Recently in Calculators and Metrics for Sustainability Category
Industry Breakdown
Alternative Energy Resources. Companies whose technologies are involved with:
- Solar Power- including photo-voltaic (PV) and thermal
- BioEnergy- including power and fuel
- Wind Power
- Hydro Power, Tidal Power and Wave Power
- Geothermal Power
- Micro Turbines
- Diesel Engines
- Fuel Cells
- Hydrogen Generation and Storage
Environmental Technologies. Companies whose technologies are involved with:
- Water and Wastewater Treatment
- Air Quality and Emission Mitigation
- Clean Coal
Energy Efficiency. Companies whose technologies are involved with:
- Lighting
- White Tags
- Cogeneration
- Energy Recycling
- Advanced Metering
- Demand Response
Enabling Technologies. Companies whose technologies are involved with:
- Power Electronics
- Advanced Battery Chemistries
- Flywheels
- Superconductors
- Ultracapacitors
- Advanced Materials
"There's no agreed-upon definition of how much of a company's carbon footprint it needs to offset or what's needed to offset it," states Joel Makower in Two Steps Forward.
Getting to Zero attempts to make sense of all this, laying out the boundaries, providing definitions, and recommending company approaches. Among the recommendations:
Embrace a stretching boundary. The key tension surrounding any claim of neutrality remains reconciling the absolute nature of the claim — implying zero net impact — with a practical boundary-setting process. In the spirit of the term, we recommend that companies accept that claiming neutrality implies some responsibility to consider and address broader value-chain emissions. This is not to suggest that companies accept legal responsibility for the direct emissions of others, but rather that indirect emissions be explicitly considered as part of the neutrality process.
"While most executives agree that a green strategy is a good idea, few know how to value or prioritize their initiatives," said Kimberly Knickle, Practice Director, Emerging Agenda, Manufacturing Insights, an IDC company. "They struggle with the business case, waiting to implement strategies until outcomes can be predicted more reliably."
According to a McKinsey survey [1] , environmental issues including climate change top the agenda in executive suites worldwide. But measuring and managing environmental impact is difficult, intricate work that stretches across an organization's operations.
Causal relationships connecting issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, use of scarce resources, ethical sourcing and regulatory compliance make it extremely complex to invest in green technology and expand sales of products and services with measurably better environmental performance.
"Lessening our impact on the environment and mitigating the future risk of depleting our planet's natural resources is becoming a priority in shaping every organization's strategy," said Jim Goodnight, CEO of SAS. "With SAS, organizations can optimize business strategies for minimizing risks and costs, developing new lines of business, and improving resource use, environmental or otherwise."
Cisco is using SAS to support its sustainability efforts. "Cisco believes that new innovative technologies and the power of collaboration are keys to achieving our sustainability goals and minimizing our impact on the environment," said Laura Ipsen, Co-chair of Cisco's EcoBoard and Senior Vice President of Cisco Global Policy and Government Affairs. "By partnering with SAS and utilizing SAS for Sustainability Management, Cisco can better prioritize projects and resources that create a positive return for the environment, shareholders, and our employees. The SAS solution will enable us to simulate the impact on carbon footprint, waste reduction targets, greenhouse gas emissions and other goals so we can more effectively predict and manage the impact of our operations on the environment."
SAS for Sustainability Management, based on the SAS Enterprise Intelligence Platform, uses the Global Reporting Initiative framework to report on Triple Bottom Line indicators. These indicators relate to the three spheres of sustainability – environmental, social, and economic, using SAS' predictive abilities to validate strategies, identify causal relationships, forecast improvement scenarios and drive innovation. The SAS Corporate Social Responsibility Report (PDF) conforms to the Sustainability Reporting Guidelines developed by the Global Reporting Initiative.
Meeting future water demand requires that we act immediately to
conserve 25% of our current water supply,
according to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the nation’s largest water provider.
Grappling with other water-related issues, many agencies have decided to delay conservation projects until the public perceives a critical shortage.
According to WeatherTRAK, who draws on years of experience in designing and implementing landscape conservation programs, some agencies face political barriers or consumer resistance to saving water. Past conservation programs have produced largely disappointing results, causing enthusiasm to dwindle.
SUCCESS STORY: 25% Savings
The widespread implementation of low-flow plumbing devices has saved significant amounts of water in the past decade. In Los Angeles, California, the powerful combination of a federal code requiring low-flow plumbing devices in new developments and rebates for installing these devices in homes and commercial sites has reduced water demand by twenty-five percent.
New Conservation Efforts Transitioning from the Indoors to the Outdoors
Water agencies must ensure that their water infrastructure can satisfy peak demand and emergency flow requirements. Peak usage is in the hottest weather period when demand for landscape water is greatest.
Analysis has shown that agency demand curve peaks have been pushed to artificially high levels because landscapes need significantly less water than is typically applied to them.
If landscape water use were efficient, the water infrastructure and supply would accommodate many more customers without costly upgrades. Moreover, customers would pay less for water. The result is a win-win for elected water officials: a more reliable water supply and satisfied customers.
SUCCESS STORY: 45% Savings
Examining current agency programs and past studies data, we see that it is likely that as much as 50% of current landscape water could be saved. For example, in Irvine, California, landscape water conservation programs have reduced commercial irrigation by 45%.
The advantages to landscape water conservation are far-reaching. Not only is the need for expensive infrastructure upgrades reduced, but there are also measurable environmental benefits. Efficient landscape water use yields significant dividends by reducing the tremendous costs incurred in pumping and transporting water.
It is estimated that it requires 10 TO 30% of California’s total energy supply to move water from its source to the regions in which it is consumed (California Urban Water Conservation Council, 2001).
Landscape water runoff contains pollutants from fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides that are now being measured in our lakes, streams, bays, and oceans. Metropolitan Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) conducted a peer-reviewed study that documented the relationship between landscape water waste and non-point source water pollution.
Consumer support can be quickly won through significant cost savings in individual water bills and overall water delivery system costs.
Landscape water efficiency is likely to be a water provider’s cheapest supply of new water.
Weather Based Irrigation Controllers can Save 35% of Landscape Water Use
Based on results of a California pilot program that were extrapolated across a larger customer base, one water district found that the installation of weather-based irrigation controllers would save 35% of water currently applied to landscapes in the service area.
The water district determined that installing the controllers would cost 29% less than securing more water through infrastructure expansion and water purchases.
Indoor water savings have been realized in most communities. But the American Water Works Association (AWWA) reports that 58% of non-agricultural water is applied to residential and commercial landscapes, whereas toilets use just 11%.
Low-flow toilets save water automatically with every flush, but they were a tough sell to many consumers. By contrast, convincing consumers to adopt effective outdoor conservation appliances has been easier because people enjoy spending time in their gardens.
for enjoyment, environmental benefit, or enhanced property value
(National Gardening Association survey, 2003).
Water district staff reports that water use is actually higher today in new homes than in older homes with comparable lot and structure sizes. This is despite:
1) increased agency conservation programs,
2) mandated installation of low-flow plumbing devices into all homes built since 1992, and
3) use of low water need plants suggested by state legislation (AB 325).
Efficient indoor water use is considered a widespread practice in the area, which points to increased landscape water use, despite conservation measures.
Traditional methods for reducing landscape water demand have proven to be difficult to enforce and monitor, expensive for long-term use, politically unpopular, and, in some cases, actually counter-productive. In light of study results about typical landscape watering behavior, these lackluster results are not surprising.
Study after study has shown that nearly everyone, from novices to experts, over-waters.
Why? Scheduling irrigation requires complex scientific equations that must be calculated daily as local weather changes. The fact is that accurately setting and adjusting irrigation schedules is difficult and time-consuming. Add to that, many homeowners mistakenly believe that the more water applied, the healthier the landscape. It’s time to stop deluding ourselves about the willingness and ability of homeowners and professionals to calculate efficient irrigation scheduling. Water providers are charting a new course for achieving their goals.
Introducing Weather-based Irrigation Management
In 1998, the first weather-based controller was tested for its ability to accurately schedule and adjust irrigation by MWD and the Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD). Existing residential controllers were removed and replaced with WeatherTRAK-enabled controllers in forty homes. New levels of water usage were compared against historical water usage for the same households.
Following are the results of this study:
- Landscape water use in average water use households was reduced by sixteen percent to twenty-five percent.
- Plant health and appearance improved.
- Water bills were reduced.
- Customer satisfaction was measured at ninety-seven percent.
A broad range of studies with varied settings and objectives has proven the benefits of weather-based irrigation management. WeatherTRAK-enabled controllers, now available from The Toro Company, Irritrol Systems, and HydroPoint Data Systems, have been tested more than all other products combined.
One of many programs worthy of note is the California EPA-funded study of the use of WeatherTRAK-enabled controllers in micro-watershed areas. Study methodology tested the controllers in neighborhoods of three-to-four-hundred homes with street landscapes as well as homeowner association common areas and parks.
The goal was to measure the ability of weather-based irrigation controllers to reduce urban runoff and non-point source water pollution through precise calculation of water applications.
The study found that:
RUNOFF in neighborhoods with WeatherTRAK-enabled controllers was reduced by 71%, when compared to control neighborhoods.These impressive results led directly to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation providing $1.5 million in rebate funds for Orange County-based water agencies to distribute to consumers who install approved smart controllers.
Mass loading of pollutants into the waterway was correspondingly reduced by 71%.
The ability to broadcast weather-based data (local evapotranspiration, or ET, values) and automate plant-specific irrigation scheduling provides additional benefits, including:
Peaking Management Service: daily, wireless transmission of ET data for maximum water use efficiency.
Rain/Winter Shut-off Service: automated irrigation suspension during rain and the winter season, particularly useful in colder climates.
Drought Management Service: broadcasting during emergency drought conditions, is a powerful tool for enforcing water conservation.
To read the full explanation of adopting and implementing a new water conservation program for your community, contact WeatherTRAK for their white paper by Tom Ash, entitled, "How to Implement a Cost-effective Landscape Water Efficiency Program".
WeatherTRAK
www.weathertrak.com
US Federal Government Issues EPEAT Purchasing Requirement
The US Federal Government has integrated an EPEAT requirement into the Federal Acquisition Regulations – the 'rulebook' of the federal purchasing sector. The Federal Acquisition Regulations require federal agencies to purchase at least 95% EPEAT-registered products in all relevant electronic product categories.San Francisco ICT EPEAT Policies for 2008
San Francisco city studied the environmental impact of information and communication technology (ICT). Based on the experience of commercial buildings, approximately 20-25% of building energy is attributable to ICT. Because of this impact, ICT has significant potential to enable innovative solutions to the environmental challenges of energy use and can be an effective tool to advance sustainable economic development.- Beginning in April 2008, city departments shall only purchase personal and notebook computers and monitors that meet at least the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) Silver standard, with a preference for the Gold standard.
- The Committee on Information Technology (COIT) shall ensure technology projects are reviewed for environmental impact and support the City’s environmental goals.
- By June 2008, the Department of Technology and Information Services (DTIS) shall implement a paper reduction pilot program with the goal to reduce general office paper consumption by 20%. At the conclusion of this pilot program, the City’s Chief Information Officer will recommend a paper reduction policy to COIT for immediate implementation.
- By September 2008, DTIS shall report on the results of a pilot program to implement centralized power management systems for personal computers. This will strengthen Executive Order 05-104 (September 23, 2005) which mandated the installation of power management functions.
- Finally, the City’s Chief Information Officer will develop a baseline measurement of energy consumption and environmental impact of the City’s overall ICT operations to be able to measure and fully implement supporting steps that will enable us to continue to find new strategies to address the environmental challenges of energy use and waste creation.
EPEAT Computer Products Environmental Organization
EPEAT is a system to help purchasers in the public and private sectors evaluate, compare and select desktop computers, notebooks and monitors based on their environmental attributes. EPEAT also provides a clear and consistent set of performance criteria for the design of products, and provides an opportunity for manufacturers to secure market recognition for efforts to reduce the environmental impact of its products.The EPEAT Registry on this web site includes products that have been declared by their manufacturers to be in conformance with the environmental performance standard for electronic products - IEEE 1680- 2006. The standard is summarized here, and may be purchased from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. EPEAT operates a verification program to assure the credibility of the Registry.
Some of the participating manufacturers include:
Apple, CTL Corp, Dell, Enano, Fujitsu, GETAC, HP, Hyundai IT America, Lenovo, LG Electronic USA, MDG Comptuers Canada, MPC Computers, NCS Technologies, NEC Display Solutions, Northern Micro, One Laptop Per child, Panasonic, Philips Electronics, Prosys Tech, Samsung Elec. America, Sony Electronics, Toshiba, Transource, ViewSonic, Zonbu.
Receiving the 2007 Stockholm Water Prize, Professor Perry L. McCarty of Stanford University marks a remarkable career. Since beginning his post at Stanford, Professor McCarty’s work has defined the entire field of environmental biotechnology, which is the basis for small-scale and large-scale pollution control and safe drinking water systems.
Professor Perry L. McCarty likes to think big but look small. He openly confesses an unabashed fascination with the inner workings of septic tanks, and his unbound excitement for getting behind the microscope to search for the next big thing in the sustainable and healthy reuse of water resources.
Biological processes to control and remove environmental contaminants
The author of over 300 publications and textbooks on biological processes that can be utilized to control and remove environmental contaminants, such as nitrogen and hazardous chemicals, McCarty’s research has provided key insights in the movement, fate, and control of groundwater pollutants that have allowed for new opportunities in water reuse and applied advanced wastewater treatment.
His decorated career devoted to engineering solutions to better use and protect people and water resources has been dedicated to showing that we simply can not afford to waste water like we do. Therefore, to change this we must shift the way we view a much needed resource.
So called ‘wastewater’ is not waste at all, it is rather its value to society that is far too often wasted. Reduced pollution of groundwater resources and better utilization of the understanding of scientific and natural processes, to which Professor McCarty’s work has greatly contributed, provides countries the capacity to clean and recycle for reuse invaluable water resources.
Cooperative Living -- Learn from Nature
While in Stockholm to receive the prize Professor McCarty gave sage advice for nations and scientists seeking sustainable solutions in the upcoming generations. Never straying from his passion for the miniature universes and infinite innovations still yet to be discovered in micro organisms, McCarty implored all listening to take lessons from the tiniest of sources for inspiration.
“Now I am not sure that I have made you as excited as I am about
what happens in a septic tank,” he quipped. “But it is the community of
organisms all working together that we need to study and learn more
about. We ourselves obviously have much to learn about living together
cooperatively, perhaps they can help us to learn how to do this much
better than we have. With the coming climate changes we will have to
adapt as well, and I hope we do it successfully. I expect we can if we
all work together as the micro-organisms in a septic tank have learned
to do.”
The 2008 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate is John Anthony Allan, for his pioneering work in how understanding and communication of water issues are linked to agriculture, climate change, economics, and politics.
A professor at King’s College London and the School of Oriental and African Studies, Allan introduced the “virtual water” concept in 1993 to measure how much water is used to grow, package, and produce various commodities.
People do not only consume water when they
drink it or take a shower. In 1993, Professor Allan, 71, strikingly
demonstrated this by introducing the “virtual water” concept, which
measures how water is embedded in the production and trade of food and
consumer products.
- Behind that morning cup of coffee are 140 litres of water used to grow, produce, package and ship the beans. That is roughly the same amount of water used by an average person daily in England for drinking and household needs.
- The ubiquitous hamburger needs an estimated 2,400 litres of water. Per capita, Americans consume around 6,800 litres of virtual water every day, over triple that of a Chinese person.
Virtual water has major impacts on global trade policy and research, especially in water-scarce regions, and has redefined discourse in water policy and management. By explaining how and why nations such as the US, Argentina and Brazil ‘export’ billions of litres of water each year, while others like Japan, Egypt and Italy ‘import’ billions, the virtual water concept has opened the door to more productive water use. National, regional and global water and food security, for example, can be enhanced when water intensive commodities are traded from places where they are economically viable to produce to places where they are not. While studying water scarcity in the Middle East, Professor Allan developed the theory of using virtual water import, via food, as an alternative water “source” to reduce pressure on the scarcely available domestic water resources there and in other water-short regions.
The relationship between the export and import of water-intensive products has “opened the door to more productive water use,” according to the Stockholm International Water Institute, which confers the prize. Thus, Allan proposes, importing food can reduce the pressure on scarce water supplies.About Professor Allan
Promoting Smarter Water Decisions
As
a scientist, educator and advisor, Professor Allan has built essential
knowledge and communication tools for sustainable and efficient water
resource management and policy. His research deploys a wide range of
environmental, economic, social and political theory to give insights
on global water resources and the extent to which they can be made
sufficient to meet the needs of future populations. Because of his
work, policy makers, scientists, water professionals and the general
public have greater awareness of the role of water in the production of
different types of products and its impact on global trade and economy.
Virtual water remains a central and active component of scientific
research and policy formulation, and has empowered individual consumers
to affect water management on a global scale.
“Beyond the Box” Thinker
Professor Allan has
furthermore developed the idea and terminology of “hydro-hegemony” and
the “problemshed.” This work has led to better understanding of
potential and real conflicts in transboundary regions such as the Nile
Basin, where water resources are shared between countries, while
providing perspective on economic and political processes that can make
food and water security possible for all nations in such water basins.
He remains a leading voice for sustainable water development and expert
advisor on balancing population growth and increasing food demand in
developing countries, institutional reform, valuing water, conflict
resolution, and on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
A Lifetime of Achievement
Professor Allan has
authored or edited seven books and has published over 100 papers in
political science, natural resource management, and interdisciplinary
water journals. He has also educated more than 1100 current or future
water professionals. He has worked for over 35 years with the MENA
region and has advised on joint management of shared water resources on
every basin in the Middle East. He also served as editor for the
scientific journal Water Policy and as a consultant for numerous
governments, the World Bank and the European Union. His keen
perceptions and scientific analysis have inspired new thinking on the
spectrum of water challenges, and is described by many as one of the
most influential thinkers in the global water sector today.
The Stockholm International Water Institute
The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) is a policy institute that seeks sustainable solutions to the world’s escalating water crisis. SIWI manages projects, synthesises research and publishes findings and recommendations on current and future water, environment, governance and human development issues.
SIWI serves as a platform for knowledge sharing and networking
between the scientific, business, policy and civil society communities.
Stockholm International Water Institute
The Stockholm Water Prize is a global award presented annually to an individual, organisation or institution for outstanding water -related activities. First presented in 1991, The Stockholm Water Prize is the world’s most prestigious prize for outstanding achievement in water-related activities. The annual prize, which includes a USD 150,000 award and a crystal sculpture, honours individuals, institutions or organisations whose work contributes broadly to the conservation and protection of water resources and to improved health of the planet’s inhabitants and ecosystems.
U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize The Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP) is the most prestigious international youth award for high school water science research. www.wef.org/AboutWater/ForStudents/SJWP/
"With a lack of regulations or standards across the industry or even for particular modes, what determines whether a company can legitimately call themselves green? Some have suggested a 20% reduction in the carbon footprint of transport and logistics as the target to aim for, but we have yet to determine how far back or forward the supply chain the footprint is to extend, or even reach consensus over whether CO2 emissions are the measure to isolate.
"Is it wrong to look for the green in going green, or to look only at ventures that have this added benefit in the now and are not a true investment into the future of the planet? I think it's unrealistic to expect that companies will not look for economically sustainable green pursuits, but I agree that R.O.G.I. (return on green investments) is a long term prospect that requires long term commitment if it is to be successful, and legitimately marketable.
Living lightly on the land is an ancient attitude by American Indians and other native tribal leaders. The simple wisdom of that vision still holds. If you start measuring all the impacts, and every increment of change -- you'll get discouraged quickly because of the complexity of the natural systems. Going green is about using less of our precious natural resources such as fresh air, fresh water, native wildlife, and even timber. Use less, use it more wisely, and reuse everything possible. That's a simple, honorable way of doing business. Green isn't about getting a PR story, its about serving your customers with integrity and efficiency for not only you and them -- but for your family, friends, and neighbors, as well. Integrity matters.
The new portal, found at http://www.CoolCalifornia.org , is the only "carbon footprint calculator" that can be used to evaluate both direct and indirect emissions of greenhouse gases related to individual lifestyle choices.
It provides localized emissions estimates for transportation, housing, food, goods and services, as well as resources that can help users make more climate-friendly choices.
The calculator was designed by researchers at the Berkeley Institute of the Environment, in partnership with the California Air Resources Board, the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, the California Energy Commission, and the independent, nonpartisan organization Next 10.
Researchers expect the tool to play an important role in changing the way Californians think about, monitor and address their personal climate footprints. For more information, contact director of public affairs for the UC Berkeley College of Natural Resources Cyril Manning, (510) 643-1722, cyril@berkeley.edu.
