Stop & Shop announced yesterday that it has completed the installation of solar panels on eight of its stores in Mass., Conn. and N.J. The solar panels will reduce the amount of energy consumed by these stores by more than seven percent. The completion of this project marks an extension of the company’s commitment to reduce its carbon footprint by 20 percent by 2015 using 2008 as a baseline.

The photovoltaic (PV) solar power generating systems were developed by Alteris Renewables, Inc., the largest design-build renewable energy company in the Northeast.  The amount of electricity that will be generated by all eight stores annually is estimated to be 1,759,572 kWh, offsetting 1,264 metric tons of CO2. This is equivalent to the CO2 emissions from the total electricity use of 153 homes over the course of a year.

The solar project is among a series of green solutions Stop & Shop is rolling out across its 375 stores in the Northeast.

“Two years ago, we launched a storewide refresh and  brought customers new technology to simplify their lives – handheld devices for scanning groceries, digital kiosks for placing deli orders, and one-stop weigh stations in the produce department,” said Faith Weiner director of public affairs for Stop & Shop. “Now we’re rolling out new renewable energy solutions for our stores which enable us to conserve energy, while continuing to deliver the quality and value our shoppers expect.”

Faith Weiner continued, “Businesses are waking up to the benefits of solar power.  As one of the largest food retailers in the Northeast, we’re proud to incorporate solar panels into our building, and we appreciate the expertise that Alteris has brought to this tri-state project.”

Beyond solar panels, Stop & Shop has been exploring alternative ways to be green by installing energy-efficient lighting and refrigeration systems in stores and distribution centers.

Starting today, you can take part in history by placing your order for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt. This moment is the culmination of several years of around-the-clock, steadfast work and I know I speak for the entire Volt team when I say we couldn’t be more excited!

For those of you looking to be among the first to own a Volt, simply locate and contact a participating Chevrolet dealer in Volt launch markets at GetMyVolt.com. Once your order is placed, a Volt customer advisor will contact you to answer questions and keep you updated on the progress of your order.

We’ve also pulled together a team of Volt advisors who, beginning today, will be available at 1-888-VOLT4YOU (1-888-865-8496) to answer general questions. The Volt will initially be available to customers in California, New York, Washington, D.C., Texas, Michigan Connecticut and New Jersey, but will be available nationwide in about 12-18 months from start of production this winter.

As far as the price, the Volt’s official MSRP is $41,000 – or $33,500 (including DFC) after the $7,500 U.S. Federal income tax credit. We are so confident in the resale value of the Volt, we will also offer a lease program with monthly payments as low as $350 (based on a 36-month term lease and $2,500 down), which also includes a lease-to-buy option.
Why are we so confident?

The Volt is an electric vehicle that gives you the freedom to drive wherever you want, whenever you want. With the Volt’s extended-range capability, you can drive electrically up to 340 miles on a full battery and tank of gas, with up to the first 40 miles powered by electricity from the grid. Plus, the Volt is an electric vehicle for all climates and seasons, comfortable in the freezing temperatures of the Northeast to the scorching temperatures of the deserts out West – we know, we’ve tested the Volt extensively in these conditions.

Plus, the Volt comes standard with an unprecedented battery warranty – eight years or 100,000 miles on all 161 battery components, the thermal management system, charging system and electric drive components. It will also be the first Chevrolet vehicle to offer, at no additional cost, five years of OnStar Directions and Connections service, which includes automatic crash response, stolen vehicle assistance and connected navigation.

And speaking of OnStar, the Volt gives you an unprecedented level of connectivity with the Chevrolet Connect mobile app by OnStar. This Volt mobile and web-based app will allow you to set the charge time, start your Volt, track mileage, unlock the doors and much more from your smart phone and even your home computer.

In fact, the personalized and connected ownership experience is just getting into full swing when you take delivery of your Volt because we’re creating a website designed specifically for Volt owners to collect diagnostic information as well as track and share your vehicle’s performance.

I could go on and on all day about all the benefits and premium features the Volt has to offer, such as screen-based navigation, an energy-efficient Bose premium sound system, Bluetooth for phone with phone book access and more, but then I would be keeping you from locating your dealer and placing your order. You can find more info at GetMyVolt.com.

It’s been a remarkable journey, and we’re confident you’ll be delighted with the outcome when you receive your Volt. The future is electric – we hope you’ll join us for the ride.

And make sure to join me here on Voltage later today for a video webchat from the show floor of Plug-In 2010 where Volt vehicle line director Tony Posawatz and I will answer your questions live at 4 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. PDT.

The no-holds-barred video features a cross section of people wearing a black T-shirt that reads “UNF–K THE GULF” and unleashing on BP, the federal government and the whole mess in a way that millions of people wish our leaders would.

Sick of yelling at the TV in frustration over the Gulf spill, environmental activists Luke Montgomery and Nate Guidas produced the video as a way to channel their “f–king righteous anger with all that is going on and not going on in the Gulf into something positive.” They put out a casting call on Craigslist for people upset over the oil spill, cast the best in the video, and created the website www.UnF–kTheGulf.com.

“It’s both therapeutic and funny to see people go off in an F-bomb-laced tirade about the spill,” Montgomery said. “There’s a lot of anger out there and people need to vent about the destruction but we also need to have a laugh at the expense of those responsible.”

The “UnF–kTheGulf” video has received more than 20,000 views in one week and raised more than $5,000 in funds through T-shirt sales, exceeding organizers’ expectations and rapidly circulating on social media. This unconventional charity fundraising campaign allows the public vote on how the funds are spent. For each $13 shirt, $5 is donated directly to four Gulf wildlife rescue and environmental charities.

Montgomery and Guidas report receiving hundreds of positive email responses, several complaints, and dozens of requests for uncensored versions of the T-shirt.

In response to the controversy of using such raw language, Montgomery said it is a calculated tactic to get noticed and thereby raise more funds to assist in the Gulf recovery. The organization did recently tame their Twitter name to a censored version, however, to encourage more people to share.

The Gulf oil spill is being called the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.

“This is a heinous crime against the environment, people’s livelihood and the ecosystem’s ability to support life,” Montgomery said. “People realize that the really offensive thing is the oil spill, not the word.”

UnF–kTheGulf will soon launch a week-long Facebook and Twitter “F-Bomb-a-Thon” campaign of status updates geared toward building buzz and raising at least $25,000 for the cause. The F-Bomb-a-Thon will run from July 26-August 1.

IBM CR Report: Energy Conservation Cuts Energy Costs by $26.8M

IBM’s energy conservation program saved the company $26.8 million and prevented more than 142,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions in 2009, according to the company’s 2009 Corporate Responsibility Report.

IBM’s report provides an overview of four key areas: energy conservation and climate protection, process stewardship, product stewardship and supply chain management. Here are the highlights.

In 2009, IBM’s energy conservation initiatives delivered savings equal to 5.4 percent of its total energy use, which exceeded the corporate goal of 3.5 percent. These projects saved more than 246,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity and more than 410,000 million BTUs of fuel oil, cutting nearly $27 million in energy costs.

IBM has saved 5.1 billion kWh of electricity, which also prevented 3.4 million metric tons of CO2 emissions between 1990 and 2009.

As part of its effort, IBM is leveraging its technologies and solutions to make its data center operations more energy efficient. Projects include expanding virtualization and consolidation projects as well as extending its real-time thermal monitoring system across its data centers to identify areas for energy improvements. In addition, the company is implementing new processes to minimize back-up IT equipment energy use and is improving IT equipment energy efficiency.

In February 2010, IBM opened its new data center in Raleigh, North Carolina, which uses only half the energy required of a similar facility its size.

Earlier this year, IBM’s four-processor and UNIX-based POWER 750 Express and Power 755 enterprise servers became the first four-processor servers in the industry to be qualified to the U.S. EPA Energy Star server requirements.

IBM also is helping cities and utilities become smarter by providing new technologies and tools to help them better manage their resources, while reducing cost, increasing reliability and lowering energy and water consumption.

IBM set a goal to reduce perfluorocompounds (PFCs) emissions from its semiconductor manufacturing operations 25 percent by 2010 against a base year of 1995. As of year-end 2009, IBM’s PFC emissions were 48.8 percent below the 1995 baseline amount of 381,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent. The company attributes a portion of the reduction to reduced manufacturing volumes in 2009.

Between 1990 and 2005, IBM’s energy conservation actions prevented CO2 emissions by an amount equal to 40 percent of its 1990 emissions. IBM’s “second-generation” goal is to reduce CO2 emissions associated with the company’s energy use 12 percent between 2005 and 2012 through energy conservation and the procurement of renewable energy.

IBM’s 2009 CO2 emissions were 2.6 percent below its 2008 emissions, and 5.7 percent below its adjusted 2005 baseline.

To help reduce energy demand, IBM is increasing its purchase of renewable energy.

In 2009, IBM purchased 560 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of renewable energy, an increase of over 100 million kWh compared to 2008. The purchases represent 11.3 percent of the company’s 2009 global electricity use.

In February 2010, IBM announced it had built a thin-film solar cell that claims an efficiency of 9.6 percent, which is 40 percent higher than previous designs. IBM says this solar cell set a new world record for efficiency and holds the potential for producing low-cost energy that can be used widely and commercially.

IBM has eliminated all known uses of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluoro octanoic acid (PFOA) from its microprocessor manufacturing processes as of January 2010, becoming the first in the industry to announce elimination of these two compounds.

In 2009, IBM saved 1,346 metric tons of packaging material through 60 projects worldwide, delivering annual cost savings of $9.3 million.

In 2009, IBM’s product end-of-life management (PELM) operations worldwide processed approximately 41,400 metric tons of end-of-life products and product waste. These PELM operations reused or recycled 95.8 percent of the total amount processed and sent only 0.5 percent to landfills or to incineration facilities for treatment.

IBM has recovered more than 1.7 billion pounds (770,553 metric tons) of product and product waste worldwide from 1995 to year-end 2009.

IBM set new requirements to address sustainability and environmental aspects of its nearly 30,000 suppliers.

Esty Environmental Partners (EEP) and IBM have launched the Sustainability Innovators Working Group, together with 12 other companies, aimed at developing new management tools and models for environmental management and corporate sustainability.

Original source: http://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/06/30/ibm-cr-report-energy-conservation-cuts-energy-costs-by-26-8m/

SAN DIEGO will be the place to be this summer for an estimated 10,000 of the nation’s top professionals in the energy, water, transportation and environmental industries. EngEx 2010, taking place at the San Diego Convention Center from July 29 – 31, will make America’s Finest City home to some of the top technologists, researchers, policy makers, governmental agencies and investors all looking to collaborate together under one roof.

“We are looking forward to having a great conference that really creates some strong business and innovation opportunities for our nation’s future,” said Kris Ellis, VP of Operations, with EngEx 2010. “The plan is to evolve some big ideas into action from this conference.”

9 Government agencies hosting workshops to help businesses grow:

* How to get government contracts? $500 Billion Given Annually!
* How to get access to government grants? $2.2 Billion Given Annually!
* BLM: How to access Gov’t lands for Oil/ Gas/Wind/Solar/Geothermal projects
* How to export and tap government resources to find international buyers?
* Learn how to work with utility companies to commercialize products!
* Keynote Speaker: Shell Energy North America President “Counting Carbon”
* Alternative Fuels Vehicle Showroom!

[read more]

I had the pleasure of introducing Rep. Edward Markey for his opening keynote at the recent Executive Council Sustainable Cities leadership forum.

Markey has been at the forefront of the Congressional response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, is the co-author of the Waxman-Markey climate change bill, and author of the bill that increased auto mileage standards for the first time in three decades. The League of Conservation Voters calls him the environment’s best advocate in Congress.

Markey gave a fiery address about the need for the U.S. to become the leader in alternative energy. What I found interesting was his view that regulation can be a catalyst to those efforts. While many business leaders think that regulation in anathema to innovation, Markey disagrees. He pointed to his prior work on the Telecommunications Committee that shifted a segment of the broadcast spectrum into commercial use for cellular and other wireless communications. Without that regulatory move, the cell phone and broadband revolutions would have been greatly slowed or might never have happened at all.

The lesson is that the private and public sectors can be catalysts for each other. The private sector organizations pushing for adoption of a carbon cost bill (either a carbon tax or cap-and-trade) are hoping that it will spur another revolution. They are also, to be honest, hoping to seek regulatory advantage by getting a bill that aligns with their competitive position. Public players have their own interests, too. They are hoping to get jobs created in their districts, contributions from companies that do well as a result of the legislation, and have something to point to as accomplishment in the next election cycle.

As oil continues to gush into the Gulf and our country spends more than a billion dollars a day on foreign oil, groups of Americans across the country are showing their support for clean energy through “American Clean Energy Now” events.  Beginning this week, as Congress adjourns for Memorial Day recess, Repower America, a project of the Alliance for Climate Protection, is holding dozens of events across the nation showing urgent support for climate and clean energy policies from diverse communities including veterans, business, labor and faith leaders.

“The massive oil spill off our coast has devastated whole industries, ruined the entire Gulf way of life, and proven that our dependence on dirty sources of energy is more dangerous than we ever imagined,” said Dave Boundy, Repower America campaign manager. “Meanwhile we are still spending over a billion dollars a day on foreign oil.”

President Obama has made it clear that, in the wake of the worst oil spill in America’s history, comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation is the best way to end our dangerous dependence on foreign oil and transition to a clean energy economy.

“The bright spot in our economic, environmental and national security future is clean energy. With clean energy, we can create the American jobs that we desperately need and keep our country safer at the same time,” said Boundy.

These events will amplify the voices of the countless everyday Americans who are demanding a new clean energy economy — across 15 states in a diverse array of cities, from Sioux Falls to South Bend, from Rapid City to Roanoke.

The forums are open to both the public and press and will feature discussion on how a transition to clean energy will create millions of jobs, make our nation more secure and cut pollution.

For more information, visit www.repoweramerica.org or contact press@climateprotect.org.

The ads, produced for the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA), feature sequences of short phrases with facts about sugarcane ethanol delivered by Indy drivers, including Ryan Hunter-Reay, Ana Beatriz, Takuma Sato, Davey Hamilton, E.J. Viso and the pole sitter for Sunday’s race, Helio Castroneves, a three-time Indy 500 winner. Since last year, UNICA has provided 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol for the IndyCar Series.

“For the first time ever, we are taking our message about sugarcane ethanol to national network television during one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world,” said Joel Velasco, UNICA’s Chief Representative in North America. “These commercials seek to educate American consumers about sugarcane ethanol and how it can benefit their pockets, the environment and the market, by promoting competition on and off the track,” Velasco added.

The ads were produced especially for this year’s 99th edition of the Indy 500, the main event in the IndyCar season. The two 30-second spots will appear during the race telecast on Sunday, May 30, on the ABC television network. UNICA plans to continue running television ads throughout the season.

To view other commercials, click on “I Compete” and “Cuts Emissions” or visit www.sweeteralternative.com/indy.