Ben & Jerry’s aims to stir up action its new climate campaign
It seems the traditional milk float wasn’t quite up to scratch for the new global campaign from Ben & Jerry’s, which aims to stir up civil action on climate change. Instead, Ben & Jerry’s has enlisted a very different zero-emission vehicle to deliver dairy produce – a custom-designed Tesla Model S, which will be driven around the world handing out free ice cream as part of the new Save our Swirled initiative. The ice cream company hopes to convert half a million people to become climate activists by the end of the year, when world leaders are expected to gather in Paris to sign a global deal on climate change. As part of the move, Ben & Jerry’s has also stepped up its commitment to reducing the environmental impact of its business – goals include targeting 100 per cent renewable energy in its operations by 2020 and reducing its carbon footprint by 80 per cent by 2050. (BusinessGreen)
Energy
Solar eclipse is unprecedented test, says European power grid
The loss of solar power generation during Friday’s eclipse will be an unprecedented test for the European grid but is very unlikely to cause problems for electricity users, according to electricity providers. If the weather is clear on Friday morning the European grid will suddenly lose the equivalent generation of eight to ten very large coal power plants. Technicians from the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (Entso-E) have been working for more than a year on how to cope with the potential loss of 35,000MW of generating capacity. Forecasters are predicting cloudy weather for much of Europe, meaning the dip in power will be less pronounced than it would be in sunshine. But a spokeswoman for Entso-E said engineers were “very confident” the system would cope, even if conditions are sunny. (The Guardian)
Property owners must improve the sustainability of their buildings if they want to attract investors and maintain value, a new survey reveals. A poll of institutional investor groups by real estate advisers CBRE has found investors care about, and are acting upon, sustainable property measures. About 70 per cent of the 280 respondents considered sustainability to be ‘critical’, ‘one of the most important criteria’ or ‘definitely matters’ in their asset selection process. CBRE said the interest in sustainability growing among institutional investors is driven by their greater emphasis on long-term investments and environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) considerations. Rebecca Pearce, EMEA head of sustainability at CBRE, said all types of investors are facing a growing body of regulation, such as EU Energy Efficiency Directive, and the Minimum Energy Performance Standards, as well as other pressures. Property owners therefore need to make changes to ensure their buildings remain attractive, Pearce said. (BusinessGreen)
Waste
Unilever achieves zero waste across distribution centres in North America
Unilever North America announced on Tuesday that it has achieved 100 percent zero waste to landfill (ZLF) at all dedicated distribution centres in North America. To achieve ZLF, the company has adopted the four ‘R’ approach — firstly reducing waste at source then reusing, recovering or recycling any non-hazardous waste that remains. Solutions to avoid sending finished goods to landfill include focused inventory management, composting, creating animal feed, package recycling and generating biodiesel fuel. Eliminating waste in distribution centres resulted in cost savings of more than $1.9 million in 2013. In January, Unilever announced it achieved a key sustainability target of sending zero non-hazardous waste to landfill from its global factory network. The company said the milestone not only represents a significant step towards its ambition to double its size while reducing its environmental impact, the effort has also eliminated more than $212 million in costs and created hundreds of jobs. (Sustainable Brands)
Water
Singapore gets smart about water
With water demand set to double by 2060, Singapore is deploying innovative solutions to meet an urgent challenge. NEWater, Singapore’s answer to Evian or Volvic, heralds from insalubrious origins: the city-state’s drains and sewers. It is “ultra-safe”, insists PUB, Singapore’s national water agency, which says the reclaimed water surpasses World Health Organisation standards. Introduced in 2003, NEWater isn’t used primarily as drinking water, although it is drinkable, but more in industrial and cooling applications. During dry months, it is also used to top up public reservoirs. Currently, the city-state boasts four NEWater plants, which have a combined capacity to meet nearly 30% of overall water demand. PUB believes that figure can be nearly doubled to 55% over coming decades. (The Guardian)
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