LOS ANGELES, CA — The desire to be environmentally friendly and the promise of saving money through improved efficiency were cited in a recent survey as the most significant drivers for companies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

The vast majority of companies that report their emissions to the Climate Registry said their future greenhouse management or reduction plans were not contingent on future climate change regulations, according to the nonprofit’s annual member survey published Monday.

Instead, most members in the survey said, reporting and verifying emissions inventories are hallmarks of being an environmental climate leader, in addition to setting goals, reducing emissions, incorporating the data into sustainability reports, and encouraging greenhouse gas management for their suppliers.

Read the complete article…

OAKLAND, CA — With the chorus of business leaders calling for comprehensive climate rules appearing to grow louder, the face of potential legislation continues shifting as Congressional leaders work to build bipartisan support.

CEOs from some of the nation’s largest companies expressed their desire last week for an end to the uncertainty surrounding the future of U.S. climate change policy. At the Wall Street Journal’s Eco:Nomics conference in Santa Barbara, for example, the heads of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, American Electric Power Co., FPL Group and Rio Tinto threw their support behind comprehensive climate legislation that would give them the assurances needed to guide long-term investment decisions.

Read the complete article…

President Obama this week rolled up his sleeves and waded into the increasingly fractious debate surrounding plans for a US climate bill, gathering key Democrat and Republican Senators in a meeting at the White House to discuss how to move the stalled legislation forward.
The meeting, which also included members of Obama’s cabinet, reportedly failed to deliver concrete breakthroughs but was still seen as a boost to the chances of passing flagship legislation that many observers believe has been neglected as a result of the White House’s focus on passing healthcare reform.

The meeting was attended by the bipartisan trio of Senators – Democrat John Kerry, independent Joe Lieberman, and Republican Lindsey Graham – who have been working on a compromise version of the bill designed to secure the 60 votes necessary for it to pass the Senate.

They did not present the final version of their proposals, which is still expected later this month, but they assured the President that they were making swift progress towards delivering a compromise bill.

Read the complete article…

U.S. EPA has submitted the first piece of its suite of greenhouse gas rules to the White House for review, a signal that the agency is on schedule to finalize its first regulations to curb the heat-trapping emissions.

EPA sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget last Thursday its final reconsideration of the George W. Bush administration’s “Johnson memo,” a determination from former EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson about when the government must begin to regulate industrial facilities’ greenhouse gas emissions. That decision is seen as a critical policy to have in place before the agency issues its final greenhouse gas rule for tailpipe emissions (Greenwire, March 5).

Read the complete article…

For many people the word “green” has become a way to sum up a new world culture. It’s a culture that puts the environment first with things like renewable energy and special building design. A green culture is thriving in places such as Portland, Oregon and Copenhagen, Denmark.

But many believe this new world cu is more than just “green.” They talk of “the culture of sustainability,” which integrates social and economic concerns with a greener outlook. For example, sustainability means more business and government investment in renewable energy because, when we import less oil, we’re less dependent on countries such as Iran, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia.

Read the complete article…

March 5 (Bloomberg) — China may start its first city-wide carbon cap-and-trade system by June as the world’s biggest polluter seeks to rein in emissions, a project adviser said.

The northeast port city of Tianjin plans to impose a mandatory limit on energy used to heat buildings in the first half of this year, John Shi, chief executive officer of the carbon credit trader Arreon Carbon U.K. Ltd., said in an interview. Property managers able to reduce energy use to below the limit will earn credits they can then sell, he said.

Read the complete article…

NEW YORK – Wal-Mart Stores Inc. wants its suppliers to reduce 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions by the end of 2015.

The world’s largest retailer’s push goes beyond its efforts to date to reduce its own emissions by designing more energy-efficient stores and pursuing alternative fuels for its fleet of trucks.

The goal is equivalent to taking 3.8 million cars off the road for a year, the company said.

Wal-Mart is collaborating with the Environmental Defense Fund and other environmental experts to measure reduction. It said it won’t force suppliers to make changes but will work with them on projects that will reduce both emissions and costs.

In the past few years, the company has been working with suppliers to reduce packaging, which has translated into such changes as more concentrated detergent products and toothpaste that’s no longer in a box.

Read the complete article…

Feb. 16 — Ford Motor Co. is creating a dealership sustainability program to cut operating costs and lower carbon footprints at individual locations.

The “Go Green” dealership sustainability program will work with Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealerships to improve energy efficiency at their sites.

Read the complete article…

BEAVERTON, OR — A group of companies and nonprofits that includes Nike, Starbucks and Ceres launched a virtual coast-to-coast race Tuesday in a bid to create momentum for passing U.S. climate change legislation.

The “Race for American Jobs and Clean Energy Leadership” kicked off at the Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., Tuesday, the first stop of a coast-to-coast virtual tour with stops over the next three weeks in Colorado, Ohio, New Hampshire and Washington, D.C.

The race is sponsored by “We Can Lead,” a campaign launched by the Clean Economy Network and Ceres’ Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP), whose members include Nike, Levi Strauss & Co., Starbucks, Sun Microsystems, The Timberland Company, Aspen Skiing Company, Clif Bar & Company, eBay, Gap Inc., Jones Lang LaSalle, The North Face, Seventh Generation, Ben and Jerry’s, Eileen Fisher, Stonyfield Farm Inc., and Symantec

Read the complete article…

Poor farming practices have degraded the world’s soils causing them to release carbon that should have stayed in the soil. In the past 150 years soils have released twice as much carbon as fuel burning. Improved farming methods could quickly rebuild degraded land and store enough carbon to offset the damage already done by fuel burning. Dr Rattan Lal of Ohio State University, a leading expert on soil carbon, estimates that the potential of economical carbon sequestration in world soils may be .65 billion to 1.1 billion tons per year for the next 50 years. This is enough to draw down atmospheric CO2 by 50 ppm by 2100. This is a one-time opportunity, however. We must ultimately stop burning fossil fuels.

Read the complete article…