The U.S. faces three systemic, growing, 21st century challenges: a huge deficit, high unemployment and climate change. But there is a way out of this. Why not tax consumption, instead of production?
 

General Electric is committing $10 billion to ecomagination research and development in the next five years after reaching a $5 billion investment milestone for its portfolio of environmentally sensitive products, services and technology.

The company announced two new partnerships to expand its purchases of fair trade and sustainable beverages as part of its overall green goals.

In some cutting-edge firms, where pushing boundaries and thinking about and doing business in different ways is the name of the game, job titles can reflect a company's maverick sensibilities. And for employees with roles in sustainability or corporate social responsibility, their titles may also serve as value statements in brief.

When it comes to high-ranking green jobs, do titles that break from tradition enhance or detract from a company's image? A longtime recruiter specializing in sustainability and CSR posts shares her views.

With global markets still recovering from the Great Recession, investments in microfinance institutions present a promising option. Microfinance falls under the broad green business category because of its association with positive social impacts -- its products and services realize the social and capital aims of its clients, including an increase in income, assets and fulfillment of basic needs. 

This new report from BSR provides a clear outline for how leading companies can launch supply chain energy-efficiency programs in China, building upon its experience helping Walmart launch its initiative to improve the energy efficiency of its top 200 China-based suppliers by 20 percent by 2012.

The EDF Climate Corps 2010 program sends a fellow to VivaKi, part of the Publicis Groupe, to investigate energy consumption and detect ways to increase efficiency at facilities and in business operations.

Research from Mitsubishi confirms drivers are comfortable with charging times and happy to take electric vehicles on motorways.

Businesses can invest in local social and environmental projects to halt or reserve desertification, engage with suppliers to reduce degradation, and create products that improve agricultural sustainability and enable restoration of damaged land.

Last year, Ford cut its new vehicles' carbon dioxide emissions by 12 percent, slightly improved fleet fuel economy, exceeded its water and landfill waste goals, saved $15 million with energy efficiency efforts and increased its use of recycled, renewable and lightweight materials.

The EDF Climate Corps fellow assigned to News Corporation in New York begins his hunt for energy savings at the facility that prints almost 1 million copies a day of the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post.

Shanghai General Motors partnered with the World Environment Center for a "Greening the Supply Chain Initiative" targeting 125 suppliers, which invested about US$21 million in 498 projects that generated annual cost savings of roughly US$19 million. Many projects had ROIs of less than a year.

When it comes to fast ways to make a big dent in both your greenhouse gas emissions as well as your energy bill, PC power management is one of the easiest -- and most overlooked -- actions your company can make.

Individual companies with four telepresence rooms can avoid 2,271 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions over five years, while saving hundreds of business trips annually, a new study has found. If U.S. and U.K. companies with more than $1 billion in revenues were to adopt telepresence programs, they could generate nearly $19 billion in economywide financial benefits by 2020 and avoid nearly 5.5 million metric tons of emissions.

It seems that everywhere you turn these days, sustainability is the hot topic. While this is a good thing -- and a needed one -- people are already getting green fatigue.

While cleantech often conjures an image of the lone entrepreneur struggling to bring new technology to market, companies like Johnson Controls are changing that view. "Cleantech" no longer equals "startup," as old-line companies increase their green profile.

The city-funded group Think London has spent 15 years helping companies set up shop in town; now it's focusing its efforts on helping firms tap into the city's booming green marketplace.

The telecommunications company will add 501 E-250 cargo vans converted to run on compressed natural gas (CNG), in addition to 576 recently purchased Chevrolet Silverado Two-Mode Hybrids.

The U.K. government could save more than £300M (US$433.6 million) and about 60,000 tonnes of carbon over the next three years by banning 'unnecessary' business flights.