Archive for February, 2009

Last Tuesday evening, President Barack Obama took to the podium for his Congressional address, emphasizing how the development and improvement of clean energy is the key to resuscitating the the drowning economy.

This comes on the heels of the National Clean Energy Project held one day earlier. The project, hosted by The Center for American Progress Action Fund and John Podesta, brought together “high-level government, business, labor and advocacy group leaders with a focus on developing a plan and key guiding principles to lead the transformation of U.S. energy policy and to reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil.”

Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Jeff Bingaman were all in attendance.

The tangible conclusions drawn at the conference are difficult to extrapolate, but the trends are promising both in terms of the frequency of high-profile environmentally-focused events, and the relatively universal agreement of the obstacles to alternative energy projects.

While investments in renewable technologies are key to cutting our emissions and creating new jobs, we do need a way to distribute electrical energy and store the surplus. This was one of the key themes of Monday’s forum: our energy grid is in need of an upgrade.

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid is planning to introduce a bill to improve America’s electric transmission capabilities, while President Obama stated in Tuesday’s address that:

“We will soon lay down thousands of miles of power lines that can carry new energy to cities and towns across this country.  And we will put Americans to work making our homes and buildings more efficient so that we can save billions of dollars on our energy bills.”

The wheels are in motion.

Now all we have to do is accept the inevitable short-term financial sacrifices, restore our faith in our financial institutions and get to work.

Alex Haythorne, at FD Element in Vancouver.

At a United Nations meeting of environmental ministers in Nairobi, Kenya on Friday [February 20, 2009], more than 140 countries unanimously agreed to reduce global mercury pollution, which poses a serious risk to human health and the environment. Negotiations will commence late 2009 and the U.N. hopes to have a legally-binding treaty in place by 2013. 

This breakthrough agreement, a seven-year effort perpetuated by the U.N., is largely the result of President Obama’s leadership and his decision to reverse U.S. policy with respect to mercury pollution [the previous Bush administration had staunchly opposed legally-binding measures]. This dramatic shift inspired countries like India and China to do so as well. 

Susan Egan Keane, policy analyst for the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), commented on the historic agreement: “Today we have won a momentous human health victory that will reduce illness and save lives both here and abroad … This globally coordinated plan will substantially reduce mercury contamination in fish, prevent the contamination of our water, and shield our children from a dangerous chemical.”



Obama has only been manning the desk in the Oval Office for about one month now, and has already significantly, and positively, affected the future of our planet. Hopefully this environmental leadership and stewardship will continue when speaking to Canada’s Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, about Alberta’s oil sands. 

Cheryl Mihalin, FD Element in Vancouver

Yesterday, approximately 3,500 excited Canadians stood outside in the cold hoping to catch a glimpse of President Obama.  This was the President’s first foreign visit – and a fairly successful one, too.  Love and agreement was, virtually, all around. Harper and Obama agreed on such issues as Afghanistan, trade, the need to establish a U.S.-Canada “clean energy dialogue” (with the goal of combating global warming), and the overall magnificence of Canada. Obama remarked: “I love this country and I don’t think we could have a better friend and ally.”

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be visiting China to “discuss efforts by the two countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to cooperate in areas such as energy efficiency and alternative energy technology,” reports Enn.com. These discussions, and the results of such, will drastically affect the success of the UN Climate Summit (COP15) in Copenhagen this year because together, U.S. and China account for 40% of the global GHG emissions that result from human activities. 

According to the New York Times, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), headed by Lisa Jackson, is expected to quickly act to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.  This is partly because scientific evidence proves that greenhouse gases endanger human health and well-being.

The Clinton Climate Initiative is working with the city of Los Angeles to replace 140,000 streetlights with LED units over the next five years. This initiative, the largest municipal green lighting retrofit in history, is expected to “save about $10 million a year in costs, reduce electricity consumption for lighting by at least 40 percent and cut carbon emissions by about 40,500 tons a year“ after the loan is repaid. 

Cheryl Mihalin, at FD Element in Vancouver 

Last Friday, Japan axed the world’s most ambitious environmental plan. The plan aimed to reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions by 40% from a 1990 base year by 2020.

“We’ve concluded that a 40-percent cut is too tough to meet,” said Hiroshi Kamagata, counsellor in charge of climate policy at Cabinet Secretariat.

Based on the Kyoto protocol, most nations have a plan to reduce emissions by around 20%, however, as nations are unwilling to take the first steps towards reducing their emission citing the “disadvantages” they would incur economically, these targets have been shifted.

Back in December of 2007, the European Union proposed reducing their emissions by more than 30% if other developed nations followed suit, but unfortunately developed nations are still locked in brinkmanship.

So far Kyoto has been less effective than we had hoped. Only three GHGs are now required to be reduced instead of the initial 6. The date that nations agreed to meet their goals has slipped from 2008 to 2012, and now nations are not required to actually meet their targets, but only to “act with a view to doing so…”

The United States is still the only “developed” nation not to have ratified the protocol, a position criticized globally considering the US is responsible for 1/4 of global GHG emissions and has the largest per capita emissions. However, State and local governments have symbolically signed the protocol and worked to reduce their emissions based on Kyoto targets.

Canada has not fared much better, as some sources indicate emissions have grown. Although Canada was one of the first nations to sign Kyoto, the Conservative government has traditionally opposed the protocol, and followed an American line on the issue. This led to environmental groups suing the Canadian government over missing their Kyoto targets in 2007.

Japan was to be the darling of the legacy began in 1992, but last week this hope was dashed. If nation states cannot organize to change their behavior in the face of an imminent threat, are we all hooped?

We do have one last card to play.

There is a global need for new jobs, and this need is felt most deeply in a nation still riding the wave of hope as a new administration finds its footing. The eyes of the world are still upon the United States and it is this nation still able to affect the most change.

There are two clear paths. We know where one goes.

Alex Haythorne, at FD Element in Vancouver.

President Barack Obama is visiting Canada on February 19th. His meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper will focus on Alberta’s Tar Sands, which produce 1.3 million barrels of oil per day and dramatically contribute to Canada’s economy. Andrew Nikiforuk of HuffingtonPost.com claims that this is an opportune time to focus on a new approach to energy because Alberta’s oil is “dangerous, dirty and dwindling.” 

Time.com reports that global warming will lead to an increase in Australia’s extreme heat waves and droughts, and may also be fueling the nation’s current wildfires, which have already taken approximately 160 lives. The fires were not a total surprise, though. For example, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned in 2007 that fires in Australia were “virtually certain to increase in intensity and frequency” because of worldwide rising temperatures.

According to Reuters, levels of carbon dioxide “are around the highest in at least 800,000 years, and up by about a third since the Industrial Revolution.” There is no sign whatsoever that the world economic downturn is curbing industrial emissions.

As reported on ENN.com, Japan has decided to axe its plan to cut gas emissions by 40% by 2020 from 1990. This would have been “the most ambitious possible action according to a reference target set by a U.N. panel of climate scientists.” Japan will most likely announce its new 2020 goal by June.

By Cheryl Mihalin at FD Element in Vancouver

Words such as “greening”, “sustainability”, and “legacy” are well used when referring to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games.  But how are these words translating into results?  For GE this means applying its “ecomagination”.  Ecomagination is solving some of the world’s toughest challenges.  We’ve invested $1.4B in clean tech research to develop products that improve bottom line operating costs and are beneficial to the environment.  In just over 4 years, ecomagination has demonstrated tremendous success, generating $17B in global revenues and $70B in orders, saving $100M in energy costs within GE’s global operations and generating an overall reduction in GE’s GHG emissions.  Yes, there is indeed a market for green tech….or to coin a phrase “Green is Green”.

We’ve been working closely with VANOC, the Province of British Columbia and sponsors, providing advice and products aimed at reducing the environmental footprint associated with the Games.  GE has supplied Evolution Locomotive engines to CP Rail, the official freight provider for the 2010 Games.  The Evolution engine is up to 40% more energy efficient than previous locomotive engines, and CP is rapidly greening its fleet.  The Vancouver Convention Centre will be the broadcast headquarters.  GE is using advanced membrane technology in the building to reuse water for flush fixtures and to irrigate a brand new 6-acre rooftop garden.  The Convention Centre is hoping to achieve LEED Gold certification, and the on-site wastewater system is one of the green building features.  GE is also installing membrane systems to the Nordic Centre in Whistler.  The facility requires a smaller footprint than traditional plants.  Treated water will supply the taps and toilets – the system will support athletes, and thousands of visitors to the Centre during the Games.  And Air Canada is using GEnx aircraft engines, with 15% better fuel consumption, and 94% below 2008 regulatory limits, it is one of the most energy efficient engines in the world.

Beyond a “win-win” – ecomagination is building a sustainable legacy, one that will have a lasting impact well after 2010.

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Cal Braun, for GE in Vancouver

FD’s Los Angeles office recently surveyed Southern California business leaders to gain some insight on perceptions, outlooks and trends shaping companies communication in the economic downturn.

Included in the survey findings were qualitative insights into the green and environmental practices companies have been adopting and what they have been doing (or not doing) to communicate them to their stakeholders.

Here’s what we found:

More than 35% of businesses have adopted one or more of the following practices to reduce their environmental impact:

·        Recycling in the office
·        Changes in internal business practices (i.e. printing and purchasing habits)
·        Reduced  business travel
·        Increased telecommuting
·        Reduced energy usage

This comes as no surprise as everyone knows California leads the way when it comes to green policy and practice.  What is surprising, however, is that these companies are doing next to nothing when it comes to communicating about what they’re doing—aside from telling their employees.

·        Only 16% have incorporated it onto their Web site and less than 16% have communicated via an external marketing or public relations campaigns.

If you are walking the walk, you might as well talk the talk.  We tried to put our fingers on what’s holding people back.  We were able to identify a couple of myths that we’ve dispelled for you below:

Myth:    Being green costs money.
Truth:  Environmental practices don’t just give you a bang for your marketing buck, they are actually a great way to cut your costs.  Making small changes, like decreasing your energy use and cutting back on disposable goods (paper, printing, etc.) is a breeze.  Work with IT to set double-sided printing as the default and automatically switch computers off at night.  Switch to energy efficient lighting or cut back on office space with increased telecommuting.

Myth:   Employees don’t care.
Truth:  Adopting environmental practices is a great way to increase morale, engage employees and make them feel good about what your company is doing—especially when things can seem so grim. Incentivize employees to suggest change that impact the bottom line and you’ll be amazed at the collaboration and solutions that ensue.

Myth:    We aren’t doing anything that is worth talking about.
Truth:   Communicating about what you ARE doing to lighten your environmental impact, even if its small, shows that you are aware, that you care and that you are taking a step in the right direction.  In today’s skeptical society, if you don’t talk about being green, people assume you aren’t doing anything.

Bottom Line:  Adopting green practices is a great way to cut costs.  Communicating about them adds value.  So, what are you waiting for?

Contact FD Element for some creative and cost-effective ways to cut costs while going green.

By Lindsey Jurca, Assistant Vice President at FD, Los Angeles

The Super Bowl is finally over and the nation’s pizza parlors have covered rent for another year. The advertising jamboree reached its shimmering heights at halftime as the masses, weakened by revelry, sat ready to receive their commands to consume. What better chance to more deeply entrench today’s trends?

We’ve been waiting a year for North America’s ad day, where companies eagerly shell out upwards of $2.5 million per 30 second spot. 3 years ago we saw the emergence of green advertising at the Super Bowl and for four years now the NFL has attempted to offset the carbon emissions of the event. More broadly, the NFL has a 15 year track-record of “green” elements at this greatest of annual events.

With the progression of global environmental awareness, we would expect this year to be the greenest of all. Unfortunately, most agree that green was not the theme this year. GE took the game with two green ads while the rest fumbled. The traditionally dominant force of the domestic auto industry was nowhere to be found, trumped by foreign competitors who failed to display any overtly green messages i.e. no mention of hybrids or of alternative anything.

The economic situation has no doubt affected this year’s messaging, but let’s hope this isn’t the canary for a withdrawal on a crucial front of the green war.

Alex Haythorne, at FD Element in Vancouver