Recently in government initiatives Category

Passengers flying out of the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas airport during the next three months will have an opportunity to make their travels a little bit more ‘green.’ Continental Airlines and the U.S. Transportation Security Administration are piloting a program that lets travelers use their cell phones or PDAs in lieu of a paper boarding pass.

 

Houston Chronicle reported Tuesday that the system involves displaying encrypted bar codes on mobile device screens. The information displayed onscreen is then scanned by airport officials at boarding checkpoints.

 

If everything goes well with the pilot program, mobile device-based boarding passes could eventually do away with the need for paper documents entirely—with the exception of photo ID. Continental, Houston Chronicle reported, is the first U.S. airline to test out the technology.

 

Of course, Continental and the TSA are not just trying out this new system out of a moral obligation to reduce paper use. Instead, the program is designed to heighten airport security, in particular to (hopefully) eliminate ticket fraud. In the past, people sometimes succeeded in using fraudulent paper boarding passes to get past checkpoints. The TSA is confident that the new tech can’t be cracked.

 

TSA is also looking at expanding the use of encrypted bar codes for tickets, both on paper and on screens, Houston Chronicle reported. Data encrypted in the pilot program includes passenger name and flight details.

 

The TSA has another reason for going with encrypted digital flight info: regulation by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which has mandated that all airlines stop using magnetic strip technology on boarding passes by the end of 2008. Houston Chronicle said in its report that IATA also is requiring airlines to start using two-dimensional bar codes (which look like a rectangle of TV ‘snow’ rather than parallel lines) by 2010.

 

The Salt Lake Tribune reported this week that Utah is diving headlong into the battle to curb greenhouse emissions.

 

According to the article, “The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) plans to spend $67 million over the next decade on a technology solution for climate change that will be tested in Utah. Plans call for pumping carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas blamed for global warming, into mile-deep rock formations under Carbon County for long-term underground storage.”

 

A successful implementation of this project would be a boon to Utah's energy industry, providing offsets for the fossil-fuel pollution produced by power plants and energy development.

 

UK-based businesses have a new tool to help them be more “green.” BusinessLink.gov.uk, a resource Web site for businesses, part of the UK government’s Business.Gov agency, this week added a new section devoted to green business practices.

 

The “Environmental & efficiency” section of the Business Link Web site is broken up into three main areas: “Environment and your business,” “Sustainability and your business,” and “Waste and pollution.” Tools on the site include a self-assessment of environmental compliance, free e-mail alerts about regulatory updates, information about training and grants, and a variety of publications to help companies get their hands around “being green.”

 

Also featured on the site are phones numbers for several “green” related hotlines.

 

The new site looks like it will be a valuable resource for UK companies seeking to be more green. If you run a company in the UK, let us know if the site proved useful for you, or if there are better sources of information available.

Often on this blog you read about green technology programs and initiatives in the U.S. and Europe. But those aren’t the only parts of the world where people are concerned about the environmental impact of doing business. A recent report on the Web site of The Age, a newspaper covering happenings in Australia and New Zealand, highlighted an Ernst & Young report about efforts to reduce carbon footprints by companies “down under.”

 

According to The Age reporter Peter Hannam, the Ernst & Young report indicated that most Australian companies, while they’re making an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, are nowhere near being ready to report on carbon emissions or participate in emissions trading programs. New Zealanders are doing better, apparently; The Age blogger Leon Gettler said “New Zealand businesses are almost five times greener than their Australian counterparts.”

 

Regardless of what technologies or techniques they’re using to have a lighter environmental impact, the lack of readiness by Australian businesses is a problem. Starting next July 1, Hannam wrote, Australian businesses emitting more than 125,000 tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent annually will be required to report those figures to the government. But, according to the report, most companies do not yet have processes in place for reporting those numbers.

 

Companies will have the opportunity to reduce the carbon emissions they must report by engaging in carbon emissions trading—a program the Australian government plans to roll out no later than 2012, The Age said. Companies that don’t register or that report inaccurate number will be fined as much as $220,000.

 

It will be interesting to see how Australia’s environmental regulatory efforts pan out. What do you think—will companies make the necessary changes and utilize the best technologies available to make reporting accurate and to achieve reduced emissions? Or is a government-run system too bureaucratic?

President George Bush today proposed the creation of an international fund to finance research into clean-energy technology. He announced that U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson would reach out to other governments soon to discuss next steps.

 

Speaking at a White House-sponsored climate change conference, the president urged the global community to set targets for curbing emissions, but stopped short of accepting the mandatory limits proposed in the Kyoto Climate accord.

 

Bush has long contended that the Kyoto agreement is not in the best interest of United States financial policy.

 

“We share a common responsibility to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while keeping our economies growing,” the president said. “Each nation must decide for itself the right mix of tools and technology to achieve results that are measurable and environmentally effective.”

 

Just before Bush took to the podium, administration staffers handed out a booklet to the assembled media that emphasizing that the president was serious about the issue.

 

The handout contained the following statements:

 

If you ever wondered how IP communications and green technology are similar, take a look at this blog post explaining how it all works. We hope to see you at Green Technology World conference very soon. The show kicks off in a few hors and we can’t wait to host you.

Thanks to all the readers of TMC’s green blog for supporting the Green Technology World conference taking place next week in Los Angeles, CA. Our attendance numbers are far ahead of where we thought they would be based on the limited time we had to market this event. We now expect up to 2,000 people to register for the show when all is said and done. In addition there may be some of you who don’t want to use a computer to register just so you can lower your carbon footprint. We completely understand and that is perfectly OK.

 

For this particular show we will be using electricity in our registration system. We are thinking however that at the next event we may get a bank of Inveneo bicycle-powered PCs to handle this task. We are of course evaluating the carbon output of a human breathing hard versus just getting the juice from a wall socket. More to come later.

 

Oh and by the way, I forgot to mention some of the attendees at the show. We have representation at a high level from Boeing, AMD, Alcatel-Lucent, Qwest, Toyota, British Telecom, Ericsson, Lockheed Martin, Texas Instruments, Cisco, Intel and The United Nations, among others.

 

Here are the sessions we will be focusing on next week in LA:

 

 

 

 

Here is more from the press release.

I have a confession to make. I like sports cars. Does that make me a terrible person? Well the answer from an environmental perspective was a resounding yes – until now that is. While every auto maker is going green, I recently came across an extreme green racing machine. The Eco One is touted as the world’s greenest race car and is made from potatoes, cashew nut shells, hemp and rapeseed oil among other plants. (Boy is writing this article making me hungry )

Now that I’ve snacked, I am not afraid to share the car has other food and plant derived components. The tires are made from potato starch for improved fuel economy. The brake pads are made from ground cashew shells and the brake oil is derived from plants.

What’s more, the body is created from hemp and rapeseed oil. And it runs on fuel derived from fermented sugar beet.

If I had heard about this car sooner I would have purchased one. It happens to be the perfect vehicle to get me to TMC’s Green Technology World conference which is just over a week away in Los Angeles, CA.

 

Assuming I got one tomorrow, I could log about 400 miles per day for a week on this little baby and be there before I know it. Actually, Google Maps tells me the 2,837 mile ride can be performed in one day and 18 hours of continuous driving. But then again, I am sure I can do it faster. Remember, the cofounders of Google each drive a Toyota Prius which the last time I looked is no Eco One.

Rick Snyder, president of TANDBERG Americas, recently took the time to answer questions about the telecommunications industries role in the green movement, his company’s efforts to stay ahead of the pack and the upcoming Green Technology World Conference this September in Los Angeles.

 

TANDBERG, a global provider of visual communications, has a stated mission of developing products that reduce CO2 emissions, traffic congestion and unnecessary business travel, while maintaining or improving productivity.

 

For more background on TANDBERG Americas, please read earlier TMCnet coverage of the company here.

 

How is the green movement changing the way your company operates?

 

We’d been using videoconferencing to reduce the need for business travel and improve productivity since 1989. As we grow exponentially, it becomes even more essential that we address our carbon footprint. Recently, with the introduction of Tandberg Movi, all employees with a webcam can join the enterprise video network. Not only does this cut carbon emissions by reducing travel, it promotes visual telecommuting programs.

 

In addition, we are implementing company-wide programs to recycle, use environmentally friendly business materials and reduce printing. Also, two European Union directives on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) have been critical to our operations teams.

 

We are conducting a third-party audit of our environmental record measuring travel, energy use and production factors to discover more areas to improve.

 

Have customers been pushing your organization to produce more green products and services?

 

Yes. A number of our customers, such as Vodafone, have corporate-wide climate change programs and are looking to TANDBERG to help them measure the impact that video, and its associated travel reduction has on their CO2 emissions. In the U.S., we’ve been talking with our government customers for some time about how to visually enable their growing telecommuting programs so that more employees and managers stay connected. We’ve put tools and services in place to help customers track and show results, such as our microsite, www.seegreennow.com.

 

How long has your company been focusing on providing green technologies?

 

To be frank, when TANDBERG debuted its first video system almost 20 years ago, we did not think of it as a green technology. We viewed it as a tool to enhance business productivity and reduce cost. We are humbled to realize that what we have been producing all along can be a measurable environmental solution for business.

 

What customer pain does your company take away for customers?

 

In short, we increase productivity by making communication more natural. Visual communication accelerates decision making by reducing the time to gather information and materials. It helps scale knowledge, so that companies can access expertise immediately. It unifies organizations. Companies that communicate well eliminate a lot of wasted time and empower their workforce. Finally, it improves work/life balance, with less travel and higher employee engagement — that means less employee turnover too.

 

For many companies, being environmentally responsible is not foremost in their mind. They are interested in doing what they can, but it is the combination of productivity gains and cost reduction, PLUS the green factor that addresses their concerns.

 

What is the most effective green technology in your opinion?

 

That is very hard to say. It is very exciting to see innovation around this topic taking place in all areas, from green data centers to eco-friendly building materials. I think the technologies that are going to be most successful are those that are cost-effective, easy to implement, use and provide a measurable ROI for customers. Videoconferencing is certainly high on our agenda!

 

What has surprised you most about the green movement?

 

It seems that we get a green “cycle” every generation. When you look back to the 1970’s we all talked about the ozone layer and the energy crisis, and then it seemed to fade away from the mainstream. This time around, though, it seems like market leaders in all industries are truly embracing the movement. It is about action not words.

 

Did you get a chance to see/hear the Live Earth concert?

 

I did and I really enjoyed it. In talking with employees the next day it seemed like the event did its job to raise awareness of the issue and get people excited about doing something. Education and action are the keys if we are to make a difference.

 

Can you make one prediction about the green movement in five years?

 

I think that we are going to see more companies recognize the growing demand for green products and services and begin to enter the market. Those that treat it like a gimmick are going to get drowned in the “green wash.” Consumers are well informed and trends show an affinity with green organizations that are committed and involved in making a difference.

 

What will you be covering in your presentation at the Green Technology World Conference this September in Los Angeles?

 

I am going to share some results from a global survey we have just completed with Ipsos-Mori on environmental attitudes in 15 countries. We are seeing some compelling results about people’s preference for green products and green employers and some surprising results about how different countries stack up in their engagement on the issue.

 

I am also going to share some case studies of companies we have worked with to reduce their carbon footprint.

 

 

I think that we are serious about the green issue and we are acting on it with significant investment. We recognize that we are far from perfect ourselves and that prioritizing environmental responsibility is an operational issue as well as a cultural one. Our green audit is a first step for us and we are interested in becoming more involved in the global conversation around the green topic.

 

Where will your organization be over the next 3-5 years?

 

At the forefront of the industry, leading by example and continually adapting to the demands of our customers and employees. We will be innovating in the ways we address environmental issues as well as issues of workforce engagement, and competitive advantage.

 

In the next five years we expect everyone will have the ability to be visually enabled, supporting the need to reduce CO2 emissions through reduced business travel, while maintaining business continuity. Video will become an integral part of natural communication for everyone in an organization, allowing people to have that intimate face-to-face discussion as if they were in the same room.

Does Will Ferrell have a place in a green blog? Of course he does as BMW has seen it fit to give him the keys to the first BMW Hydrogen 7 for everyday use. This is all part of the Hydrogen 7 Pioneer Program which basically means giving Hydrogen cars to high profile people.

 

Some interesting facts… The car emits nothing but water vapor and is not for sale. Some argue that using hydrogen as a fuel is silly because it actually consumes more energy than it produces but the opposite argument is that over time this should change.

 

Certainly cars become much cleaner vehicles when using hydrogen for propulsion.

 

For more information on celebrities such as Angelina Jolie who have driven this car be sure to check out autoblogGreen for more.