The dead duck controversy has reached new heights. Prime Minister Harper is (ahem) wading in; North American ENGOs using the issue to (ahem) clip the wings of the dumbstruck Alberta oil sand trade mission in Washington, DC; and even bloggers and columnists are (ahem) taking flight on the issue.

You really know the issue as touched a nerve in the zeitgeist when the bizarre world of 9/11 ‘truthers’ uses it to make a lame point.

There are two things worth pointing out: 500 isn’t a whole lot of ducks in the grand scheme of things; but what exactly is going on up there that a duck lands in a pond and just dies?

It isn’t a tragedy that ducks landed in this pond it’s a tragedy ponds like this exist. I think that is why this story has legs.

By Robert Anton at The Element Agency in Vancouver

A study released by The National Geographic Society show Canadian consumers are the second worst the 14 wealthiest countries. The worst? The United States of America.

John Baird, Canadian Environment Minister, puts up a semi-literate defense telling CTV News, who carried the story,:

“We’re a northern country where it’s cold. Obviously, Florida would use demonstrably less energy than we would. But it is a wake-up call that Canadians have to do more, the government has to do more, and the major polluters have to do more.”

Well ho-hum John, if only you were in some position that you could use to effect change…

But I think the larger point her is that this is a consumer issue. Canadians and Americans need to be more selective i their purchasing habits. As a corollary, products need stricter labeling and harsher penalties need to apply to false advertisers.

By Robert Anton at The Element Agency in Vancouver

Working in the field of sustainability means attending lots of green business conferences. There is often a disconnect, however, from the panel discussions on green best practices and the actual environmental practices of whatever venue is hosting the given event. The refreshments often use disposable plastic cups and plates, non-organic food is served and sometimes wasted and attendance often requires flights to cities like Las Vegas.

So thankfully an article in today’s BusinessGreen.com brings light to this issue. Asking “Can Business Conferences Ever Be Green?” the article reviews options such as offsetting travel, sourcing from local, green vendors and possibly replacing Vegas with a teleconference. No wonder casinos are building LEED-certified resorts.

By Stefan Deeran at The Element Agency in New York

The negative attention around Alberta’s oil sands is only increasing; consider the latest fiasco, reported in the New York Times, of hundreds of migrating birds getting stuck in the toxic sludge of Syncrude Canada’s processing pond.

There is no doubt that Canada’s ruling Conservative Party, led by Stephen Harper fully supports the oil sands. But at the expense of other Canadian industries, even green-tech?

A new article in this week’s Economist ponders why two Canadian companies, ZENN Motor Company and Dynasty Electric Car, which make small electric cars designed for city use are banned from Canadian roads.

Transport Canada, the federal regulatory agency, has banned these small electric cars on the grounds that they are not safe enough, even though 44 US states are fine with the technology. The manufactures of the cars, however, argue that Harper’s conservatives have banned the vehicles at the will of their oil sands funders.

“It’s a ludicrous regulatory situation. All you can point to is oil and the big guys and think there’s a conspiracy somewhere,” says a boss at Dynasty.

By Stefan Deeran at The Element Agency in New York.

It’s too early to be writing Christmas wish lists but Ecofriend has a profile on what I want. A bamboo bike.

It is nice to see the alternative energy industry getting locked in the ‘worlds biggest…’ attitude. I guess it had to happen sooner or later. Eco Geek has post about the planned ‘world’s biggest’ solar power plant in California.

This is probably the closest I’ll ever come to reading Marie Claire UK edition, but I love linking to Ecorazzi because it’s so niche (pronounced neesh not nitch).

Microsoft gets greener and Ecopreneurist has the info.

The more green building design links I can manage the happier I am. Treehugger does it again.

Have a good weekend,

By Robert Anton at The Element Agency in Vancouver

The buyout giant is reported in today’s New York Times as starting to look for ways to green up the 46 businesses it owns. my favorite quote in the article is from KKR partner Fred Goltz: “[KKR is] trying to be ahead of the curve, trying to see around corners.” He added, “The area of environmental performance is becoming increasingly important and the cost of poor performance is going to become more tangible over time.”

So true.

The other point of interest in all this is that this is another ENGO and corporation, stereotypical enemies, teaming up to get things done. Although nothing tangible as been recorded, let’s hope we’re not yelling greenwash six months from now.

By Robert Anton at The Element Agency in Vancouver

Ever wonder about the potential fall-out if green marketing claims backfire as greenwashing? The FTC is currently reviewing its green marketing guidelines. And consumer boycotts could hit your firm if your claims are especially egregious.

But what about getting sued by one of your competitors? Dr. Bronner, maker of that magic peppermint soap, is suing big brands like Estee Lauder, Jason, and Stella McCartnery’s CARE over “misleading consumers with false organic labeling.”

“We have been deeply disapponted and frustrated by companies in the ‘natural’ personal care space who have been screwing over organic consumers, engaging in misleasing organic branding and label call-outs, on products that were not natural in the first place, let alone organic,” David Bronner, president of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, said in a statement on Greenbiz.com.

We will keep you posted.

By Stefan Deeran at The Element Agency in New York

It is getting easier to go green but harder to find original green-themed product names. According to a new report by the Dechert law firm, in 2007 the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office dealt with double the applications for green brands and trademarks over 2006.

As a Greenbiz summary shows, applications with the word “green” more than doubled from 2006 to 2007, from 1,100 to 2,400; there were some 900 applications each filed with “clean” and “eco” (up from 800 for “clean” and around 450 for “eco”), and trademarks with “environment” or “enviro” went up from 325 to 450. Applications for marks incorporating the word EARTH showed a large increase, jumping about 60% from 550 to over 900. PLANET was a popular alternative, up 50% from 275 to over 400. GLOBE/GLOBAL also showed a significant jump, up 36%. Even the two-syllable prefix ECO was hot in 2007, more than doubling in popularity to nearly 900 new applications. Over 100 firms simultaneously tried to snag the phrase GO GREEN.

So sorry, marketers of America. Simply tacking “eco” onto your new “green” product won’t cut it in 2008. Even if there are polar bears on the packaging.
By Stefan Deeran at The Element Agency in New York

Eco-chick hung out at the eco fashion show, snapped some photos, and showed to the world that going green and looking good aren’t mutually exclusive.

Treehugger has a post on a worst case scenario about Greenland.

This new VW Golf TDI hybrid would have been awesome, but alas, live by the market bie by the market.

I’ve long been in favor of getting rid of the penny, but here is a benefit of doing so that I hadn’t heard before.

I used to cut grass at my folks house growing up, The Green Workplace’s response to this new fancy mower is basically why my mother made me use a pushmower.

Have a green weekend,

By Robert Anton at The Element Agency in Vancouver

Stateside, many Americans are tired of hearing how much greener the Continent is. A New York Times story, however, has just arrived to turn that conventional wisdom on its head. At least when the concern is coal.

European countries plan to build 50 coal-fired plants over the next five years. And those plants could stay in operation for the next 50 years. So if you do the math, that is a ton of potential carbon emissions.

Furthermore, suggests the Times article, Europe’s carbon trading scheme has failed by essentially giving away the permits to pollute. The additional cost to carbon is insignificant during these times of skyrocketing oil prices.

By Stefan Deeran at The Element Agency in New York

As an article on Greenbiz.com reminds us, Earth Days of yesterday were more about creating the Clean Air Act and the Environmental Protection Agency than promoting eco-friendly products and practices. Now that consumerism and environmentalism have joined forces, here are some of the Earth Day (and sometimes month, hey, everyday is Earth Day!) promotions for your consideration.

Aveda’s Earth Month showcases employee fundraising on an environmental cause; last year’s drive was around water, this year organic farming and product sourcing is encouraged.

Wal-Mart’s Earth Month involves Sam’s Club Fair Trade Coffee, reusable bag giveaway, and 1.2 million free Nickelodeon “Big Green Help Seed Cards.”

Macy’s has gone all out with an Earth Day webpage and eco-friendly giveaways galore.

And there is also Lexus’s Hybrid Living promotion to get your green shopping in gear.

Wells Fargo has used Earth Day to lure new green customers; the bank will help pay for green home improvements, including a $250 solar panel rebate for Bank Home Equity Customers.

Of course, if you are looking for a more political way to spend your day, you can always donate your time or money to one of the ENGOs working hard for a greener planet. For example, the New York League of Conservation Voters (an Element client) is trying to raise an additional $2,925 by midnight tonight to reach their Earth Day fundraising goal.

By Stefan Deeran at The Element Agency in New York

By Gregg McLachlan of WorkCabin.ca, today’s guest blogger

For decades, investors have jumped on the bandwagon about how consumers can use their dollars responsibly. It’s called investing in Ethical Funds (ie. ensuring your money is invested only in socially responsible and Earth-friendly companies). Ethical investing is consumerism at a niche level, meaning that not everyone is playing the investment game. Regardless, ethical investing has played a pioneering role — arguably, long before green was trendy — in raising awareness about how we use our dollars to better our communities and our planet.

Today, we’re seeing the emergence of the Green Consumer. For years, consumers have read food labels at the grocery store. Now, consumers are reading the ‘environmental’ label on products. They’re looking for terms like recyclable, phosphate free, organic, paper not derived from ancient forests, etc.

The Green Consumer represents one of the largest economic revolutions of our time: It is forcing change. While its strength in consumerism may be larger in some corners of the globe, its power to influence change extends worldwide, especially in the global economy where a green-friendly product manufactured in the east is in demand by consumers in the west. The more that is bought, the more that must be made. Thus, the net effect is more enviro-friendly products usurping old standbys, and job creation to meet the demand for new green products. Good is slowly pushing the bad off store shelves.

Unlike the political arena, it’s always election time in the new green era. Green consumers are voting every time they make a purchase. It’s a steadily growing campaign, perhaps still shy of a majority win. But the momentum is clearly in the green consumers’ favour, if money dictates change.

So what does it mean for companies? The savvy responsible ones are racing to capture the votes, er, we mean spending dollars, of green consumers. The reward for companies could be years of winning votes, er, we mean consumer loyalty.

If your company hasn’t entirely embraced the movement toward green just yet, it’s not too late. Fortunately for you, the Green Consumer is still a growing force. But, day by day, label by label, it’s becoming more and more educated about the choices that are available and shifting their loyalties.

Editors note: Gregg McLachlan is president of WorkCabin.ca, Canada’s Outpost for Green Jobs, bullfrogpowered with 100% green electricity

The views expressed above are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent The Element Agency. If you are interested in penning guest posts for My Green Element, please email Stefan Deeran via stefan@theelementagency.com.

Ecogeek has a new post about a possible new abundance of silicon which could lower the price of solar panels.

Cindy Crawford is taking on a pet peeve of mine: Bottled Water. Thanks to the Daily Green for tracking this.

The ex-chic company Nalgene has dumped the toxic (see below) chemical Bisphenol-A from its products, it claims not to do this for safety but because of consumer demand. Who knows? Perhaps it will become cool again.

Speaking of Bisphenol-A, Canada has become the first country to declare the chemical toxic so I am allowed to do so as well, without fear of legal reprisal.

This is from yesterday on treehugger, but I am sucker for space-age artist rederations.

Going Green has some green living tips for upcoming Earth Day.

Running cars on compressed air is here now. Thanks to Ecological Economics.

Have a good weekend.

By Robert Anton at The Element Agency in Vancouver

A new poll released today in Australia shows that global warming is more important than the economy or terrorism.

From The Sidney Morning Herald:

“A poll by the Australian National University found people have retained their “no worries” attitude, except when it comes to the environment, which is now the most burning issue in the country.”

The environment as grown increasingly more important to Aussies as they battle drought and wildfires and as global media attention grows.

One can’t help but see similar things happening in California.

By Robert Anton at The Element Agency in Vancouver

To the relief of our friends in the solar and wind industry, the US Senate has finally approved a bill to extend the renewable energy tax credit for another year. The bill is essential to the health of the renewable energy industry by making investments in cleaner technologies more affordable.

Specifically, the Production Tax Credit provides 2 cents for every kilowatt hour of electricity generated from renewables, according to Greenbiz.com. With oil costs hitting records highs, theoretically, renewable energy will eventually be able to compete on price. And when investors have an extra government tax break as an incentive to buy solar or wind, industry advocates argue that economies of scale will bring down the costs of renewable production even further.

The bill still needs to pass the House vote, probably occuring next week. We will keep you posted.

By Stefan Deeran at The Element Agency in New York

By Sara Hammes of EISolutions

2007 saw the perfect storm of influences for the U.S. solar industry- potent economic incentives and a rise in social consciousness that reached all the way to legislatures and corporate boardrooms. California launched the California Solar Incentive (CSI) as part of the Governor’s million solar roofs initiative and saw 7000 applications for 185 MW of solar in its first year. The Power Purchase Agreement enjoyed popular support and became a major force in the deployment of solar for commercial entities. However, the failure of the Federal government to renew the investment tax credit (ITC) for solar has given the U.S. industry pause.

Word on the street is that Congress will figure out a solution and pass an extension to the ITC. In the meantime the rush is on to complete solar projects before the end of the year. Even with this deadline and uncertainty over Federal action, the solar industry shows no signs of slowing down. Enthusiasm for solar in companies across the U.S. is evident with continued analysis of its potential and economic benefits in the face of increasing utility costs and impending carbon mitigation legislation; and cities and states are increasingly filling the funding and incentive gap with innovative solar programs.

The manufacturing sector, spurred by worldwide demand for solar, is expanding at a rapid pace thus providing the future backbone for continued deployment. Global growth of capacity, according to the Prometheus Institute, was up 50% in 2007 and is expected to grow to 12-15 GW by 2010. The silicon supply, a problem in previous years, is being sorted out and is expected to meet the growing demand. The wealth of VC funding for new solar technologies seems to be continuing, and First Solar’s highly successful IPO remains a benchmark for the industry.

As the industry evolves here in the U.S., sorting out how to integrate solar into an overall energy management strategy will continue. Today we see solar being deployed as both a central station and distributed generation resource.

• • +Solar generation plants (solar thermal and PV farms
  • +Individually owned distributed generation
  • +Third party owned distributed generation

As we have seen recently the challenges of building the infrastructure to transmit the power from central station solar generation has caused some utilities to avail themselves of empty rooftops within their territory, effectively deploying the solar farm model on a distributed basis. The infrastructure challenge also provides a strong case for the feed-in tariff, which would accelerate the deployment of large-scale non-utility owned solar systems at the substation level within the grid.

Further, if we look at the path of Energy Efficiency, it took over 20 years for EE to become a mainstream energy management practice and an operational competency within the business community. Today, EE is almost a standard way of managing operations. Solar is still finding its way into the energy management equation for businesses.

Solar energy has captured the hearts of people for centuries as a potent, reliable and clean source of energy. That sentiment remains today and fuels our enthusiasm as we move forward to find reliable alternative energy solutions for our planet.

Editors note: Sara Hammes is Vice President of marketing at EI Solutions, a solar company for commercial, college and government buildings. Learn more about EI Solutions by visiting their website.

The views expressed above are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent The Element Agency. If you are interested in penning guest posts for My Green Element, please email Stefan Deeran via stefan@theelementagency.com.

An amazing new channel is being launched by cable behemoth Discovery Channel in the United States called Planet Green TV. Proving going green isn’t a partisan or even political issues Discovery Networks CEO David Zaslav is quoted in USA Today saying:

“It used to be that green was granola and left…We’re not going to be ‘The ice is melting,’ [the audience already gets that message.] We want to engage people in a fun way and in the spirit of what we can all do together.”

The aim is to use celebrities, like Entourage star Adrian Grenier (Vinnie Chase) and entertaining programming to win over ‘armchair environmentalists’.

The channel is giving every indication that it will do just that. One show I won’t be missing pits rapper Ludacris against rocker Tommy Lee in a eco battle featuring such challenges as Bamboo house building and solar powered racing. As well the website is slick and full of great info.

It is so good to see something devoted to how people can start living in an eco-friendly fashion that isn’t being preachy, condescending or dull. Now with ‘Luda the polluta’ and ‘toxic Tommy’ you’ll get a high dose of entertainment with a higher dose of living well.

By Robert Anton at The Element Agency in Vancouver

The bottled water company, which has endured some bad environmental press in the last few years has released an extensive carbon footprint report, the CSR wire reports.

According to Fiji Water’s wikipedia page the company had come under fire for its high energy use in production. Running their plant on diesel 24 hours a day, using nearly 7 litres of water to manufacture a 1 litre bottle and producing .25kg of carbon per 1 litre of water sold.

Well, Fiji took it to heart and not only cleaning up its image but its act by becoming the first bottled water company to release its carbon footprint. In a nice move the company has launched a website, fijigreen.com to allow customers to view the company’s emissions data. Much like in other areas of life, with going green admitting you have a problem is the first step. Full disclosure of your problem is the next step. It is nice to see a former laggard now leading the way. Let’s hope they keep it up.

By Robert Anton at The Element Agency in Vancouver

By Shenika E. Felix of MisInoSter Green, today’s guest blogger

We are here and our continuous and consistent function seems to be consumption and excretion. The processing of food in our bodies seems highly efficient and the outputs seem harmless, but that which comes naturally in our behavioral patterns is not so efficient and harmless to the environment or ourselves. Example, we overeat and our weight problems affect our energy levels, our moods, our musculoskeletal structure and health, then we cannot easily and effectively do things without premature deterioration to our bodies.

This is not meant to be a health conversation, but a basic example of our innate activities that lead to the environmental state we observe today and know of for tomorrow. What am I getting at then?

Human beings, today, are not naturally green and sustainable. It takes energy and effort for us to behave this way and doesn’t take much time and effort for us to break these great habits unless we are breaking a law or could be fined. To me, this is a truth, and should be accepted as are the laws of physics!

A friend once said to me, it was only after man came to terms with the laws of the physical universe that we were able to experience flight. I am sure the aircraft and airline companies would not disagree with the prosperity that this revelation has yielded! I imagine many people likely died with their flying contraptions that they put all of their faith in, and their lives, because basic and empirically learned realities were not acknowledged.

Now a few of you [probably, more of my friends in the environmental community] are saying that I am just creating an excuse for people not to do the right thing and my thought process will make things go backwards. With a lot of respect I say, we must acknowledge a truth and begin working in sync with the laws of physics even about ourselves to see green and sustainability take off! Otherwise, like those people with their flying contraptions, these important principle’s will see a trendy demise.

What does that mean? Products are constantly dummy-proofed because the developers acknowledged the truths about how we could screw up using the product. So they put features in the designs like the 3 different prongs in plugs for “hot” neutral and ground to go only one way into the outlet complementary to those prongs, then we always plug our appliances in correctly.

Imagine that our products could be green and sustainability-proofed, then our human behavior –regardless of how ungreen or unsustainable – does less harm!

Editors note: Shenika E. Felix is the President of MIS Green. Learn more about her green customer research firm at her website, MIS Green.

The views expressed above are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent The Element Agency. If you are interested in penning guest posts for My Green Element, please email Stefan Deeran via stefan@theelementagency.com.

With a name like that, it just makes sense. Frito-Lay’s SunChips brand will now be produced using solar energy. Their Modesto, California facility will use power from solar concentrators, a system whereby mirrors capture and concentrate energy that then heats tubes of water.

Only one of eight SunChips plants will use solar power, but Frito-Lay has purchased green power certificates to offset 100% of its operations. To celebrate the move, SunChips has set up a sunny, interactive website about living on a healthier planet.

By Stefan Deeran at The Element Agency in New York

Wal-Mart, not known for its overt concern about social justice has nonetheless proved that reducing energy consumption is something that we all need to care about. Aboutmyplanet has a great post about their new building has cut energy consumption by 45%, up from 25% of there other ‘green’ building. A cynic might say they are doing it for pure business, a cynic might be right.

Climatechangepolitics has a new post about the UK government incorporating carbon costs into decision making. Allowing low emission, and slightly pricier, decisions to compete with high emission, slight cheaper options.

Ecotality has an interesting take on GM’s push to get $18 billion dollars for infrastructure for their hydrogen fuel cell powered cars.

CleanTech has a good post about that ‘next big concern’ water. And a new report from some heavies.

Styrofoam is one of those things, like littering, that I thought we all agreed back in the 80s were bad. So why this stuff is still around is beyond me. Fresh off the heels of banning bottled water Seattle is now looking into to getting rid of styrofoam food packaging. Hat tip to sustainableisgood.

Jetsongreen has a cool video post about pre-fabricated homes going green.

On the opposite side of the socio-economic ladder, Inhabitat as a cool piece of high-end sustainable homes.

Have a great weekend.

By Robert Anton at The Element Agency in Vancouver

Last February, Noelle Mckenzie of IKEA-USA wrote a guest blog post here on MyGreenElement.com about her firm’s green strategy. Noelle mentioned this particular plan to reduce the waste from plastic bags:

Beginning in March of 2007 IKEA launched the blue bag program in the U.S.UK by 95 percent. The program was designed to charge customers a nickel per plastic bag and 59 cents for every reusable big blue bag in order to encourage people to stop being so wasteful. Within the first year the U.S. bag program successfully surpassed expectations by reducing the amount of plastic bags used by over half the goal of 35 million.

With IKEA taking the lead to discourage plastic bag use, customers responded to the challenge. Ninety-two percent of customers stopped requesting the plastic bags, IKEA said today. Therefore, they are now phasing out all plastic bags from their US operations.

Congratulations on the sustainable leadership, IKEA.

By Stefan Deeran at The Element Agency in New York

ENGOs have been using the web to mobilize action on climate change for years. Now that the general public takes climate change seriously, governments are starting to respond. So what do government resources look like?

The US Environmental Protection Agency’s site is all text but a decent research databank and a good place to learn about the science behind the climate.

The Nancy Pelosi-led House of Representatives has gone a step further and created Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming website. Here you will find video, pictures and an interactive map of the world that shows the hot spots of global warming.

The Climate Change website from the government of Canada is surprisingly sparse, and looks like a half-hearted environment section from a corporate website. The page is full of links to reports on Canada’s Kyoto commitments.

The United Kingdom has produced the most action-oriented website at the URL ClimateChallenge.Gov.UK. The site is all about what individuals can do, and includes a carbon footprint calculator. Check out the video promoting the site, currently featured as our “Green Video.”

By Stefan Deeran at The Element Agency in New York

A new study by the Canadian bank CIBC World Markets predicts upcoming carbon taxes will change international trade patterns. Surprisingly, manufacturing in the developed world might become cheaper and more competitive. So how does a carbon tax relate to “green” collar jobs?

With oil prices skyrocketing and energy efficiency measures mandated via carbon taxes, energy savings in the developed world might offset the higher costs of labor.

“And the reason [energy-intensive industries that went where labor is cheapest] will be coming back is because in most of these industries, North America is much more energy- and carbon-efficient than the developing world is,” said the report’s author, Jeff Rubin.

The catch, however, is that countries like China would either have to tax carbon or the developed world would have to impose tariffs as a penalty.

By Stefan Deeran at The Element Agency in New York

By Mark Nejmeh of Magkinetics, today’s guest blogger

So innovation marches forward and great companies like ours , Magkinetics Inc. set out to change the world. Wow that’s exciting and fortunate position to be in. so let-s get on with it.

Being asked to write a blog here on such a forward thinking site is another honor. Mostly because we have the opportunity to reach an audience that is moving forward to change the world themselves. You out there in “read this blog world” are my heroes. You are all ready for the future now and ready to lend a hand to shape it. But what drives you ?

Let me guess, or better yet let me compare my own motivations. You must be thinking about life and family just like me. You make me chuckle as I write this, imagining you with your loved ones nearby, and the many circus events that go on in your lives , Ahh it is wonderful to have hope for the future as long as the future includes the health and wealth of mine, yours and ours.

Ours , who is ours? Ours is us to me, ours is everyone on this planet, from White to Black and everything in between. Ours is of every faith and of no faith, if so be. Ours, believes in hope of peace, prosperity and all of life’s goodness. And so that’s why I believe we are all here, working together.

My company , and for that matter , my invention is a system and method that creates electricity from moving vehicular traffic. We are new thinkers at Magkinetics Inc and we are really not that cool. We are mostly middle aged , former athletes , very competitive, that happen to be very hardworking, and smart. We are the happy scientists and intellectuals, evaluated on unusual scales. We are bright enough to know that we need to add to our corporate mix with innovative new employees from all age groups and with all capabilities that are willing to work remotely, and we welcome those who apply to MagKinetics Inc as long as they are willing to really change the world.

I personally don’t and do believe that what we are trying to do is difficult. It will be easy to actually make electricity from moving traffic but it will be hard to get the “powers that be” of the world to accept the process.

I foresee that our technology will be implemented in a very Capitalistic way.

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The Canadian oilsands, which cover roughly 140,000 square kilometres (54,000 sq mi) of northern Canadian wilderness, are the largest supplier of crude oil and refined products to the US.

The problem is that to extract the oil, or more accurately the bitumen which can be synthesized into oil, it is very energy intensive and extremely polluting. The oil sands are Canada’s single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. As well, there is anecdotal evidence of oil sands development run off diminishing fish stocks and causing cancer.

The problems faced in this industry have not gone entirely unnoticed. The Calgary Herald had an article yesterday about a new poll that shows just how much Canadians are concerned about this. The poll, conducted by McAllister Opinion Research, shows that roughly half of Canadians believe future oil sand projects should be suspended until environmental concerns are addressed.

More impressively a full 79% believe current greenhouse gas emissions should be capped at there present levels and then reduced to fight climate change. Conversely only 12% believe that increased greenhouse gas emissions should be allowed in the name of economic growth.

Check out the full article for details.

By Robert Anton at The Element Agency in Vancouver

Remember when Coca-Cola got into some PR trouble when they admitted that their Dasani brand was nothing more than bottled tap water? Obviously water issues matter most to a beverage company. And the environmental impact of their operations is where firms are coming under increasing public scrutiny.

So this week Coca-Cola has taken a leadership position and declared they are on the path to “water neutrality”–similar to the proclamations of carbon neutrality by similar, large corporations in 2007. The Element Agency had predicted “hydro footprint” proclamations would be a top sustainable business trend in 2008, and it looks like Coke is the first company to get there.

With 300 bottling companies in countries across the planet, measuring, tracking and reducing water consumption is surely a challenge. Here is what Coke must now do to legitimatily use the term “water neutral”:

1. Define, measure and report its “water footprint”;
2. Take all action that is “reasonably possible” to reduce the existing operational water footprint;
3. Reconcile the residual water footprint (amount remaining after a company does as much as possible to reduce footprint) by making a “reasonable investment” in establishing or supporting projects that focus on the sustainable and equitable use of water.

By Stefan Deeran at The Element Agency in New York

By Ayako Ezaki of The International Ecotourism Society, today’s guest blogger

“Is ecotourism sustainable?” “Should we even be promoting travel, eco or not?”—These are among the most frequently asked questions that many conscious consumers seem to be grappling with.

My answer to the first question is a very solid Yes, although unfortunately there is a “but.”

Ecotourism is tourism done in a specific way that follows a set of principles promoting social, environmental and economic sustainability. While there are many variations of the definition of ecotourism, The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) uses the following widely accepted definition that clearly outlines the key components of ecotourism: Ecotourism is “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.” (TIES, 1990)

There are two sides to the principles of ecotourism: one is about minimizing the negative impacts of tourism, and the other maximizing the positive impacts.

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From across cyberspace, some green blogs to check out over the holiday weekend.

Handheld devices that measure your carbon footprint via GPS? Celsias takes a look at the new green gadget for you cell phone called “Carbon Hero.”

Jetson Green examines a Chicago skyscraper that could also be a wind turbine.

Triple Pundit examines whether the recent corporate green initiatives (i.e. McDonalds, Dupont, FedEX) amount to greenwashing or true change.

Grist compares money spent on Iraq with investments in renewable energy.

No Impact Man philosophizes on environmentalism and social justice.

Yes, you can have a “greener” Easter.  Check out the tips at GreenOptions. 

And be sure to check out US President Bush, addressing the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference, currently featured as our “Green Video.”

By Stefan Deeran at The Element Agency in New York

Now that Client-9 is out, back to business for New York State.  Do the elected officials have a plan to address the State’s energy needs?  How will we fight global warming?

The New York League of Conservation Voters has just launched Climate Action PAC and a new website to get action on this most important issue in Albany.

The Climate Action PAC will offer direct financial support and independent campaign expenditures to help elect individuals who have demonstrated their passion and ability to advance strategies to aggressively tackle climate change. The Climate Action PAC will target state legislative seats in 2008 and local races throughout the state - including New York City - in 2009.

This is one of the first PACs in the nation with the specific goal of putting money behind candidates that will fight global warming.   We recommend visiting www.WhatIsNewYorkWaitingFor.com to sign-up and demand action today.

By Stefan Deeran at The Element Agency in New York

By Dennis Arfmann and Adrian Eissler of Hogan & Hartson LLP, today’s guest bloggers

This week Xcel Energy (NYSE: XEL) and the City of Boulder announced that Boulder, Colorado will become the nation’s first “Smart Grid” city. The announcement provides a tremendous boost to the “smart grid” concept, which will facilitate substantial advances in the efficiency of the existing transmission infrastructure and greater integration of renewable energy and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Xcel describes its vision of a “smart grid” as a fully network-connected system that identifies all aspect of the power grid and communicates its status and the impact of consumption decisions to automated decision-making systems on that network. The smart grid will allow Xcel to refine its distribution and generation management with real-time system information, thereby responding to peak demand loads more efficiently and rerouting energy as needed to meet consumer demand without placing unnecessary strain on the grid.

Customers will gain greater control over their own energy management decisions through availability of real-time information on energy cost, fuel mix, peak grid demand, etc. Perhaps most importantly, the smart grid will allow greater grid responsiveness to and inclusion of distributed renewable generation such as on-site solar installations.

In the City and County of Boulder, updated building codes including stringent Home Energy Rating System (HERS) requirements will frequently require the inclusion of solar power for new construction and significant renovations, in addition to increased energy efficiency in the construction/remodeling. The “greening” of the building codes in conjunction with recent announcements of dramatically reduced prices per watt possible with the newest wave of thin-film PV technology (see AVA Solar, First Solar), suggests a dramatic expansion in demand for on-site solar.

The implementation of Xcel’s smart grid initiative comes at a perfect time to capitalize on these policy and technological advances leading us in the direction of distributed renewable generation. Congratulations to Xcel and the City of Boulder!

Editors note: Dennis Arfmann is Co-Chair of the Climate Change Practice Group at Hogan & Hartson LLP, and Adrian Eissler is Associate in the firm’s Corporate and Securities Practice Group.

The views expressed above are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent The Element Agency. If you are interested in penning guest posts for My Green Element, please email Stefan Deeran via stefan@theelementagency.com.

Everyone knows Lambeau Field and Yankee Stadium. Who knows TD Waterhouse Center or Citi Field?

Well, it seems the green energy industry is taking a page from the world of professional sports. Today’s New York Times has an article about the naming rights of wind farms. This all seems a little strange, but it boils down to the fact that major companies and corporations increasingly want to tie their image to the sustainability movement.

The crux of the article is that a new wind farm in Panhandle, Texas will be called Wege Wind Energy Farm. Wege is for Peter Wege, the environmentalist son of the founder of Steelcase. Steelcase is a substantial furniture company based out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Steelcase has also purchased all of the Renewable Energy Credits for the first five years of output. In addition, they payed an undisclosed sum for the naming rights. One has to think of the reason they would want to do this is the same reason they might want the Yankees playing in their stadium.

 Posted by Robert Anton of The Element Agency.

By Dean Down of CalFinder, today’s guest blogger

As a free contractor screening and referral service, CalFinder works with homeowners across the country on a daily basis. My Green Element recently asked us a very good question: tell us about the demand for green from your customers. In response, it’s fair to say that green demand has brought about a whole new set of remodeling principles, reconfiguring industry practice in general.

Today, homeowners want much more from a remodel. The real estate market is down and it’s more important now to settle in and make your dream home come to life with a successful remodel. At the same time, environmental standards are higher than ever. As a result, increasing a home’s resale value is no longer the be-all-end-all of a remodel so much as raising daily living standards, lowering the carbon footprint, and contributing to a sustainable lifestyle. In addition to matching homeowners with qualified contractors for their home improvement projects, we do our best to keep up with the following green demands.

Green Demand #1: Give me environmentally friendly remodeling options.

Hardwood no longer fits the bill unless it’s sustainably harvested. In addition, homeowners want to know the difference between synthetics, soft woods, and hard woods for their floors or decks. They want to know where chemicals can potentially decrease indoor air quality. Our Green Remodeling Blog answers these questions with product information, local buying guides, and continual research into alternative choices, such as salvaged wood floors, VOC-free paint, pellet stoves, terrazzo countertops, and