NEWS FROM THE WIRE
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: NEW Sustainability Takes Center Stage At Polyurethanes 2009 Technical Conference
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: NEW U.S. Companies Continue to Invest in Energy Efficiency
Editorial : Get Real
Terry Wellman
SustainCommWorld, Contributing Editor, Green Media Newsletter
If you're rich and educated, you stand a chance.
Given normal human behaviors - business as usual - nothing will work to change enough, fast enough to prevent catastrophic weather changes from taking place.
What scientists are reluctant to say - for fear of being ridiculed - is it is likely that we have already set in motion toxic trends that will trigger critical tipping points.
That has to be said, now.
As time goes on, humanity will be faced with fewer and fewer adaptive choices - many of them akin to the "lifeboat predicament" with too little food and a few days water and too many survivors in a leaky boat. Who decides who gets thrown overboard or who becomes dinner?
So what could be the scenario over the coming decades?
Glaciers melt, fresh water supplies dwindle. The remaining water is increasingly contaminated with salts, toxins and pharmaceuticals. Desert sands advance covering grasslands, grazing stock dies. Lumber is over-harvested destroying Amazon vegetation and globally we loose 10-20% of the oxygen needed for life. Snow melting off northern latitudes lets permafrost release millions of tons of CO2 further warming the climate. A warmer climate melts more ice and snow raising sea levels 10-30 feet forcing over 2 Billion people to become climate refugees. Society in poorer, low-lying lands descends into chaos. Food, water, medicine and clothing distribution become non-existent in poorer and hard-hit areas. Oceans continue to acidify which destroys coral, the foundation of the oceans food chain resulting in the loss of food for millions. Pine beetles and a thousand other pests invade northern forests and square miles of timber burn while other bugs spread tropical diseases into northern cities. Major rivers worldwide run dry because glaciers have disappeared. Wars are fought over fresh water supplies. Society as we know it becomes a day-to-day struggle with little time, money or energy to address the causes of Global Warming. We have developed a perfect storm, a deadly scenario that portrays a picture of humanity dying with a whimper.
These events are already underway and a part of our biosphere - on our 25,000 mile around globe, mostly covered by salt water, and an atmosphere about to 7 miles deep. Our failing has been our inability to understand that life on Earth exists due to a narrow balance of temperature and that a 3-6 degree rise will have devastating effects.
All this is already "locked-in" and unavoidable without heroic measures now.
I'm not optimistic. I'm a realist. Bringing about worldwide heroic measures is unlikely.
Can we rise to the challenge and lead humanity in restoring a balance? This has never happened in the history of our species, yet without it, our species faces extinction by its own hand.
The odds are against us! Why?
Humanity always takes the easy way out. This challenge can't be "bought on the cheap" or solved by implementing a quick fix. There are no easy ways out or clever workarounds.
Politics only delays action.
Sufficient time to makes changes is running out - this decade.
The vast majority of humanity remains ignorant about the most basic causes of Global Warming and they haven't begun to work on the solutions. Face it, most people don't know there is a problem.
If humanity is to continue to exist on planet earth it is up to the educated and the wealthy. That still leaves 90% of humanity out of the decision-making process. Face it, billions of people are going to perish.
We succeeded in our efforts to industrialize using the most available means - fossil fuels and we're now choking the life out of every species and warming the biosphere with greenhouse gasses that are the byproduct of fossil-fuel combustion.
We've let industrial companies dump their manufacturing by-products anywhere to the point where water supplies - both fresh water and oceanic are compromised.
We've failed to relate the profound importance of a 6 degree rise in global temperature to the extinction of humanity - and that omission may be our epitaph.
For all of those reasons and a thousand more, realize we are acting with too little effort, too late to save a majority of our species.
The real question is, once humanity really wakes up - after we've lost 3-5 billion humans, will there still be "heroic means" that can save the survivors?
Human Footprint - Where Does All the Stuff Go
Source - National Geographic
Our human footprint doesn't end after we buy and consume things; the final impact occurs when we discard items - and we Americans discard four-fifths of a ton of trash per person, per year......more
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RGI,Inc. Branding and Marketing Strategists
There's more to your brand than meets the eye. At least, there should be. At RGI, we create and activate brand strategy for customers, shoppers and consumers-with messaging and tactics relevant to each. We collaborate with our clients long-term to build brands that are bold, responsive, and whole. Welcome to RGI.
There's more to your brand than meets the eye. At least, there should be. At RGI, we create and activate brand strategy for customers, shoppers and consumers-with messaging and tactics relevant to each. We collaborate with our clients long-term to build brands that are bold, responsive, and whole. Welcome to RGI.
Old Glory's Red, White and Blue Goes 'Green'
The Flag Company, Inc. proudly announces the newest addition to its line of flags: "Green" USA flags made from recycled plastic soda and water bottles......more
Source - prweb
Sustainability - The Time for Preaching is Over
"Short term you focus on economic sustainability in the form of sound financial management strategies to survive the storm - but don't lose sight of what's coming down the track. There are risks ahead, but by looking through a new lens of sustainability, when the skies clear you'll be in a much stronger position than your competition." .....more
Source - nzbusiness
Investing in Sustainability
By now you are convinced of the business value in going green, or building environmental sustainability into your business. What exactly is "sustainability" and.....more
Source - greenbiz.com
Jumping into the Green Job Market
With record numbers of people out of work, the prospect of an emerging green economy is increasingly viewed as the light at end of a long dark tunnel by many jobseekers, especially those from .....more
Source - greenbiz.com
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4 Elements Group - 4 Elements Group is a dynamic, collaborative team providing energy efficiency and renewable energy options, green building services, organic landscape designs and green marketing solutions.
Be Green -BeGreen empowers you to take an active role in neutralizing your carbon emissions and reducing your impact on global warming.
Carbonfund.org - Carbonfund.org is leading the fight against climate change, making it easy and affordable for any individual, business or organization to eliminate their climate impact and hastening the transformation to a clean energy and technology future.
Center for Earth Leadership - The center was founded by Jeanne and Dick Roy, nationally recognized leaders in the sustainablity movement. Their singular vision is: citizens will provide the essential leadership to a sustainable culture.
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Conservation International- We are innovative problem-solvers. Our work is based on cutting-edge science, comprehensive partnerships, and concern for human well-being.
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Food Trade Sustainability Leadership -The aim of the campaign is to promote education and action toward sustainable business practices in the organic food trade.
Forest Stewardship Council - The Forest Stewardship Council was created to change the dialogue about and the practice of sustainable forestry worldwide.
Glass Packaging Institute - The Glass Packaging Institute (GPI) serves as the voice for the glass container industry in Washington, D.C., and across the country.
GreenBiz.com - a leading information resource that aligns environmental responsibility with business success.
Green-e -Green-e is the nation's leading independent certification and verification program for renewable energy and greenhouse gas emission reductions in the retail market.
Green Options - Green Options Media's growing network of environmentally-focused blogs provides users with a broad spectrum of information on and direction for making more sustainable choices in their lives.
GreenerPackage.com - Information and expertise to promote sustainable packaging. Expert-guided discussion groups, news and developments, and searchable database of environmentally-friendly materials, products, containers.
letsrecycle.com - The home of news and information for recyclers and all those involved in sustainable waste management.
MoreThanWaste.com -Waste Management is a wide-ranging topic covering many scientific, technical and operational areas.
Onsite Events Green - OnSite Events, Inc and our OnSite Events Green Division work with forward thinking associations and corporations to plan and produce sustainable, environmentally friendly, green meetings, conferences and events.
Operation Clean Sweep -Operation clean sweep was developed to prevent the release of resin pellets into the environment.
Organic Consumers Association - An online organization campaigning for health, justice and sustainability.
Packaging Probe- Devoted to saving resources via bringing to light products that have unnecessary packaging. Offering tips for manufacturers to reduce their waste and for citizens to take action.
Sustainable Business.com - Business that contributes to an equitable and ecologically sustainable economy.
Sustainable Communities Network - Linking citizens to resources and to one another to create healthy, vital, sustainable communities.
Sustainable is Good - Great articles on green packaging.
Sustainable Forestry Initiative - The Sustainable Forestry Initiative(R) label is a sign you are buying wood and paper products from well-managed forests, backed by a rigorous, third-party certification audit.
Sustainable Industries - Sustainable Industries caters to sustainable business leaders on the West Coast, the most dynamic region of the world for sustainable business innovation, and beyond.
Sustainable Life Media - Sustainable Life Media is the leading producer of sustainable business conferences and events, with supporting products and services that include targeted e-newsletters, an online community, research, marketing services and more.
Sustainable Packaging Coalition -Our mission is to advocate and communicate a positive, robust environmental vision for packaging and to support innovative, functional packaging materials and systems that promote economic and environmental health through supply chain collaboration.
Sustainable Retailing Consortium - The Sustainable Retailing Consortium brings together retailers, manufacturers, vendors, and organizations that are engaged in sustainable (green) retailing efforts.
Treehugger - is the leading media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream. Partial to a modern aesthetic, we strive to be a one-stop shop for green news, solutions, and product information.
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