www.everythingsgonegreen.co.uk

Just a little snippet for you, but an extremely important one…

We’re currently reading John Fagan’s excellent green handbook Managing4Good, a “guide to responsible and sustainable business” and we stumbled across this nugget of information in the quotation at the foot of page 27. In a case study of communications company BT the text in the illustration reads:

BT plc believes that the reputation it has gained as a result of its Corporate Responsibility activities is maintaining and building its market share in a competitive market. It estimates that corporate (social) responsibility accounts for over 25% of image and reputation impact on customer satisfaction.

Wow!

Let’s just highlight the important bit of that snippet shall we?

…corporate (social) responsibility accounts for over 25% of image and reputation impact on customer satisfaction.

So there you go, folks, having a socially responsible and sustainable business is a winner with customers and accounts for a quarter of your image and reputation.

Thanks for the headsup to is4profit, the business advice website, who pointed out John Fagan’s book.

So we’ve had Google Chrome, Google Buzz, Google Wave, Google Labs, Google Docs, Google Mail and now Google Wind Farms.

OK, not really, that last one we made up, but it might as well be real seeing as Google, the search giant, has invested $38.8 million in a wind farm (approximately £25.3 million). Apparently this is the first time that Google has made a “direct investment in a utility-scale renewable energy project”.

It also seems that Google has taken a long time to act in directly investing in clean energy since we reported, way back in 2007, on Google’s Renewable Energy Goal. Back then the philanthropic arm of the behemoth, Google.org, was talking up its RE<C project: Renewable Energy cheaper than Coal.

Now considering the carbon footprint of a Google search, which was quoted as being a wild stab between 0.2g and 7g for every search, it’s about time Big G did something to clean up its own act. Back in January 2009 there were an estimated 200 million searches daily on the Internet, so if that was all on Google we can only estimate between 40,000 and  1.4 million metric tonnes of carbon emitted daily in the process of  powering the machines that power search.

So this investment by Google, albeit late, is very welcome. The wind farm, developed by Next era Energy Resources is purported to develop  around 169.5 megawatts of power or enough to power 55,000 homes (Is that American homes or British homes? Remember that per capita electricity consumption in the US is around 1460 watts per person when compared to 667 watts per person in the UK  but is an almighty 3152 watts per person in Iceland whilst the world average consumption is 297 watts per person. Source. But that’s a whole topic for discussion on another day)

We’d be interested if anybody’s done the maths to work out just how many Google rack servers this wind farm in North Carolina will power, so if you have any idea we’d be really pleased to hear from you.

Whilst listening to a Radio 4 podcast on the lack of lending by banks to SMEs, I came across the story of a firm called 2K Manufacturing. The broadcast was about the firm’s difficulty in securing a loan from a major UK bank in order to expand the production of their Ecosheet product; It was this Ecosheet that really caught my attention.

2K Manufacturing’s Ecosheet is an environmentally-friendly alternative to plywood. By using low-grade post-consumer waste plastic products 2K are not only keeping this waste from the incinerator or land-fill but also reducing the need for imported plywood.

Mainly used in building & construction, hoarding etc Ecosheet has many other advantages over plywood:

• Generally lighter than plywood
• As strong as plywood
• Similar cost to plywood
• Ecosheet is impervious to rain & damp so it can be stored outdoors, weathers really well and can be jet-washed!
• It is made in standard sizes
• Both sides of Ecosheet are “A” faces (whereas plywood has just one)
• Ecosheet can be recycled at the end of its own useful life
• Ergo it is a totally sustainable solution

Just take a look at Ecosheet around the refurbishment of Marks & Spencer in Stall Street, Bath; The hoardings have been vinyl-wrapped with graphics but the installation is totally weatherproof and sustainable.

So builders, construction firms, civil engineers etc… It’s well worth checking out the green alternative to plywood. I hope the big DIY and builders merchants start stocking this product too – it keeps low-grade plastic waste out of land-fill and the incinerator, it stops trees from being cut to supply demand for plywood and it is good for the environment and 2K Manufacturing, a UK small business.

It was pleasing to see the news this morning that Triodos, the environmental & social investment bank, are doing well.

According to Third Sector, the charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprise website, Triodos Bank has increased lending & investment by 73% over the last year.

In 2008 Triodos Bank lent just over £200 million whilst in 2009 that had increased to nearly £250 million. The bank has increased future loans from an expected £30 million to around £150 million.

Triodos Bank’s customer base has grown by about 15% over the last year as greater numbers of clients have sought to invest in environmental and socially-beneficial causes (not to mention ethical and sustainable investments too).

Triodos Bank’s growth areas have included offshore wind projects and waste processing facilities plus organic farming and food projects. Scotland and Wales have seen the greatest increases in the amount of lending.

Personally, I’ve been mulling over getting an account with Triodos Bank for a number of years, but I think now is the time to get started

A report today from Britain’s Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has tipped “Cleantech and renewables… to become two of the most important sectors of the economy.”

The encouraging news comes from a survey of British business leaders who have also tipped technology and media to be growth sectors in the UK over the next decade.

43% of the business leaders questioned considered that cleantech will grow at the fastest pace by 2020, followed by science & technology (20%) then media & entertainment (15%).

Whilst the UK government is mainly interested in the economic aspect that new growth areas will have on the country, in order to pull us out of recession and keep us competitive in the world marketplace, it’s very encouraging for the population at large; if Britain is to see growth in cleantech & renewables then there will be investment in green research and green jobs will be created. Although why the Vestas wind turbine plant in the Isle of Wight was allowed to close with a loss of around 700 jobs still remains a mystery (and a crying shame) when Number 10 are touting the benefits of a green future for this country.

The government have also recently launched their iawards competition for British companies to compete in, demonstrating their skills and innovations. Aswell as combating aspects such as terrorism and an ageing population, the green aspects of the iawards include

Preserving finite natural resources in the face of population growth and climate change

So let’s hope that the government puts its money where its mouth is and pushes the green agenda so that we can go to Cop 15, the United Nations Climate Change Conference (7-18 December 2009) with a genuinely green direction that can contribute to cutting carbon emissions. 80% by 2030? Let’s hope so!

The car “scrappage scheme” (vehicle discount scheme) was introduced in the UK some months back to encourage people to trade in old cars for new.  Anyone owning a car aged 10 years or older can get a good discount, around £2000 or so, off a new vehicle.

Whilst the environmental credentials of such a scheme are a little thin when compared to the economic impetus that was intended (remember, the scrappage scheme was dreamt-up in the midst of a recession when the new car  industry in this country took a major downturn) the green benefits are indeed there to some degree.

Modern household appliances could be next to benefit from the “scrappage scheme” if the idea is applied to white goods, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). They say that by scrapping VAT on the most efficient appliances households would be encouraged to buy greener goods. This, say the BRC, would cut household carbon emissions by 1% by 2020, removing 1.3 million tonnes of CO2 emissions a year by that time. It’s not a lot but every little counts.

The cost of such a scheme is estimated to cost around £500 million, but the BRC point out that that is a similar amount to how much VAT was lost in just 2 months since December 2008 when the Chancellor dropped VAT from 17.5% to 15%.

The benefits to households cutting their energy costs is certainly appealing. A 1% cut in carbon emissions is not much but 1.3 million tonnes of CO2 out of the atmosphere is good. The production and transportation of these new efficient appliances would need to be considered especially seeing as the UK probably doesn’t have much left in the way of refridgerator, washing machine and cooking appliance manufacturing these days (considering so many consumer goods are produced in China!)

With new appliance being twice as efficient as models from 10 years ago, environmentally-conscious customers would certainly see the benefit in a scheme of this nature, and smaller retailers, like local high street stores, certainly need a boost when competing with the larger superstores, but how this will pan out we have yet to see…

Friends, Britons, countrymen… lend me your ears.

Today, Friday 10th July 2009, is supposedly Green Britain Day. The concept has been thought up by French nuclear energy giants EDF.

However, as has been said , this whole concept is a complete sham because:

1. EDF are French not British.
2. EDF are not green because they are the world’s biggest corporate producer of nuclear waste.
3. The green union flag has been stolen from British wind-power generators Ecotricity.

So really it’s not Green Britain Day but rather Greenwash Day. Do not be fooled by the company that:

1. Has Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s brother, Andrew Brown, as their Media Director (funny that, aye?)
2. Has spent a reported £50 million in advertising revenue on the campaign.
3. Brought Britain’s nuclear energy generator, British Energy, for some £25 billion.

Dale Vince, CEO of Ecotricity, is right in saying that this could be the biggest greenwash in corporate history, so shame on EDF for these bully-boy tactics.

National Grid is taking an energy and climate change leadership role in the UK and calling for a national Masterplan to be developed to determine the route-map for a low-carbon economy.

The company is seeking greater Government, industry and consumer collaboration in order to meet the Government targets of 80% emissions reduction by 2050, and 15% renewable energy sources by 2020.

National Grid Chief Executive, Steve Holliday, said;

“Despite the challenging economic conditions, we must not take our eye off the ball in tackling climate change. This joined-up approach is essential to get the right legislative and regulatory frameworks in place and ensure necessary infrastructure investment is available in a timely manner for the connection of new renewable sources of electricity generation, and development of technologies such as biogas production, and linking smart meters into smart grids.

“However, electricity is not the full story. Heat and transport must also play their part. These are all areas where policy is still to be developed and new technology needs to be fostered. That is why we need a Masterplan.”

National Grid has developed scenario’s to determine the projected energy mix required to meet Government’s 2020 climate change and renewable sources targets. It is investing around £3 billion a year in its electricity and gas networks – approximately three quarters of this investment in the UK – and focusing on new technologies to enhance energy efficiency across its networks.

The company is also implementing annual carbon budgets across all its operations from 1st April 2009 and aligning emissions reductions alongside customer service, reliability, safety and financial performance management.

National Grid’s Head of Climate Change and Corporate Responsibility, Joe Kwasnik, added;

“We believe National Grid is one of the first companies in the world to align company-wide emissions with performance management. Our new interim emissions reduction target of 45%by 2020 – which goes further than the European Union’s potential 30% reduction commitment by 2020 – will provide a more relevant milestone for our business planning process and ensure emissions management is integrated into every aspect of our operational decision-making.”

For more information visit www.nationalgrid.com

Because of the recession (yes we’re allowed to say that now) firms are apparently using less water according to the BBC news business story Recession hits Severn Trent sales.

Severn Trent Water supply water to the Midlands and Wales (as if there wasn’t enough water in Wales aye?) where industry has been hit hard by the economic downturn. Jaguar Land Rover, Woolworths and MFI have been quoted as part causes for the drop in demand and as such, Severn Trent have issued a profit warning – they will earn £25 million less revenue than they received last year.

A caption under the image on the BBC story reads

Severn Trent says firms are cutting back on their water use

As if that was a bad thing, and this cynicism is further reinforced by broker Credit Suisse adding:

Overall we think the news is negative, not just for Severn Trent, but for sector sentiment.

Severn Trent Water’s shares were apparently down by 46p to 1141p this afternoon.

Of course, this story is from BBC Business News, and as far as business goes this is a bad thing. Less water use, less profit, share values down.

But this is a negative thing?! This story should be celebrated by greens everywhere; whilst cynical companies catch the water that falls out of the skies and clean it when we’ve flushed it, they have still been making an absolute fortune. It just goes to show that this is more about money than service, so if this is just one of the country’s water companies you have to wonder how much they are collectively squeezing out of people.

Saving water hits the pockets of these water companies and I’m pleased that my showers, reduced-flush toilet and rainwater butt in the garden are reducing my own water use, but these companies still thump us with an extraordinarily high water bill each year and then feather their own nests with the fat profits.

So come on people, save even more water. I think I’m going to have to get a water meter fitted so I can reduce my bills and hit their profits a bit more.