Sustainability Archives - Green Businesses

Navigating the Climate Tech Inflection Point: Insights from VERGE 23 Keynote Session

Navigating the Climate Tech Inflection Point: Insights from VERGE 23 Keynote Session At the forefront of climate tech discussions, VERGE 23 recently hosted a pivotal keynote session, delving into the inflection point that climate technology currently finds itself in. The session featured insights from Mike Schroepfer, Partner at Gigascale Capital, and Sophie Purdom, Managing Partner at Planeteer Capital, as they discussed the opportunities and challenges for innovators in the climate tech space. The Inflection Point for Climate Tech The conversation underscored the urgency of the decisions made today in shaping the speed and scale of the transition to a cleaner economy. Mike Schroepfer, former CTO of Meta and founder of the non-profit Carbon Toc Initiative, emphasized the need for collaboration and strategic partnerships to drive the implementation of new climate technologies. Scaling Climate Technologies: The Collaborative Approach Scaling new climate …

Crafting a Sustainable Pint: Sustainable Brewing and Eco-Friendly Beverages in the USA, Europe, and Australia

Sustainability and eco-consciousness are making waves in the beverage industry, transforming the way we enjoy our favorite drinks. In the United States, Europe, and Australia, sustainable brewing and the production of eco-friendly beverages have become more than just trends; they're vital commitments to preserving the planet. Let's explore the innovative ways these regions are crafting a sustainable pint and offering eco-friendly beverages to their consumers. United States: Where Sustainability Meets Craft Beer In the USA, craft beer has been at the forefront of the sustainable brewing movement. This industry is characterized by its commitment to producing high-quality, artisanal beers while embracing environmentally friendly practices. 1. Reducing Carbon Footprints: Breweries across the country are actively working to reduce their carbon footprints. From switching to renewable energy sources like solar and wind power to optimizing production processes for energy effic…

Will the Green Growth Strategy Lead to Promising Business Opportunities? Exploring the Future Five Years from Now

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about great changes in our society and business environment. To grasp the nature of the social transformation arising from this ongoing event, since May 2020 Nikkei BP has been conducting a series of surveys of Japanese businesspeople (more than 11,000 in total). The results unveil major alterations in their mindsets. Following the Japanese government's declaration on realizing "Carbon Neutrality by 2050" in October 2020, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) took the lead in formulating the "Green Growth Strategy through Achieving Carbon Neutrality in 2050," which was unveiled in December of the same year. The Ministry positions this strategy as "an industrial policy to lead the challenging goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, a vision that is upheld by the Suga administration and aims toward a positive cycle of economic growth and the environmental protection." The strategy emphasizes 14 sectors as priority fields (Fig…

In Case You Needed Another Reason To Visit Aruba

Aruba, like many countries, is heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels for energy. Currently, nearly 85% of the energy is generated by heavy fuel oil but that is going to change. Aruba pledged to transition to 100% renewable electricity by 2020, particularly variable wind and solar. This 19 mile long island launched it’s Green Gateway Initiative in 2011 at the UN Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development. With the support of Carbon War Room, an international nonprofit, Aruba created its plan of action beginning with wind farm development, a waste-to-energy plant, and a Airport Solar Park. They are taking the Smart Growth Pathway that addresses many different areas of an expanding economy, such as; eco-tourism, incentives for household retrofitting and commercial energy efficiency, the sustainable agriculture practice known as controlled environment agriculture, urban planning that supports this transition, and investments in innovation. This plan focuses on three comp…

TreeHouse Aims to Make Homes Thoughtful, Sustainable and Healthy

Austin-based TreeHouse, a home improvement retailer focused on eco-friendly construction materials, has selected Dallas as its first stop outside its hip hometown. Tuesday, it will announce plans to open a store in early 2017 in a new shopping center in North Dallas. TreeHouse CEO and co-founder Jason Ballard believes he can sell the world on eco-friendly homes in the same way that Tesla is broadening the customer base for electric cars. As the first retailer that Tesla has authorized to sell the Powerwall, its battery for the house, TreeHouse is already a powerhouse of sustainable good. They are also one of the top-selling retailers of Nest smart-home products, Ballard said. “We resist being a niche company,” Ballard said. “We’re not just for customers with dreadlocks and card-carrying members of environmental groups. We’re going to prove with the Dallas store that we’re not a store for special people, we’re a store for everyone.” Single-store sales have increased 3…