Smeal Alumni Interests: Sustainability
Being in the higher education industry, but working with alumni in business, creates a need to be informed about their world. Thank you to all my connections for sharing valuable information on LinkedIn that helps me stay current. This post shares articles from The Smeal Network on sustainability. Also let's celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!
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To improve your strategic leadership while focusing on making your business sustainable, make sure to sign up for our January 18 webinar at noon, "Strategic Leadership for Sustainability: 6 Steps for Moving Beyond Corporate Social Responsibility" with presenter, Erik Foley, Smeal's Director of Sustainability and Director of Learning and Development in Executive Programs. Hear from our Smeal expert!
Below are some articles recently shared by Erik:
-- Martin Luther King | "I Have A Dream" Speech - In honor of Martin Luther King Day!
--7 exceptional sustainability podcasts you should tune in to: "If you can’t get enough of the sustainability world, there are plenty of great podcasts to entertain your commute and workday. A bumper crop of new green podcasts has materialized since my last round-up, so here is the 2017 edition of exceptional shows worth your ear. All the picks in the list are free, well produced, available on iTunes and currently churning out episodes."
--Big OPEC oil producer is spending billions to go green: "It sits on some of the world's biggest oil and gas reserves, but the United Arab Emirates wants to burn much less fuel in future. The country, a core member of OPEC, plans to invest $163 billion to boost its use of alternative energy over the next three decades. That should increase clean energy's share of UAE consumption from 25% to 50% by 2050. The country also hopes to increase energy efficiency by 40% over the same period."
--Can bacteria eat up the plastic pollution problem? "In high school, two smart women discovered a new bacteria in a local river that specifically eats phthalates, a harmful plasticizer that never degrades. Since then, Miranda Wang and Jeanny Yao have turned their discovery of plastic-eating bacteria into an innovative, award-winning business called BioCellection."
--Trump’s Climate Contrarian: Myron Ebell Takes on the E.P.A: “In looking for someone to follow through on his campaign vow to dismantle one of the Obama administration’s signature climate change policies, President-elect Donald J. Trump probably could not have found a better candidate for the job than Mr. Ebell.”
--How Big Banks Are Putting Rain Forests in Peril: “The year before the clearing of trees in West Kalimantan, Rajawali’s plantation arm secured $235 million in loans — funds that the Indonesian company used to buy out a partner and bolster its landholdings — from banks including Credit Suisse and Bank of America, according to an examination of lending data by The New York Times.”
--The Cobalt Pipeline: “This remote landscape in southern Africa lies at the heart of the world’s mad scramble for cheap cobalt, a mineral essential to the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that power smartphones, laptops and electric vehicles made by companies such as Apple, Samsung and major automakers.”
Help us strengthen the Smeal/Penn State network and continue to make it the #1 College Network! If you are a Smeal alum, please join us on LinkedIn. Remember it should say "Official" on the title!
Sustainability - Who is taking the government to trial for ruining the environment?
The Demanding World of Sustainable Investment shared by Ed Applegate (‘88 Accounting) Director at Riveron Consulting: “Morgan Stanley’s Institute for Sustainable Investing and Bloomberg L.P. surveyed 402 asset management professionals to find out how well they have adapted to the onslaught of demand for impact investing. Here are some of the highlights of their new report, “Sustainable Signals: The Asset Manager Perspective.”
These are Tesla’s stunning new solar roof tiles for homes shared by Saloni Asthana (‘13 MBA) Senior Project Manager and Chief of Staff at Dell: “Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk wasn’t kidding when he said that the new Tesla solar roof product was better looking than an ordinary roof: the roofing replacement with solar energy gathering powers does indeed look great. “
Articles shared by James Ayoub (‘16 Supply Chain) Supply Chain Analyst at graze.com
--Inside Leonardo DiCaprio’s eco-resort on a private island off the coast of Belize: “Now the actor-turned-activist is hoping to create a new model for green hospitality. DiCaprio is helping design a new resort called Blackadore Caye, A Restorative Island. Slated to open in late 2018, it will be located on a small island off the coast of Belize.”
--Starting at the source: Sustainability in supply chains: “By working closely with their suppliers, consumer companies can lessen their environmental and social impact and position themselves for strong growth.”
Dr Pepper Snapple Is Buying This Antioxidant Drink Maker for $1.7 Billion shared by John Barnes (‘95 Accounting) Partner at Grant Thornton LLP: “Dr Pepper Snapple Group said on Tuesday it would buy Bai Brands, a maker of antioxidant beverages, for $1.7 billion in cash, in the latest example of a soft-drinks maker investing in products that are perceived to be healthier.”
Articles shared by Daniel Bena (Webinar Presenter) Senior Director of Operations Development at PepsiCo
--The Closed Loop Fund is a social impact fund investing $100M to increase the recycling of products and packaging.: “Plastic Recovery Facility will provide a solution for one of the major issues MRFs confront – plastics #3-7s that usually end up in the landfill will now be further processed and recycled by QRS.”
--Eileen Fisher has designs on keeping clothing out of landfills: “Most consumers don't often think about the global journey garments took on their way to the hanger, however, or the footprints they will leave behind after we discard them. That's partly because most fashion companies don't talk about these things.”
--Meat, the unlikely climate hero? “Allan Savory is on a mission to change the way we raise livestock. Not just to make livestock production less polluting, but to harness the profound role these animals play in carbon sequestration. In fact, Savory believes livestock management is the most powerful sequestration opportunity we have, and the foundation of regenerative agriculture.”
--Small farms are just as important as big agriculture in the fight against climate change: “Just four days before the US elections, the Paris Agreement officially became international law after receiving formal sign-off from 55 countries that contribute 55% of global greenhouse-gas emissions. This landmark deal marked a pivotal moment in the fight against climate change, particularly given its ratification by a majority of the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases, including India, China, the United States, and the European Union.”
--Why PepsiCo aims to repair watersheds in Latin American cities: "Watersheds act as sponges for rain, holding it for when needed in dry seasons, while a watershed’s trees absorb carbon from the air and provide habitat for animals. They clean water and air, as part of the natural capital the earth provides."
--Meet the kids suing the US government for ruining the earth for future generations: “A group of 21 youth plaintiffs have filed a lawsuit against President Obama and various federal agencies for failing to protect the earth’s natural resources for future generations. A federal judge denied all motions to dismiss the case last week, paving the way for it to go to trial.”
--SAC's Updated Higg Tool Provides Industry Baseline for Impacts of Textiles: “The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) has launched a new version of its Higg Materials Sustainability Index (Higg MSI), a cradle-to-gate scoring tool that measures and communicates the environmental performance of thousands of materials used in creating apparel, footwear and home textile products.”
Elon Musk unveils Solar Roof by SolarCity shared by Junaid Butt (‘12 MBA) Director eCommerce Technology Operations at Comcast: “Tesla CEO and SolarCity chairman Elon Musk just announced a new way to power your home with solar power. The product is called Solar Roof, and it’s designed to replace traditional shingles”
Empower Energies and WGL Energy Launch Fund for Distributed Solar Expansion shared by Daniel Allen Crouse (‘09 Economics) Director of Business Development at BrightFarms: “Empower Energies(“Empower” or the “Company”), a leading Clean Energy Portfolio Solutions company, and WGL Energy Systems, which operates distributed generation systems in 19 states and the District of Columbia, today announced that they have launched a Distributed Generation Fund (DG Fund) for photovoltaic (PV) solar projects, together with a leading global strategic tax equity investor.”
Musk Says Tesla’s Solar Shingles Will Cost Less Than A Dumb Roof shared by Marcello D’Amore (‘14 Accounting) Risk Assurance, Banking and Capital Markets at PricewaterhouseCoopers: “Tesla’s new solar roof product, he proclaimed, will actually cost less to manufacture and install than a traditional roof—even before savings from the power bill. ‘Electricity,’ Musk said, ‘is just a bonus.’”
Doing good by doing well: How Moroccan companies are tackling the energy challenge shared by Bill Flederbach (‘05 MBA) President and CEO at ClimeCo Corporation: “Readers interested in energy issues and the negotiations relating to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), know that the Moroccan government has adopted an ambitious strategy in this field and aspires to produce 42% of its domestic consumption in electricity by 2020 from renewable sources.”
ASHRAE/IES Publish 2016 Energy Efficiency Standard shared by Brian Feenie (‘94 Marketing) Sales Engineer at Clapp Associates, Inc.: “As a result of a strategic initiative begun in the 2013 cycle, the 2016 version has a new format that we believe will be easier for users, a new way of incorporation of reference material from other standards starting with climate data, and a performance path for compliance that rewards designs for achieving energy cost levels above the standard minimum.”
Bringing Fun (and a little of the 80s) Back to Sustainability shared by Joseph Gandolfo (‘12 Marketing) Retail Vendor Manager at Amazon and by Mark King (‘86 Business Logistics) Work Crew Leader at Good Works: “Manufacturing can be a hard business, and often times its focus on line efficiency, operational efficiency, and getting product out the door leave little room for fun. Energy, water, waste. EWW, not the most fun acronym in the world, either.”
US solar market boom cuts O&M costs years ahead of forecast shared by Carl J. Jackson (‘01 Finance) Director, Project Finance & Origination: “Falling component prices and installation costs have driven down plant lifetime costs and raised the importance of O&M expenses. U.S. installations have hiked on the back of Investment Tax Credits (ITCs) and O&M providers have responded to increasing competition by widening their range of services.”
Bicycles Are Good for Business, Your Body and the Planet shared by Gabriela Kappes (’13 Community, Environment, and Development) Urban Planner at WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff in the USA: “Urban air quality suffers as a result of congestion from vehicular exhaust and factory smoke emissions, so it’s always in our best interests to utilize alternative forms of transportation with zero emissions. Here are three major benefits bicycles offer as a way of helping to minimize our carbon impact, as well as benefiting our bodies and our quality of life.”
Starbucks, Gap, Nike and others demand Trump stand by climate deal, shared by Natasha Kennedy (’92 Finance) Senior Vice President of Strategy and Innovation at ORC International: “If President-elect Donald Trump is going to go soft on climate change regulations, big business is going to put up a big stink.”
Articles shared by Mark King (‘86 Business Logistics) Steering Committee Member at Greater Philadelphia Renewable Energy Meetup
--Global Solar Installations To Reach 76 GW In 2016, According to Mercom: “Global solar installation levels are expected to surpass original expectations for 2016 and fly in the face of a partial-global slowdown, reaching 76 GW for the year, up 48% over 2015, according to global clean energy consulting firm Mercom Capital Group.”
--Energy Storage is an Enabler for Microgrids: “ABB’s Bob Fesmire explains how energy storage is becoming more refined, and acting as an enabler for microgrids.”
--1 Million Pure EVs Worldwide: EV Revolution Begins!: “No, it’s about the technology that has come to dominate CleanTechnica coverage — electric transport. Electric cars, electric buses, and electric trucks are simply better than their gasoline predecessors. They offer a more exhilarating drive, a smoother ride, more convenience, cleaner air, a livable climate, less maintenance, lower operating costs, and a clear conscience, among other things.”
--Great News: We helped secure over $750K in LED Rebates for our NYC Client: “Newmark Holdings, a vertically integrated owner, operator, property manager and developer of commercial real estate, announced today that it has received $762,482 in rebate incentives following the completion of the LED lighting retrofits for 24 of the buildings in its NYC portfolio. According to Con Edison, the incentive check for Newmark Holdings is the 8th largest incentive they have ever paid out, and the project ranks as the 4th largest lighting project in dollar amount.”
Recycling EV Batteries More Cost-Competitive Than Using For Home Energy Storage: “It makes more sense from an economic standpoint to recycle old plug-in electric vehicle batteries than to reuse them directly for home energy storage, according to a new report from Lux Research.”
--Solar & Wind Belong Together Like Peanut Butter & Jelly: “What’s keeping solar and wind power from fully taking over the electric grid?”
--Time-Shift Your Excess Solar With Ice Storage: “Ice Energy has announced a new model of its thermal energy storage in ice, designed purely with the solar homeowner in mind.”
--Thinking of Going Solar? Part Two: “Last month we embarked on a multi-part series about solar photovoltaics (PV) and started with a discussion of five residential systems installed by ERS engineers in their homes. Several different selections were made related to system specifics as well as with economic approaches. The systems presented demonstrated a cross-section and diversity of choices. In this installment, we’ll look at the key components of a PV system and the types of considerations a purchaser is faced with.”
--New Simulation Represents 100% Renewable Energy System: “Researchers at the Lappeenranta University of Technology in Finland have developed the first ever model depicting a 100% global renewable energy system.”
--Solar For After Dark: How CSP Works: “Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) is the form of solar that can store the sun’s energy thermally for on-demand electricity generation at any time.”
Saint-Gobain’s, CertainTeed’s North American Headquarters in Malvern a Showcase of Sustainability: “Saint-Gobain and CertainTeed’s Headquarters was designed to demonstrate the power our products have to improve the quality of people’s lives,” said John Crowe, who oversees Saint-Gobain’s activities in North America. “It’s a shining example of how innovative companies can design, construct, and renovate sustainable, healthy, comfortable, and environmentally friendly buildings around the world.”
With the Election Over, a Reason to Work Together on Energy Policy shared by Uma Pattarkine (‘14 Accounting) Business Analyst at ExxonMobil: “We believe that nuclear energy has a central role to play in our nation’s energy mix. I am passionate about our industry and consider it key to our critical infrastructure in America.”
WLabs of Whirlpool Corporation Turns Food Scraps into Fertilizer with New Zera Food Recycler shared by Christine Ramsay (‘05 Marketing) Territory Sales and Training Manager at MarketSource Inc.: “A revolutionary new food recycler from Whirlpool Corporation’s innovation incubator, WLabs, is bringing new meaning to sustainability in the home.”
NAFA Announces Holman Parts Distribution Fleet As Newest Sustainability-Accredited Fleet shared by Jaclyn Rusnak (‘14 Marketing) Client Administrator at ARI: “NAFA Fleet Management Association (NAFA) is pleased to announce its next accredited fleet via NAFA’s Sustainable Fleet Accreditation Program is the fleet of Holman Parts Distribution. These fleets have successfully demonstrated that a credible sustainability plan is in place, and real, meaningful progress is being made toward reducing their total emissions and the negative environmental impact via extraneous carbon fuel usage. Holman Parts Distribution joins an ever-growing list of NAFA-accredited fleets that are bringing positive action and quantifiable value to their organizations.”
No One Saw Tesla’s Solar Roof Coming shared by Jennifer Walker (‘04 Accounting) Revenue Accounting Manager at Florida Power & Light Company: “It wasn’t until about a minute into the speech that Musk casually let the crowd in on Tesla’s big secret. “The interesting thing is that the houses you see around you are all solar houses,” Musk said. “Did you notice?””