Using financial data from 1,833 firms with US revenues of more than $1 billion in 2008/09, independent analyst firm Verdantix finds that spending on 29 sustainability initiatives will grow from $28 billion in 2010 to $60 billion in 2014. Over the 2009 to 2014 period the US sustainable business market will experience a 19% compound annual growth rate. The sustainable business market forecast finds that growth of 11% in 2010 will increase to 16% in 2011 and 24% in 2012. Growth in spending is driven by improved economic growth, risk drivers, competitive dynamics, innovation diffusion, higher oil prices, state-level GHG regulations and renewable energy policies. The study covers all industries and all sustainability initiatives from energy efficiency to spending on strategy, risk and brand.
Can we really ever move beyond petroleum? Traditional fossil fuels like coal and petroleum are so ingrained in our culture and way of life that eradicating them as fuel sources soon is unlikely. We need to think about what we produce and the costs that go beyond the balance sheet: the costs to the environment, to the people that live where our raw materials originate, the cost of the life of a pelican, gull or fish. It is our personal responsibility to consume less and conserve more.
The first comprehensive update to Unites States wind potential estimates in 17 years helps renewable energy proponents by providing solid data for development and legislation. However, the wind power industry needs an improved electrical grid in order to transport and sell wind-generated energy…
Will Kirksey, SVP of Worrell Water Technologies, is passionate about finding practical, ecological solutions to the increasingly urgent water issues in the US. I spoke with him at The New Green Economy Conference in Washington, D.C., just before he facilitated a session targeted at forming policy recommendations on sustainable water reuse. Worrell Water’s water reuse system, the Living Machine, was picked as one of the ‘coolest green products’ at Greenbuild, 2009. Will recently authored the white paper, Sustainable Water Infrastructure for the 21st Century.
Stephen Hinton, provides a compilation of professionals that will see growth as the US economy goes green. He predicts that those in STEM professions (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) will experience the most job security.
President Barack Obama proposed a new rebate program on Tuesday to reward homeowners for making their homes more energy efficient, while also proposing additional federal investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy. As part of a speech about jobs and the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., the president noted that home energy retrofits create jobs, save money for families, and reduce the pollution that threatens our environment.
President Obama is faced with some of the same challenges former President Eisenhower faced when he was confronted with a patchwork of county and state highways that impeded interstate commerce. History is repeating itself. President Obama’s goal of securing 25 percent of our electricity from renewable sources by 2025 is restricted by state regulators who fail to cooperate on interstate goals. President Eisenhower granted the Bureau of Public Roads authority to plan and place the new, interstate highways and Steinberg is advocating for the Obama administration to extend the same authority to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in order to update the grid.
Stephen Hinton provides insight into what traits green companies are looking for in candidates and what skills and traits they expect to see on their resume. He lays out the six pieces of important information that you need on your resume to stand out and get hired.
For over four years, I’ve monitored and posted positions that were either hard-core green jobs such as energy or environmental engineers, jobs that had a tint of green to them like a carpenter with a PV installer’s license or positions at companies with a strong record of sustainability such as a human resources opening at UTC Power. More often than not, the positions that were advertised did not emphasize the position’s green attributes. However recently, I have noticed that businesses and non-profits too, are now listing positions with some green requirements. I believe this is a result of several factors.
