Contemporary energy security demands a mixed basket of energy sources. A move from the current carbon energy usage, to a more balanced energy portfolio, delivers this as well as opening up almost unlimited business opportunities and a pathway to creating thousands of green jobs.

Medtronic has cut its energy consumption and CO2 emissions (normalized to revenue) by about 12 percent in fiscal year 2009, according to the company’s 2010 Corporate Citizenship report.

In 2008, Medtronic announced a five-year plan to reduce volatile organic compound (VOC) air emissions, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and water use 10 percent by 2013. The company also said it would reduce regulated and non-regulated waste by five percent.

Here’s how the company progressed on those goals.

Medtronic generated approximately 12,200 metric tonnes of non-regulated solid waste in fiscal year 2010, which accounted for approximately 90 percent of the company’s total waste generation. This represents a 10 percent decrease normalized to revenue compared to fiscal year 2009. The company attributes this decrease to company-wide education efforts.

The medical company also generated approximately 1,400 metric tonnes of regulated waste in fiscal year 2010. This includes waste that is produced primarily by manufacturing facilities, such as scrap metal and solvents. This represents a 13 percent decrease normalized to revenue compared to fiscal year 2009 thanks to improvements in manufacturing processes as well as more efficient use of materials.

Excluding construction and demolition debris, Medtronic recycled nearly 7,000 metric tonnes of waste materials or 52 percent of its total waste generation (both regulated and non-regulated solid waste) in fiscal year 2010, normalized to revenue, compared to 49 percent in fiscal year 2009. The improvement is primarily due to expanded recycling programs within plants and at individual workspaces, which promote the recycling of manufacturing materials, plastics, metals, beverage containers, fiber (printing paper, newspaper, cardboard, etc.), ink cartridges, and batteries.

In fiscal year 2010, Medtronic generated 134 metric tonnes of VOC air emissions. This represents a 14 percent decrease from fiscal year 2009, normalized to revenue.

Medtronic used approximately 481,000 megawatt-hours of energy (electricity, natural gas and fuel oil) in fiscal year 2010. This resulted in corresponding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of approximately 225,000 metric tonnes carbon dioxide (CO2e). Normalized to revenue, the company’s rates of energy consumption and CO2 emissions were approximately 12 percent less than in fiscal year 2009.

Some of the company’s energy conservation measures include energy efficient lighting and ventilation systems and automated building controls.

Medtronic used approximately 1.2 million cubic meters of water in fiscal year 2010, representing more than a 10 percent reduction compared to fiscal year 2009, normalized to revenue.

In the area of manufacturing, the company’s Design for Reliability and Manufacturability program identifies ways to reduce manufacturing waste by analyzing and enhancing aspects related to mass production, such as materials selection and assembly.

The company also is strengthening the sustainability of its supply base by joining the Electronics Industry Citizenship Coalition in May.

Medtronic is also working to decrease shipments and related transportation, energy use and emissions by consolidating its domestic shipping through three U.S. centers located close to freight industry hubs.

Medtronic Operations also launched GreenBox shipping, a sustainable thermal management packaging system for shipping chemicals and pharmaceuticals. These packaging products can be reused and are biodegradable.

Medtronic was selected as one of the Global Green 100 companies by the Uptime Institute in 2009. The list highlights significant energy efficiency achievements of global corporations operating major data centers. The company was also chosen as one of the health-care leaders in Newsweek’s inaugural environmental rankings of America’s 500 largest corporations last year.

Here’s a roundup of some of the most recent businesses that have earned the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.

These include Exelon, NASA Johnson Space Center, Sony Pictures Entertainment, West Virginia University (WVU), Patriots Plaza I, and the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Here are highlights for each LEED certification project.

Exelon, one of the nation’s largest utilities, has increased its LEED-certified space to more than 650,000 square feet with the expansion at its corporate headquarters. The U.S. Green Building Council awarded LEED Platinum certification for Commercial Interiors (CI) to Exelon’s 27,000-square-foot corporate headquarters expansion in a downtown Chicago skyscraper.

The company’s Exelon 2020 business and environmental plan sets a goal of reducing energy use at its commercial buildings by 25 percent by 2012, from 2001 levels. By the end of 2009, Exelon already had reduced energy use in its commercial facilities by more than 23 percent.

In addition to the 11-story corporate headquarters, Exelon has received LEED certification at six other facilities.

Exelon’s newly certified expansion into the 55th floor of Chicago’s Chase Tower has reduced electricity consumption by 50 percent and water consumption by 38 percent as compared to the previous space.

The space features an energy-efficient lighting system, including T-5 fluorescent fixtures, occupancy sensors and dimming technology, and advanced control of heating, cooling and ventilation systems.

Exelon purchased more than half of the project materials and products from manufacturers within 500 miles to reduce emissions from transportation. It also recycled or salvaged more than 80 percent of the construction waste and other materials.

All of the office’s electricity use is offset by purchasing regional, Green-e certified wind power. In addition, the space improves air quality through the use of low-emitting materials, paints, carpeting, furniture and finishes, and the installation of high-density air filters in the HVAC system.

Sony Pictures Entertainment has been awarded LEED Gold certification for the studio’s Lot and Office Transformation (LOT) Project, which includes the construction of two new 100,000-square-foot office buildings and a parking structure.

The Jack Cohn and Harry Cohn building projects used local and recycled building materials as well as diverted more than 93 percent (16,128 tons) of construction waste material from landfills. It also incorporated an onsite filtration system for storm water runoff and low-flow toilets and urinals, and installed motion detector lights and energy efficient light bulbs.

The buildings also used low-emitting carpeting, paint, sealants, adhesives and wall coverings, and included the construction of a highly efficient central cooling plant.

The Chicago Botanic Garden has earned a Gold LEED rating for the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center. The Plant Science Center, which opened in September 2009, received points in six categories including sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy & atmosphere, material & resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation and design process.

Some of the buildings sustainable features include a rainwater glen to collect and filter runoff from the building and adjacent parking areas, light-colored roofing and a 16,000 square-foot green roof garden to reduce heat island effect, and low-flow plumbing fixtures and valves that cut the building’s water use by 30 percent.

The Plant Science Center also features 280 solar photovoltaic panels on the roof of the building, which provides five percent of the power needed to operate the center. Monitoring equipment was installed on the Green Roof Garden to help plant conservation scientists measure the green roof’s insulation effect on the building and other factors that will identify the best plants to grow on Midwest green roof gardens.

Other features include energy-efficient lighting, insulation of exterior walls and roof, windows with low-E and high-performance glass, air lock vestibules at all entrances and radiant heating and cooling built into the floor to regulate building temperatures.

Building materials were selected to have no or low volatile organic compounds, such as paints and coatings, adhesives and sealants and composite wood and agrifiber products. The project also diverted 75 percent of construction waste from disposal.

The Patriots Plaza I, in Washington, D.C., has earned the LEED for Existing Building Operations and Maintenance Silver certification through the USGBC’s LEED Volume Pilot program. Sustainable features at the 12-story, 280,000-square-foot building includes energy-efficient lighting, reduced water consumption, a green roof, better waste management and a high-efficiency mechanical system, according to Costar Group.

NASA Johnson Space Center has received its second LEED Gold certification. The certification was awarded to the JSC Public Affairs Office building, which brings the total of LEED certified JSC buildings to five, including two Silver certifications. Three additional buildings are currently under consideration for LEED status.

West Virginia University (WVU) claims to be the first “double gold” LEED certified building in the state, reports The Daily Athenaeum. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Legacy Management Business Center in WVU’s Research Park earned its two LEED certifications for both the Core and Shell category and Commercial Interiors category.

Here’s a link to last week’s roundup of LEED buildings.

 Ford Motor Company's all-electric Focus will use liquid instead of air to cool and heat the car battery in order to maximize the battery's life and driving range.

The Ford Focus Electric, which debuts in the U.S. late next year and in Europe in 2012, will be powered by a lithium-ion battery that uses heated and cooled liquid to help maximize battery life and driving range. The vehicle will have an expected range of up to 100 miles and use no gasoline.

Ford selected the active liquid-cooling and heating system to regulate the temperature of its lithium-ion battery packs, which are designed to operate under a range of ambient conditions. Thermal management of these battery systems is key to successful all-electric vehicles because extreme temperatures can affect performance, reliability, safety and durability, says Ford.

The active liquid cooling and heating system also enables the Focus Electric to automatically precondition the battery pack temperature during daily recharging. If the battery is already at the optimal temperature, the system will automatically accept charge and maintain an optimal temperature.

When the vehicle is plugged into the power grid, the vehicle system will be able to warm up the battery on cold days and cool it down on hot days, says Ford.

The Focus Electric will be built at Ford’s retooled Michigan Assembly Plant and will be available in late 2011.

Focus Electric is one of five electrified vehicles Ford will release over the next three years. Ford’s Transit Connect Electric small commercial van will be available in late 2010, followed by two next-generation hybrid electric vehicles, as well as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle in North America in 2012 and Europe in 2013.

In other EV news, UPS and Electric Vehicles International (EVI) have launched a 90-day demonstration trial of their electric walk-in van (EVI-WI), equally split among three locations in Sacramento, San Francisco and Reno.

Aimed at the parcel delivery service industry, the EVI-WI is built on a Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) glider equipped with an Utilimaster body.

Earlier this year, EVI received California Air Resource Board (CARB) approval for the EVI-WI. Purchasers can apply for a $20,000 CARB rebate through the Hybrid Truck and Bus Incentive Project (HVIP).

In June, UPS rolled out 200 new hybrid electric trucks into service across eight U.S. cities in an effort to reduce fuel consumption. The HEVs also use a FCCC body and a hybrid power system from Eaton Corp.

Data centers across the nation are implementing a host of initiatives aimed at energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, ranging from HVAC optimization to being powered by renewable energy sources.

As an example, Georgia Data Center, an 80,000-square-foot data center located in Atlanta, Georgia, was designed to use 40 to 50 fewer air conditioning units than typical data centers.  The data center worked with WayPoint Systems to integrate an efficient building system and to ensure that the HVAC system operates efficiently to maximize its energy performance.

The Georgia Data Center also features an Energy Efficiency Education Dashboard from QA Graphics. The interactive application is used to showcase the organization’s sustainability efforts including how efficient the building’s performance is and what “green” features are used throughout the building.

To display the real-time building data, QA Graphics worked with WayPoint Systems to integrate the Energy Efficiency Education Dashboard with the data center’s control system, which allows the application to “talk” to the building automation system. This lets staff and visitors see the building’s real-time chilled water system, electric use, and CO2 levels.

It also shows how these initiatives help reduce the building’s operating costs and improve the environment. The data center is seeking gold certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED for New Construction Rating System.

In the northeast, MetLife’s Troy, N.Y., data center claims carbon neutral status based on its 2009 indirect electricity consumption. The facility achieved carbon neutrality by purchasing a diverse mixture of electricity, comprised mainly of hydro, nuclear and gas.

MetLife also purchased renewable energy credits (RECs) to offset the property’s electricity generation through Native Energy, which was verified by energy consultant MCEnergy. The purchased wind energy through Native Energy has reduced the data center’s greenhouse gas footprint by more than 6.3 million pounds since 2007.

The property offset its electricity use through energy-efficient enhancements and virtualization and server consolidation, which compensated for approximately 14 percent, or 4.1 million kilowatt-hour (KWh), of the facility’s total electricity reduction since 2007.

The Troy office is the company’s primary data center and houses MetLife information technology (IT) operations and systems.

MetLife was named to the Uptime Institute’s Global Green 100 list for its energy-efficiency achievements in the operation of its enterprise IT and data centers in 2009.

In Hunt Valley, Maryland, System Source’s data center is powered by a solar power system that is already exceeding revenue and output estimates by 14 to 17 percent after only three months in service.

Distributed Sun LLC (D-SUN), the project’s developer and services provider, says the installation will deliver approximately 70 megawatt hours (MWh) of electric power per year, and 3 gigawatt hours (GWh) over its lifetime. The system is estimated to reduce millions of pounds of CO2 emissions.

On the west coast, Digital Realty Trust, a wholesale data-center provider, has conducted an energy efficiency audit of its San Francisco and Silicon Valley properties, which indicates that the company’s energy-efficiency initiatives are producing significant cost savings for its customers. The provider estimates its saving customers about $6 million to $10 million in power costs annually.

The analysis of energy efficiency across all of Digital Realty Trust’s Bay Area “Turn-Key Datacenters” showed a PUE of 1.6 at only 53 percent utilization, and an estimated savings of 10,000 kW a year in electricity use.

The data-center facilities surveyed in this audit use a wide range of energy-efficiency technologies and best practices, including hot and cold aisle containment, outside air economization with differential enthalpy control, higher operating temperatures in the data centers, PowerVu monitoring software, and variable frequency drives on fans, pumps and chillers. Some are also LEED Platinum buildings.

Digital Realty Trust says its new energy management tool, PowerVU, will help businesses increase energy efficiency in their data centers and reduce power costs by allowing them to monitor actual power demand and use.

Burger King will no longer buy palm oil from Sinar Mas or its subsidiaries after an independent audit showed one of the company’s subsidiaries, SMART, had destroyed rainforests and carbon-dense peatlands in Borneo and Sumatra, according to a statement on the fast food restaurant’s Facebook page, reports Mongabay.

Burger King joins several companies including Unilever, Nestle, Cadbury and Kraft that have stopped buying from Sinar Mas or other suppliers linked to deforestation. The move is expected to put more pressure on other corporate buyers at restaurant chains including Pizza Hut, KFC and Dunkin’ Donuts, reports AFP.

Indonesia is the biggest producer of palm oil, which is used in everything from biscuits to cosmetics, according to AFP. Greenpeace claims that Sinar Mas, one of the largest producers of palm oil, is destroying the rainforest, endangering orangutans and reducing carbon dioxide sinks.

Burger King said on its Facebook page that the independent audit of land-clearing practices by Sinar Mas’ palm oil unit SMART “…raised valid concerns about some of the sustainability practices of Sinar Mas’ palm oil production and its impact on the rainforest,” reports AFP.

Burger King said it was looking for a new palm oil supplier for the 176 Burger King restaurants supplied by Sinar Mas, and would be notifying its suppliers that it plans to discontinue the use of palm oil supplied by the company.

The audit also found that SMART had violated Indonesian law on forest management, and launched operations on almost 38,000 hectares (94,000 acres) of land on Borneo before mandatory environmental studies had been completed, reports AFP. The company also planted palm oil crops in high-value deep peatland.

SMART said in a statement (PDF) on its website it was disappointed with Burger King’s decision and that it had “…made mistakes, but these are not to the extent that it has been made out to be,” reports Reuters. SMART also said it had taken the necessary action to ensure that the mistakes would not be repeated.

General Motors (GM) is on track to meet its goal to make half of its major global manufacturing operations landfill-free by the end of 2010.

John Bradburn, project manager for GM’s Design for Environment initiatives, told Forbes that 69 of the company’s plants worldwide are now landfill free up from 62, and 43 percent of production, in May. He also said that GM’s plants globally average a 90 percent recycling rate.

GM is using as much recycled material in its cars as possible to reduce its landfill waste.  As examples cited in the article, GM is grinding up old bumpers to make new air inlet panels for several models including the Chevy Camaro and Cadillac CTS, and is remaking worn carpets into mirror frames, fascia brackets and door-handle parts.

The Cadillac SRX uses bottles and milk jugs in its air-conditioning and heating vent covers, and the Chevy Volt uses them in baffles, along with recycled tires.

GM also uses recycled materials to make engine fans and shrouds, splash shields and dash insulators.

In addition, used cardboard material from GM’s stamping pads is made into acoustic pads for the Buick Lacrosse’s headliner, which translates into a 25 percent to 45 percent savings for GM, reports Forbes. GM is also using paint sludge as filler in making reusable shipping containers.

GM also sees a supply-chain benefit. GM spokeswoman Sharon Basel told Forbes: “Now when suppliers see a waste stream coming out of another industry, they contact us to see if it has the right chemical makeup from something we can recycle. They’re engaged in the process.”

Which waste is the best to convert to energy -- animal dung or leftover funnel cakes, corn dogs, cotton candy and other fairground favorites? That's what a Midwest scientist and a group of researchers are exploring at the Minnesota State Fair.

The New York Times

eBay

Digital Publishing Solutions

Sustainable Business

WKYT.com

Energy Central

MIT Sloan

Caterer Search

Solve Climate

Home Depot

Reuters

Smart meters installed by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. are performing accurately, according to an independent study released Thursday, despite thousands of consumer complaints, The Los Angeles Times reports.

Customers began complaining of high energy bills this spring almost as soon as PG&E started installing the smart meters.  As of Aug. 15, the state utilities commission had received 4,471 complaints and inquiries regarding the PG&E meters, compared with just 88 for San Diego Gas & Electric and 169 for Southern California Edison.

Utilities use the meters to remotely determine household energy use, enabling them to charge more for power during peak demand.

Houston-based energy and utility consultancy The Structure Group administered the study, which included tests in laboratories and in the field, according to Greentech Grid. The group also reviewed 1,378 complaints about the meters and conducted in-depth interviews with customers.

The $1.4 million audit, for which PG&E is reimbursing the agency, determined that the utility could have done a better job communicating with and notifying customers about smart meter installation.

“In some cases, customers experienced multiple cancelled bills followed by re-billing, which exacerbated customer confusion and frustration. In addition, customers indicated to Structure that there was a lack of communication and notification from PG&E about their smart meter installation,” the CPUC said of Structure’s findings. The report also said that the CPUC’s handling of certain consumer complaints created confusion for the customer when the CPUC deemed the complaint closed even though the customer was still not satisfied with or did not understand PG&E’s resolution of their complaint,” Greentech Grid reports.

Several municipalities in Northern California have already asked regulators to prevent the meters from being installed until accuracy issues are sorted out.

The meters, which transmit energy use data to the utilities, have also sparked health worries about radiation levels. The utilities commission has received around 2,000 such complaints, mostly from Northern California.

For several days last week, residents of Santa Cruz County protested what they called “forced installation” of smart meters on private property, with some expressing worries that the radiation could lead to brain cancer. Watsonville and Fairfax passed laws banning the meters within city limits.

According to PG&E CEO Peter Darbee, the company analyzed emissions from cell phones compared with smart meters positioned 10 feet away from a person and found that “emissions received from a cell phone are 13,000 times more than [from] a smart meter,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “You have to live in a home for 13,000 years before it compares to use of a cell phone for a year.”

Burger King has become the latest company to stop buying palm oil from Sinar Mas, an embattled Indonesian company its critics accuse of deforestation.

The environmentally destructive coal mining practice, for years a target of shareowner activists, faces new regulatory restrictions and limited financing from major banks.

The environmentally destructive coal mining practice, for years a target of shareowner activists, faces new regulatory restrictions and limited financing from major banks.

In most cases, brands and organizations should have long since crossed the line from needing to point out their green-ness to working to integrate it throughout their operations.

When it comes to a company’s impact on climate change, does directors and officers insurance cover executives? While companies say yes, the insurance industry is saying no. We’re talking millions -- perhaps billions -- in legal liability here, so someone will end up holding the bag.
 

When it comes to a company’s impact on climate change, does directors and officers insurance cover executives? While companies say yes, the insurance industry is saying no. We’re talking millions -- perhaps billions -- in legal liability here, so someone will end up holding the bag.
 

Wisconsin’s new electronic waste (e-waste) recycling law shifts the financial burden from local governments to manufacturers now that users have to recycle their old computers, cell phones and other electronic devices, reports Government Technology.

Based on a product stewardship approach, the law gives the primary responsibility for collection and recycling to the manufacturer. Manufacturers had to register with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) starting Jan. 1.

In June, the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) adopted a resolution for state and federal legislation that will shift the costs of managing product and packaging waste from taxpayers and local governments to producers and the consumers of their products.

The new law also requires manufacturers to document that at least 80 percent of the electronic items they sell are being recycled, reports Wisconsintrapidstribune.com. Currently, many manufacturers are providing rebates to companies that accept electronics in order to meet state electronic recycling requirements.

The state’s new e-waste recycling program, E-Cycle Wisconsin, is designed to keep hazardous materials such as lead, mercury and other heavy metals out of landfills, and reuse valuable resources such as plastic, steel, copper and glass to make new devices, while giving a boost to the state’s recycling industry, according to Government Technology.

Devices covered by the law include computers, printers, TVs and computer monitors, keyboards, mice, hard drives, DVD players, VCRs and cell phones. The new rules require consumers to bring discarded electronics to collection sites of which there are now about 300 registered sites. Fees will vary.

According to the law, any person who violates the recycling requirement is subject to a $50 fine, a $200 fine for a second offense, and a $2,000 fine for third and subsequent violations, reports Wisconsintrapidstribune.com.

However, Government Technology reports that state officials do not plan to issue any individual citations if consumers don’t comply at this time.

Several states have implemented e-waste laws or programs over the past few years. As an example, in June, the New York State legislature passed a new electronics recycling law that attempts to limit the growth of hazardous waste in New York landfills by requiring manufacturers to accept used electronics from consumers.

Connecticut is expected to launch a statewide electronics recycling program in the fall, while Oregon has required manufacturers to either establish their own recycling programs or pay their share of a public initiative since 2008.

Cisco and Itron have signed a strategic alliance that will further enable the development of a comprehensive smart grid by developing next-generation architecture and technology for an intelligent distributed networking infrastructure. This joint-development agreement is focused on introducing the first fully-implemented IPv6-based communications to the smart grid market, delivered through Itron’s OpenWay smart metering platform.

This alliance will leverage Itron’s existing OpenWay platform, as well as Cisco’s networking and cyber security technology and expertise. The resulting reference design will enable utilities to be in compliance with the proposed North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) cyber security requirements and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) cyber security guidelines.

The Internet Protocol (IP)-based communications platform for the smart grid will help advance more consistent and reliable delivery of energy across the electric distribution system and into homes and businesses, according to Cisco.

The companies will focus on developing standards-based secure technology for full IPv6 implementation of field area communications to support smart metering, intelligent distribution automation and interfaces to the customer premise. This also includes interoperable wired and wireless communications among the various components of the smart grid, enabling utilities to scale to meet growing demands from both consumers and highly distributed generation portfolios.

Under the agreement, Itron will license and embed Cisco IP technology within its OpenWay meters as well as distribute Cisco networking equipment and software as part of its smart meter deployments. Itron will continue to provide the complete solution and maintain its customer relationships.

Complementing Cisco’s collaboration with Itron, the networking giant also announced its intent to acquire Arch Rock, a pioneer in IP-based wireless network technology for smart-grid applications. Arch Rock’s technology is designed to enable utilities to connect smart meters and other distributed intelligent devices over a scalable, highly secure, multi-way wireless mesh network.

The Arch Rock technology will enable Cisco to offer a highly secure advanced metering infrastructure solution that is fully IP and open-standards based.

These latest announcements build on Cisco’s plans for a highly secure smart-grid infrastructure that addresses everything from data centers and substations to neighborhood-area networks to businesses and homes.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), along with stakeholders, has released the state’s Zero Net Energy (ZNE) Action Plan for Buildings. The roadmap provides an action plan to shift the state’s 5 billion square feet of commercial property space from the biggest energy consumers in the state to “net zero” energy users, through greater energy efficiency and on-site clean energy generation by 2030.

California’s commercial property space consumes 38 percent of the state’s total power supply, which make this sector the biggest energy users in the state, according to CPUC.

But buildings could be constructed to use 43 percent less energy through currently available energy-saving building design, practices and technologies, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

The action plan covers four specific goals, known as the Big Bold Energy Efficiency Strategies (BBEES), which identifies near-term, mid-term and long-term milestones to meet these goals.

The four BBEES are:

–All new residential construction in California will be zero net energy by 2020

–All new commercial construction in California will be zero net energy by 2030

–Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) will be upgraded to ensure that its energy performance is optimal for California’s climate

– All eligible low-income customers will be given the opportunity to participate in the low income energy efficiency program by 2020.

ZNE buildings have net energy consumption of zero over a typical year, says CPUC. These buildings are constructed to the highest level of energy efficiency possible, and use on-site renewable energy sources.