Corporates and Environment

Coal mining

Posted by Susan Sharma on April 29, 2011

 
Forum Post

Mountaintop removal coal mining is changing the American landscape on a scale that is hard to comprehend unless you see it from the air. Anyone who has ever flown in a small aircraft over southern West Virginia or eastern Kentucky will never forget the experience of seeing the massive scale of destruction - mountain after mountain blown up and dumped into valleys as far as the eye can see. Mountaintop removal affects more than mountains and streams, however; it is threatening to displace and destroy a distinctly American culture that has persisted in the Appalachian Mountains for generations. Appalachian people working to save their communities have long dreamed of ways to fly reporters, decision-makers, and thousands of other Americans over the Appalachian coalfields to see this destruction first hand - and then to visit their communities to hear stories of people who endure the consequences of what some have called "cheap energy."

Read more at the Link
http://earth.google.com/outreach/cs_app_voices.html

Corporates and Environment

Restoring River systems

Posted by Susan Sharma on July 07, 2010

 
Forum Post
The Nature Conservancy(US) and other conservation groups have purchased 3 dams on Maine's Penobscot River.

Their efforts are part of an environmental and cultural restoration along the river, where the Penobscot people have lived for thousands of years. The river was once the tribe’s medicine cabinet, its water supply, highway and supermarket. Despite a century of changes, the tribe hopes to revive the river’s central role in its life again.

Standing in the way of this revival, however, are several large hydroelectric dams.

While the tribe has won a series of court battles to clean up the river from decades of industrial pollution, its legal fight against the dams has made little headway.

But things began to change in August 2008, when the tribe, together with The Nature Conservancy and other partners in the Penobscot River Restoration Trust, exercised the option to purchase the dams outright for $25 million from the power company. The unprecedented deal, which is still awaiting federal approval, is a carefully negotiated win-win for all the parties involved.

Now they plan to tear down the dams to restore Atlantic salmon, shad and other fish.

The deal is a rare pragmatic victory for both conservation and industry, one that required years of painstaking work to negotiate and years more to raise funds to buy the dams. While the challenges are not over — it turns out that tearing down a series of dams is complicated and expensive work — the trust’s successes may help demonstrate the potential for restoring other rivers around the world.

Read full article at
http://www.nature.org/magazine/summer2010/features/art31630.html

Corporates and Environment

Who is responsible

Posted by Susan Sharma on January 17, 2008

 
Forum Post

"In early 2007, thousands of cats and dogs in North America fell ill with kidney ailments. Many of the pets had dined chez Menu Foods Inc., a company in Ontario, Canada, that manufactures pet foods for more than 100 brands, including Procter & Gamble, Iams, Colgate-Palmolive’s Science Diet, and Wal-Mart’s Ol’ Roy. By mid-April, investigators had traced the animals’ illnesses to melamine, an industrial chemical that tainted a few of Menu Foods’ raw ingredients. They then followed the thread to two suppliers in China, which had spiked the ingredients to cut costs and boost profits.

So where should the public point its finger? Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, Wal-Mart, and the many other corporations that own the pet food brands? Menu Foods, which mixed the kibble? The Chinese manufacturers, which adulterated the ingredients? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which failed to detect anything amiss? The stores that didn’t remove the foods from the shelves, even after Menu Foods recalled them? "

Read the full article at http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/the_responsibility_paradox/

 

Corporates and Environment

WWF and Corporates

Posted by Susan Sharma on December 18, 2007

 
Forum Post

"Increasingly, nonprofit experts are beginning to question one of the fastest-growing sectors of giving, the practice of building a donation into the purchase of items as varied as fine jewelry and Always feminine products.

What’s interesting is that some charities don’t even know that their brand is being used to entice shoppers to buy the primary product:

The WorldWildlife Fund, a major charity that works to preserve and protect animals and the environment, was among them. John Donoghue, its senior vice president, was disconcerted to learn that his organization was among a number of charities named as beneficiaries of items bought from Barneys’ “Have a Green Holiday” catalog.

“Unfortunately, just like Barneys shoppers, we’re in the dark as to how or if Barneys and the manufacturers will fulfill their commitment to donate a portion of the proceeds from these products to W.W.F.,” Mr. Donoghue said.

Read the full article at nytimes.com

Corporates and Environment

Corporate Example

Posted by Susan Sharma on October 10, 2007

 
Forum Post

BP Solar Decathlon

The BP Solar Decathlon is a parntered event by BP that has received 20 selected teams by the U.S. Department of Energy to work on this project. The teams are from various colleges and universities from around the world and will work together as teams competing in a competition to design and build the most energy efficient and aesthetically appealing home powered by solar energy. The event started this month and will be based off of 10 different contests for the overall winner. The homes will ultimately be transported to the national mall in Washington D.C. for viewing. The whole event is a great opportunity to showcase the young bright minds of new clean and renewable technology.

This is a great idea that could inspire many young and aspiring students for the new wave of alternative energy building methods and the new wave of green tech. For one, this is great PR for BP considering it got a lot of negative attention over its Oil Refinery in Whiting, Indiana. Now this could a chance for BP to regain its name as a "green" company that truly cares about the environment.

With BP fully supporting this competition, they have designated an on-site reporter to which the reporter and the teams can all post about the challenges of the event. The whole idea is to have the competition get media coverage through the internet as well as other means.

From an environmentalist point of view, this is a very good move for BP. It shows that it cares about the future of renewable energy and hopefully it convinces the many residents surrounding the Great lakes as well.

 


Source: http://www.theenvironmentalblog.org/atom.xml
   

Corporates and Environment

Corporate Revenge?

Posted by Susan Sharma on October 09, 2007

 
Forum Post

Corporate Revenge?


At the June 2007 annual meeting of the World Wildlife Fund in Bejing, soft drinks giant Coca Cola launched a multi-year partnership with WWF to conserve and protect fresh water resources.

The partnership will focus on " measurably conserving" China’s Yangtze, South East Asia’s Mekong, the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo of South West US and Mexico, the rivers nad streams of the Southern US, the water basins of the Mesoamerican Caribbean Reef, the East Africa basin of Lake Malawi and Europe’s Danube River. 

The $20 million plan skipped India, where Coca -Cola faces protests for allegedly depleting ground water.

Source: Times Of India  6Th June 2007

 

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