Stories from Akhila Vijayaraghavan
Corporate Responsibility
GE Captures Landfill-Bound Fridge Insulation for Reuse
Recycling of larger appliances does pose a problem not simply because they are cumbersome to transport. Machines like refrigerators, air […]
September 19, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Private Sector Plays Important Role in Reviving Dying Carbon Economy
Just yesterday I was having a discussion about how the carbon market is ‘dead.’ Today I read that, according to […]
September 18, 2012
Technology
SAP Invests in Employee Volunteerism in Emerging Markets
Many companies struggle to get their employees engaged, even in programs as straightforward as volunteering. Some organizations have a policy […]
September 14, 2012
Energy
Ban Styrofoam? LA Schools & Jamba Juice Say Yes
The Los Angeles Times recently reported that there has been a major shift in the way school lunches are being […]
September 13, 2012
Energy
Cathay Pacific Airlines Bans Shark Fins
In a welcomed move, Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific recently announced a ban on the transportation of shark fins on […]
September 11, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
PUMA Launches First "Sustainable Store" in India
PUMA has been the frontrunner in sustainability innovation for many years now. They have been working towards a toxin-free line […]
September 10, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
IKEA & UNICEF Partner to Give 74 Million Indian Children Better Lives
The partnership between IKEA and UNICEF has worked towards providing a better live for over 74 million children in India. […]
September 10, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
The Social Responsibility of Business is Natural Resource Protection
Over the next couple of weeks, we’ve asked our writers (and guests) to respond to the question: “What is the Social […]
September 7, 2012
Technology
Belgium-Based Ecover Acquires Method to Create Largest Green Cleaning Company
Belgium-based company Ecover, manufacturer of ecologically sound home cleaning products, has recently acquired San Francisco-based cleaning product company Method. This tie-up […]
September 6, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Merck Donates Cervical Cancer Vaccine to Uganda
Global healthcare leader, Merck, has recently partnered with the Republic of Uganda to distribute free vaccines for cervical cancer. Cervical […]
September 6, 2012
Energy
Tom's of Maine Partners with TerraCycle to Launch New Recycling Initiative
Tom’s of Maine has partnered with TerraCycle to launch a recycling initiative to give a second life to product packaging […]
September 6, 2012
Energy
Whole Foods Demonstrates the True Value of Waste Cooking Oil
Up until a few years ago, cooking grease had virtually no value but now it goes for 38 cents a pound. […]
September 5, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Global Food Companies Desperately Require Supply Chain Upgrades
According to Environmental Leader, there needs to be a sharp focus on the way that food companies manage their supply […]
August 29, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Space Exploration Has Put More Focus on Earth
The last couple of days have been abuzz with the announcement of Neil Armstrong’s death. The obituaries and remembrances of Apollo 11’s […]
August 28, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Obama's Plan For Improved Gas Mileage is Delayed
Environmental Leader reports that the new U.S. gas mileage standards for cars was supposed to be released on August 15th, […]
August 27, 2012
Finance
L.A. Start-Up Provides Jobs for Ex-Offenders Through E-Waste Recycling
Social entrepreneurs bring together seemingly unlikely possibilities to create a business model that has real impact. Kabira Stokes, founder of Isidore Electronics Recycling is […]
August 24, 2012
Energy
Will Banning Food Waste From Landfills Change Anything?
Food waste makes up 25 to 45 percent of the average residential trash can in the UK. When the UK-based […]
August 23, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Johnson & Johnson Announces a Ban on Harmful Chemicals in Products
Johnson & Johnson made the landmark announcement this week that it would ban harmful chemicals from their products. The company […]
August 20, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
EPA and P&G Research New Tools for Measuring Sustainability Objectives
The US EPA and Procter and Gamble have announced that they’ve begun a “collaborative research and development study that could […]
August 17, 2012
Finance
Bank of America Shows Progress in Six Key Areas
Bank of America launched its CSR report this week with a focus on six key areas: responsible business practices, strong […]
August 17, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Apple and EPEAT Are Back Together After a Brief Break Up
Last week my colleague covered Apple’s withdrawal from EPEAT. Shortly after his report, the city of San Francisco confirmed its […]
July 16, 2012
Energy
California GMO Labeling Law Makes It Onto November Ballot
Last month I wrote that California has become the battleground for GMO labeling in America. Now, Food Safety News has reported […]
July 16, 2012
Energy
Britain Moves to Boost the Number of Young Farmers
The average age of farmers in Britain is increasing and those that are looking to retire are finding it difficult […]
July 13, 2012
Energy
Urinary Tract Infections in Women Linked with Factory Farmed Chicken
It is no surprise that antibiotic resistance is on the rise. However there have been very few instances that define […]
July 13, 2012
Energy
Reducing Food Waste Through The Gleaning Project
A couple of months ago, I wrote about Rubies in the Rubble – a London start-up that works towards tackling […]
July 12, 2012
Energy
Spanish Researchers Find Organic Tomatoes Have More Nutrients
The debate about whether organic food has more nutrients might be finally settled, at least in the case of tomatoes. […]
July 9, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
India's Largest Tropical Forest Gains UNESCO Protection
The latest news on Mongabay that said that the Western Ghats of India have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage […]
July 5, 2012
Voices for Change
London's Traffic Woes in Lead to the Olympics
While in London last week, I was surprised that there was no tangible excitement in the lead up to the Olympic Games. […]
July 4, 2012
Energy
The Trouble with Locavorism
A husband and wife team from the University of Toronto have recently published a book called The Locavore’s Dilemma: In Praise […]
July 3, 2012
Voices for Change
Study Finds that Obesity Leads to Resource Constraints
Obesity already is a public health concern and the recent study published in BMC Public Health, concludes that “Increasing population fatness could […]
June 25, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
SC Johnson Studies Sustainable Consumer Behavior
SC Johnson is taking a refreshing new approach to sustainability by studying consumer behavior to figure out what makes people […]
June 22, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
The Rio+20 Final Draft Document Draws Heavy Criticism
The Guardian reported that the final draft of the Rio+20 document has been released just a few hours before world […]
June 21, 2012
Energy
Why Rio+20 Matters
With the Rio Earth Summit well and truly underway, news is beginning to pour out of the conference. The current […]
June 20, 2012
Energy
California Leads the Way on GMO Labeling
GMOs and GMO labeling often lead to heated discussions. The EU has been labeling GM food since 1997 and India […]
June 19, 2012
Technology
WHO Declares Diesel Exhaust 'Carcinogenic'
The recent WHO report which declared that diesel exhaust causes cancer was widely picked up by various news media. Diesel fumes […]
June 18, 2012
Energy
Worldwide Investment in Renewable Energy Hit $257 Billion in 2011
According to the Guardian, there is some hearty news in the world of renewable energy. A recent report states that investments […]
June 15, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Australia Announces World's Largest Marine Reserve
With the Rio Earth Summit around the corner and the world’s oceans in serious peril, Australia has recently announced the […]
June 15, 2012
Energy
Honest Tea & Fair Trade USA Team Up to Support Tea Growers
Honest Tea was the first company to market bottled tea that is Fair Trade Certified. This week, the company announced that […]
June 14, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Merger Creates the World’s Largest Natural Capital Disclosure System
The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and Global Canopy Programme (GCP) announced earlier this week that they will merge to create the […]
June 14, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
New Program to Boost Sustainable Business in Developing Countries Launched at Rio+20
The UN Global Compact (UNGC), the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) are together […]
June 14, 2012
Energy
New Report: Poor Working Conditions Among Food Workers
A new report released by the Food Chain Workers Alliance, looks at the wages and working conditions of workers across the entire […]
June 8, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Luxury Cosmetic Brands Try Out Sustainable Packaging
Packaging has always been a bone of contention for cosmetic companies. With sustainability standards increasing, most companies are wanting to […]
June 7, 2012
Finance
Netherlands' Repair Cafes Curb Consumerism
How awesome is the idea of a repair cafe? Very simply, it is a place you take your old, broken-down […]
May 25, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Los Angeles Becomes Largest US City to Ban Plastic Bags
Last week the state of Hawaii introduced a state-wide ban on plastic bags, becoming the first US state to do […]
May 25, 2012
Technology
Americans Save $4.6 Billion Every Year Just By Biking
There are obvious environmental and health benefits to cycling, however the financial rewards of cycling are coming to light with […]
May 24, 2012
Energy
Can Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Hope to Achieve Food Policy Change?
Jamie Oliver declared May 19th, Food Revolution Day, calling on “an international community of foodies, chefs, parents, educators, companies, activists and […]
May 24, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Dutch Organization Wants to Make Fair-trade Gold the Standard
Earlier this month Solidaridad, a worldwide group of development organizations unveiled the Netherlands’ first-ever fair-trade and fair-mined gold jewelry. The UK […]
May 16, 2012
Voices for Change
Will London be the Greenest Olympic Games Ever?
When London won the bid to host the 2012 Olympics, their aim was to make it the greenest, cleanest and […]
May 15, 2012
Finance
Rubies in the Rubble: Making a Difference with Chutney and Jam
Roughly 1.3 billion tons of food goes to waste every year and most of this is fresh produce like fruit […]
May 15, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Etsy Gets Certified as a B-Corporation
Despite Etsy‘s recent bad press, the online marketplace is a one-of-a-kind for crafters, artisans and people who love their work. […]
May 11, 2012
Technology
Top 25 Most Transit Friendly US Cities
The rising gas prices are forcing everybody to take a second look at how they commute. Now WalkScore is helping […]
May 11, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
London's Congestion Charge is Working and There is a Map to Prove It
London’s traffic is legendary and so is its traffic management system. From early 2003, the city of London started charging […]
May 9, 2012
Energy
Mango Delayed Due to Climate Change
The people of India have a deep connection with mangoes. Every person claims to have at least one favorite kind […]
May 8, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Safeway, Whole Foods Top Greenpeace Seafood Ratings
Greenpeace has long been an ardent crusader for the health of the world’s oceans. They have worked with several companies […]
May 7, 2012
Energy
Rooftop Fish: The Future of Urban Farming?
We have all heard of urban farms and rooftop gardens and even rooftop farms, but a rooftop fish farm might […]
May 7, 2012
Technology
EnergySaver Mobile App Helps You Save Money
Mobiles apps are not only for fun but are also extremely useful in many instances. With smart phones soon becoming […]
May 7, 2012
Energy
UK-Based Architecture Firm Makes Solar Energy More Accessible
How cool would it be to have a nature-inspired design that uses waterways to generate renewable energy? This is exactly […]
May 4, 2012
Voices for Change
Harmful Chemicals May be Lurking in Your Garden Hose, Report Says
Spring time is pretty much here and this is when a lot of people indulge in gardening. But did you […]
May 4, 2012
Energy
How China's Dietary Habits are Changing World Agriculture
Last month Leon Kaye suggested that America might have reached ‘peak-meat consumption.’ Now it appears that China consumes way more […]
May 1, 2012
Voices for Change
Urban Air Quality Could be Making Children Obese
Columbia University Center for Children’s Environmental Health performed a study on children and obesity recently and found that obesity afflicts […]
April 26, 2012
Energy
Bottoms Up for Sustainable Tequila Production
The production of alcoholic drinks does have a huge environmental impact. In the Mexican town of Tequila which is surrounded […]
April 25, 2012
Energy
Pulling Indian Farmers Out of Poverty
This is the official entry of Akhila Vijayaraghavan for the Rio Blogger Prize. The winner of the prize gets to […]
April 25, 2012
Voices for Change
Court Orders FDA to Take Action on Livestock Antibiotic Usage
The FDA’s three-decades of inaction on antiobiotics took a fresh turn last week when a federal court ruled that government […]
April 20, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Kraft Foods Reduces Packaging and Travel Miles
Kraft Foods recently announced they have cut 45 million pounds of weight from the packaging of their products since 2010. According […]
April 17, 2012
Energy
Poop: the New Alternative Paper Source?
An Israeli entrepreneur has come up with a plan to make paper from human waste. This might sound unsavory, but Rafael Aharon […]
April 13, 2012
Energy
Colony Collapse Disorder and Honeybee Death Linked with Pesticide Use
The ongoing debate about the cause of colony collapse disorder has finally ended. Mongabay recently reported that “Harvard researchers have re-created […]
April 11, 2012
Voices for Change
Mobile Phones Create an Elephant Warning System
Man-animal conflict is on the rise in many parts of the world. This is due to human beings encroaching on […]
April 10, 2012
Energy
Greek Hopes Rest on Solar Power for Economic Recovery
Greece, perhaps more than any other country in the EU, has been the worst hit in the Euro-zone crisis. However, […]
April 9, 2012
Voices for Change
Why Peru is at the Sustainability Sweet Spot
Worldwatch Institute recently released the 29th version of its State of the World report entitled “Time Running Out to Ensure Sustainable […]
April 6, 2012
Energy
Chicago Leads the Way in Urban Sustainable Agriculture
The City of Chicago has been making some major leaps into sustainability. They have worked on increasing their urban green […]
April 5, 2012
Technology
New USGS Report Links Fracking and Earthquakes
The US Geological Survey (USGS) will be presenting a paper next month at the annual meeting of the Seismological Society of […]
April 5, 2012
Voices for Change
FDA Drags Its Feet on BPA Ban
The US FDA recently announced that it has rejected the 2008 Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) petition requesting that the toxic chemical […]
April 4, 2012
Voices for Change
How a Humble Sanitary Pad is Changing the Lives of Rural Women in India
This post has been entered in TckTckTck’s contest to send a blogger to cover the Rio+20 summit. If you like […]
March 29, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
What's in a Bag? The Continuing Debate About Banning Plastic Bags
In the spring, the European Commission plans to publish proposals that will tackle the problem of plastic bags and to […]
March 23, 2012
Energy
World Sparrow Day Puts Focus on the Humblest Urban Dweller
Yesterday was World Sparrow Day and today I’m going to deviate from my usual postings dedicated to this common, yet […]
March 22, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Climate Leadership Continues in the European Union
The European Union might be going through a lot of financial turmoil at the moment, however they are still leading […]
March 21, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
GM Receives Award for Waste-Management Progress
I wrote about General Motors’ ambitious recycling targets and how the company is saving itself millions of dollars last year. […]
March 16, 2012
Energy
Kiribati's Entire Population is Being Moved to Fiji
The first mass exodus related to climate change is happening in Kiribati, a group of islands located in the central […]
March 15, 2012
Energy
UK Wind Company Has Announced £1bn Investment in Wind Farm
Renewable energy developer Burcote Wind has recently announced a £1bn investment in wind farm projects across Scotland which could create almost […]
March 14, 2012
Energy
Demand for Vegetable Oil Increases Rate of Deforestation
The global demand for vegetable oil is growing and contributing to deforestation, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). […]
March 13, 2012
Energy
Europe's Woes Over Free-Range Eggs
As of 2012, EU law requires all eggs to be hatched by hens kept in free-range barns or “enriched” cages. […]
March 12, 2012
Technology
Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute Issues Its Maiden Certification
The Cradle to Cradle certification considers the entire life cycle of a product from manufacture through use and disposal. This month, […]
March 9, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Target Bans Sandblasted Denim
Sandblasted denim was recently banned by major luxury brands, including Versace. Levi Strauss and H&M were some of the first […]
March 6, 2012
Energy
Food Crops vs. Cotton: How Cheap Fashion is Threatening Food Supply
There this no doubt that the advent of fast fashion and the rise of cheap, throw-away clothes have put increasing […]
March 5, 2012
Energy
US Company Makes a Bang With Microgrid Power Generation in India
Mera Gao Power is one small enterprises that is really making a difference in its community. Their target market are […]
March 5, 2012
Energy
Lego Invests $532 Million in Wind Energy
The world’s most famous toy company, Lego, recently announced a massive investment in wind energy. Kirkbi A/S, the family holding company […]
February 29, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Overfishing Costs the EU Economy €3.2 Billion
UK-based New Economic Foundation (NEF) recently issued a report about the economic losses incurred due to overfishing. The report entitled […]
February 29, 2012
Energy
Glasgow Set to Become Center for Scottish Renewable Energy
The UK government recently announced a country-wide consortium bid from Ocean Energy Innovation, Carbon Trust and the National Renewable Energy […]
February 28, 2012
Energy
Gaia-Wind Relocates to Glasgow with Great Success
Over the next twelve months, Dutch company Gaia-Wind will be installing almost 200, 133-11 kW small wind turbines in England and […]
February 28, 2012
Energy
Ecotricity Backs New Technology to Harness Wave Energy
Wave power is an untapped source of renewable energy. There are several complications with using this type of energy successfully, […]
February 20, 2012