Tag Archives: Sustainable

Tracking lead batteries recycling supply chain from the US to Mexico

An article in the New York Times (February 9,2013) describes lax tracking of the recycling of lead batteries exported from the US to Mexico. In the absence of treatment of used batteries as hazardous waste, shipments into Mexico are not … Continue reading

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Transporting wine in bulk in plastic bags from Australia to the UK

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (February 7,2013) describes shipments of Australian wine in 24,000 liter plastic bags that are then packed in the UK. Saving 25 cents per bottle by shipping without the bottle enables the wine to be sold for … Continue reading

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The overturning of E.P.A.’s mandate for biofuel use and associated questions

An article in the New York Times (January 26, 2013) describes the overturning of a mandate by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding use of “liquids made from woody crops and wastes in car a truck fuels”. But the lack … Continue reading

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“Earth’s Balance Sheet” discussion by Nestle

A discussion with Nestle’s Jose Lopez (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulB-ETDI2wA) focuses on the idea of the Earth’s balance sheet, a concept described by Solomon Darwin in (http://openinnovation.berkeley.edu/Solomon_Darwin_Balance_Sheet_Earth_Executive_Summary.pdf). The idea is to account for the assets that are removed from the earth and not … Continue reading

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Reclothing, Upcycling – the Schmidttakahashi way

An article in the Brander (http://www.thebrander.com/article.php?o=391) describes the Berlin based Schmidttakahashi manufacturer of clothing that creates new apparel from used apparel. The donor of the clothing keeps part of the numbered label and can track the garment’s evolution downstream. But … Continue reading

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WalMart’s plans to increase sourcing in the US by $50 billion over 10 years

A news release (http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/walmart-to-boost-sourcing-of-us-products-by-50-billion-over-the-next-10-years-186934711.html) describes plans by WalMart to increase US sourcing by $10 billion over 10 years. The steps include longer term purchase agreements for domestic sourcing stability, hosting a manufacturing summit to encourage stakeholders to coordinate including government … Continue reading

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Aravind Eye Hospital’s “maximize patients” to reduce costs strategy

An article in the New York Times (January 17, 2013) describes the Aravind Eye Hospital in India, where patients pay whatever they can afford but are provided high quality care regardless of payment. While a patient with no money might … Continue reading

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Regulate sulphur content of ship fuels or offer more incentives in Hong Kong?

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (January 14,2013) describes the low sulphur content fuel (0.5 percent sulphur), which is 14% of permissible limits, used by the Maersk shipping line. The Hong Kong port offers a 50% reduction in port costs, but that … Continue reading

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Planning Recommendations to the New York Governer following hurricane Sandy

An article in the New York Times (January 4,2013) describes recommendations by two committees examining planning before and improving performance after a disaster strikes. The recommendations include building local fuel stockpiles, requiring some gas stations have generators that can assist … Continue reading

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Should the US government permit recycling of scrap metal from nuclear sites?

An article in the Wall Street Journal (January 17,2013) describes a plan by the US government to release scrap metal from nuclear sites. The scrap is described as containing low enough levels of radioactivity – comparable to exposures in a … Continue reading

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