Greg Galitzine : Green Blog
Greg Galitzine
| Helping environmentally-conscientious business leaders choose environmentally-friendly solutions.

corporate initiatives

Top 10 Green Ideas

June 15, 2007

Have you ever wanted to go green but weren’t sure the best way to go about it? What are the top 10 ways to go green you ask? Well here is a list from Worldwatch Institute.   1)      Walk or Bike to work a.       This one is pretty obvious but may be tough to do if your company is really far from your home and/or you currently fly to work.

Carbon Footprint Secrecy

June 15, 2007

The issue of carbon footprint and the potential to be carbon neutral paired with using this information as a positive PR vehicle can be seriously hampered by a company’s need for secrecy. Google is not a huge fan of letting the world know how many servers it has and as such detailed “we are carbon neutral talk,” is seriously hampered. Here are some details on carbon footprints and secrecy from the Environmental Leader.

Green Hiring May Be Illegal

June 19, 2007

In the perfect green world we would all commute no more than a few miles to work and do so in vehicles which require the least amount of fuel. In this scenario employees could even bike or walk to work on many days. Imagine how much energy would be saved in fact in an efficient distribution of workforce talent to companies located near where the talent lives.   The only problem here is it may be illegal for employers to ask questions about the vehicle employees drive or where they live. You certainly aren’t allowed to make a hiring decision about someone because they live at a certain address.   These rules of course are there to ensure companies do not discriminate but it may in fact also ensure companies are not able to minimize their carbon footprint effectively.   While I am no HR expert, it seems there may be a need to loosen up a hiring regulation or two so companies with a  green conscious can act more responsibly.

Don’t Bite that Apple

June 21, 2007

Apple is the one company that can do no wrong. If there is one weakness the company has it is lack of concern for the environment. At least according to this article, Apple is near the bottom of the list when it comes to carbon footprint and doing what it can do preserve the environment. Ouch.   Well at least their products look nice.

The Benefits of Green

July 2, 2007

If you are interested in seeing how companies are benefiting from the move to greener technologies, please read these quotes contained in an article on CNN.   "It's both great business and a good business -- great in that it is generating real orders and revenue ... and good in the burnishing effect our initiatives have had on both our brand and our business," says Peter O'Toole, a spokesperson for General Electric.

GE has doubled its research and development budget to $1.5 billion into technology to reduce energy consumption and waste products. The return on the company's investment appears to be high: Last year, GE's "Ecomagination" line of products generated $10 billion in revenues in 2005, and is on track to eclipse $20 billion by 2010.   What this tells you is you can truly be green, help ensure a better future for your children and also find ways to save and make money. In addition you can improve your image in the world.   The article is worth a read as it also details how retailers can lose customers as a result of the perception they don’t care about the environment.

GM Goes Green with ecoFlex

July 2, 2007

GM is really pushing green with its ecoFlex line of cars. The first will be a Corsa with a 1.3L diesel putting out 119g/km of CO2.   Between now and 2012 GM will also introduce sixteen new engine families and ten transmissions as well as introducing flex-fuel engines in European Chevrolet, Opel and Vauxhall models.   The question is, will the company who sells us the Hummer be able to shake its fuel-thirsty, environmentally unfriendly image? The answer just may be yes as the company is said to be looking to put more economically friendly engines into Cadillacs to start.   Read more at Envautomental.

Big Green Day

July 3, 2007

It has been a pretty green day so far today with lots of news to keep our green loving readers on the edge of their carbon-free seats. For example, Cadbury Schweppes will be cutting its net absolute carbon emissions By 2020, the confectionery company famous for its Cadbury chocolate Easter eggs and other sweets intends to slash half of its net absolute carbon emissions, with at least 30 percent from in-company actions.
"We recognize that if we are serious about tackling climate change, we need to be 'absolutely' committed," said Cadbury Schweppes CEO Todd Stitzer in a statement. "This means re-thinking the way we do business, embedding sustainability into every decision we take."   Salon has an article about carbon credits which explains a bit about how the system works and moreover talks about politicians and companies supporting such initiatives.   Finally, here is a brief article with some links to carbon footprint reducing resources.

Carbon Footprint Calculators

July 3, 2007

Here is a list of carbon footprint calculators. If you are interested, Nigel’s Eco Blog will be testing some of these over the next few weeks. I tried the BP calculator (Flash version) out and was pretty surprised at how large a footprint a single household can have. This is especially true as my business requires me to be on an airplane constantly.   Awareness is certainly something that will help reduce carbon emissions.

Corporate Carbon Footprints

July 4, 2007

Yesterday I discussed carbon calculators and it is no surprise that there are so many ways to calculate your carbon footprint. Forbes decided to tackle the corporate carbon footprint concept in an article today and surprise – the article also details how complicated it is to calculate carbon emissions for companies.   But it seems that Starbucks can attribute about two ounces of carbon to the environment for every cup of coffee it serves. This doesn’t include the carbon needed to transport the coffee from store to store. Interestingly, one wonders if it makes sense to not take into consideration whether buying coffee at a retail outlet results in more carbon emissions than brewing the coffee yourself.

Are You a Greenocrite?

July 5, 2007

I have to agree partially with Tom Young of VNUNET when he says companies have to do more to be really green. It is easy to make announcements but backing them up is always a challenge. Still, the trend towards thinking green has improved corporate recognition that organizations can make the world a better place and save money at the same time.   I always have to wonder though, when I hear stories about people driving more than 100 MPH in a Toyota Prius… To be green must we change every aspect of our lives? In other words, are you better off driving 100 MPH in a Hummer than a hybrid?   The point is, are we too focused on calling each other out if we are not as green as possible?
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