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In less than two weeks, the powers that be from the world’s nations will meet in Paris to hammer out a successor to the Kyoto Protocol. And a new climate change agreement can’t come fast enough. The world is nearly halfway to the 2 degrees Celsius global temperature rise experts warn we don’t want to exceed, according to a recent report.

The good news is that there are numerous opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to keep the global average temperature rise below two degrees Celsius, as a report by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) finds. Nations can increase their pre-2020 climate change commitments to further reduce GHG emissions, which will “lay the foundation for post-2020 action,” the report states.

There are key messages for policymakers and here’s a little summary:

1. Since pre-2020 pledges fall short and enhanced action is urgently needed. Although the pre-2020 emissions reduction pledges made by over 90 parties through the Cancun Agreements are “significant,” they just are not adequate enough to limit global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius. As the UN Environment Program (UNEP) estimates, global emissions will keep increasing and reach 53 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalents (Gt CO2 eq) in 2020, and 60 Gt CO2 eq in 2030. That would mean global emissions would stay well above the 2 degrees Celsius compatible emissions pathways and result in a big emissions gap.


2. There are solutions to limit warming to 2 degrees Celsius. There are a “range of policies, measures and actions” nations can take to “replicate and scale up now as part of their efforts to accelerate pre-2020 mitigation action.” The report identifies six areas with great potential: renewable energy, energy efficiency, transport, land use, carbon capture, use and storage and controlling non-CO2 greenhouse gases.


3. Leadership is badly needed to overcome barriers to climate change action. The report identifies four barriers: putting an adequate price on carbon, the imbalance of subsidies (there are far greater subsidies for fossil fuels than clean energy), adequate support for developing countries in finance and capacity-building, institutional, regulatory and legal frameworks. Cooperation between different government levels combined with working with private sector and civil society is needed to overcome the barriers.

Way too much is spent on fossil fuel subsidies compared to renewables

Renewable energy, one of the six areas identified by the UNFCC report as having a great potential for climate change action, accounted for just over nine percent of global electricity generation in 2014. And it only increased by 1.8 percent since 2004. However, about 58 percent of net addition to global power capacity in 2014 came from renewables, more than coal and gas combined.

The governments of G20 countries provide $452 billion a year in fossil fuel subsidies, a report by Overseas Development Institute and Oil Change International points out. In contrast, renewables only receive $121 billion. “Their continued support for fossil fuel production marries bad economics with potentially disastrous consequences for the climate,” the report proclaims.

Here’s a little breakdown of how much some of the G20 countries, including the U.S., spend on national fossil fuel production subsidies:

• The U.S. provides over $20 billion in fossil fuel subsidies every year, even though President Obama continues to call for their elimination.


• Russia provided almost $23 billion a year on average in fossil fuel subsidies in 2013 and 2014.


• The U.K. provided an annual average of $9 billion in fossil fuel subsidies in 2013 and 2014, although the government recently pledged support of the Friends of Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform.


• Australia and Brazil provided $5 billion on average in fossil fuel subsidies.


• China provided just over $3 billion a year on average in fossil fuel subsidies in 2013 and 2014.

The report recommends that G20 governments “act immediately” to phase-out fossil fuel subsidies. One specific recommendation is to shift subsidies from fossil fuels to “support wider public goods” including on “low-carbon energy systems.” In other words, it is high time to shift subsidies from the fossil fuels that cause the vast amount of emissions to renewables that actually lower emissions.

Photo: David Clarke

By Monica Jain

As most TriplePundit readers know, our oceans and the people who depend on them are in trouble. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, about 70 percent of the world’s fisheries are fully exploited, overexploited or collapsing under the pressure of a $390 billion global seafood market. Yet analysts expect seafood demand to double by 2050, and island and coastal communities around the world depend on seafood for both sustenance and economic health.

The Fish 2.0 business competition aims to accelerate solutions to this huge challenge by connecting sustainable fishing and aquaculture ventures with investors who could help them thrive. The value of making those connections was clear from last week’s 2015 Fish 2.0 Competition Finals & Sustainable Seafood Innovation Forum at Stanford University, where 37 entrepreneurs took the stage to pitch their businesses to investors. This talented group—which rose to the top in a four-phase process that initially involved 170 entrants—reflects a surge in entrepreneurial activity in the seafood sector worldwide. It also demonstrates the diversity and creativity of responses to seafood’s social and environmental challenges.

Aquaculture businesses had a particularly strong presence in the Fish 2.0 competition. Two of the six cash-prize winners are in the fish farming field: Kampachi Farms Mexico, an open-ocean aquaculture business focused on growing sashimi-grade fish, and Nova Scotia–based SabrTech, whose RiverBox system provides algae-based aquaculture feed using waste streams from fish farms. These businesses and others in the competition seek to serve rising consumer demand for seafood while taking pressure off wild fish stocks, reducing aquaculture’s environmental impact and extending community benefits.

Land-based aquaculture is one of the most promising solutions. This category includes self-contained recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), which can operate almost anywhere in the world, including urban and even desert environments. Several of the entrepreneurs we heard from are bringing land-based systems to markets that do not traditionally have access to fresh local seafood, such as Switzerland (Swiss Alpine Fish) and the states of New Mexico (New Mexico Shrimp Co.) and Missouri (Quixotic Farming). This enables efficient location next to markets and distribution centers, as well as greater access to fresh seafood for underserved populations.

A related trend is the increasing use of aquaponics, which combines fish farming with growing plants in water (hydroponics). The concept is not new—people have been practicing aquaponics for centuries, in the Aztecs’ floating crop islands, the rice paddies of Asia and elsewhere. What’s different now is that entrepreneurs are developing technologies and business models for commercial-scale aquaponics farms. London-based GrowUp Urban Farms, a Fish 2.0 audience favorite among the runners-up, is a great example. The company delivers fresh food to restaurants and hotels and employs local youths with a commercial-scale aquaponics farm that has a very small footprint.

A few other trends stood out for me during the finals event:

Investor interest in seafood is strong and growing. It was exciting to see that investors are interested in playing a part by investing in compelling companies as well as by offering their expertise and guidance on strategies to make growth possible.

Technologies are developing quickly. Many of the businesses that presented have a strong technology component, usually aimed at reducing risk or gaining efficiency in aquaculture production or seafood supply chains. (Traceability is a particularly active area for innovation.)

Women and millennials are stepping up. Seafood is often perceived as a stodgy industry, so the number of businesses led by women and millennials—and the number of female investors—at the competition was notable. These entrepreneurs and investors are coming at seafood’s problems from fresh perspectives.

B2B relationships are as important as investor relationships. Fish 2.0 competitors tended to come into the finals event thinking it was all about meeting investors. But by the time the event was over, they were just as excited about the connections they made with potential customers and partners among their fellow competitors. The benefit was particularly clear for the sizeable contingent from the Pacific Islands, who have limited exposure to the latest seafood technologies and few opportunities to meet seafood partners in other regions.

The demand for mentoring and connection is huge. This year’s Fish 2.0 competition drew more than twice as many entries and investors as the inaugural 2013 competition—and I’m confident we could double participation again. We’re just getting started.

More and more people are recognizing the need for innovation in the sustainable seafood field, and the tremendous opportunities for markets and impacts in the industry. As the Fish 2.0 network grows, so does the number of investors and businesses that want to collaborate to advance sustainable seafood. That’s good for the oceans and for all of us who depend on or benefit from them.

Monica Jain is the founder and executive director of Fish 2.0 and Manta Consulting Inc. She has worked for over 20 years in the private sector and philanthropy, and specializes in creating innovative financing strategies and structures for impact investors, foundations and private sector–nonprofit partnerships. Follow her @fish20org.

 

 

The European Investment Bank (EIB), BNP Paribas and Vigeo have launched Tera Neva, a sustainable investment initiative which allows investors to align their financial objectives with their energy transition goals.

The launch comes ahead of the global climate conference, COP21 in Paris in December 2015, and follows the announcement of the French Energy Transition law.

Through Tera Neva, the EIB is issuing a EUR500m equity index-linked bond, in its Climate Awareness Bond format, which dedicates proceeds to renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. The transaction, arranged by BNP Paribas, is 100% capital guaranteed.

The payoff is linked to the performance of the ‘Ethical Europe Climate Care Index’ over the life of the bond, floored at zero and paid at maturity. This Index consists of 30 European equities (reviewed quarterly) selected on financial and sustainability criteria based on Vigeo and Solactive filters.

Tera Neva is supported by a group of institutional investors including ACMN VIE, AVIVA FRANCE, CARAC, BNP Paribas Cardif, CNP Assurances, ERAFP, GENERALI, GROUPAMA, HSBC Assurances, NATIXIS Assurances, PREVOIR and SURAVENIR which have invested €500m in the initiative.

Bertrand de Mazières, director general of finance at the EIB commented: “In 2007, the EIB pioneered Green Bond issuance with the launch of the first Climate Awareness Bond, and since then CAB issuance has reached almost EUR11b. CAB disbursements are earmarked to renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, allowing investors to contribute to the goal of limiting global warming to 2°C. EIB-backed initiative boosts climate conscious investing, and demonstrates our willingness to cater to investor demand for tailor-made climate finance products.”

 

 

Picture credit: © Ewa Mazur | Dreamstime.com

With a busy week behind you and the weekend within reach, there’s no shame in taking things a bit easy on Friday afternoon. With this in mind, every Friday TriplePundit will give you a fun, easy read on a topic you care about. So, take a break from those endless email threads and spend five minutes catching up on the latest trends in sustainability and business.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner in the U.S., which means turkey, football and -- for many -- a whole helluva lot of shopping.

Over the past few years, we've noticed a pretty disturbing trend -- retailers are opening earlier and earlier on Thanksgiving, in an attempt to lure shoppers from their tryptophan-induced comas with the promise of rock-bottom deals. We Americans have been trampling each other to death on Black Friday for decades, but, suddenly, even that is no longer enough for many retailers.

But amidst the cringe-worthy advertisements that stores will open One hour earlier this year! is a trend that's actually worth our attention: A growing number of forward-thinking companies are taking a stand against the overconsumption that has long held American Thanksgiving hostage. Read on for the details.

1. REI

Late last month, REI hit the headlines in a big way for announcing that it will close the doors on Black Friday at all 143 of its retail locations, as well as its headquarters and two distribution centers. REI has shuttered on Thanksgiving for years to give employees time to spend with their families. But this year the outdoor company will do them one better.

Instead of coming to work the day after Thanksgiving, the co-op is paying its 12,000 employees so they can do what they love most -- be outside. And along with its employees, REI is inviting the nation to join in by choosing to #OptOutside to reconnect with family and friends this Thanksgiving holiday.

REI's bold move against overconsumption proved to be a hit with customers and the media. Users quickly began to use the hashtag on social media, praising the company for its decision and sharing ideas for outdoor places to visit instead of standing in line at the mall. REI's move even inspired this roundup. Thanks, guys!

2. Outdoor Research

Customers weren't the only ones to take notice of the #OptOutside hashtag. Fellow outdoor apparel company Outdoor Research loved the idea so much, it decided to jump on board.

Announcing that it would #OptOutside, and fully crediting REI for the inspiration, Outdoor Research announced it would close its offices, distribution center, and Seattle factory and retail store the day after Thanksgiving.

The company also launched an Instagram campaign to raise money for the adaptive sports nonprofit Paradox Sports. For three days -— Black Friday and the Saturday and Sunday after -— users are invited to tag Instagram photos of their outdoor adventures with #OptOutside and #OutdoorResearch. For every photo, Outdoor Research will donate $10 to Paradox Sports -- up to $5,000.

3. Clif Bar

The day after REI launched the #OptOutside campaign, Clif Bar took to social media to show its support for the outdoor apparel company's efforts.

"We couldn’t agree more ‪#‎REI‬ – outside does make our lives better! High fives to you and your team for encouraging everyone to get outside on Black Friday," Clif Bar wrote on Facebook. "At Clif Bar & Co. we are excited to take advantage of our day off to pursue our own adventures. Don’t log on and look for us online – we’ll be out running, hiking, swimming, climbing, riding and charging the outdoors in our own way. See you out there! ‪#‎optoutside"

While Clif Bar doesn't have retail locations, its move to give all of its employees the day off -- even if it means going dark on social media -- definitely deserves a pat on the back.

4. Gregory Packs

Gregory Packs, which sells backpacks and other mountain gear, said it will also join REI in its #OptOutside campaign, as it told its fans on Twitter:

Forget Black Friday - #OptOutside instead. Our employees will be joining REI and enjoying our day off in the... https://t.co/DZTglBBs2J

— Gregory Packs (@GregoryPacks) October 28, 2015

REI, for its part, seems stoked to have inspired this new take on Black Friday:

Honored to see other brands like @ORGEAR, @ClifBar, @GregoryPacks standing with us to #OptOutside this Black Friday! pic.twitter.com/3GQdiecenK — REI (@REI) October 29, 2015

5. GameStop

GameStop is a pretty big deal for holiday shoppers. That hot new game is likley on your list, whether it's for the young or young-at-heart. But, even as many retailers begin opening earlier and earlier on Thanksgiving, the company announced it will stay closed.

With a press release reading, "GameStop Takes a Stand!," the company said all of its brick-and-mortar stores will remain closed on Thanksgiving. This includes GameStop locations, as well as stores for its other brands: Spring Mobile, Simply Mac and Cricket Wireless.

“We believe strongly that our customers and associates should have the opportunity to spend the Thanksgiving holiday relaxing with family and friends, and not worrying with the stress of where to find the best shopping deals," Mike Buskey, executive vice president and president of U.S. stores, said in a statement. "We know this is in stark contrast to what many other retailers are doing, but we are taking a stance to protect family time during this important holiday."

6. H&M

Once bemoaned for producing 'throwaway' clothing, H&M has been making big moves in sustainability as of late. This week it announced a partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to create a circular economy for clothing. The retailer also announced it would keep the doors closed on Thanksgiving for the first time this year.

“H&M would like to show our appreciation to our employees for their hard work year round, so in the tradition of Thanksgiving, H&M will close our U.S. stores on Thanksgiving Day, allowing our store teams to enjoy this time with their families and friends,” Daniel Kulle, president of H&M North America, said in a statement, as reported by the Huffington Post.

7. Patagonia

Many say it was Patagonia that first started the anti-overconsumption trend surrounding Thanksgiving and Black Friday. In 2011, it shocked shoppers across the country by taking out a full-page ad in the New York Times with the message “Don’t Buy This Jacket” emblazoned over its best-selling coat. The brazen ad asked shoppers “to buy less and to reflect before you spend a dime on this jacket or anything else.”

The company has also stayed closed on Thanksgiving for the past two years to give employees more time with their families, and it will do the same this year.

8. Dillard's

Dillard's decided to stay closed on Thanksgiving last year "in longstanding tradition of honoring of our customers’ and associates’ time with family," the company told ThinkProgress. The department store chain will remain closed this year, too.

9. Nordstrom

Historically, Nordstrom has never opened on Thanksgiving. While that surely makes its employees -- not to mention the sustainability community -- pretty happy, the company's choice is likely not for the reasons you think.

“Over the years, our tradition has been to be closed on Thanksgiving and to unveil our holiday trim the following morning,” the company told ThinkProgress. Well, whatever works!

10. Staples

Staples did a real 180 when it comes to its holiday schedule. It was one of many big-box stores that decided to open on Thanksgiving for the past two years, but this year it's doing things differently.

“We want our customers and associates to enjoy Thanksgiving their own way,” Demos Parneros, president, North American stores and online, said in a statement. The company will offer Thanksgiving discounts on its website in lieu of opening its retail locations.

Image credit: Flickr/Iain Farrell

Looking to keep track of which companies are and aren't opening on Thanksgiving and Black Friday? BestBlackFriday.com is keeping an ongoing list.

 

It's a sign of what the future of food will entail, and is also a huge loss for anti-GMO activists: yesterday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concluded that genetically modified salmon is as safe to eat, and is just as nutritious, as in any wild or farmed Atlantic salmon. While the FDA has long approved the use of genetically modified agricultural products such as corn or soy, yesterday’s decision was the first time a genetically modified animal was given the green light for human consumption.

The fish in question is AquAdvantage salmon, the product developed by Massachusetts-based AquaBounty Technologies. Genetically designed from a stock of salmon based in Canada’s Bay of Fundy, the company’s engineered salmon has been a project over 20 years in the making. According to the company, the production of its fish occur at twice the rate of salmon’s normal life cycle, is just as nutritious, takes the burden off the world’s fisheries and will help meet the world’s growing demand for animal protein.

According to the FDA, the data provided to the agency by AquaBounty, along with other peer-reviewed studies, backed up the company’s claim that its salmon was safe for eating and that the genes inserted in the fish had remained stable for several generations. In addition, the FDA scientists who reviewed the data determined that the production of such genetically modified salmon will pose no environmental threat within the United States—in a large part because the fish will be produced at the company’s facilities in Canada and Panama. But because those operations are land-based, the FDA surmised that there is almost no chance that the fish could ever escape and breed with other species of salmon in the wild.

This outcome is a victory for the biotechnology sector, and a defeat for advocates who insist that GMO-derived food products should be labeled as such in order to protect consumers. While the FDA says it will develop guidance for companies such as AquaBounty that may wish to label their products, the agency maintained that current U.S. law does not require such labeling. The guidance is currently publicly available for review and anyone can submit comments beginning on Monday, November 23.

At press time AquaBounty had no public reaction to the FDA’s decision, but other organizations have already had plenty to say about this issue. In a very pointed statement, the Consumers Union expressed “deep disappointment” in the FDA’s approval of the AquaBounty salmon product. “Consumers deserve to know what type of food they’re buying - and an overwhelming majority has told us that they want genetically modified food labeled in poll after poll,” said Dr. Michael Hansen, Senior Scientist with the Consumer’s Union in a written statement. “The decision to not require a GE label for this product takes away the consumer’s ability to make a truly informed choice.”

The 80-year-old consumer advocacy group has urged Congress to pass a bill that would require labeling for food products that are genetically modified. But considering the polarized political climate, the chance that either the House or Senate would consider such a bill lies somewhere between never and when hell freezes over. In the meantime, AquaBounty has recipes available for any consumer interested in the company’s claim that its fish is just as nutritious and tasty as other varieties of salmon sold on the market.

Watch for more biotech companies to become emboldened by AquaBounty’s victory, as the planet is expected to become home to nine billion people by 2050 and will therefore have to find new ways to feed people—many of whom will have middle-class incomes and will expect to eat the way many of us in G-7 countries have dined for generations.

Image credit: AquaBounty

A slew of companies in the last few years adopted animal welfare policies. Many companies have pledged to make their entire egg supply chain cage-free. Add Taco Bell to that list.

Taco Bell announced this week that 100 percent of its 6,000 U.S. restaurants will serve only cage-free eggs by December 2016. That would make the company the first fast food chain to makes its eggs completely cage-free, and it will transition to cage-free in just a 12 month time frame. Its eggs will be verified as “American Humane Certified” by the American Humane Association.

Contrast Taco Bell’s commitment to McDonald’s which pledged in September to make its egg supply chain cage-free within the next 10 years. If Taco Bell meets its target date, it will prove that it is possible for a major fast food chain to swiftly convert to cage-free eggs in short order. And that's amazing considering that a few weeks ago, the Washington Post called Yum! Brands, which owns Taco Bell, the “only major fast food company that refuses to fix how it gets its food.” Clearly, the company understands the importance of responding to public pressure.

The importance of cage-free systems to America's hens

What’s the big deal about cage-free eggs? While eggs from hens that are cage-free and ones from hens that are held in battery cages taste the same and have the same nutritional content, there is a big difference to the hens. A caged hen is held in a space only 67 square inches and that is smaller one piece of letter-sized paper. The poor hen can’t spread her wings or indulge in other natural chicken behavior. Hens kept in battery cages tend to have feather loss and bruises because they rub against the wire bars of the cage, according to World Animal Protection. Not getting exercise can make the hen’s bones brittle and that makes her vulnerable to injury and illness. Some hens are unable to stand up as a result of their confinement.

By contrast, cage-free systems allow hens to spread their wings, walk and lay eggs in nests. Most cage-free hens are on farms that are third-party audited by certification programs, the Humane Society states on its website.

The business case for animal welfare

The Business Benchmark for Animal Welfare (BBFAW) has ranked companies for three years. The latest review assesses 80 companies and ranked them from Tier 1 (companies taking a leadership position) to Tier 6 (companies where animal welfare doesn’t seem to be on their agenda). Things are progressing, the latest review found, as 45 percent of the 65 companies first assessed in 2012 have moved up by at least one tier.

The Benchmark also found that half of the 80 companies assessed in the latest review are in the bottom two tiers. So, clearly animal welfare just doesn’t receive the same attention within companies that other corporate social responsibility issues do. Perhaps what many companies don’t understand is that there is a business case for animal welfare.

A 2011 report on the business case for animal welfare by Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare found that as a business issue, farm animal welfare “is relatively immature.” The report cites the “absence of universal standards and frameworks for managing the issue” as a big reason why. However, there is both a growing consumer and regulatory interest in animal welfare and that “presents real risks for food companies.”

Consumers have a “different relationship” with consumers, the report points out. More and more consumers want companies to have an animal welfare policy. For example, consumers want to buy cage-free eggs and they want food service companies they patronize to source their eggs from cage-free hens. Therefore, it is in a company’s best interest to meet the demands of their consumers. That's something Taco Bell realizes.

Photo: Oregon Department of Agriculture

 

Whatever the motivation is behind your urge to clean out your closet, clearly now is the time of year to do it. The upcoming holidays are a reminder for us to ramp up our generosity and remember those who are less fortunate. On the pragmatic side, we need to sort out those tax-deductible donations for the 2016 tax season, therefore making the holidays a convenient time to get rid of stuff we simply don’t need. Of course, that means lugging boxes and driving to the nearest charity, which is an unpleasant task in much of the country at this time between bad weather and congested streets. But Levi’s and Goodwill are making it easier this year to donate unwanted clothing and shoes—even if you did not order anything on the Levi’s or Dockers online shopping sites.

This week Levi Strauss announced a partnership with Give Back Box in an effort to raise up to $50,000 for Goodwill. For every box received, Levi’s will donate $5 to the charity, and the iconic apparel maker has promised to donate at least $25,000 during this campaign.

Using the service is easy and costs nothing. Customers just need to pack a box with clothes or shoes and print a free shipping label on either the Levi’s or Dockers web site. Any brand of clean and dry clothing and shoes will be accepted. Participants can also receive a donation receipt if they plan on writing off the donation for their taxes. Donations will then be channeled to the nearest Goodwill location for processing.

Of course this program helps create jobs for Goodwill and provides clothing and shoes for those who cannot afford it. But there are environmental benefits as well, as in keeping these items out of landfill—and the same goes for all those cardboard boxes, hundreds of millions of which will be shipped across the country over the next several weeks. Other retailers, such as H&M and the United Kingdom’s Marks & Spencer, have launched recycling programs in their stores. But this program with Levi Strauss takes advantage of the busiest time of year for the retail industry and makes donating unneeded clothing much more convenient. According to the Wall Street Journal, last year UPS and FedEx together shipped an estimated 875 million packages between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so imagine the amount of waste that would be diverted from landfill if only one percent of all of those packages were sent back to a retailer full of used clothing, textiles and shoes.

This news from Levi’s is a big step forward for Give Back Box, which has partnerships with additional retailers including Overstock.com and Ann Taylor. Founded in 2012 by Monika Wiela, who runs her own online shopping site, the idea behind Give Back Box was inspired by a homeless man she encountered in Chicago who was holding up a sign saying he needed a pair of shoes. Wiela spent that night thinking about what she could do with all those empty boxes in her warehouse, and a new social enterprise was born. If more retailers follow her lead and that of Levi Strauss, a new way of waste diversion, long a huge challenge for the textile and clothing industries, could help clear closets, create jobs and offer more companies and their customers an opportunity to recycle.

Image credit: Levi Strauss

This week, AT&T announced its goal to enable carbon savings 10 times the carbon footprint of its operations by 2025. That's an impressive commitment to be sure. In fact, it very well might be a B-hag (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal). I love to see companies make these big goals. The real problems we're trying to solve with sustainability don't necessarily have answers yet, and it's a bold company who will make a public goal they don't yet have a plan to meet.

I sat down with AT&T's Director of Sustainability, Jenny Robertson to get the details at the BSR conference earlier this month. When asked about how AT&T landed on this goal, she explained,

"This goal has been a year in the making. But we always had targets – the change is moving to a more specific outcome base. Every year we were going through a goal-setting exercise which we realized wasn’t a great use of time. Now we have this commitment as a tent pole to organize around."

Underneath the big goal, the telecom company has more specific 10-year goals, but the long-term goal provides much-needed flexibility for meeting a goal in a rapidly changing technological landscape. As an example, Robertson offers the goals the company set in 2005. Gesturing to the three mini-computers sitting on the table in front of us, she exclaims, "We didn't even have the iPhone then!" Indeed new technology offers new challenges -- like the rapid cell phone replacement that is now common -- and opportunities, like the carbon savings that can happen as teleconferencing improves.

The current plan for meeting the 10x carbon commitment isn't just to buy a bunch of carbon offsets (although they may play a part). AT&T will be creating products that, "drive resource efficiency and enable AT&T customers to lead more sustainable lives," as a release outlining the commitment explains. This goal, and its link to customer needs, has me very fired up because it means that sustainability is baked into the business cycle. AT&T recognizes that its customers will need to improve their own efficiency in the coming decade. By providing these needed products, AT&T will be improving its own impact all the way to the bank.

AT&T's big goals don't end with the environmental goals. They've also set a pretty audacious goal on the social side. AT&T's Aspire program has focused on high school education improvement since 2008. The program offers a mixture of financial donations ($250 million invested so far with another hundred million in planned giving before 2017), telecom product donations, and employee mentoring to students around the country who are at risk of dropping out of high school.

AT&T has struggled to measure the impact and performance of these gift since the program began in 2008. While measuring dollars spent and employee hours donated were fantastic for press releases and a pat on the back, it was difficult to tell if the program had actually moved the needle on high school graduation rates. Now the telecom giant has decided to actually tie their efforts to that goal directly. Robertson explained that the company hopes to improve U.S. high school graduation rates from 80 percent to 90 percent by 2020, "It doesn’t matter how much we spend unless we’re having an impact. We're moving from measuring outputs to measuring impacts. Want to make sure that we're using money effectively."

AT&T has a business imperative to back up these do-gooder intentions: the skills gap. Nearly every large tech company we talk to has some version of the following story: we can't find qualified people for our entry level technical positions. Alongside the efforts to produce more high school graduates, AT&T is investing directly in education with Udacity to offer a credential program that will prepare students for jobs with the telecom provider. Symantec and SAP offer similar workforce development programs. These programs provide a much-needed leg up to high school graduates for a well-paying technical career-- these initiatives are fantastic for society and the business bottom line as well. AT&T's benchmarking against a country-wide number they can't directly impact is especially impressive because it indicates a clear effort to move beyond the bottom line and invest in communities.

 

The average American family wastes about 25 percent of the food they buy annually. This equates to around $1,500  that is literally thrown in the trash. Our trash cans eat better than 25 percent of the world’s children. The amount of food waste produced globally each year is more than enough to feed the one billion hungry people in the world.

However, despite our efforts to clean our plates and stuff ourselves to alleviate the guilt we feel about the ‘starving children in Africa,’ there are actually a number of more practical ways to combat food waste in our daily lives.

Coined the “Priestess of Waste-Free Living” by the New York Times, speaker, blogger, and author, Bea Johnson, has mastered the art of living waste free. Her family generates a mere quart size jar of waste per year.

Bea proves that the zero waste lifestyle can not only be stylish, but can also lead to significant health benefits, along with saving time and money. Through her blog and book Zero Waste Home, Bea has launched a global movement, inspiring a growing community of people to live simply and take a stance against needless waste.

Through the application of five basic principles: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rot, Bea found that when applied in order, these actions are most effective in eliminating unnecessary waste.

“We refuse what we do not need (for ex. single use plastics, junkmail and freebies), reduce what we do need (furnishings, clothes), reuse by buying secondhand and swapping disposables for reusables (that includes shopping with reusables such as cloth bags, jars and bottles), recycle what we cannot refuse, reduce or reuse and rot (compost) the rest (fruit peels, lint, etc). We apply these rules to every aspect of our lifestyle, including food.” Bea explained.

Bea and her family manage to completely eliminate food waste from their home, abiding by the following rules:

Shop smart

One of the easiest and most important things we can do to combat food waste is to be smarter about what we buy and how we shop. This includes planning meals, using grocery lists, and avoiding impulse buys. This way, you’re less likely to buy things you don’t need and that you’re unlikely to actually consume.

One of the best ways to do this is to be realistic about the amount of food you buy. Bea suggests buying food from bulk bins as much as possible. If your recipe calls for two carrots, buy two carrots. You don’t need to buy the whole bag. If you live alone, you probably don’t need the same amount of apples as a family of four (unless you are obsessed with apples).

Before going to the grocery store, take a quick inventory of what you already have. Note expiration dates and perishables that are close to going bad. Build your next meal around that forgotten eggplant or spaghetti squash and use it as a source of inspiration for your next culinary venture.

Bea suggests keeping your grocery list up to date and never leaving home without it. She refuses to buy packaged food in bulk because it encourages food waste. Additionally, she recommends making smaller, more frequent shopping trips will allow you to wait until perishables are used up before replenishing them.

Finally, don’t be afraid to buy funny looking produce. While shopping, people tend to choose the most attractive produce while the blemished produce gets thrown away. Many fruits and vegetables are thrown out because their size, shape, or color doesn’t quite match what we think these items “should” look like. However, these things are perfectly good to eat. Give this funny looking produce a chance by buying the food that might otherwise be tossed.

Unclutter the kitchen

Another great tip to combat food waste at home is to maintain an organized and uncluttered kitchen. “We have elected our pantry staples and stick with them” Bea explained. In her book she describes a system of rotation which promotes variety in her family’s diet without having to stock a large variety of products.

“In our pantry, we organize our dry food on one row and we have refrigerator drawers (instead of a typical refrigerator) so that nothing gets lost in the back of a shelf” she said. She also suggested storing food in glass jars, which makes everything visible so that nothing is hidden or forgotten.

Alternatively, Real Simple suggested practicing the rule of FIFO which stands for first in, first out. When unpacking groceries, be sure to put new items into the back of the fridge or cupboard and push old items to the front. This way, you’re more likely to use up the older stuff before it expires.

Don’t throw it out

Ultimately the key to eliminating food waste from your home is to simply refuse to throw food in the trash. Eat and reinvent your leftovers. Brown-bag them to take to work or designate one dinner a week as a “use it up meal.” If you don’t want to eat leftovers right away, freeze them and save them for later. 

Treat expiration dates as guidelines. When it comes to "expiration" and "use-by" dates, use your senses before throwing something away. If food looks, smells and tastes normal, it should be safe to use even if the expiration date has passed. Oftentimes these expiration dates refer to food quality and not necessarily food safety.

When cooking, use every piece of whatever food you’re cooking with, whenever possible. Leave the skin on your potatoes and sauté broccoli stems along with the florets. As an added bonus, skins and stems often have provide additional nutrients for our bodies so you can do good for the planet and your body at the same time.

Another great tip to eliminate food waste is to upcycle leftover food scraps. Repurpose vegetable scraps to make homemade stocks, or use citrus fruit rinds and zest to add flavor to other meals. You can also grow some fruits and veggies from leftover food scraps which can save you money and provide some interesting kitchen decor. Win/Win.

Got more fruit than you know what to do with? Try canning it so it’ll last for months to come. (Plus, who doesn’t love eating “fresh” peaches in winter?) Also both fruits and vegetables can be preserved through an easy pickling process. 

Bea suggests composting food as a last resort. Hate potato skins? Don’t feel like turning wilted vegetables into soup stock? Food scraps still don’t need to be tossed. Just start a compost pile in the backyard or even under the sink, and convert food waste into a useful resource.

Bea also mentioned that her family lets their dog clean their plates and dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Now, this is an example of true innovation. All in all, it is incredibly easy to take small steps towards eliminating food waste from our homes. And, if we each play our part we can have a tremendous positive impact on our health, wealth and the prosperity of our planet.

 

Photo Credit: Zero Waste Home

 

By Ana Wyssmann, Solid Waste Program Manager, JLL

Imagine a building that, like a forest, leaves no material unused and extracts the deepest value from all its parts. That same building can also wow tenants, investors and the public alike with its sustainability and business savvy.

Now, let's check that zero waste vision against reality: Is it possible for an office building, mixed-use facility or worksite to avoid sending any waste to incineration or into a landfill? And is it worth the cost to find out?

Some future-focused global companies have begun to think so.

Walmart, for example, is "targeting zero waste," and is diverting more than 80 percent of its U.S. retail and distribution material flow. GM's blueprint for going "landfill-free" includes recycling 84 percent of its worldwide manufacturing waste and operating 111 fully landfill-free facilities. Dell has come within a hair of zero, achieving 95 percent recycle/reuse in its manufacturing operations in its 2015 fiscal year.

Such progress indicates that zero-waste status is attainable and cost-effective—when pursued with a forward-looking approach to selecting and using materials and then determining what happens to them when their useful life is over.

Waste material or wasted opportunity?

It's logical to expect that reducing, reusing and recycling material could fuel efficiency across a facility’s entire life cycle, from design and construction through office management and operations.

Yet, the benefits extend much further. When you spend less on new, single-use materials in addition to generating revenue from recycling what cannot be reused, you are actually converting 'trash to cash,' as discussed at a recent Greenbuild International Conference panel.

Indeed, recycling and resale can influence the bottom line for a building. Much like stocks, recyclable materials are commodities in an exchange market where values are constantly in flux. When 'trading’ goes smoothly, zero waste campaigns produce returns that more than offset the expenses of recycling infrastructure improvements.

The recycling commodities market is growing, particularly as technology advances. According to Waste Business Journal's most recent Waste Market Overview & Outlook, the $55 billion U.S. waste industry grew to 621.5 million tons in 2011, up from 610.2 million tons in 2010. Of the 429 million tons generated by municipalities, 141 million tons (33 percent) were recycled.

To enter the evolving market—and therefore earn the potential rewards—businesses must start by building a strong platform for zero-waste ambitions.

Five ways to pursue zero-waste

Zero-waste planning means more than just recycling bins and pick-up schedules. Following are five essentials for developing a strategy:

• Define the current status and future goals of waste management in your facility. What could zero waste look like for your property? How effective is your current materials management? A waste stream audit will help reveal opportunities within the relevant categories from metal and concrete to food and office paper. Who is contributing to each waste category? What resources will they need to update protocol? These answers will inform goals and next steps.


• Learn the ropes of the waste commodity market. What unique materials come out of your building that may be of special interest to recyclers? Connecting high-value, high-volume material to buyers begins with understanding the recycling market. Is there a market for your building’s waste products? For example, Waste Business Journal data shows that, in 2011, rising prices for recycled paper, plastic and steel motivated companies and municipalities to divert a higher volume of these materials from the landfill.


• Prepare the business case. A waste audit and current market trends will support the business case for recycling and reuse—as will the long view. Up-front investment is generally needed to recover, store and possibly ship desirable materials. Corporate decision-makers will be more inspired to foot that bill when long-term value is clear. For instance, GM initially spent $10 for every ton of waste it diverted from landfills. But, over time, it reduced program costs by 92 percent, and now estimates its annual byproduct recycling and reuse revenue at about $1 billion a year.


• Engage stakeholders across the enterprise. Top-down goal-setting and modeling are essential, as are incentives and education for owners, tenants and service providers. To maximize program performance, users must not only know how to use new tools and resources, but also know why they're in place.


• Monitor progress: Zero-waste programs take time. Well-defined metrics, with methodology for tracking things like construction diversion and recycling rates, will enable decision-makers to view trends and benchmark progress for long-term success.

Waste management can be far more strategic than simply checking a box on a bill or contract. When commercial property leaders leverage commodity market tools for visionary zero-waste campaigns, they unlock hidden value in otherwise wasted material.

Go ahead: Make your trash a commodity and convert that trash to cash.