Green, Despite the Downturn

Catherine Roche, a partner and managing director in The Boston Consulting Group’s Düsseldorf office, is an author of "Capturing the Green Advantage." She spoke with MIT Sloan Management Review editor-in-chief Michael S. Hopkins about what has changed since she conducted the study—and what hasn’t. More »

MIT Sustainability Interview

SC Johnson’s ingredient disclosure project

Consumer products company SC Johnson has begun listing the ingredients in its products, such as Windex, Glade and Shout, on a web site.

The enticing but elusive carbon-neutral building

Considering that buildings account for 39 percent of all energy use, greening them would seem to be a no-brainer. But Richard Conniff has a thoughtful read on why developers avoid or compromise in this task.

The green Apple - or not

If you’ve watched TV lately, no doubt you’ve seen ads for “the greenest Macbook Pro ever.” Which is why I was interested to see this post on the lack of Apple leadership on climate change issues.

How much water is in a latte?

Marc Gunther, discussing the issue of water use by industry and agriculture, relays these figures from the WWF’s Jason Clay on the amount of water in a latte. The total? Over 200 liters for one cup.

California proposes cradle-to-cradle product bill

In a move to adopt “cradle-to-cradle” principles, California’s state assembly is considering a product stewardship bill that would require manufacturers to research ways to reduce waste at the end of the product’s lifespan.

Obama sprints on energy, carbon, cars

If there were any doubts President Obama would move quickly on climate action they were erased with the release of his first federal budget this week.

Where is the green consumer? Alive and well

Despite the recession, a special report from The Boston Consulting Group finds the green consumer is alive and well, even thriving.

Carbon suddenly looks like a business cost

The EPA is set to regulate carbon emissions in a way that could “have a profound impact on transportation, manufacturing costs and how utilities generate power,” the Times reported.

Finally! One charger for (almost all) mobile phones

At a high-tech conference a couple of years back, the grand dame of the American home, Martha Stewart, arose in the audience and brought a shopping bag of chargers up to the stage, confronting the CEO of Sony.

Battery makers get boost under stimulus

Battery makers got a boost under the $800 billion stimulus package, spurring incentives to create new battery technologies and expand the nascent industry, the MIT Technology Review reports.

Chu pinpoints innovation in climate change fight

In case you missed it, the NYT had an in-depth interview with Energy Secretary Steven Chu who pinpointed the need for Noble level breakthroughs in solar energy, battery storage and biofuels to battle climate change.

Political winds shifting on coal, wind

The WSJ blog Environmental Capital pointed out how the winds are shifting on the coal front, with states — such as Michigan, Georgia, Montana and Nevada — taking steps to toughen, delay or deny new plant licenses

Filling the future energy gap, plants offer model

In “Whales to Wood, Wood to Coal/Oil - What’s Next?” MIT chemistry professor Daniel Nocera takes all of 15 minutes to demolish claims that biofuels, nuclear and hydro-power will fill the coming energy gap by 2050. So what’s his answer?

Don’t like the air? Grow your own. (#TED)

One of the most welcome additions to TED in recent years has been TED University, a series of shorter talks by TED attendees on the usual wide array of topics. This year the talks have ranged from wildlife forensics to how being in a cult changes the way your brain works, but many of them concerned one or another element of sustainability.

Cap-and-trade climate legislation fast-tracked

Is climate legislation coming? Yes, and it will be introduced “in weeks, not months,” according to Senator Barbara Boxer, and will be designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions “to levels guided by science to avoid dangerous climate change.”

Peak lithium and the electric car

Amid all the hoopla about hybrid electric cars and plug-in hybrids, what sometimes gets short-shrift is the battery, which, like gasoline, is made from a resource extracted from the earth.

Green innovations coming fast

Green innovations are coming quickly down the pike — not only new technologies but current technologies that boost efficiency. Here’s a few in the news that caught my eye.

Reconsidering the “hedonic treadmill”

John Sterman, Director of MIT’s System Dynamics Group, and one of four faculty co-leaders of the Sustainable Business Lab (S-Lab), has an insightful, provocative take on our society - which he describes as a rat race.

Carrots, sticks and climate

Reading through the WSJ blog Environmental Capital reveals a widespread pattern: stories about the carrots and sticks being fashioned to get action on climate. Which leads to a question: What the end result will be?

Uncovering hidden emissions of trade

Climate Progress, a robust blog on the science and politics of climate change, has a provocative post on the emissions profile of the U.S. The author argues that as a result of trade, America is also offshoring its carbon emissions.

Sustainability - “a proxy for management quality”

How can sustainability be a proxy for management quality? Richard M. Locke, a founder of MIT Sloan’s Laboratory for Sustainable Business, explains in this interview. But he also looks for a broad definition of sustainability outside of the usual environmental silo.

The long road to carbon reductions

The U.S. Climate Action Partnership, made up of 31 companies and environmental groups, came out with its plan this week for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Will the U.S leap frog Europe on climate leadership?

Fred Pearce at Yale’s Environment 360 looks at the way Germany has lowered expectations on tough emissions cuts and finds promise instead in President-elect Obama on climate leadership.

Kleiner Perkins looks overseas for green tech

Saying America might be losing the green tech revolution, John Doerr noted that Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers’ two biggest green investments were with foreign companies because U.S. firms lacked the most advanced technology.

Can the government create green jobs?

The New Yorker’s Elizabeth Kolbert profiles Van Jones, the activist with a gift for getting attention to advance a green jobs agenda, but she wonders whether a green agenda will actually create real jobs.

Behind the carbon tax talk

In a recent piece in the Times, columnist Tom Friedman bemoans falling gasoline prices and the rush to buy bigger trucks and SUVs. “It’s morning again — in Saudi Arabia,” he writes. But his call for a carbon tax to reduce fuel consumption is actually being discussed in conservative circles.

What to do when the green economy crashes?

Things are not looking good for Toyota: It expects to report its first operating loss in 70 years, sales of the Prius hybrid fell 53% in November, and the company has now leased 23 aces in Long Beach, California, to store thousands of cars it can’t sell.

Ecoflation: You’re kidding right?

Lest we forget about inflation, the World Resources Institute has come out with a report on what it’s dubbed Ecoflation — an expected rapid rise in commodity prices that will boost costs in the supply chain.

An Obama “green dream team” for enviromentalists

Environmental advocates describe the top-level appointments Obama is making as a “green dream team” that is going to change the landscape of environmental policy.

Does energy efficiency mean warm beer?

Not according to Noble Laureate Steven Chu, short-listed as Obama’s Energy Secretary. He argues you can cut energy use without compromising performance — or standard of living. Examples abound.

Waste Less, Earn More (What a Partnership Insider Has Learned)

Photo: Matt Wright

A long-time Environmental Defense Fund executive and designer of corporate partnerships, Gwen Ruta, talks with MIT Sloan Management Review about gaining competitive advantage through greener supply chains, internal sustainability initiatives, and a reinvention of laundry soap. — Interview by Samuel Fromartz

Backstory: Behind the story of Wal-Mart’s strong-arming of suppliers is the simple idea of redesigning a formerly dumb package. See Concentrated Laundry Detergent Becomes Latest Trend in Green Retail Packaging on sustainableisgood.com.

Mapping impact of climate change

If you want a visual map of the effect of climate change in your state, check out this project over at the Center for American Progress. The interactive map shows the impact of climate change, from hurricanes to flooding to lower crop yields.

12 steps to redesign supply chains

IBM supply chain gurus Paul Brody and Mondher Ben-Hamida have a 12-step program to cut carbon out of the supply chain. Why bother? Because “industrial and transportation sectors—those that coincide with supply chain activities—account for 61 percent of U.S. carbon emissions,” they write at Environmental Leader.
Buzz over to the article to get all 12 steps, [...]

Sustainability in business starts in business schools

Yet another data point that sustainability is more than a fad: business schools, which don’t do trendy, have picked up the concept in a big way. We’re committed to it at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and we now learn that the University of Maine has started a Green MBA program, which makes it [...]