Posts tagged "BUSINESS"

CSR Minute December 13 – New Belgium Brewing Reports Sales Increase as Sustainable Business

New Belgium Brewing Reports Sales Increase as Sustainable Business ; Oregon Christmas Tree Farms Certify as Sustainable – CSR Minute for December 13, 2011 New Belgium Brewing reports a seven percent sales increase in its craft beer brands for 2011. The company operates on a sustainable business model, with ownership and decision-making shared among its 425 workers. New Belgium also pays 100 percent of health insurance premiums and matches 401(k) contributions. Its charitable giving includes donations of 0000 this year, and it is the first brewery to commit to wind energy and to recycle its brewing waste into fuel. Five Oregon tree farms have signed up for a new sustainability program for Christmas tree farms. The trees will bear a tag identifying their origin as a Socially and Environmentally Responsible Farm—SERF. To be certified, a farm must develop a plan that addresses five areas of social and environmental health: biodiversity, soil and water resources, integrated pest management, worker health and safety, and consumer and community relations. For more information on these and other stories, go to thecsrminute.com

3D map shines light on New York solar potential

July 6 – A new, three-dimensional map with a bird’s eye view of New York City is showing residents the solar energy potential of their city, the largest in the United States. The map’s creators have set out to demonstrate that solar power is more than just an abstract idea. Tara Cleary reports.

CSR Minute: BT, IKEA, Google, + 70 Other Companies Petition European Union

Corporate Social Responsibility News: McGraw-Hill to Build Largest, Privately-Owned Solar Power Plant; BT, IKEA, Google, + 70 Other Global Companies Petition European Union to Reduce CO2 Emissions Levels This CSR Minute is brought to you by Media Impact. Empowering communities worldwide to inspire enduring change through creative storytelling. For more information visit: mediaimpact.org Watch this and other CSR Minute podcasts: 3blmedia.com

Passive Solar Air Heater Heating System Alternative Energy

This is a video of the Passive Solar Heating System in use at www.envirosponsible.com in Whitby, Ontario, Canada. It provides a great deal of heat, and the installer, Chris, will be making it more effecient by adding a second computer fan to push the warm air at the top, painting the inside better and taping the duct work. Also, the duct work will be directed into the office where the door can be closed and used in a smaller air mass. This kind of heater is ideal for urban survival and bugging in, since it requires no power input and is cheap and easy to make. It’s not just for strawbale, cob, cabins, cottages, earth ships or businesses. They can be installed on a home, and they look great when done right. Ragnar Benson would be proud. Visit our site at envirosponsible.com or call us at 905-666-2002.

Using Cloud To Help The Environment

Cloud computing although thought to be fairly new has actually been around for a while now. It’s only been the last few years that’s really seen businesses start to migrate over to this new technology. As more and more organizations invest in virtualization technology and the benefits are becoming clearer. One of the most prominent is the minimization of the impact of mass technological dependency on our environment.

With cloud computing companies being able to offer virtualized servers, businesses are no longer needing space consuming servers to carry out functions. In case additional storage is needed at a moments notice or it’s needed for backup, most servers will always have at least a little space available which has always been the traditional way of using servers. With the advent of the data center and cloud based backups, the number of server units is being reduced dramatically. The reduction in physical server units saves on the raw resources that go into creating each unit. Virtualized servers also have the additional benefit of not actually needing any floor space which is another saving businesses investing in cloud technology can experience.

Looking at this from an environmental point of view, the shift to cloud based virtualized operations will surely mean a decrease in the commercial real estate needed to house large enterprises. There is also the environmental impact of the opportunities offered by virtualization. A cloud environment has the potential to offer users the ability to run a range of operating systems. This means that working remotely and online collaboration will be much easier and much more effective. Cloud also has the potential to reduce the need for daily commutes or environmentally costly travel for face-to-face meetings with clients and colleagues.

All these mean that for once a new technology can have the potential to help any business have a responsible attitude towards it’s carbon footprint and therefore it’s reputation and image by being at the start of this emerging and increasingly popular technology.