Here’s one clear sign that the auto industry has gone digital: BMW this past weekend dangled free food—in a groovy collaborative space with bean bag chairs and techno music—to lure aspiring Bay Area technologists to concoct electric car apps. (Although I didn’t see any foosball tables.) The BMW Sustainability Hackathon, held at BMW’s Group Technology Continue reading →
As organisers of the Zayed Future Energy Prize sort through the contenders for next year’s US$4 million (Dh14.7m) funding, previous winners say they are already reaping the benefits. The prize was launched in 2008 by Abu Dhabi’s clean energy company, Masdar, to recognise people and organisations working in renewable energy and sustainability. via Zayed Future Continue reading →
In the world of sustainability initiatives, providing charging stations for electric vehicles doesn’t provide the same bang for your buck as, say, energy-efficient lighting upgrades or super green HVAC systems. But property owners, managers and REITs are seeing the advantages to so-called EV stations and are installing them at office, retail, hotel and other commercial Continue reading →
An ambitious experiment in sustainability-obsessed Fort Collins, Colorado, supporting development of the nation’s first major urban zero-energy district is already hinting at important lessons for participating workplaces. via How Fort Collins Created America’s First Zero-Energy District – Jobs & Economy – The Atlantic Cities.
Last week in Silicon Valley BMW convened a group of transportation, electric vehicle (EV), and energy thought leaders to participate in a dialogue with their senior executives and talk about sustainability, energy, and mobility services. It was a thought-provoking day and I shared my perspectives on V2G (Vehicle to Grid) integrations and pondered new Smart Continue reading →
At last month’s VERGE conference, a clear message stood out: Data has the power to transform the future of sustainability. Data, however, is only as transformative as the tools that make it actionable. If data is to define the future of sustainability, then the future of information technology will define how facilities become radically efficient Continue reading →
The theme for Texas Renewables 2012 Conference is The Unified Energy System, which includes solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, batteries, hybrid cars, smart meters, efficiency – all the technologies which combine to make the production, distribution and use of energy more complex and exciting than ever before. Texas renewable energy industries have potential to increase industry Continue reading →
Summerside has earned top marks from Atlantic Business Magazine for the city’s sustainability efforts. The publication named the winners of its second annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) awards, with the western capital receiving first place in the sustainability category for businesses with 100 to 500 employees. Mayor Basil Stewart said the honour came as a Continue reading →
Walmart reached a very special renewable energy milestone this week. The mammoth retail giant revealed San Diego’s College Avenue store as it’s 100th store in California to use rooftop solar panels. It’s all part of the broad range plan to have 100% of their energy come from renewable sources. “At Walmart, we believe sustainability is Continue reading →
After an undoubtedly extensive evaluation, Microsoft this week selected CarbonSystems software to meet its sustainability and environmental reporting needs. This is an important win for CarbonSystems and illustrates that vendor leadership for sustainability software remains very much up for grabs. The deal also definitely puts to bed the notion that spreadsheets are sufficient to track Continue reading →
GreenerU, a provider of energy efficiency and sustainability consulting services to college campuses, has raised $1.7 million in venture capital, the company disclosed on Thursday. via GreenerU Raises $1.7 Million.
The federal government has set some aggressive goals for itself when it comes to energy efficiency, sustainability and clean energy goals. Meeting many of the targets falls to the largest tenant in the U.S., the General Services Administration, which oversees the business of the federal government. The agency oversees the federal buildings in Washington D.C., Continue reading →
Barring the notable exception that it sits in close proximity to NORAD, the subdivision looks like pretty much every other suburban creature built in the last 10 years. Winding roads dead-end in cul-de-sacs surrounded by three and four-bedroom homes, their paint colors most likely named after desert pastels like “sage” and “sandstone taupe.” Look a Continue reading →
Implementing actions to be more sustainable or to “go green” are shown to be economically beneficial in a number of ways (see my article on the 9 Purely Business Reasons to Go Green). One thing that holds back many companies from these programs, however, is the upfront costs. Although a smart sustainability program will make Continue reading →
A merging of major cultural and business trends is driving change in energy consumption patterns and in product design at major international manufacturers, with energy efficiency, consumer concerns about environmental impacts and shifting investor perceptions of corporate transparency all playing a role. Sustainability is not a choice for major international firms any more, and South Continue reading →
Increasingly, utilities are adopting smart grid technologies to support their customers, control costs and help lower emissions. With these digital grid control solutions designed to gather, distribute, and interpret information about the behavior of energy suppliers and consumers, utilities are better positioned to improve the efficiency, importance, reliability, economics and sustainability of energy. via NorthWestern Continue reading →
Every now and then some good environmental news about our backyard comes along. It turns out that Austin, Texas is the number one city in America for clean technology industries according to SustainLane (“the premier online sustainability best practices knowledge base”), a recent Time Magazine article, and others. There are a number of exciting advances Continue reading →
What’s the definition of a smart city? According to San Diego, it’s one that promotes sustainability and the growth of green jobs, as per the city’s Smart City San Diego collaborative. This group, formed in January 2011, is made up of city of San Diego, GE, UC San Diego, CleanTech San Diego and San Diego Continue reading →
“Green” was the predominant color as the 2011 Platts Global Energy Awards were presented to 21 companies and industry leaders at a gala dinner in New York last night. Clean energy and sustainability themes prevailed in the entries for this year’s awards, not only setting the criteria for honors in energy efficiency and technology categories, Continue reading →
Cable & Wireless and Silver Spring Networks have signed an agreement to participate in the Eco Island Partnership, the largest energy sustainability project in the UK. The objective of Eco Island is to make the Isle of Wight energy self-sufficient by 2020. The project aims to harness wind, solar, tidal and geothermal renewable energy generation Continue reading →
