Home » Page 165

THE EIGHT GREEN RULES

Business leader across India now face the daunting task of becoming more sensitive to their companies’ energy consumption and environmental impact.  Organizations are realizing that being green is good for business, positively affecting brand image and fast becoming a competitive differentiator  for customers, partners and suppliers. The fact that going green can reduce costs and thus improve profits simply increases the level of interest in going green.

To develop policies that are both good for the planet and good for business, corporate leaders must consider theses questions.

Are all aspects of the business, including operations, information technology (IT) and product lifecycle management, efficient and protective of the environment? As part of the overall strategy to increase business efficiency, should the organization be considering environmental stewardship and energy consumption as new business barometers? Does the organization maintain a public commitment to meaningful and achievable goals, with transparency in reporting progress in meeting those goals?

Each of theses issues can seem complicated when considered individually and perhaps overwhelming when viewed as an inter-re-lated group.  They require a framework that helps identify and prioritize environmental efforts by illustirating how problems and opportunities can be broken down into district areas and then segmented into manageable projects to be addressed.

Framework:  This framework must address the needs of various executives in developing and implementing energy and environmental strategies – the chief executive officer’s need to respond to customer, government and employee expectations; the chief financial officer’s need to deal with changing cost dynamics for energy; the chief operating officer’s and line-of-business’ need to design and implement new processed, and the chief information officer’s need to increase computing power while managing energy consumption.

Strategy:  The creation of an enterprise-wide energy and environment strategy as part of an overarching corporate social responsibility plan can help companies address “green” issues, resulting in improved financial and environmental outcomes.  Issues to be considered include alignment of a company’s environmental strategy into its business strategy and how environmental values may be translated into an improved brand image.

People:  The impact of employee behavior and policies on the environment is significant.  Commute time and business travel form a large part of an individual’s carbon footprint.  The use of online collaboration tools and policies that support reduction in travelling can also have an impact on costs. 

Information:  With data compounding between 35% and 70% annually in some industries, it’s critical for companies to better manage their data infrastructures.  Optimized collection, analysis, tiering and storage of key information helps companies comply with reporting mandates while minimizing their data footprint.  These same information strategies improve business operations by improving information access and system response.  They help reduce storage need through sharing elimination of redundancies and compression.

Product:  As companies begin to understand the environmental impact of their products or services across the entire product lifecycle, the can design products in a manner that has a lower environmental impact.  Streamlining product development and manufacturing also means less material used, less waste created and less envery consumed.  Concurrently, an examination of the product or service lifecycle often helps businesses find and exploit market opportunities.

Technology:  According to IBM estimates, IT kWh usage has increased fivefold in the past five years.  This IT related energy use contributes to the establishment’s greenhouse gas emissions.  A thorough understanding of IT energy consumption operations and constraints is the foundation for improvement.  From this foundation, companies can devise strategies to help improve IT efficiency and resiliency, address emissions, reduce energy costs and measure their success against business goals.

Property:  Companies need to reduce the cost and greenhouse gas emissions of their physical assets from office buildings to truck fleets. 

Business operations:  companies need to transform business processes to reduce environmental impact for operations end to end.  Consider the example of energy or water consumption.  Understanding and controlling these costs can be achieved only once a company measures its existing use and compares it with conservation benchmarks. 

 For More research articles about Carbon trade, CDM, carbon tax, carbon credit, global warming, Kyoto Protocol, carbon finace, carbon credit market visit -

http://www.onlinecarbonfinance.com
http://www.webdesign2career.com/


Article from articlesbase.com

Related Green Business Development Articles

Posted on March 12, 2011 by , Reply

Election Townhall: Economy, Energy, Environment (8 of 10)

Election ’08′s Impact on Michigan: Energy, the Environment, and the Economy Grand Valley’s Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies and Michigan Radio present this panel discussion examining the policies of the presidential candidates and how they will impact Michigan. Experts on the environment, energy, and the economy are joined by advocates for the Obama and McCain campaigns to help explain their views in these important areas. Mr. Mark A. Coscarelli is vice president for Great Lakes & environment at Public Sector Consultants (PCS). He has been with the firm since 2001. Mr. Coscarelli, who holds a BS in environmental and natural resource studies and an MS in fisheries and wildlife from Michigan State University, conducts research and writes reports on the environment and public policy for the firm and its clients. He also serves as manager and secretary for the Great Lakes Fishery Trust. Prior to joining PSC, Mr. Coscarelli was a senior environmental specialist in the Office of the Great Lakes, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. He managed the Michigan Great Lakes Protection Fund, and served as a statewide expert for the control of harmful nonindigenous species in Michigan. Mr. Coscarelli has also been employed as an environmental quality analyst in the Surface Water Quality Division of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and as a resource specialist in Michigan State University’s Groundwater Education Program. Dr. Paul Isely is associate …

Gripen Next Generation (NG) is a fully NATO interoperable, true multi-role fighter with outstanding availability, tailored for the future Net Centric Warfare (NCW) environment. Gripen NG will meet the demanding operational requirements of the 21st Century Air Force and its unrivalled multi-role capability provides excellent tactical flexibility. Gripen NG offers operational dominance and flexibility with superior mission survivability. Air-to-air superiority is guaranteed with METEOR, AMRAAM, IRIS-T, AIM-9X missile capability and supercruise. Air-to-surface capability is assured through the use of the lastest generation precision weapons and targeting sensors. Gripen NG’s superior situation awareness is ensured through an AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar, IRST (Infrared Search And Track) passive sensor, HMD (helmet-mounted display), cutting edge avionics, next generation data processing and a state-of-the-art cockpit. Proven Net Centric Capabilities These features together with proven Net Centric Capabilities, including advanced data communications, dual datalinks, satellite communications and video links, coupled with enhanced range and endurance due to increased fuel capacity and increased thrust from its powerful General Electric F414G Turbofan engine makes Gripen NG the ideal independent fighter of choice. Gripen NG offers outstanding agility and high instantaneous turn rates providing unrivalled performance in close combat. On board sensors, in …

Posted on March 12, 2011 by , 3 comments

Q&A: How can the American electoral system be fixed?

Question by Sandsquish: How can the American electoral system be fixed?
Tommorrow is election day and, once again, I may only choose between a Democrat and a Republican.

I’ve had to tolerate millions of dollars worth of political ads that make senseless ad-hominum attacks and, if I’m lucky, quote a few meaningless slogans. Debates are rare, and when they occur, they frequently stray far from social, administrative, or legislative issues. Many candidates do not appear to understand, or will not state their positions on, topics about governance, economics, social problems, environmental issues, or diplomacy.

The government appears to be run indirectly by lobbyists and PACs. Third parties, like the Green Party, Litertarian Party, and the Reform Party are locked out of most of the races by a winner-take-all voting system and ballot-access restrictions.

Is anyone else embarrased about the state of our democracy? Does anyone have any ideas about how we can fix it?

Best answer:

Answer by Andrew
It can’t be fixed. No matter who you vote for, the government gets in. LOL

What do you think? Answer below!

Posted on March 11, 2011 by , 12 comments

Developing Countries and the WTO: Policy Approaches

Developing Countries and the WTO: Policy Approaches

It is widely accepted that a well-functioning global trading system is a prerequisite for trade promotion and the development of developing countries. However, it is equally well recognized that the trading system has not worked out to the advantage of many developing countries. For this reason, it is of critical importance for developing countries to have clear proposals for reform that are both ambitious and realistic. Only then can they constructively promote their interests in the coming years. The book addresses the critical policy choices now facing developing countries with respect to trade policy. Experienced negotiators, scholars and trade officials from very different backgrounds offer policy prescriptions to secure a world tradin

List Price: $ 32.00

Price:

Posted on March 11, 2011 by , Reply

reFashion Entrepreneurs

Fifteen high school students from across New York decended on Cornell’s Ithaca campus for a fashion design workshop as part of the 2008 4-H Career Explorations. They learned how to redesign old t-shirts using applique sewing techniques. Check out this student-recorded and -produced video about their experience.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

Posted on March 11, 2011 by , Reply

Indigenous peoples’ right to self-determination: possible interpretations of the concept and its’ implementation

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION:
POSSIBLE INTERPRETATIONS OF THE CONCEPT AND ITS’ IMPLEMENTATION
Amjad Nazeer[1]
October 2010

“Indigenous peoples and individuals are free and equal to all other peoples and individuals and have the right to be free from any kind of discrimination, in the exercise of their rights, in particular that based on their indigenous origin or identity”.

(UNDRIP, Article 2)

Abstract:

Probing into the concept, scope and implementation patterns and potential of the indigenous people’s right to self-determination, is the sole aim of this essay. Significant normative precepts as enshrined in the international law and the exegeses that surround are analysed here coupled with the implementation problems and possible solutions. Ultimately, it is states who are obliged to implement the autonomy indigenous peoples are entitled to, hence, state behaviour and certain responses are also reflected to understand the situation better. Real life difficulties and obstacles that indigenous people confront in exercising their right to self-determination also run along. A few good practices also feature in at the end to prescribe (1)suitable ways to emulate.

Introduction:

Championed by the ILO Convention169 (Article 7,1989), the tribal and indigenous people’s right to participate and determine their own destiny, was finally acknowledged by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP: 2007). Indigenous peoples’ right to self-determination is identical with the common Article 1 of the 1966 Covenants,[2] save the right to secession. No condition or qualifications follow. The right, therefore, does not constitute any form of sui-generis[3]. By the virtue of the very right, indigenous peoples are free to pursue their economic and political development and exercise their sovereignty through self-governance and autonomous choices. They are free to access, manage, conserve and dispose of their natural wealth, promote their language, culture, education and communicate their traditional religion, knowledge and skills to the coming generations. Any intrusion, displacement, land-alienation, construction or extraction unauthorised by the indigenous peoples is not only inadmissible by the law rather a violation to their basic rights. Member states, henceforth, are obliged and responsible to implement these rights within their constitutional frameworks and territorial integrity (Article 3,4,13,14, UNDDRIP:2007, ILO,C.169, Article 14-3, Eide, Asbjorn 2007).

Interpreting the Right to self-determination:

It is impossible to interpret self-determination without a precise reference to the colonial context, where most of the structural and institutional problems that indigenous people are facing today are rooted in. Oppression, and dispossession of the indigenous people from their ancestral land, and suppression of their languages, religions, cultures, identity, agency and sovereignty was the creed of colonial invasion. Ceased not to merely a political control, the colonial administration surveyed, mapped, divided, fenced, renamed, judicialized and commoditized the indigenous land they occupied and exploited. So much so removing children from their families, cultures and habitat was one of the official measures adopted by the settler states of Australia and Canada to westernise and ‘civilise’ the ‘aborigines’ and ‘bushmen’. Like land, water, forests and other indigenous resources indigenous children too were appropriated into a state property. National parks, reserves, conservations and the so called development projects, all resulted in eroding indigenous peoples’ sovereignty and sources of subsistence, during and after the colonial era (Sissons, Jeffrey 2005: 139-142).

Beyond land and locality much of the sovereignty lies in the ideological and cultural field. Analogous to ‘orientalism’, as amply demonstrated by Edward Said in famous book ‘Orientalism (1974)’, the discourse of ‘Primitivism’ was also invented by the west profoundly affecting the indigenous consciousness of the ‘self’ as the subject and as people. Different in one particular sense ‘Primitivism’ was, nevertheless, heavily loaded with ‘evolutionary’ narratives to legitimize their ‘control’ and subjugation of the local people. It provided their subjects[4] with an ‘authoritative discourse’ of their personhood, nature and essential mentalities, causing a serious difficulty to think otherwise (Ibid.146-147). In most of the cases it is still a dominant discourse with the post-colonial states in their treatment to the indigenous people.

In fact, Indigenous peoples’ notion of sovereignty emanates from their relationship with nature. For instance, Maoris’ symbiotic linkage with land, lineage and legend constitutes the core of their sovereignty. Maoriness, Awatere insists (as cited in Dominy, M.D. 1990: 250), intertwines peoples’ affinity to their land and common ancestry with in-depth social and emotional significance while the capitalist imperialism underpins, objectification, racism and sexism. In her conception, Maori sovereignty was destroyed by western chronological and spatial notion of history and commodification of land and time, contrasting Maori’s spiritual unity with the past, present, life, death, nature and ancestry. It is a colonial and capitalist illusion, plagued with excessive individualism and private property, which separates ‘man’ from ‘nature’ and in a way appoints him to be the master of nature. To her, Maori sovereignty can be regained by decolonization and replacement of white male mechanical materialism with their spiritual and rhythmic connection to nature and their ancestry (Ibid: 250-255).

Beyond international legal provisions, argues Rauna Kuokkanen (2008:127-135), the current systems of self-determination obscure women’s voices in a struggle for autonomy and recognition. While the fact is, without taking women’s concerns into account, claims to indigenous autonomy will never proceed ahead of empty words. Supplementing that flaw, neo-liberal economy and market-globalization proves adversarial to women’s status within and indigenous collective self-identification and determination. Hands in glove with modern states, global capitalist forces are devouring and devastating indigenous people’s resources, their sacred lands and relationship with the past. Maintaining women’s subordination, she asserts, any form of indigenous self-determination is bound to reproduce traditional hierarchical and colonial structures.

On the other hand, there are scholars favouring abrogation of the very terms, ‘sovereignty, ‘self-determination,’ and ‘peoples’ to identify the indigenous people. ‘Self-determination’ must exclusively remain a state preserve, they propose. Otherwise it will make the matters ambiguous and unnecessarily infuriate sovereign states and prove counterproductive for the rights of indigenous people. ‘Cultural integrity’ and ‘preservation,’ instead, better serve the meaning and purpose, what most ‘indigenous groups’ are actually striving for (Corn.J.J & Primeau, H.T.1995: 350-352).

Slightly differently but still weary from the notion, Adam Kuper (2003:390-395), lashes-out on the notion of ‘idigenism’ and ‘sovereignty, what he believes are based on essentialism of ‘descent’, ‘identity’ and ‘locale,’ which are not only complicated and unempirical to trace rather encourage forged claims to seek land and other benefits from state. The idea resonates with the rightwing extremism and is even a kind of ‘neo-racism’ yielding dangerous political consequences. Either romanticism or opportunism motivates the indigenous rights campaigners, actually hunting for the resources held by UNOs & INGOs at present. Number of scholars and experts retaliated on his false and phony perceptions about indignity and self-determination. He is reminded of turning a blind eye to the historical and contemporary oppression, dispossession and marginalization that indigenous peoples suffered from. Movement for their right to self-determination is struggling for equal rights, justice, reparation and restitution against the past and present injustices inflicted upon them. It is a struggle to divert unequal relations of power and negotiate difference (Kenrick & Lewis 2004: 5-9, Saugestad.S.2008:170).

Implementing the Right to Self-determination:

There are no standard methods of implementing the right to self-determination. All depends on the mutual consent and priorities of the indigenous peoples and their respective states to implement certain rights in certain ways (Stevenhagen, S. 2008: 42-45). The right to self-determination should preferably be implemented to remove the injustices and violations meted out to the indigenous people in the past what could be termed as remedial self-determination (Anaya, J. 2008: 50-57). It might pave the way for a much required development of the indigenous people.

With the support of an INGO, San’s reclaim of their indigenous land through court (2004-2006) in Botswana is one example of implementing indigenous people’s right to self-determination. ‘The applicants, the court recognised in a final verdict, were lawfully in possession of the land they occupied and…. were deprived of it forcibly without their consent’. Despite much of the international media attention and its’ possible contribution towards international customary law, the San are facing horrible consequences today. The state of Botswana denies their indigenous status – as do most states for their indigenous people – under threats of other political connotations and emerging demands. Less than 200 ‘individuals’ – with their kids and spouses – were only allowed to return to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve[5] (CKGR), an indigenous abode of the Sans for thousands of years. Another group, evicted from the same place in 2005, was never allowed to return. The current returnees’ access to water and other vital services is severely constrained. Recognising one right and that too in a truncated manner, the state of Botswana denies several other rights to them. Abrogating their entitlements further, stigma, discrimination and marginalization continue unabated (Saugestad, Sidsel. 2010).

Not very different from other parts of the world, the indigenous people in Australia, Canada and New-Zealand have lost their natural claim to land. Like children having gone through a radical transformation in missionary schools, the land went through intensive and extensive processes of legal, administrative and commercial appropriation. As children, returned to their parents after a prolonged removal by the settler states, are never the same, land too, even if returned to 3rd or 4th generation, is never the same. Sovereignty is impossible to be applied unless the indigenous people share and control their own development planning and implementation. Repossession, as one possibility of self-determination in New-Zealand and Australia, generates unsubstantiated, alienated and tenuous reconnection with their land. It fails to become a natural ownership, as they had had. Compartmentalization of indigenous land remains a major barrier to the Native’s reclaim. Hundreds of thousands of acres are already engulfed by the towns like Wellington and New-York. What is left out there to return (Sissons, Jeffry. 2005: 143-150)?

A largely successful rather emblematic case of indigenous self-determination is the case of Nordic Sami people, though not without lacunas of its’ own. To begin with, a Nordic group-of-experts produced a draft Nordic Sami Convention in 2002, declaring them to be a distinct people authorised to exercise their social, political and economic autonomy as prescribed by the international law. The Samis are acknowledged both as the indigenous people and people by all the three countries i.e. Sweden, Norway and Finland they have been living in since ancient times. The respective governments introduced adequate constitutional amendments and administrative changes empowering them to determine their own economic, cultural and educational development (Henrick. B. J. 2008: 7-9, Scheinin, Martin. 2008: 58-62).

Laila Susanne (2008: 65-75), however, still advocates for more constitutional amendments to empower the Sami further to exercise their external self-determination as well, which cannot be super-ordinated by the respective states without the Sami consent. Likewise, Fjellheim R.S. (2008: 98-103)  points out that despite enormous and audacious acknowledgement and opportunities provided by the Norwegian government to Sami people, 97% of the economic and 93% of the policy instruments are still formulated and administrated by the state. 60% of the annual appropriation for Sami objectives is still expended by the centre not by the Sami parliament, reducing it to an advanced administrator of the state’s Sami policy. In the field of education, once again, it is the national plans and curricula adapted by the Norwegian parliament that Sami people and parliament have to adjust to (Balto, M. & Hirvoenn. V. 2008: 120-125). Fjellheim prescribes a proportionate model of Sami policy formulation and economic appropriation for a perfect self-determination.

Conclusion:

By and large, indigenous peoples are not autonomous to exercise their right to self-determination as inscribed in ‘the declaration’ anywhere in the world. Almost all of the states, overtly or covertly, limit their autonomy and restrict their access to their land and conventional resources. Extending them modern facilities remains a low priority for the host states. Marginalisation, stigma and discrimination also malign their identity and agency to exercise autonomy. As the states monopolise representation of all peoples within their jurisdiction, multiple barriers hamper the implementation of their right to self-determination (Magga, H. 2008: 92-94, Kenrick & Lewis, 2004: 5-8). Powerful states, like India, China and Russia, simply deny the existence of any indigenous people in their territories for obvious reasons of any potential demands that might emanate from (Corn. J. J & Primeau, H. T. 1995: 346-347).

Despite enormous difficulties, certain examples of implementing indigenous peoples’ rights to self-determinations, howsoever compartmentalized and fragmented, can be found in several states around the world. South African and Cameroon’s adoption of the policy for indigenous people (2004), Morocco’s lifting of the ban on Amazigh language and culture, Brundi’s constitutional recognition and Gabon’s development plan for the Indigenous peoples and their resources are the promising signs so far (Saugestad, Sidsel. 2008: 171). But an out and out implementation of their right to self-determination, in letter and spirit, is yet to be seen. Who knows that good times are coming ahead?

 

*********

References Cited:

Ahren, Mattias. 2008. Sami self-determination: Scope and implementation, Galdu Cala, Jounral of Indigenous peoples rights, 2/2008

Anaya, James. 2008. The right of indigenous peoples to self-determination in the post declaration era, Galdu Cala, Jounral of Indigenous peoples rights, 2/2008

Corntassel, Jeff. J. & Primeau, T. Hopkins. 1995. Indigenous sovereignty and international law: Revise strategies for pursuing self-determination, Human Rights Quarterly, 17.2, 343-365, John Hopkins University Press.

Dominy, Michele. D. 1990. Maori sovereignty: A feminist invention of tradition, in J. Linnekon and L. Poyer (eds.), Cultural identity and ethnicity in the Pacific. Honlulu University: University of Hawaii Press.

Eide, Asbjorn. 2007. Rights of indigenous people: Achievements in International law during the last quarter of a century, Netherlands Yearbook of International Law, Volume XXXVI pp.155-212.

Fjellheim, Rune. Sverre. Self-determination and economics, Galdu Cala, Jounral of Indigenous peoples rights, 2/2008.

International labour Organization, Tribal and Indigenous People, See: http://www.ilo.org/indigenous/Conventions/no169/lang–en/index.htm, Site hit on October 06, 2010, at 08:25 hrs.

Kuokkaanen, Rauna. Dr. 2008. The multiple struggle for self-determination in the age of globalization, Galdu Cala, Jounral of Indigenous peoples rights, 2/2008.

Kenrick, Justin and Lewis, Jerome. 2004.Indigenous people’s rights and the politics of the term ‘indigenous’, Anthropology Today, Vol. 20, No. 2, April 2004.

Kuper, Adam. June 2003. The return of the Native, Current Anthropology, Vol. 44, Number 3, The Wenner Green Foundation for Anthropological Research.

Laila, Vars. Susanne. 2008. Political aspects of Sami’s right to self-determination, Galdu Cala, Jounral of Indigenous peoples rights, 2/2008.

Magga, Henrik. Ole. 2008. Research: Sami self-determination, Galdu Cala, Jounral of Indigenous peoples rights, 2/2008.

Saugestad, Sdsel. 2008. Beyond the Columbus context’ New challenges as the indigenous discourse is applied to Africa, in Henry Minde (ed.), Indigenous peoples; Self-determination, knowledge, indignity. Eburon Delft.

Saugestad, Sidsel. 2010 (Draft). Impact of international mechanisms on indigenous rights in Botswana, Paper to be published in the International Journal of Human Rights, No.1, 2011.

Scheinin, Martin. 2008. Sami Self-determination: A Nordic perspective of indigenous peoples’ right to self-government, Galdu Cala, Jounral of Indigenous peoples rights, 2/2008.

Sissons, Jeffery. 2005. First peoples; Indigenous cultures and their futures, Reaktion Books Ltd., London. U.K.

Stavenhagen, Rodolfo. 2008. The rights of indigenous people: Challenges and problems, Galdu Cala, Jounral of Indigenous peoples rights, 2/2008.

United Nations Draft Declaration on the Right of Indigenous People (UNDRIP, September 2007), See: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/drip.html, Site hit on October 06, at 08:16 hrs.

Wikipedia: The free encyclopaedia. Central Kalahari Game Reserve, See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Kalahari_Game_Reserve, The site hit on October 06, 2007, at 13:23 hrs.

 

[1] The author is a human rights activist and works for an international NGO in Pakistan.

[2] International Covenant on the Civil and Political Rights and International Covenant on the Economic and Social Rights (ICCPR & ICESCR: 1966)

[3] At the time of adopting the declaration, only two States i.e. USA and United Kingdom held reservations regarding its meaning and implications. They argued that indigenous people’s right to self-determinations cannot be the same as laid down in the common Article of ICCPR and ICESCR 1966. In their opinion, the said law implies a sui-generis nature of right (Ahren, Matias. 2008:82-83).

[4] For instance, the disdainful behaviour of the Vice President of Botswana in 1996 about the San aptly reflects the evolutionary discourse and colonial master’s subjectivity built through: ‘How can you have a stone age creature continue to exist in the age of computers? They must change or otherwise like the dodo, they will perish (Qouted by Festus, G. Moga as cited by Jennifer Hays 2000:27, Anguished laments…UFAHAMU, Number II-III)

[5] Central Kalahari Game Reserve is a plain area comprising around 5200 SqKm inhabited by the San People for thousands of years, declared as a game reserve in 1961, See:

 

The author is a peace and human rights activist in Pakistan


Article from articlesbase.com

Related Evolutionary Political Economy Articles

Posted on March 11, 2011 by , Reply

Latest Environmental Change News

Eating You Alive: Environmental Cancer
The Toxic Landscape Most humans, and probably most vertebrates in general, have tumor cells in their
Read more on Forbes

Rep. Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land, moves to block EPA from regulating greenhouse gases
A Houston-area congressman has joined the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power in a bid to prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions. The subcommittee action by voice vote on Thursday sets the stage…
Read more on Houston Chronicle

Posted on March 11, 2011 by , Reply

Environmentally-Friendly Promotional Products Can Aid Your Organization With “Green” Branding

In the 21st century, the requirements are altering for what is normally accepted as very good company. Consumers are no longer solely interested in the greatest top quality item for the lowest cost. Now they take other elements into consideration which includes how the solution was made, what supplies it was manufactured from, and whether or not the surroundings was at all harmed in the course of action. The outcome of these developing worries has stimulated a customer-pushed “going green” pattern in which enterprises have been compelled to incorporate environmental accountability into their production and distribution or risk getting blown out by environmental-helpful competitors.

In gentle of the “go green” development, environmentally-pleasant marketing products have turn out to be exceptionally well-liked and beneficial. There are two sorts of enterprises from an environmental-friendly viewpoint, and each can profit from the use of environmental-helpful advertising products. The 1st variety of enterprise is 1 that is not at present compliant with environmentally pleasant procedures, but is involved in making the leap into “green” business. For this sort of business, environmentally-warm and friendly giveaways are the ideal way to promote your coverage alterations to the two existing and prospective buyers. People will be incredibly impressed with the reality that your organization has determined to make the monumental motion towards environmentally-friendliness for the sake of all events included with the product.

The second sort of organization is 1 that is currently concerned with eco helpful procedures. If you very own a “green” organization, then you are really mindful of the favorable advertising and marketing campaigns and brand loyalty that is currently being produced approximately the environmental-helpful notion. You need to get the phrase out to as several individuals as doable that your organization respects the planet in every single step of their manufacturing. This will support you to generate a devoted consumer base that will proceed to unfold the phrase about your company.

Environmentally-pleasant promotional items are the best way to highlight the “green” elements of your organization, simply due to the fact you are proving to your consumers these goods exist and that you endorse them. Most ecosystem advertising items are made from recycled or recyclable supplies, most frequently currently being put up-shopper plastics. When you provide 1 of these products to men and women at marketing events, you are stating, “Look at these cool items that have been produced devoid of abusing the surroundings in any way. Our products are made that way too.” The eco-friendly merchandise primarily offers individuals a tangible case in point of what your organization stands for.

There are many kinds of environmental promo items that will be most helpful in advertising your “green” organization. To commence, marketing environmentally-warm and friendly sports activities bottles are always a very good way to go. These water bottles are a fantastic instance of a product that can be easily developed from reused plastics. Eco sport bottles appeal to a universal demographic, and can be simply distributed in any venue which includes company picnics and athletics games.

You may possibly also contemplate attempting some eco-friendly caps and hats at your future trade exhibit or marketing occasion. This embroidered headwear demonstrates that “green” practices can be carried out in the attire market. Most of these hats are labeled as eco pleasant due to the fact of the natural and organic materials that they have been made from. Even though some function natural and organic cotton, others are crafted from bamboo or submit-shopper reused polyester. Marketing caps are very efficient in selling your “green” model simply because as the recipient travels wearing the hat, they become a walking advertisement.

Eventually, ecosystem-warm and friendly marketing essential tags are the ideal option to attire or drinkware when it comes to “green” branding. These key tags are quite cheap and simple to distribute in any setting. They are extremely special in their construction, with some becoming produced from corn plastic, bamboo, or even reused tires. You can discover a number of environmentally important tags which have a flashlight that is powered by photo voltaic vitality. This requires the concept of environmental functionality to the next level.

Make positive to distribute some of these environmentally-pleasant giveaways so that everybody understands your enterprise respects the planet and its sources.More info of business promotional products

Author Bio


Article from articlesbase.com

This is the VOA Special English Education Report, from voaspecialenglish.com Charter schools operate with public money but without many of the rules that govern traditional public schools. In the United States the rules for charter schools differ from state to state. But in general these schools have greater freedom to decide what to teach and how to teach it. A charter school might be independent or connected to the local public school system. It might be started by teachers, parents, community groups or, in some cases, a profit-making business. The “charter” is a performance contract. It establishes the goals of the school and other details like how student performance will be measured. Forty-seven million students attend traditional public schools. But more than a million students attend charter schools. And now a group of charter schools have formed the Green Charter Schools Network. The idea is to have environmentally friendly school buildings but to also go further than that. The schools teach students to become involved in community issues that affect them and the environment. For example, young children grow crops in a school garden and learn about healthy eating. Older students help recycle waste from the cafeteria. And local schools share what they grow in community gardens with people in need. Jim McGrath is president of the Green Charter Schools Network. He says there are about two hundred “green” charter schools across the United States. He says the plan is …
Video Rating: 4 / 5

More Green Business Development Articles

Posted on March 11, 2011 by , Reply

Shelf-life of an Environmental Statement

In the UK the planning application for certain development projects needs to be supported by an environmental statement. This environmental statement describes the outcome of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) investigating the environmental effects that the development proposals would have.

The recent economic downturn has led to the postponement of many development projects. Many of those where in an advanced stage with regard to applying for planning consent. Now that the economic prospects have stabilised many of these projects have been picked up again. Some EIA development projects were postponed shortly before registering the application for planning consent and the environmental statement may already be in an advanced state. In these situations the developer faces a question about the validity of the environmental statement: is the information in the environmental statement still up to date and do the conclusions still reflect the most accurate prediction of the environmental impacts. Clearly in cases where the development proposals have changed significantly a new environmental impact assessment or at least a thorough review of the original environmental statement, may be required. But what if the proposal itself hasn’t changed. Would the environmental statement still be valid?

Preparing a robust environmental statement is based on an often lengthy environmental impact assessment. To understand the environmental impacts of a particular development project it is necessary to understand the characteristics of the development itself as well as the characteristics of the environment that the development where the development will be located. It is the interaction between the development and its environment that determines the environmental impact. A thorough study of the current environmental situation, the environmental baseline, is therefore an essential step in carrying out an environmental impact assessment.

The environmental baseline is not a static situation. Many environmental aspects can change and additional information may become available. The ecological baseline, for instance, can be very dynamic. An ecological survey carried out three or four years ago, may have concluded that no important species were present on the site. Since the survey date species may have migrated in. The baseline may also have changed because other development proposals did proceed and are now implemented potentially bringing new sensitive receptors in the vicinity of the development site.

Other environmental aspects are less sensitive to change over time. Archaeological reports, for instance are likely to remain unaffected. It is important to note that although the actual archaeological resource may remain unchanged, it may be that new general information about the area has emerged that affects the conclusions of the original archaeological impact assessment.

Finally, legislation, guidance and professional standards may have changed in the intervening period. This could also effect the conclusions of the environmental statement.

From the above it will be clear that an environmental statement that is based on two or three year old information is not necessarily valid any longer. A review by appropriate professionals should be the first step to take. They will have to re-examine the existing baseline information and consider any changes that may have occurred. If the conclusion is that no material changes to the baseline have occurred than no re-assessment would be required. All that needs to be done is update the baseline information within the environmental statement so that it reflects the re-examination.

Where material changes have occurred, a re-assessment is likely to be required. This does not mean that all the elements of the environmental impact assessment will have to be redone. The re-assessment only needs to focus on the aspect where the change occurred. It will be very rare that the baseline has changed so drastically that an entirely new environmental impact assessment is required.

Paul Giesberg is founder and Principal Director at Planning for Sustainability Ltd. This firm specialises in supporting organisations with meeting the challenges of sustainable development in infrastructure and real estate development projects. Among the services that Planning for Sustainability provides are BREEAM advice and assessments and environmental impact assessments. Planning for Sustainability also maintains a dedicated site about BREEAM Assessments.


Article from articlesbase.com

Find More Environmental Change Articles

Posted on March 11, 2011 by , Reply

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity Green.tvjapan

GREEN TV Japan (japangreen.tv/?) interviews Pavan Sukhdev at Nagoya about TEEB and COP-10. bit.ly/?Greentv
Video Rating: 0 / 5

Ecological economics is an academic field of study that merges ecology with standard economics. Here I outline its faulty historical vision as well as its errors with respect to value, cost, and capitalism. I also suggest that the field, by rejecting the necessary shift to a new mode of civilization, could be contributing to ecological collapse. Ecological economics is a prominent example of Green Reformism, which I criticized sharply in my previous video. The present video is intended for ecological economists, for students of the subject, and for those who may be attracted by the field’s environmental strengths without appreciating its pronounced weaknesses. (To obtain the script for this video, email the author: frank_rotering@yahoo.com. For further information, see my website: needsandlimits.org)

Posted on March 10, 2011 by , 16 comments
First « 163164165166167 » Last