Photo credit: Switch Lighting
Switch Lighting’s LED bulbs have similar technical specs to its competitors, but the startup is counting on clever design and good looks to stand out in a crowded field. The company plans to make its first three general-purpose light bulbs available this summer to lighting distributors and today is expected to introduce a three-way bulb and a 240-volt bulb for markets outside the U.S.
To learn more about LED bulbs, click here.
All branches of the US military are on the pursuit for energy-conscious technologies.
“Militaries that fail to innovate lose strategic advantage. Nations that fail to innovate lose economic edge. Clean energy innovation is an essential strategy for making the United States and its service men and women safer, stronger and more successful,” wrote the authors of the Pew report.
Below are 5 examples of technologies that are employed by the U.S. military that officials hope will turn out to be both environmentally sound and strategically advantageous in the long run.
Jobs opportunities may seem slim, but positions tied to sustainability are on the rise. Companies are creating job titles such as chief sustainability executive or VP of earth stewardship. These new roles have responsibilities that include: finding better ways to protect the planet, save energy, minimize the carbon foot-print, maintaining an environmentally friendly work place and overseeing their sustainability efforts and communications with an annual green report.
The number of online job postings containing the keyword ‘sustainability’ quadrupled, which aggregates online job postings.
What new positions is your company adding that contain sustainable keywords? If so, we’d love to know.
Need a good reference for eco-employment? Check out: Greenjobs, a guide to eco friendly employment.
Read more about the sustainability job market as covered in the Wall Street Journal, click here.
Activists believe that flame retardant chemicals can be found in breast milk and blood samples and may eventually cause cancer. This argument has pressured the United States and Europe to ban some of these chemicals but as a result, this contributes to the death toll around the world. Read full article here.
Most of us were raised to think that certain industries are just a necessary evil, like chemical companies. Dirty, scary, and liable to put things in the ground, air or water that were not good for us.
In reality, many of these companies have not only joined the green revolution, some of them are actually leading it with new innovations and by investing millions of dollars in research. This dedication to find new solutions not only makes life better, but it is keeping us safe.
Here are just a few green technologies and initiatives from a new generation of chemical companies.
Albemarles‘ Earthwise division is making green flame retardant products that go into electronics and furniture to keep us safe from fires.
Eastman Chemical company bets on green chemistry and launches a material used to make plastic products that are free of bisphenol A (BPA).
Dow Chemicals commits to a five-year partnership with The Nature Conservancy. Its aim is to create a set of tools and methodologies other companies can use to integrate the economics of ecosystem services in business decision-making.
The lesson here is chemical companies and the innovations they contribute to society are vital to quality and healthy living. Just because we think something is true, it may not still be true. Know the scientific facts, not just what someone may have told you.
Seen in The Wall Street Journal 1/24.10.
Executives from some of the largest U.S. manufacturers are gathering in Washington Monday and Tuesday to seek more government support for their efforts to refurbish and sell used products ranging from cell phones to railroad locomotives to medical scanners.
Remanufacturers—including Caterpillar Inc., General Electric Co., General Motors Co., Eastman Kodak Co. and Xerox Corp.—would like the government to push harder for free global trade in reconditioned products and to help fund research into better methods of remanufacturing, which involves restoring used products to like-new condition for resale. Read full story.
Good idea? Bad idea?
How many times do we read about laws that are passed with the best intentions, only to end up doing the opposite? Remember when Congress taxed yachts to try and get more money from rich people? They figured since only multi-millionaires buy yacht, this was a perfect way to get more money without hurting any poor or middle-class people. Uh, not quite. Turns out that the rich folks just bought their yachts overseas, and the poor and middle class folks who worked at the shipyards in the northeast US lost their jobs. Whoops!
Same thing is happening with so many called environmental laws. To protect us from what are claimed to be dangerous chemicals, activist are urging the outlawing of chemicals that are put into sofas and TV’s to keep them from burning. Problem is, without the chemical, people die in fires a lot more frequently. http://tinyurl.com/2blx6nw>
Stop and think before you have a knee-jerk agreement with someone who says they are trying to protect you or help you with a new law or regulation. Often times the net result is not what they intend. And often it is the opposite.
The European Flame Retardants Association (EFRA), a sector group of Cefic, and the European Chemical Industry Council just published an overview on flame retardants and their usages in everyday life. The publication cites the tremendous evolutions of consumer products concerning their fire safety, including electrical and electronic devices, textiles, furniture, construction products or personal and public transports over the past decades
Download your copy of Flame Retardants for a Changing Society. Interested in learning more about GreenArmor, a new technology in eco-friendly fire safety? Click here.
According to Fortune magazine, the number of computers and digital products discarded in the US each year is astounding:
206 million computer products
140 million phonesOnly 15-20% of these are recycled.
Of the 50 states, at least 20 have an electronics recycling law and some others have voluntary recycling projects.
Because the metals and components from these electronics products mostly end up in landfill, some view this situation as a threat to the environment. Indeed. there has been a practice of dumping these discarded electronics in remote landfills, even shipping them to landfills in Africa.
Some see the discarded electronics as an opportunity. National and regional companies, such as Electronic Recyclers International, specialize in the “environmentally safe and socially responsible dismantling of electronic waste.” They claim to recycle all the materials and components without transporting them to junkyards.
As for cell phones and smart phones, You Renew accepts working units and refurbishes nonfunctional phones. The company offers cash to consumers who send used phones via their free shipping service.
There are several databases where companies and individuals can locate facilities nearby to recycle their electronic gadgets, cell phones and computers: The National Center for Electronics Recycling suggests locations across the US can be found through these organizations:
If there is no location nearby, some retailers and manufacturers accept computers and phones returned by mail.
Clearly, the number of computers, cell phones and handheld devices will continue to grow, consistent with the population, and the relentlessly increasing reliance by consumers, businesses, government and all organizations on electronic communication.
The need to responsibly manage outmoded and discarded electronic equipment should be addressed as an opportunity by consumers and businesses alike. Recycling obviously promotes a safer and cleaner environment by keeping the metals and chemical compounds in computers and cell phones out of the earth and, where possible, giving refurbished devices new life. As does the use of eco-friendly fire safety solutions in these electronics.
EPA to Take Action on Chemicals Used in Dyes, Flame Retardants, and Industrial Detergents Efforts to limit exposure and reduce harm to people
Release date: 08/18/2010
WASHINGTON – As part of Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s commitment to strengthen and reform chemical management, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released action plans today to address the potential health risks of benzidine dyes, hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and nonylphenol (NP)/nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs). The chemicals are widely used in both consumer and industrial applications, including dyes, flame retardants, and industrial laundry detergents. The plans identify a range of actions the agency is considering under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Read full release
Our Green Lab blog commends the EPA for their continued efforts to make our planet a safe environment for all living things. These efforts align with the chemical industry’s commitment to sustainability in products and to consumer safety. Today, the chemical industry spends millions of dollars on green chemistry R&D to create and introduce new eco-friendly solutions for many business sectors.
For example, the flame retardants that are critical ingredients in many consumer electronic products, as well as the interiors of automobiles and airplanes, save lives and protect property from fires. These flame retardants are now available as eco-friendly alternatives to products from the past. Trial testing by industry leader Albemarle and its Earthwise brand are currently underway and many of these new green alternatives will be introduced to the market later this year.
High-efficiency polystyrene insulation is very important to everyone’s efforts to reduce energy consumption and global warming, but this insulation requires highly effective flame retardants to maintain fire safety. The chemical industry has been working to develop a new generation of flame retardants that does not present the same concerns as HBCD. The new products are based on polymers (like a plastic) with larger molecules, which impede their absorption by humans, animals and plants.
