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Sustainability Watch |
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Consumers ►► Heard about "volunteer vacations"?
Becoming a volunteer during one’s annual vacation, or anytime, can be an
uplifting and energizing experience. The nonprofit network Global
Volunteers (http://globalvolunteers.org/) helps individuals
demonstrate their social responsibility and has spawned other
organizations, such as Volunteer Vacation, to assist you in planning your
vacation program (http://charityguide.com/volunteer/ ►► There’s a new interactive game in town for consumers.
American Public Media (APM) has created "Consumer Consequences" to provide
people with some idea of how their lifestyle impacts the environment. The
impact of one’s lifestyle is calculated based on the "ecological
footprint" model created by the APM research partner Redefining Progress.
The game includes the option to "Change U.S. Policy." Consumer
Consequences is built using data that represents average U.S. consumer
habits.
►► Consumers will increase their spending on green
technology. That’s the conclusion of a study by the University of
Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business and the technology research
firm Rockbridge Associates, Inc. The 2007 National Technology Readiness
Survey, released in March, said that "Americans’ appetite for
environmentally friendly technologies and consumer products is grossly
underserved, with a potential $104 billion in sales this year." The study
also found that "71 percent of adults are interested in green technology,
but there is a large gap between the number of products consumers own now
and the number they say they would like to own." |
Business ►► Sustainable Enterprise and Development is a new initiative at the University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business, joining the school’s longtime focus on international business. To discuss the new sustainability initiative, Andy Mangan, Executive Director of the United States Business Council for Sustainable Development, spoke to business school faculty and staff April 18. For more information, contact the Moore School’s dean, Dr. Hildy Teegen, atteegen@moore.sc.edu. ►► Some have food and want less dependence on oil, while others don’t have enough food and don’t care about the oil trade and its effect on fuel prices. For example, developed countries want biofuel production to increase in order to decrease their dependence on oil, while developing countries and oil companies argue that biofuels, which are produced from food crops such as soybeans and corn, are depriving the world of food, especially the poorer countries. "Biofuels will not solve the world’s energy problem," says the chief executive of Royal Dutch Shell. The remarks follow protests in Brazil and Europe against fuels derived from food crops. Food shortages and rising costs have set off rioting and protests in countries including Haiti, Cameroon, Niger, and Indonesia. To read the entire story, go to:http://www.enn.com/energy/article/34990. ►► When you read the label of a product
that makes claims such as "organic," "natural ingredients," or "contains
no animal products," should you believe it? A report released in April by
Forum for the Future (http://www.forumforthefuture.org.uk) entitled
"Eco-promising: Communicating the Environmental Credentials of Your
Products and Services," provides suggestions about how companies can live
up to their environmental promises. To learn more about green labeling, go
to http://www.greenbiz.com/news/ |
Government ►► On Feb. 26, 2008, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Homeland
Security Committee held a hearing on the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism
Act of 2008, legislation that would strengthen security requirements for
chemical facilities. In a statement aimed at the producers of chemicals,
Edward R. Hamberger, president and CEO of the Association of American
Railroads, said, "We can no longer continue to risk the lives of millions
of Americans by using, transporting, and storing highly toxic chemicals
when there are safer alternatives commercially available. It is time for
the nation’s big chemical companies to stop making the dangerous chemicals
that can be replaced by safer substitutes or new technologies currently in
the marketplace." To read the complete article, go to: http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/ ►► In a speech April 16 in the White
House Rose Garden, President Bush "set a goal of halting the growth of
greenhouse gases by 2025, calling for elimination of clean-energy
international trade barriers but stopping short of specific proposals to
mandate carbon emissions caps." The Rose Garden speech follows another
that Bush delivered at the U.S. government-sponsored Washington
International Renewable Energy Conference in March where he made clear his
desire to "leave a legacy of accomplishments on climate change." But most
observers, who have noted the Bush administration’s lack of action on most
environmental issues, including climate change, during the past 7-1/2
years "do not expect any laws passed on climate change until Bush is out
of office" Dr. Phillip E. Barnes is Research Professor in the School of the Environment at the University of South Carolina. You can reach him at (803) 777-1373, or via e-mail at pbarnes@environ.sc.edu. |