Stories from Bill DiBenedetto
Corporate Responsibility
Coal, Mining Interests File Suit to Block Landmark Mercury Regs
Sooner or later you knew it would happen: a Big Coal move to stop the EPA’s landmark decision to regulate […]
February 17, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
House Transportation Bill Paves the Road for Big Oil
The growing outrage over the $260 billion House transportation bill is rightly placed. Simply put, House Republicans are up to […]
February 13, 2012
Energy
Walmart’s Renewable Energy Power Surge
The EPA Green Power Partnership’s latest quarterly rankings of the top renewable energy buyers has few surprises but does underscore […]
February 10, 2012
Energy
Landfills: From Beast to Beauty
What happens when landfills have had their fill can say a lot about a municipality’s commitment to the local environment […]
January 30, 2012
Technology
Coal-Fired Closures: More Plants Biting the Dust
In another victory for clean air in the battle against coal-fired plants, First Energy Thursday said it will retire six […]
January 27, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Ernst & Young to Certify GHG Emissions Reporting
Ernst & Young, one of the Big Four accounting firms, has received approval to certify greenhouse gas emissions reporting. One […]
January 25, 2012
Finance
Mixed Green Business Results
GreenBiz Group’s fifth annual 2012 State of Green Business report offers a somewhat mixed view of the current green and […]
January 23, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Online Freedom Rings: SOPA Stopped
Those of us who were gearing up for all-out rants and protests against misguided and unworkable proposals to stifle online […]
January 18, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
No More Hiding: EPA’s Carbon Emissions Database Goes Live
As promised by the EPA, the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions are now mapped for all to see, and it’s not […]
January 16, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
MIT’s New Perspectives on Energy Innovation
When MIT spends three years studying something, it’s probably worthwhile to pay close attention to the results. In this case […]
January 13, 2012
Energy
High Heat: Re:char Recharges African Soil
A start-up called re:char has a new take on an ancient idea that’s designed to enhance crop yields in the […]
January 10, 2012
Finance
BP, Halliburton Go to War Over Deepwater Horizon Disaster
The legal battles surrounding the Deepwater Horizon 2010 drilling disaster promise to be just as messy—and more lengthy—than the spill […]
January 9, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Sync City and Transportation Planning for Sustainability
Looking for a good how-to book on sustainable transportation planning? An excellent place to start is with Jeffrey Tumlin’s new […]
December 30, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Norquist Stance on Renewable Electricity Standards Gets Zapped
Where to start with right-wing maven Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, especially when he weighs in on […]
December 23, 2011
Voices for Change
Historic Mercury Regs from EPA a Boon for Health, the Environment and Jobs
A few small drops of mercury can contaminate a 20-acre lake and the fish that happen to reside there, thanks […]
December 23, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
CSR: Still a Question of Balance and Value
A recent article in the McKinsey Quarterly on the drivers behind corporate responsibility says that few companies are clear on […]
December 21, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Even the Affluent are Redefining Luxury in the Down Economy
The definitions of luxury and necessity, in these perilous and depressive economic times of the “new normal,” are changing both […]
December 12, 2011
Energy
Report Sees Need for Major Private Clean Energy Investments in 2012
With stimulus initiatives in the form of soft loans, cash incentives, tax credits and grants expiring, the U.S. energy sector […]
December 7, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
FAA Awards $7.7 million for Clean Jet Fuel Development
The Federal Aviation Administration is awarding $7.7 million in contracts to eight companies who will help the agency develop and […]
December 3, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Woolworths: Progress on Ethical, Sustainable Sourcing
Woolworths Limited, Australia’s largest retailer, (once upon a time an American icon too) reports that it is making “continued progress” […]
December 1, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Groups Fight to Derail PNW Coal Export Plans
Here’s an idea: Let’s flood the global market with our cheap dirty coal! We won’t be burning and polluting the […]
November 18, 2011
Finance
OWS — Dawn of a New Progressive Movement?
Police can break up the various “Occupy” encampments across the country but can they halt the movement? Probably not. As […]
November 16, 2011
Energy
Sierra Club’s Nukespeak Revives the Nuclear Debate
It was nearly 30 years ago, in the wake of the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, when the classic Nukespeak […]
November 11, 2011
Finance
Sun Shines on Private Solar Financing in New Orleans
Adam Capital Clean Energy Finance, a private investment firm, has agreed to lend $1 million to finance rooftop solar panels […]
November 4, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Shipping Industry Gets Serious About Sustainability
Shipping lines, shipbuilders, banks, insurers and shippers have joined forces on a major sustainability initiative “designed to help the industry […]
November 2, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Vertical Folding Containers Reduce Wasted Ship Space
Containerization revolutionized the maritime freight transportation industry more than 50 years ago. Those ubiquitous 20- and 40-foot steel intermodal boxes […]
October 28, 2011
Energy
Crunch Time for Peanut Butter
It might just have to be PB&J without the PB for a while, or less of it or maybe the […]
October 16, 2011
Energy
Greening Water Works for Jobs, Infrastructure and the Environment
Some people passionately argue that going green has nothing to do with large-scale job creation and in fact destroys jobs […]
October 6, 2011
Finance
Right Wing Groups Play the Energy Reliability Card to Oppose EPA MACT Rule
Four right-wing and right-leaning anti-big government groups contend the EPA is “abusing” air-quality laws because the agency’s MACT (maximum achievable […]
October 3, 2011
Energy
Sierra Club: EPA Should Close Haz-Waste Loopholes
The Sierra Club is on the Environmental Protection Agency’s case about hazardous waste. Writing in Treehugger last week, Sarah Hodgdon, […]
September 29, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
How-to Guide for Manufacturer Sustainability
Deciding to operate in sustainable and socially responsible manner is one thing, but for many companies, knowing how to achieve […]
September 15, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
The Dark Side of Apple’s Supply Chain
As surprising as it may seem (or not) there are problems with Apple’s suppliers in China, namely that many are […]
September 6, 2011
Finance
Collaborative Consumption Gains Traction
Some of us (ahem) have lived long enough to remember when collaboration was not all that radical a concept, in […]
August 18, 2011
Energy
Are Forests Breathing Easier? Thank City Dwellers
Urbanization and going back to nature seem like incompatible concepts, but there’s a body of evidence that says increasing migration […]
August 10, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
AA’s Huge Aircraft Order Claims 35% Gain in Fuel Efficiency
American Airlines’ blockbuster narrowbody aircraft order this month places a huge emphasis on achieving major gains in fuel efficiency over […]
July 28, 2011
Voices for Change
Bloomberg Gives Sierra Club Big Bucks to Dethrone King Coal
The Sierra Club received a huge and unprecedented boost Thursday when New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and his Bloomberg […]
July 22, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
UN Shipping Group Moves on Vessel Emission Reductions
An International Maritime Organization panel adopted what it calls mandatory design and operational measures to reduce greenhouse gases from international […]
July 21, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Fare Trade: Lifetime Bus Pass for Your Car
For some a lifetime trolley-bus pass might sound like the third-place prize in a contest where $1 million goes to […]
July 14, 2011
Finance
Carbon Disclosure Project: Leverage Broadband Access for Growth
The Carbon Disclosure Project says broadband—and increased access to it on a global basis—is the key to stimulating new, sustainable […]
July 7, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
EPA, Freight Stakeholders Roll Out SmartWay Drayage Program
Freight handling stakeholders in port areas and the Environmental Protection Agency have launched an initiative that’s designed to help clear […]
July 1, 2011
Energy
Leading the Charge for Electric Cars at Apartment Complexes
Here’s another amenity coming soon to an apartment complex near you: electric vehicle charging stations. Car Charging Group and Equity […]
June 24, 2011
Finance
The US Way: Workers Produce More, Earn Less = Company Profit
This post is part of a series on Stakeholder Engagement sponsored by Jurat Software. Mother Jones talks about the “dirty […]
June 22, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Got Waste? Call DHL
DHL Supply Chain is adding a new offering to its Go Green menu of services, a dedicated waste and recycling […]
June 16, 2011
Finance
Do Pennies Make Any Business or Environmental Sense?
Pennies from heaven don’t mean very much anymore, especially considering their costs to the environment and the expense of mining […]
June 15, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Biomass Diversity and Supply Chain Approach Will Boost Green Jet Fuel
A new report from aviation and renewable energy interests in the Pacific Northwest has found that an emerging market for […]
June 9, 2011
Finance
Khosla Chides Big Oil on Risk and Biofuels
When a big money entrepreneur criticizes Big Oil for its questionable approach to risk-taking, perhaps it’s time to pay serious […]
June 8, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
No Concessions from Chevron on Ecuador
Among the developments this week at Chevron’s raucous annual shareholder meeting—some surprising, some not so—was the oil company’s continuing refusal […]
May 27, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Reducing Supply Chain Emissions and Costs at the Same Time
Logistics managers attempting to optimize supply chains for sustainability and emissions reductions face a tough question: how to implement those […]
May 17, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Chevron, the Socially Responsible Oil Company?
When you’re a member of the Big Oil club, crowing about CSR accomplishments rings a tad hollow from an environmental […]
May 11, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Fair Trade: It’s Tough to be an Ethical Consumer
No one ever said green would be cheap or easy. The sad truth of the matter is the average consumer’s […]
May 5, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
TVA Settles on Clean Air Violations
A settlement between the Environmental Protection Agency and the Tennessee Valley Authority will resolve alleged Clean Air Act infractions at […]
April 20, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Rough Seas for Shipping Industry Emissions Agreement
Depending on how it’s spun, recent shipping industry meetings on controlling greenhouse gas emissions through market-based trading schemes either made […]
April 19, 2011
Hot Alliance: Shell, Suntech and ICBC to Create "ShellSunergy"
April fool 2011 🙂 Reaching for the stars has new meaning today with the announcement of a blockbuster solar energy […]
April 1, 2011
Finance
GDP: The Right Measure? More of the Human Element Please!
Gross Domestic Product, the venerable and most-favored benchmark of national economic health and output – on the part of most […]
March 16, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
TransAlta Coal Plant to Close, But Don’t Hold Your Breath
TransAlta, the last operating coal-fired plant in the Pacific Northwest, is shutting down, but not until 2025 under a deal […]
March 11, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
New Coolant is a Cool Global Warming Fighter
Coming soon to a car AC near you: a cooler coolant. The Environmental Protection Agency recently approved a new chemical […]
March 4, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Who Sustains the Standards for Sustainability Standards?
As sustainability becomes a widespread corporate mantra there are a number of choices available for companies seeking international responsibility codes […]
February 25, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Huge Maersk Triple-E Ships Get “E” for Effort, and Expense
Maersk Line, the world’s largest container ship operator, is building a fleet of the world’s largest container vessels—a deal that […]
February 23, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
The Short Sea Shipping Option: Short-Sighted?
It’s entirely possible that short sea shipping, long touted as an economically viable and environmentally sound option for transporting domestic […]
February 1, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Ford’s Sustainability Blueprint: Sustainable Mobility
Ford calls its sustainability report for the 2009/10 period the “future at work,” and for a relatively short 8-page document, […]
January 25, 2011
Energy
EPA: Landfill Methane Projects for Energy Progress
Will the smell of the local landfill in the morning remind us of energy victory someday? Quite possibly. For now […]
January 22, 2011
Finance
Recruit Execs with the Sustainability Mindset
It’s one thing for companies to talk the talk and for some to at least start to walk the walk […]
January 21, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Spruced Down: Going to the Mountaintop and Saving It
A 12-year battle with Big Coal over the future of one of the largest West Virginia mountaintop removal coal mines […]
January 17, 2011