also assisted ON Semiconductor with improving customer intimacy, advancing our application knowledge and better targeting our R&D spending.

To support China’s drive to lower standby power consumption to one watt (1W), ON Semiconductor initiated a “1 Watt Forum” in 2006 with China Standard Certification Center (CSC), China’s highest authority for certifying energy-efficient products. This annual platform aims at discussing ideas, solutions, technologies and issues impacting the country’s 1 W movement. International efforts are underway to lower standby power to 1 W. International Energy Agency (IEA) has proposed a 1-Watt Plan, urging all participating countries to reduce standby power use to 1W in all products by 2010.

From: ECNAsiaMag

As the environment continues to dominate the political, social and economic agenda, there has never been a better time for Welsh businesses to look at ways of improving their green credentials, says Ed Gmitrowicz, Envirowise programme manager for Wales

THE benefits of this are not just financial; increased resource efficiency can save up to £1,000 per employee, as well as enhancing company reputation and driving competitiveness.

Waste minimisation programmes alone can save up to 1% of business turnover, either through extra profit or lowered operating costs, while water and energy savings can reduce effluent and utility bills by as much as 20%.

But only by ensuring the involvement of all employees can a company successfully integrate environmental improvements into its culture. Without such a shift, businesses risk simply ticking boxes on corporate social responsibility rather than implementing meaningful measures that make a real difference to the planet and their bottom-line.

Yet tackling this issue can seem like a daunting task. With so much noise on climate change, combined with pressure from increasing legislation and rising consumer awareness, managers can be forgiven for wondering how to distil such a large subject into a practical programme that can achieve true employee buy-in.

Indeed, many firms avoid taking action because they believe significant investment is needed, but by turning a blind eye to environmental issues they are actually missing out on an excellent money- saving opportunity.

So how can Welsh businesses incorporate environmental thinking into the very bones of their organisation?

Firstly, it is important to emphasise that this need not be as complex or time-consuming as some may anticipate and there are a variety of low-cost or no-cost measures to get the ball rolling.

As a starting point, buy-in from senior management is essential and many companies create a statement of commitment to drive ongoing improvement and sustain momentum.

Others begin the process by nominating an environmental champion to identify opportunities, raise awareness and facilitate action throughout the organisation.

Project teams can further drive momentum for change by encouraging involvement from a range of staff members. Ideally, teams should be cross-functional, allowing employees from different departments to work together and increase their understanding of each others’ needs.
Other measures include team briefings, poster campaigns and newsletters, while integrating environmental issues into the induction process for new employees helps to instil the right environmental mindset from the outset.

Suggestion schemes also provide an effective means of encouraging participation by enabling staff to generate ideas which can be implemented in their particular departments.

Additionally, recognising individual achievements and successes in company newsletters or intranet bulletins maintains enthusiasm and sustains change in the long-term.

Whatever the approach adopted, it is important to ensure that employees understand why environmental improvements are so important.

Again, this does not require a major investment, as simple training days or online workshops can raise awareness of the cost benefits and the competitive advantages that can be achieved.
To help companies embrace such cultural change and develop a programme that meets their needs, Envirowise has launched a new online resource, Words To The Wise.

Designed for companies of all sizes and sectors, the tool provides advice on creating a plan of action to help embed sustainability into corporate thinking and improve environmental performance.

Following the completion of a short questionnaire, the resource provides a bespoke summary of the company’s current environmental position, followed by guidance on the terminology most likely to resonate at every level, from junior management to the boardroom.

In short, there is a very compelling business case for companies to embed sustainable thinking into the very bones of their organisation.

From: icWales

Orange hints at solar-powered mobiles

Mobile operator Orange this week announced it is selling the world's first solar-powered Bluetooth headset and hinted more solar power devices could be on the way.

The Iqua 603 SUN gives users unlimited operating time anywhere where the solar cells on the headset can catch direct sunlight, according to Orange.

The company added that the headset, which retails for £49.99, limits users' problems with battery life and also reduces their energy use, with even indirect sunlight increasing talk time by up to 12 hours.

A spokeswoman for the company said that Iqua's figures showed that "an average user in average light conditions will use 3.5 times less mains electricity [charging the device] when compared to a conventional non-solar powered headset".

Orange hinted that with the efficiency of solar cells continuing to improve, the new headset could be the forerunner for more solar-powered hand-held devices.

"This product demonstrates the potential for solar power for mobile phones," said the Orange spokeswoman, adding that the company was committed to working with partners such as Iqua to investigate ways of making mobiles and accessories more energy efficient.


From: BusinessGreen

Bank of America to Introduce New Product at Good And Green - The Green Marketing Conference

Joining forces with other industry leaders finding success in the green marketing space, Bank of America has become a Title Sponsor of Good And Green -- The Green Marketing Conference, November 29-30, 2007, Chicago Cultural Center. Good And Green is designed to teach mainstream national marketers the techniques, benefits and bottom line impact of connecting with today's ecologically-concerned consumers through green marketing efforts.

"Earlier this year, Bank of America Corporation announced a $20 billion initiative to support the growth of environmentally sustainable business activity through the development of new products and services," says Michael Rhodes, SVP Product Development, member of Environmental Council at Bank of America. "We are excited to announce from the Good And Green stage our latest consumer product that addresses these initiatives."

"We are proud to have Bank of America join us as Title Sponsor," says Nan McCann, President of PME Enterprises, LLC, producers of Good And Green. "As a leader in developing environmentally sustainable business practices, it is an honor to have them choose this conference as the setting for their new product announcement."

Bank of America will be sharing the stage with experts and leaders in the green marketing movement addressing such issues as social networking's role in the green revolution, the greener side of the female consumer and carbon offsetting strategies. Attendees will have multiple opportunities to connect and learn from one another through solution-based workshops, drill-down discussion groups, insightful case studies and great networking events. A complete schedule and list of speakers is available at http://www.goodandgreen.biz/.

Discovery Communications' Planet Green is the Exclusive Presenting Sponsor of Good And Green with Title Sponsors Bank of America, The Natural Marketing Institute, The Daily Green and Body + Soul magazine and Associate Sponsors 1% For The Planet, NatureWorks and Ketchum Public Relations. Fast Company is the Media Sponsor, Getty Images is the Imagery Resource, Earthsense is the Breakfast Sponsor, Nestle Waters is the Bottled Water Sponsor and NativeEnergy is the Official Carbon Offset Sponsor.

Good And Green is produced by PME Enterprises, Hartford, CT. Please visit http://www.goodandgreen.biz/ or call 860.724.2649 x 14 for more details and to register.

from: earthtimes

Business pages get green makeover

Media reporting of green business stories has soared in the past year, according to new research released this week, and editors believe the trend is yet to peak.

The study from the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism in Arizona assessed the number of green business stories published in the top-10 US newspapers and found that the number published in 2007 was already double that for last year.

Examination of the content also determined that 81 of 154 business stories on environmental sustainability appearing since 2000 had been published during 2007.

The study argued that a "significant shift is underway in coverage priorities " with the increase in green business stories being driven by demand from both readers and advertisers.

"Coverage of business aspects of the environment is relatively recent, but the dollars involved and the public’s interest in it speak loud and clear," said report co-author Andrew Leckey, director of the Reynolds Center.

A small survey of 17 US business editors found that the trend is set to accelerate, with all respondents claiming that interest in green business stories had not yet peaked. However, they also agreed that coverage of green issues needed to improve, claiming that business journalists require more training in coverage of sustainability issues.

The report also said that the popularity of green business stories was having a knock-on effect on the global PR and communications industry and had resulted in the emergence of new PR departments and agencies "focused on getting 'green' press releases to business journalists".

From: BusinessGreen

The Greening of Digital Marketing

2007 is shaping up to be a banner year for green marketing. Growing public concern about the environment, combined with the rise of digital media covering it, has sparked many an eco-marketing initiative devoted to saving the planet -- or at least talking about it in ads.
There's GE's acclaimed Ecomagination effort, and a slew of new campaigns and microsites from the likes of Michelin ("A Greener World") and Philips ("A Simple Switch").
These mainstream efforts are crowding in on the green market's endemic advertisers -- companies like Seventh Generation, Organic Valley and Method. Yet many blue chips hitting the green media circuit for the first time are finding the rules are a little different online.
Waving the Green Banner (Ad)John Rooks is president of Dwell Creative, an integrated agency that builds campaigns around social awareness and sustainability issues. He said the appeal of online media to Dwell's clients and its campaign planners is issue-based segmentation.
"The latest shift we've been tracking is the shift from demographic marketing to psychographic marketing," Rooks said. "If we have a client that's interested in land conservation, we can pinpoint the psychographic that cares about that issue."
Dwell's business mix is around 30 percent government contracts and 30 percent non-profits, Rooks said. The rest is for-profit businesses doing cause-related, grassroots-style online marketing. Interactive accounts for about 30 percent of the agency's work. He likes Web advertising for its ability to establish a dialog rather than simply broadcast a message, and he believes it's that potential for consumer engagement that's driving a wave of recent consolidation in green market media.
Online, that consolidation includes Discovery Communications' purchase of TreeHugger.com, and Gaiam.com's acquisition of eco-lifestyles media firm Lime Media and Zaadz, a "LOHAS" social net. (LOHAS, in case you were wondering, stands for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability, a newly hot acronym and consumer niche that includes everyone from the vegan freecycler to the cash-poor suburban dad eyeing the Prius at the next gas pump over.)
"The companies that are out there acquiring the TreeHuggers -- Discovery and others -- they're looking to establish dialog with the brand," said Rooks. "Online offers that to a much greater degree than [other media]."
Ken Rother, president of TreeHugger, agrees. Despite the mainstreaming of the green movement and despite the site's relatively large audience of just under 2 million unique visitors in June, a self-reported figure, he said TreeHugger is a poor vessel for mass media campaigns.
"Treehugger is a pretty well-defined, self-selecting audience," Rother said. "When a large organization has made a conscious decision to have a greener footprint or greener products, that's a good way to tell that audience, because the audience may not be available in other media."
And not only that. "There's this implicit trust between... TreeHugger and the reader. That trust takes a lot of work to build. It's our belief that the advertising should have similar conceptual values to the content."
Yahoo Bleeds Purple and GreenLarge online publishers like Yahoo and Washington Post.Newsweek Interactive have lately introduced dedicated operations to serve (and serve ads to) such passionate consumers. Yahoo Green, for instance, first appeared several months ago as 18seconds.org, an initiative urging consumers to switch to Energy Star CFL Bulbs. (The CFL pledge meme is widespread. Philips's "A Simple Switch" microsite, for instance, invites people to commit to trading up their fluorescent bulbs.)
Ads on the site include environmental-themed placements from the likes of toothpaste maker Tom's and Hewlett-Packard. Yet it's not a large enough category for Yahoo to justify a dedicated salesperson. "There isn't one person who is responsible for selling green on the sales team," said Dina Freeman, a Yahoo spokesperson. "The entire sales team is tasked with bringing it to their clients based on whether or not it makes sense for the client's objectives."
Yahoo approached HP shortly before the launch of the section. The high tech firm jumped, said HP Manager of Emerging Technologies Patty White, because "we feel HP is a leader in environmental responsibility. We want to be where our audience is in learning about and discussing these important issues."
One rich media ad for HP that's now running on Yahoo Green contains the copy, "HP Recycles the equivalent of 600 Jumbo Jets Per year. Go Green with HP." Clicking through brings the user to a page on equipment exchange, recycling and other environmentally sound means of unloading hardware.
With its pro-recycling message on Yahoo Green and elsewhere online, HP's White said the company wants to start a conversation with consumers and provoke their involvement.
"HP's Green initiatives provide not only videos and podcasts, but we also welcome users to join the green computing movement," she said.
Among other gestures, the hardware manufacturer uses its Web site to aid those wishing to recycle equipment and printing supplies; to offer online tips on reducing energy bills and greening a business; and to help businesses "manage older assets by turning used equipment into cash."
Hey, wait a minute. In the handbook of eco-catchphrases, aren't "turn used equipment into cash" and "five quick steps" a tad too facile, too late-night-infomercial, to bolster HP's eco-credentials? Shouldn't HP's messaging be a little more, uh, radical or something?
Well, yes and no.
Green Authenticity
For any firm tethering its advertising to the LOHAS bandwagon, there's certainly a risk of being perceived as inauthentic or faking the sustainability vibe -- a sin often called "greenwashing." Or so the accepted wisdom goes.
"What people are learning in the Web 2.0 world is that anybody can say anything about any company," said TreeHugger's Rother. "Organizations are going to be called to the carpet. There's a platform for people to say things and be heard. Whether it's green washing or some other lack of authenticity, it's going to hurt corporations if they're not careful."
Yet as the U.S. market for green products and brands balloons to include not only dedicated cyclers and recyclers, but also Escalade-driving Whole Foods habitués vaguely drawn to the aura of organic, it gets easier to feed the public a line about environmental awareness.
Problem is, despite America's burgeoning interest in sustainability, "the mainstream doesn't care about authenticity very much, which I think is dangerous for the green movement," said Dwell's Rooks. "It jumped the shark as soon as Shrek was marketed with the phrase 'Go Green.'" (Shrek the Third was marketed in several nations in conjunction with eco-causes, including Los Angeles's Million Trees campaign.)
Certainly many Fortune 100 companies that have launched digital ad campaigns around LOHOAS themes are authentic, HP's recycling campaign not excluded. GE for instance has invested heavily in wind farms, desalination facilitates and clean diesel train engines -- all highlighted in its global Ecomagination videos and digital campaign. From the beginning, Ecomagination was crafted a product as well as a branding initiative. The initial iteration of the Web site, launched in 2005, sought to educate consumers about environmental issues.
Jakob Daschek is a founder and creative director of Syrup, the creative and production agency that worked with GE agency-of-record BBDO on the effort. He believes the U.S. market has become considerably more sophisticated about environmental issues since the campaign began 18 months ago.
"With the first launch of Ecomagination, we had this whole thing educating people about what the issues are," he said. "Now we're migrating it out into specifically what GE is doing, because people know at this point [about the issues], and they can benefit from knowing exactly what GE is doing."

From: Clickz