Pittsburgh flexes its sustainability muscle

By: Mike Wallace and Jared Robbins

Back in 2011, one of the world’s largest certified Global Reporting Initiative trainings to date took place in Cleveland, drawing nearly 200 business students and college seniors from 14 colleges in Ohio.

The event, held at Cleveland State University and hosted by consultancy BrownFlynn, revolved around a theme that has grown in importance since then: Developing sustainability capacity within a geographic region.

Around the country, cohorts of cities and various regional allies are tackling sustainability through a variety of mechanisms.

The Pittsburgh region exemplifies one strategic approach to regionally tackling sustainability issues.

To read the full article, please visit our monthly column Shift Happens on GreenBiz.com.

How to engage your investors on ESG issues during proxy season and beyond

By Mike Wallace and Sarah Corrigan

Spring brings a new proxy voting season, as shareholders exercise their right to raise issues of importance to company management, the board of directors and fellow shareholders. In recent years, the number of shareholder proposals devoted to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues have increased at a fast pace. While institutional investors may not be involved in the majority of these proposals, companies should note that institutional consideration of ESG practices has grown significantly.

Last month, the Sustainable Investments Institute, Proxy Impact and As You Sow teamed up to publish their annual guide to proxy season, Proxy Preview 2015. This preview reveals that shareholders have filed 433 resolutions regarding ESG issues (excluding traditional governance proposals) through the middle of February, a slight uptick since the same time last year.

Of those proposals, the greatest proportions pertain to the environment and corporate political activity, at 27 percent and 26 percent, respectively. Many shareholders have withdrawn proposals as the result of corporate action, typically aided by discussions between the filing shareholder and the company’s investor relations team.

To read the full article please visit GreenBiz.com.

How business can nurture sustainable cities

By: Jared Robbins

Inner-city vacancy, environmental degradation and social inequality are fundamental concerns for 21st century America. Post-Second World War America was a place of prosperity and rapid economic growth. Government investment, in the form of federal incentives — including the G.I. Bill and the Federal Aid Highway Act — allowed Americans to spread out from the city-center farther than before. Termed suburban sprawl, this land-use pattern had, and continues to have, disastrous effects on the environment.

A study by Edward Glaeser shows that suburban CO2 emissions in New York City are 14,127 pounds greater per average household than their central city counterpart. Additionally, as suburbs and exurbs flourish and tax dollars are funneled into these communities, central cities increasingly become economically, academically and physically stressed. Cities such as Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia are littered with the effects of urban decay. Philadelphia, for instance, has more than 40,000 parcels of vacant land, according to the nonprofit Take Back Vacant Land. These properties cost the city of Philadelphia $70 million in lost taxes, and $20 million is spent by the city, annually, for safety and upkeep.

To read the full article please visit GreenBiz.com.

Greening the government’s supply chain: federal procurement poised to drive sustainability reporting

October 14, 2014 | By Darrell Delamaide

As the federal government extends sustainability reporting to its supply chain, it needs to adopt more standardized frameworks for reporting than those now in place

The US federal government is poised to extend its sustainability reporting to its supply chain, giving further impetus to a best practice already encouraged by competition in the marketplace. Large government procurers, including the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Department of Defense, are inserting questions and requirements about sustainability into contracts with their largest vendors as they renew them.

‘We just renewed contracts with our two biggest packaging vendors,’ says Jed Ela, sustainability co-ordinator at GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, which buys products and services not only for GSA’s own needs but also for those of many other federal agencies. ‘They had the ability to report carbon footprint at the customer level.’

To read the full article, please visit Corporate Secretary Magazine online.

Friday Carbon Fact: Solar PV Capacity Making Impressive Gains, Still a Long Way to Go

Walmart is significantly outpacing other U.S. companies in installed solar PV. Walmart has installed capacity of 89 MW at 215 locations. That’s enough to power approximately 22,250 homes. Impressive, but the Company is still a long way from achieving its stated goal of being supplied by 100% renewable energy before 2020. According  to the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA), the top 25 companies generate 445 MW of solar power– nearly 50% more than the 300 MW of power those companies shared last year. Costco, Kohl’s, Apple and IKEA comprise the other top five companies (see chart below).

By comparison, Ohio has less than 30 MW installed solar PV generating capacity.

Source: SEIA, 2013

Friday Carbon Fact: EPA Green Power Partners Announced

Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its 13th annual Green Power Leadership Awards to 21 Green Power Partners. Of these, two are Ohio based. BrownFlynn applauds The Ohio State University for being named a Partner of the Year, and the City of Cincinnati for its recognition as a Green Power Community of the Year.

• Partner of the Year, Ohio State University

• Green Power Community of the Year, Cincinnati

 As a result of using renewable power, the EPA Green Power Partners are helping support the development of new, renewable generation capacity nationwide while also helping protect the environment. The Partners are collectively using more than 28 billion kWh of green power annually, equivalent to the annual carbon dioxide emissions from electricity use of more than three million average American homes.

Add another index to the growing list of ratings and rankings…

The Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index scores and ranks 176 countries according to their capability to sustain or increase wealth. The Index was first developed and published in 2012, in contrast to the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report, and is based on a competitiveness model that incorporates all aspects required to sustain wealth, the environment, and social cohesion.

The four main pillars of the model are:

1. Natural capital (the availability of natural resources),
2. Resource efficiency (as a measurement of industrial competitiveness),
3. Sustainable innovation (as a measurement of the capability to sustain economic activities in a competitive global market), and
4. Social cohesion (the foundations of smooth operation and secure investments).

What countries are top of the index you ask? The top five are Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Switzerland. Canada, at number 7, is the only non-European country in the top 10. How about the United States? – Number 27, behind Iceland (13), Belarus (21) and Lithuania (23).

 

30 Percent of US Homes Have Ditched Incandescent Light Bulbs

The penetration of incandescent light bulbs in American homes has dropped significantly in the past year, according to a new survey from Sylvania. The survey shows that 29 percent of U.S. households are free of incandescent bulbs. However, there are still many Americans who are unaware of the phase-out of energy inefficient light bulbs, even as concerns about energy efficiency increase. These findings from Sylvania highlight the slow but steady shift when it comes to consumer attitudes toward lighting.

In coming years, as the incandescent goes extinct, LEDs will gain traction as they commandeer real estate on store shelves. Ikea announced last year it will phase out all non-LED lighting by 2016, and stores like Wal-Mart are increasing their LED offerings.

Majority Of Ohio Voters Support Renewable Energy

In reference to Ohio’s mandated  Renewable Portfolio Standard (12.5% renewable energy supply by 2024), a recent poll found almost 80% of voters support legally requiring clean energy in Ohio.

• 73% support increasing the total number of wind farms
• 58% would pay an extra $3 a month on a $100 dollar energy bill to support the development of clean energy

Friday Carbon Fact: Cast Your Vote Now for the Ohio Clean Energy Challenge

$1,500 Viewers’ Choice Award Contest – Vote for an Inspiring Idea or Technology, Vote to Support Your Alma Matter, or Vote for Your Kid’s Alma Matter – But Vote Before Jan 25! 

The 2013 Ohio Clean Energy Challenge needs your help deciding which student semifinalist team should be awarded the $1,500 Viewers’ Choice Award.

To vote, please visit the University Clean Energy Alliance of Ohio (UCEAO) Facebook page to view each team’s investor video pitch. The team that receives the most votes will be announced as the winner at the Challenge on Jan. 29. Only one team can win, so vote for your favorite. Voting ends on Friday, Jan. 25.
Visit UCEAO’s Facebook page to vote now.