Greg Galitzine
| Helping environmentally-conscientious business leaders choose environmentally-friendly solutions.
Environment
Live Earth More Harm Than Good?
July 6, 2007
A reader posted a comment to the Live Earth Update blog entry, essentially asking if it wasn’t a contradiction to even have an event, which would by its very nature generate lots of trash and generate huge amounts of carbon with all the private jets and flights and equipment transport, etc…
An article from the Associated Press reveals that the person who read that blog entry is far from alone with that concern.
Critics claim that the negative impact of the Live Earth concerts is at odds with that organization’s green goal of raising awareness for climate change.
Even Roger Daltrey, lead singer for rock group the Who, chimed in:
“The last thing the planet needs is a rock concert.”
To maintain its green integrity, Live Earth is implementing “green event guidelines”
According to the AP story, the guidelines are:
- All electricity that powers the shows will be from renewable sources;
- Concessionaires will be encouraged to use suppliers of biodegradable plastics;
- Waste will be minimized through recycling and reuse;
- Venue offices will use as little energy as possible;
- Production lighting will include the use of LED light bulbs;
- Staff and artist air travel will be offset through carbon credits; and
- Ground travel will be by hybrid or high-efficiency vehicles where possible.
Live Earth Awareness
July 8, 2007
It is pretty amazing to be sitting here listening to Live Earth concerts around the globe all directed at raising awareness regarding the environment. Can all these concerts help make the world a better place for our kids? Yes. If this event can get so many band members who are not speaking to one another to perform onstage together, it can accomplish anything.
Did Live Earth Mean Anything?
July 9, 2007
Absolutely according to this article from Time Magazine. The article on the topic does talk about the concept of just staying home as a better way to cut carbon emissions. But in the end, as the author points out… If these events make the concert-goers [and the rest of the world] change their carbon emitting ways and also push politicians to promote such policies, then the concert was worthwhile.
Live Earth Recap
July 9, 2007
Here is a great recap of the Live Earth discussion… The good, bad and ugly.
Greenocrite Hunt
July 10, 2007
I am growing increasingly concerned by people who are eager to point out greenocrites everywhere they look. Madonna is the latest target as a fund she controls has been shown to have investments in companies which are environmentally unfriendly.
Look, I write for a green blog but I do not live in a cave. I pledge to be concerned about the environment and do my part to make it better. I will not however give up every creature comfort which creates waste or uses electricity.
If Madonna’s investments aren’t as green as they can be she has the option to change them.
Save the Earth. Save a Buck. It's all good!
July 12, 2007
I came across an article in Medill Reports. Medill Reports is written and produced by graduate journalism students at Northwestern University’s Medill school.
Medill reporter Elizabeth Ryan penned an interesting article entitled Six Tips On How To Save Green By Going Green. The premise of the article, “…doing something good for the environment is easier than you might think and can actually save you money, too…” is, to quote a colleague, “good business.”
It’s a big part of what the “mainstreaming” of green is all about.
Sure, every movement has its ardent proponents, who will be out there proselytizing their extreme message, like those who believe the Earth would be better off if the population dwindled to about 1 billion people, or that all air travel should be banned.
IMHO, that’s not “good business.”
But following simple guidelines and living a lifestyle where we are cognizant of how big a wake we leave behind, and working to minimize the impact we have on the environment is good business.
Doubly so, when it’s good for business.
Back in my college television news courses we used to joke about the cliché “Fun. And for a good cause.” But I still believe if we’re able to ‘do good’ for the environment and save (or make) money while we’re at it, there’s nothing wrong with that.
...
The point is that Elizabeth Ryan wrote an interesting article.
Fujitsu Siemens Primergy TX120
July 12, 2007
Since when did Fujitsu and Siemens start working together. This has to be the best kept secret around or I have just been napping on the job. But if your company is going to be such a well kept secret it helps that when you start to make noise that you introduce a server which has the lowest carbon footprint on the market.
The Fujitsu Siemens Computers (FSC) Primergy TX120 tower server's aimed at smaller businesses and branch offices. FSC suggests that's suited to office workspaces, along with distributed and SOHO applications such as retail in-store, back office servers and small office application servers.
The system includes either a 1.866GHz Intel dual-core Xeon 3040 processor with up to 4MB of L2 cache and a 1,066MHz FSB, or an Intel Celeron processor.
The system includes either a 1.866GHz Intel dual-core Xeon 3040 processor with up to 4MB of L2 cache and a 1,066MHz FSB, or an Intel Celeron processor.
Vietnam Green Fund
July 19, 2007
I am intrigued with government initiatives such as this which allow for a trust fund to be set up whose purpose is to help companies go greener. In theory, companies in Vietnam of a certain size who qualify will be able to receive credits for reducing their carbon emissions. I wonder if something like this could take hold in the US.
Plant a Tree for Six Dollars
July 25, 2007
For a paltry six dollars you can have a tree planted for you in order to soak up a ton of carbon dioxide. A federal agency the U.S. Forest Service and a non-profit group the National Forest Foundation came together to launch a website enabling e-commerce to help the financing of trees which should in theory reduce global warming by absorbing CO2.
Whether this is a good or bad move for the environment is debated in the following article but it is logical that deforestation can be combated by tree planting. There is no doubt we are wiping out forests at an alarming rate and this can’t be good for anyone.
