• Bold Eco Moves: Procter & Gamble, Toyota/Nissan/Mitsubishi/Fuji/Tokyo Electric
• Notable: Anheuser-Busch InBev, AT&T, Hanes, OfficeMax, Starbucks, SunEdison, United Biscuits, Whole Foods/Starbucks
• ROI Success Stories: Las Vegas Sands Corp, Walmart’s SEEP Program, Renewables investments
• Government and Legal: Compromise climate bill, tuna and polar bear protection, SF6 emissions, EU CER trading halt, California efficient truck rebates
  
• Tech Innovations: Aluminum parabolic troughs, high-tech LED systems, self-charging cell phones
• Economic Indicators: Sensata IPO
• New Research & Tools: Retailer sustainability web site, renewable energy spending requirements, food and beverage rankings, CSR risks for audits, British Columbia’s green economy forecast

BOLD ECO MOVES

Procter & Gamble will launch its “Future Friendly” campaign in the U.S. as part of its commitment to educate 50 million US households on sustainability issues. The initiative aims to highlight greener practices and greener products – with a Future Friendly logo - and educate consumers about reducing their environmental impact.
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Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi, Fuji Heavy Industries and Tokyo Electric Power jointly created the “CHAdeMO Association” to increase the number of quick-charge stations for electric vehicles worldwide and standardize how to charge vehicles. The group is aiming to create a Japanese standard first then push for an international one. 158 businesses and government bodies are expected to join the association.
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CEF MEMBERS ONLY

• Register for the members-only conference call on “Tapping into Stimulus Funding for Green Projects,” March 30, 11am-Noon EST.
• A draft of the 2010 Annual Meeting Agenda is now available.  Please request a copy then send us your feedback.

NOTABLE

Anheuser-Busch InBev committed to 30 percent improvement in water efficiency from 2007 levels. The world’s largest brewer dropped its water consumption per liter of beer from 5.03 liters in 2007 to 4.3 in 2009 and now aims for 3.5 by 2012. Energy use per liter of production has also decreased by 10.9 percent since 2007 and the company has set the goal of an additional 10 percent by 2012.
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AT&T’s PayItGreen initiative aims to convert 1 million customers to paperless billing. The telecom giant will plant a tree for each customer who makes the switch. Separately, AT&T announced plans to debut its ZERO Charger in May – a wireless charger that does not draw power unless a device is plugged into it.
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Hanes aims to increase renewable energy use to 30 percent of total consumption by 2012 and to reduce GHG emissions by 15 percent from 2007 levels. It also cut its 2009 transportation emissions by 41 percent by concentrating on rail delivery rather than shipment by truck or air.
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OfficeMax is rolling out the use of reusable shipping cartons for repeat customers. Drivers deliver new orders in polypropylene bins and pick up empty bins on the next visit.
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Starbucks is sponsoring a design competition to find an alternative to unrecyclable paper coffee cups. The company aims to have 100 percent of its beverages served in reusable or recycleable cups by 2015.
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SunEdison received final approval from the Italian government to construct the largest photovoltaic plant in Europe in Northeastern Italy. SunEdison is also involved in the construction of what could be the largest solar photovoltaic project in the U.S.
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United Biscuits, a UK food maker, built a water recycling plant that has enabled the company to reach its water efficiency goals ten years ahead of schedule and set a new goal: a 45 percent reduction in water usage by 2020.
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A Whole Foods market in Chicago and a Starbucks in France received top honors from the A.R.E. Sustainability Awards, which recognize sustainable retail outlet design.
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ROI SUCCESS STORIES

The Las Vegas Sands Corporation has saved $4 for every dollar it has invested in its sustainability program. Its energy efficiency efforts have saved 73 million KWh annually – enough to power 6,500 homes – and its water conservation initiatives have curbed water use by 20 percent. The company’s Venetian Resort and Sands Expo have just attained LEED-Gold certification, and combined with the LEED Silver Sands’ Palazzo-Hotel-Resort Casino make up the largest contiguous structure certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.
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Walmart’s Supplier Energy Efficiency Program (SEEP) has helped 20 companies reduce energy costs by sharing Walmart’s expertise and best practices in efficiency and giving companies access to proven efficiency technologies in the areas of lighting, HVAC, building envelope and building controls—all at the same prices Walmart pays.
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An Environmental Leader study finds 20 percent of companies that have invested in renewable energy sources have experienced returns of 15 percent or greater. The study and survey focus on corporate ROI of renewable energy programs and their energy plans for the future.
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GOVERNMENT AND LEGAL

US senators say a compromise climate bill may be ready this week.
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Delegates to a UN conference of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) defeated US-backed resolutions to ban international trade of bluefin tuna, to protect polar bears, and to regulate the trade red and pink corals. The bluefin tuna population has collapsed by about 80 percent since 1970. Nearly 30 percent of the world's tropical coral species have disappeared since 1980.
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California will monitor and cap SF6 emissions – the most potent of all greenhouse gases - from high-voltage electrical equipment used by utility companies beginning in 2011.
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Trading of certified emission credits (CERs) was halted on two exchanges after news broke of a trading scandal in which the Hungarian government resold 2 million previously used CERs. The European Union has since amended the rules under its Emissions Trading Scheme to halt the recycling of CERs.
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The California Air Resources Board allocated $3.7 million in rebates for commercial zero-emission or plug-in hybrid medium- and heavy-duty trucks on a first come, first serve basis.
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TECH INNOVATIONS

Alcoa is testing the use of reflective aluminum instead of glass to focus sunlight on liquid-filled receivers that create steam and drive the turbine in solar plants. The aluminum would replace the higher-cost glass parabolic troughs traditionally used.
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Digital Lumens introduced a centrally-controlled LED lighting system that leverages wireless networking technology, uses embedded sensors and computers to detect motion, conducts calculations about energy use, and configures itself automatically using a built-in decision engine. The system will reduce operational costs by 90 percent compared to conventional warehouse lighting systems.
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Nokia has filed a patent for a cellular phone that would charge itself by using piezoelectric crystals which generate electricity through the movement of the mobile phone’s owner.
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ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Solar-power sensor maker Sensata raised $569 million in its initial public offering-- the largest clean tech IPO in two years.
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NEW RESEARCH AND TOOLS

Five Winds International launched a Retailer Sustainability Web Page to provide consumer goods companies with strategic guidance and practical steps in responding to retailers’ sustainability requirements.
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A new report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance concludes that renewable energy spending must rise from $90 billion last year to $500 billion in 2030 to avoid the worst impacts of global warming.
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Two Tomorrows’ has ranked the top ten public companies in the food and beverage category on their social and environmental issues management. Unilever ranked highest, followed by Nestle and Danone.
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“Evaluating Corporate Social Responsibility/Sustainable Development,” a new guide from the Institute of Internal Auditors, examines the CSR risks that should be considered when developing audit plans and procedures.
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The GLOBE foundation estimates the green economy in British Columbia could be worth $27 billion by 2020.
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