In partnership with the Daylife people (who we've written about here), we've created the first "green index". It works a bit like a stock market index, except that instead of tracking stocks, it tracks mentions of certain key green phrases in the media. It's a way to gauge how much mindshare certain concepts have and see if they are gaining or losing ground compared to last week. Not very scientific, but lots of fun!
New keywords can be added to it and if you click on an entry, you can see more details and read recent new stories on that particular topic.
Next is what we call the TreeHugger Green Index "badge". It shows the direction the index is moving this week and will link back to the permanent home of the TreeHugger Green Index. We'll make code available that you can cut & paste in your blog if you want to show the badge and have an easy way to keep track of the green index.
Also, if you have any suggestions, please contact us. Thank you.
Recent Business Related Posts
Chinese Government Raises Fuel Prices by 10% (That's Good!)
Those prices are in Yuans per liter, I think.
Fuel Subsidies Punish Virtue
The Chinese government has recently decided to raise fuel prices by about 10%, the third increase in the past few months, following a 6-7% increase on June 1st, and a 3-5% increase in March. The stated goal is to bring the price of fuel in China closer to what the market price is. From a green point of view, this is good because subsidized fossil fuels only encourages waste, over-consumption, and the buying of vehicles that aren't fuel efficient. It also artificially reduces the competitiveness of technologies that aren't based on fossil fuels, slowing down their adoption....
Speak Up for Energy Independence Day
Assembly Room, Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where in 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed; and, in 1787, the U.S. Constitution was drafted. Image credit:Flockr, Dailyville photostream. Excerpted.
Perhaps that title is becoming common from those of us who've been fighting for clean energy for the U.S. instead of the same old dirty fossil fuels, but as chants of "Drill, baby, drill!" continue to emanate from some corners, we must stick with it.
We've hit summer's stride - It's time for the 4th of July holiday weekend, people are traveling, and gas prices are rising. The dirty energy crowd is keeping up with its same old dirty business - calling for the same old energy sources that pollute our planet. Clean energy creates jobs, boosts the economy and lowers our global warming pollution.
That's why we're using this Independence Day weekend to wish the U.S. a happy birthday and tell our decision-makers that the best gift our country can get is a clean energy economy....
Stephen Colbert Takes on the Supreme Court, Mocks Toxic Waste Dumping Decision (VIDEO)
Image via friends v1
Stephen Colbert took on the Supreme Court case that outraged environmentalists everywhere--you know, the one that ruled that toxic waste from a gold mine could be dumped in a lake, subsequently eradicating all life within. Colbert's take will most likely make you even more angry, but at least it's funny as hell. Watch the video after the jump....
War in Pakistan Exposes 2 Million Refugees to Contaminated Water, Disease Risk
Photo via the Takeaway
As fighting between the Taliban and the Pakistani military escalated in South Waziristan, millions of people were forced to flee their homes—it was Pakistan's biggest exodus since the country's founding in 1947. The two million refugees now face a slew of severe health risks—among them, a contaminated, damaged water supply and insufficient access to health care.
...
Chelsea Football Team is the Greenest, Plus Other Winners
Image from Chelsea Football News
The winners of the Green 500 awards have been announced--these are organisations taking part in a London-wide campaign to reduce carbon emissions.
The greenest football (soccer) team is Chelsea Football Club. Despite the fact that their captain drives a Ferrari, the team has a serious environmental policy. It encourages supporters to use public transport to get to the games. They also have a car-sharing scheme for fans and 85% of the rubbish at games is recycled. At the training grounds recycled water is used on the fields and staff are given loans to buy bicycles ...
Pathway To Corporate Sustainability: A Profile Of SAP, Global Business Software Provider
Outer-hallway meeting room, with privacy glass, allowing natural light penetration.
SAP, USA, newly constructed LEED "Platinum" headquarters building.
I recently had a chance to speak with representatives of the global business software company SAP, as well get a tour of the firm's nearly completed LEED Platinum US Headquarters building in Newtown Square Pennsylvania. The result, written as a composite interview, is a profile of SAP's global sustainability strategy, punctuated with a photographic tour of the new building.
There was a discussion of sustainability strategy with Scott Bolick, Vice President, SAP Sustainability, in Palo Alto, CA, USA; a tour and talk with Brian Barrett, building Manager, SAP, Newtown Square; and, finally a discussion with Bill McDermott, President of Global Field Operations, SAP AG, and member of the SAP Executive Board, and other members of his staff. Shall we begin?...
All Ocean-Going Ships Near California's Coast Must Now Use Cleaner Fuel
Photo: Flickr, CC
This is a Big Deal
A Californian regulation mandating that all ocean-going vessels within 24 miles of the state's coast must use cleaner burning low-sulfur diesel fuel is now in effect. This will have a big impact on air quality (big cargo ships have terrible emissions, and we too often overlook them and focus on cars & trucks), reducing smog and saving an estimated 3,600 people from premature deaths between 2009 and 2015. "The requirement, adopted in 2008, will annually affect nearly 2,000 ocean-going vessels, both U.S. flagged and foreign-flagged, visiting California." Read on for more details....
Could the US Senate Pass the Climate Bill, then Reject a Global Treaty?
Image via Senate.gov
Senator John Kerry says that unfortunately, that's a distinct possibility. Kerry is set to be one of the top voices championing the climate bill in the Senate, and he's also the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee--so he's in a unique position to assess the international ramifications of the controversial legislation. So why is he concerned? It comes down to a simple numbers game. ...
Brazil Development Bank to Require Tagging to Stop Deforestation Beef
photo: Paul & Aline Burland via flickr
The positive ripple effect of the Greenpeace's Slaughtering the Amazon report, which showed vividly the connection between cattle ranching and deforestation in Brazil, keeps moving: Mongabay reports that Brazil's development bank BNDES plans on requiring beef producers to track their products back to their place of origin in order to qualify for bank loans:...
EPA Reveals Locations of 44 Potentially Deadly Coal Ash Dumps
Image via NRDC
A little while back, news spread that the Deptartment of Homeland Security was refusing to reveal the locations of 44 coal ash dump sites--on the grounds that it was a matter of national security. Now, the EPA has revealed the locations of the sites that have a 'high hazard rating'--ash dumps sites where, if a spill were to occur, would likely lead to the deaths of nearby residents. ...
India Won't Commit to Binding Emissions Reductions - Which is Why Rich Countries Must Make Deeper Cuts
photo: Nimrod Bar via flickr
Add India to the list of developing nations that will not be signing on to binding emissions reductions targets at December's COP15 climate change conference in Copenhagen. That's the word coming from India's environment minister Jairam Ramesh through Yale Environment 360:...
US Says Greenhouse Gas Emissions Must Peak by 2020
Photo via NeeDigest
What's this? The US issuing a semi-bold, almost-binding international directive on climate change? Doth my eyes deceive me? Nope--the US has just joined the other G-8 industrialized nations in pledging to halt the increase of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, and to keep the worldwide temperature from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius....
