GE Opens New Plant, Says ‘Lean’ Helps Make U.S. Manufacturing Competitive February 27, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business, manufacturing.Tags: green business, manufacturing
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General Electric, which once considered selling off its appliances division, has redoubled its efforts and has invested in its appliances division and in U.S. manufacturing. A new hybrid water heater plant has opened in Louisville, Kentucky –the first in more than fifty years. New wage structures, the implementation of lean, and the development of a one-team mentality culture are serving that new operation well.
For the IndustryWeek review of General Electric’s new operations, head here.
What 164,312 Solar Panels Look Like From the Air December 18, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business.Tags: energy, green, green business
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SmartPlanet is hosting a photo essay about the Long Island Solar Farm, a 32-megawatt power project at Brookhaven Labs. The farm produces enough electricity to provide power for 4,500 homes for a year.
Check out the amazing photos here.
What 164,312 Solar Panels Look Like From the Air December 18, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business.Tags: energy, green, green business
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SmartPlanet is hosting a photo essay about the Long Island Solar Farm, a 32-megawatt power project at Brookhaven Labs. The farm produces enough electricity to provide power for 4,500 homes for a year.
Check out the amazing photos here.
New Material Claimed to Store More Energy and Cost Less Money than Batteries November 17, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business, new products and technologies.Tags: green, green business, new products and technologies
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The National University of Singapore has unveiled an interesting new creation: an energy storage membrane. Made from a polystyrene-based polymer, the membrane is placed between two metal plates and electrically-charged. It stores energy at a rate of 0.2 farads per square centimeter, making the cost per farad $0.72, compared to current batteries which cost roughly $7.00 per farad.
Check out the GizMag write-up here.
New Material Claimed to Store More Energy and Cost Less Money than Batteries November 17, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business, new products and technologies.Tags: green, green business, new products and technologies
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The National University of Singapore has unveiled an interesting new creation: an energy storage membrane. Made from a polystyrene-based polymer, the membrane is placed between two metal plates and electrically-charged. It stores energy at a rate of 0.2 farads per square centimeter, making the cost per farad $0.72, compared to current batteries which cost roughly $7.00 per farad.
Check out the GizMag write-up here.
Dell-Goodwill Partnership Makes Recycling Computers Easier June 2, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business.Tags: green business
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SmartPlanet interviewed Elizabeth Johnson of Dell Reconnect about the partnership between Dell and Goodwill, which takes in computer equipment of all makes and models across the country. There they are properly disposed of, and as a result, landfills are without 170 million pounds of computer equipment. 62% of Goodwill stores are currently coordinating with Dell for the recycling program.
Read the rest of the interview here.
Dell-Goodwill Partnership Makes Recycling Computers Easier June 2, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business.Tags: green business
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SmartPlanet interviewed Elizabeth Johnson of Dell Reconnect about the partnership between Dell and Goodwill, which takes in computer equipment of all makes and models across the country. There they are properly disposed of, and as a result, landfills are without 170 million pounds of computer equipment. 62% of Goodwill stores are currently coordinating with Dell for the recycling program.
Read the rest of the interview here.
Building a 15-Story Hotel in Less Than Six Days April 20, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in economy, green business, lean.Tags: economy, green business, lean
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China continues to throw down the gauntlet with its architecture. Broad Group showcased its ability to build rapidly by constructing the 15-story Ark Hotel using 200 workers in less than six days. Within 46.5 hours, for example, the steel structure had been erected. Not only was the building so rapidly built, but the Ark Hotel is environmentally friendly. It used one-sixth the material of a normal, similarly-sized building –and can withstand a 9.0 magnitude earthquake.
Check out the GizMag article about the Ark Hotel here.
Building a 15-Story Hotel in Less Than Six Days April 20, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in economy, green business, lean.Tags: economy, green business, lean
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China continues to throw down the gauntlet with its architecture. Broad Group showcased its ability to build rapidly by constructing the 15-story Ark Hotel using 200 workers in less than six days. Within 46.5 hours, for example, the steel structure had been erected. Not only was the building so rapidly built, but the Ark Hotel is environmentally friendly. It used one-sixth the material of a normal, similarly-sized building –and can withstand a 9.0 magnitude earthquake.
Check out the GizMag article about the Ark Hotel here.
Corporate Sustainability: Why Settle for Compliance? Create Competitive Differentiation April 20, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business.Tags: green, green business
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According to Smart Planet, last year, the LEED program certified 1 billion square feet of commercial space as green. But just because LEED has certified so much commercial space as green, doesn’t mean evolution can stop. Its certification levels include Gold and Platinum, and it is those levels that companies are striving for. The article at Smart Planet highlights the efforts of Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Fed-Ex to achieve those ratings.
Check out the article here.
Corporate Sustainability: Why Settle for Compliance? Create Competitive Differentiation April 20, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business.Tags: green, green business
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According to Smart Planet, last year, the LEED program certified 1 billion square feet of commercial space as green. But just because LEED has certified so much commercial space as green, doesn’t mean evolution can stop. Its certification levels include Gold and Platinum, and it is those levels that companies are striving for. The article at Smart Planet highlights the efforts of Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Fed-Ex to achieve those ratings.
Check out the article here.
Mesa Man Makes Eco-Friendly Plastic Bottles April 20, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business, new products and technologies.Tags: green business, new products and technologies
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Danny Clark, hoping to leave an eco-friendly footprint for his children, hoping to make a few dollars, and hoping to ride the wave of green enthusiasm, has developed a biodegradable plastic bottle. But opposition has manifested in the recycling industry, which uses plastic to make everything from clothing to new bottles. Clark’s startup, Enso, says that its bottles will begin degrading after 5 years in the elements. Despite objections from the recycling industry, Clark is determined to carry on.
Check out the Product Design and Development Article here.
Mesa Man Makes Eco-Friendly Plastic Bottles April 20, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business, new products and technologies.Tags: green business, new products and technologies
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Danny Clark, hoping to leave an eco-friendly footprint for his children, hoping to make a few dollars, and hoping to ride the wave of green enthusiasm, has developed a biodegradable plastic bottle. But opposition has manifested in the recycling industry, which uses plastic to make everything from clothing to new bottles. Clark’s startup, Enso, says that its bottles will begin degrading after 5 years in the elements. Despite objections from the recycling industry, Clark is determined to carry on.
Check out the Product Design and Development Article here.
Harnessing Viruses to Build a Better Battery February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business, new products and technologies.Tags: green business, new products and technologies
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The Tobacco Mosaic Virus, first discovered in 1898, is now being used in battery technology. The virus is programmed so that it adheres to metallic surfaces, and its ability to replicate and self-renew is utilized by covering it with a current collector. The result is a 10-fold increase in storage abilities over a regular lithium-ion battery.
Check out the GizMag write-up here.
Harnessing Viruses to Build a Better Battery February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business, new products and technologies.Tags: green business, new products and technologies
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The Tobacco Mosaic Virus, first discovered in 1898, is now being used in battery technology. The virus is programmed so that it adheres to metallic surfaces, and its ability to replicate and self-renew is utilized by covering it with a current collector. The result is a 10-fold increase in storage abilities over a regular lithium-ion battery.
Check out the GizMag write-up here.
CO2 Could be Used in ‘Green’ Plastic Production February 4, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business, new products and technologies.Tags: green, green business, new products and technologies
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Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute is experimenting with a process that uses carbon dioxide to enhance plastic products – such as coloring them. This is a process that is dominated by using toxic solvents, and where CO2 has not been used before. Plastic has also been made more antibacterial using CO2 injection. The CO2 itself is nonflammable, nontoxic, and inexpensive.
Check out the GizMag write-up here.
CO2 Could be Used in ‘Green’ Plastic Production February 4, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business, new products and technologies.Tags: green, green business, new products and technologies
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Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute is experimenting with a process that uses carbon dioxide to enhance plastic products – such as coloring them. This is a process that is dominated by using toxic solvents, and where CO2 has not been used before. Plastic has also been made more antibacterial using CO2 injection. The CO2 itself is nonflammable, nontoxic, and inexpensive.
Check out the GizMag write-up here.
Unilever Tries to Double Its Sales While Halving Its Environmental Footprint January 10, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business, strategy.Tags: green business, strategy
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Unilever – the multinational corporation whose brands include Lipton and Dove Soap – has vowed it is on track to make consumption sustainable. To do this, for example, Unilever says it wants to sustainably source 100% of its agricultural raw materials. The multinational corporation held a show in New York, which concluded with a discussion panel on the economy and sustainability. While some applauded Unilever’s independent actions, others took a more pessimistic view, saying that Unilever must use its weight and power to influence governments and nongovernmental organizations to achieve sustainable ends.
Check out the FastCompany analysis here.
Unilever Tries to Double Its Sales While Halving Its Environmental Footprint January 10, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business, strategy.Tags: green business, strategy
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Unilever – the multinational corporation whose brands include Lipton and Dove Soap – has vowed it is on track to make consumption sustainable. To do this, for example, Unilever says it wants to sustainably source 100% of its agricultural raw materials. The multinational corporation held a show in New York, which concluded with a discussion panel on the economy and sustainability. While some applauded Unilever’s independent actions, others took a more pessimistic view, saying that Unilever must use its weight and power to influence governments and nongovernmental organizations to achieve sustainable ends.
Check out the FastCompany analysis here.
Carbon Sciences Moves Closer to Turning CO2 Into Gasoline January 10, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business, new products and technologies.Tags: green business, new products and technologies
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The Santa Clara, California-based startup company Carbon Sciences has developed a system for transforming CO2 emissions and methane into a gasoline-like substance that is free of heavy metals, carcinogens, and hazardous oxides. But the major problem is that Carbon Sciences’s formula doesn’t stop CO2 from ultimately entering the atmosphere, and the gasoline-like product hasn’t been tested outside the lab yet.
Read the FastCompany article here.
Carbon Sciences Moves Closer to Turning CO2 Into Gasoline January 10, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business, new products and technologies.Tags: green business, new products and technologies
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The Santa Clara, California-based startup company Carbon Sciences has developed a system for transforming CO2 emissions and methane into a gasoline-like substance that is free of heavy metals, carcinogens, and hazardous oxides. But the major problem is that Carbon Sciences’s formula doesn’t stop CO2 from ultimately entering the atmosphere, and the gasoline-like product hasn’t been tested outside the lab yet.
Read the FastCompany article here.
The Urbee Hybrid: The First 3-D Printed Car December 13, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Creativity & Innovation, green business, new products and technologies.Tags: Creativity & Innovation, green business, new products and technologies
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3D printing has reached a new height and level of sophistication with the completion of the Urbee Hybrid car. Using 3-D printers, which create layers upon layers of material, the Urbee Hybrid averages 200 miles-per-gallon on highways and 100 miles-per-gallon in the city. Beyond those obvious environmental positives is the ability to precisely coordinate design changes to the car.
Check out the FastCompany write up here.
The Urbee Hybrid: The First 3-D Printed Car December 13, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Creativity & Innovation, green business, new products and technologies.Tags: Creativity & Innovation, green business, new products and technologies
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3D printing has reached a new height and level of sophistication with the completion of the Urbee Hybrid car. Using 3-D printers, which create layers upon layers of material, the Urbee Hybrid averages 200 miles-per-gallon on highways and 100 miles-per-gallon in the city. Beyond those obvious environmental positives is the ability to precisely coordinate design changes to the car.
Check out the FastCompany write up here.
Kimberly-Clark Rolls Out Tube-Free Toilet Paper December 13, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business, new products and technologies, product development.Tags: green business, new products and technologies, product development
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Kimberly-Clark’s Scott Toilet Paper line has unveiled toilet paper without the cardboard tubes inside. Estimating that 17-billion toilet paper tubes account for 160 million pounds of trash, and hoping to court their detractors, the Scott Naturals line of tubeless toilet tissue also uses 100% of wood fiber from sustainable resources.
Check out the Fast Company review here.
Kimberly-Clark Rolls Out Tube-Free Toilet Paper December 13, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business, new products and technologies, product development.Tags: green business, new products and technologies, product development
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Kimberly-Clark’s Scott Toilet Paper line has unveiled toilet paper without the cardboard tubes inside. Estimating that 17-billion toilet paper tubes account for 160 million pounds of trash, and hoping to court their detractors, the Scott Naturals line of tubeless toilet tissue also uses 100% of wood fiber from sustainable resources.
Check out the Fast Company review here.
