Toyota Camry Hybrid (Rangsit Preview)
This is a good news for Camry fans of Thailand (and several countries in SEA). We’re now saying hello to Toyota’s upcoming hybrid-drive era, and Southeast Asian version of Camry Hybrid, Toyota Thailand’s first production vehicle with Hybrid Synergy Drive technology, has just revealed to the outside world. After weekend preview for press. Here at Future Park Rangsit, Toyota uses a chance in “4th STOP GLOBAL WARMING fair” to reveal. Alongside 1/X concept from 30thBiMS. And they’re the proofs for Toyota’s advanced technology for environment this year. Let me tell you this first. After more than 5 years since Honda introduced Civic Hybrid here in Thailand. But just only 50 units for 50 high-society households only, that meant for experiment use of course. And never sell for public. Later, newer version also arrived in Thailand but kept quietly in frontier of corporate as well, and just show to the public when Honda thought the times are right. Not to mention the hybrid vehicles imported by grey agents. So we can say that this Camry will be the first authentic hybrid vehicle for Thai motorists to afford. Because its retail price has revealed, unlike Civic Hybrid. Assembled from Toyota’s “Gateway Plant” in Chachoengsao province like every Camry for Thailand nowadays. So the price can be still in affordable rate. Many parts of exterior appearance exclusively reserved for. Such as fascia, front lamps, rear lamps, marques, and of course with special light silver as exterior color …
Ford Fiesta ECOnetic 65-75 mpg…WILL NOT BE SOLD IN USA
“We know it’s an awesome vehicle,” said Ford America President Mark Fields. “But there are business reasons why we can’t sell it in the US” Why will Ford not sell their new car in the USA, Ford’s 2009 Fiesta ECOnetic goes on sale in November…isn’t Ford Motors an American Company…don’t working class Americans deserve more miles per gallon…Ford you are Un-American!!! www.nydailynews.com Now I see why Adolph Hitler kept a framed photograph of Henry Ford on his desk and Ford kept one of Hitler on his desk in Dearborn, Michigan. Hitler had used in ‘Mein Kampf’ some of Fords anti-semitic views, and he always welcomed Ford’s contributions to the Nazi movement.
Commercial construction pounds bucks into city’s budget
Government pushing better fuel efficiency for trucks, buses
For the first time, the EPA and the Transportation Department announced proposed fuel economy requirements and reductions in tailpipe emissions for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, beginning with those sold in the 2014 model year.
Read more on San Jose Mercury News
Truck fuel-efficiency plans released
WASHINGTON — Future long-haul trucks, school buses and large pickups will be required to cut fuel consumption and emissions by 10% to 20% under the first-ever fuel-efficiency plans for trucks that the Obama administration released Monday.
Read more on Detroit Free Press
British Airways, Iberia fly back to profit
British Airways and Iberia of Spain flew back into profits on Friday ahead of their merger as the pair cut costs and benefited from a fragile recovery in air travel and the global economy.
Read more on Sydney Morning Herald
Masawara: The place of indigenisation and empowerment
A FEW weeks back, I drew your attention to the Jersey-registered Masawara. I hope you know what this place called Jersey means in the British scheme of things.
Read more on New Zimbabwe
Commercial construction pounds bucks into city’s budget
A crane and backhoes are working in concert this week to bury fuel tanks at the site of a new City Market gas station and grocery store off 24 Road. To the northeast, the new, four-story Candlewood Suites, with 97 rooms is framed in and now sports new windows. The city of Grand Junction is experiencing some commercial growth this year, yet not one new commercial project is on the docket for next …
Read more on The Daily Sentinel
Video: A welcome audit for homeowners
Costs Lock Drivers Out of ‘Green’ Cars
Electric and hybrid cars will make up less than 8% of the market in a decade, thanks largely to their price.
Read more on TheStreet.com
To escape criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing. (Elbert Hubbard)
Don’t go where the path leads. Rather go where there is no path, and leave a trail. (Old saying)
Read more on Explorersweb
The power paradox: why we have plenty
Four years ago we couldn’t get new power plants built fast enough. Now the message is: It’s all OK. What changed?
Read more on Toronto Star
Bay Minette to look into helping Silverhill obtain police car
BAY MINETTE, Ala. — The city of Silverhill reached out to the city of Bay Minette Monday for help in obtaining a COPS grant, which would give the small town in South Baldwin County another officer at no cost to the city for three years.
Read more on BaldwinCountyNow.com
Video: A welcome audit for homeowners
To build skills, for real-life training Lower Merion firefighters sometimes get permission to use buildings about to be torn down.
Read more on Main Line Times
SIZZLE REEL FOR GREEN TRAVEL SHOW — “BioTrekking”
BioTrekking is a web series that will take you on a journey around the world to beautiful destinations with our host, as we travel to find the best ECO-FRIENDLY destinations. BioTrekking will feature food made fresh from the land, chefs and restaurants cooking up creative dishes with sustainable ingredients, we’ll highlight what companies, people, and communities are doing in the area to help sustain the environment, talk to people who have unique ECO-FRIENDLY innovations, and we’ll visit incredible places and show you the beauty of clean skies, spectacular mountains, sparkling lakes, emerald pastures—anywhere the vitality of healthy living inspires us to go. On our way, we’ll find adventure, fun, great places to stay, cool things to see, delicious food, and great people! We will also feature beautiful, timelapse photography, filmic imagery, original music, and entertaining characters. Our goal is to have fun. This is NOT a “doom and gloom” show. It’s about going back to the land, slow travel, and just learning how to be good to the planet AND good to yourself as you travel the world. Join us on www.biotrekking.com and please help us fund this show by using IndieGoGo: www.indiegogo.com
Erwin Timmers, eco-artist
“Green artist” Erwin Timmers talks about his eco friendly, sustainable artwork and sculpture www.ecoglassart.com
10 Reasons Why You Must Improve the Environmental Performance of Your Business
1. You are wasting money
Between 2006 and 2008 I carried out simple half-day environmental health checks in 26 businesses ranging from catering through printing, engineering and construction to major pharmaceutical companies. I identified an average saving in waste, raw material, energy and water costs of £175,000 per annum, per company. And those health checks barely scratched the surface.
One of my favourite definitions of waste is ‘anything you buy that you cannot sell’ . Savings from cutting waste (whether that is wasted materials, energy or water) comes straight off your bottom line. If your profit margin is 25%, every £1 saved in this way is equivalent to £4 worth of new sales. And unlike cutting staff, cutting waste costs improves rather than detracts from your ability to deliver value to your customers.
2. The true cost of your waste can be immense
I despair at the number of businesses who go to great lengths to manufacture a high value product and then reverse a forklift truck into it or spill it on the floor during packaging. Most businesses know how much waste costs to dispose of, but the true cost of this type of waste is much higher as it includes:
• Disposal costs;
• Raw material costs;
• Energy and other utility costs for manufacturing;
• Labour costs both from the original manufacturing and the clean up;
• The cost of the disruption required to fulfil orders including knock-on effects on other orders;
• Opportunity costs of not being able to sell that product;
• Opportunity costs from poor customer satisfaction (eg lost future orders).
3. Your energy, water and waste costs are rising
Energy costs doubled between June 2007 and 2008. Waste costs continue to rise as landfill tax escalates and the type of materials that can be landfilled are restricted. Indications from the government are that it will continue increasing the Landfill Tax by £8 per tonne each year up to a level of at least £48 per tonne (from £32 per tonne today). In areas such as the South East of England, water resources are becoming ever more scarce so costs are rising. Doing nothing on environment performance means going backwards rather than standing still.
4. Your customers or clients demand it
If you sell to the public, certain markets are going solidly green. The proportion of white goods rated A for energy efficiency sold has risen from 0 to 76% in the ten years to 2006. 70% of baby food sold in the UK is now organic.
If you sell to other businesses, then your environmental performance becomes their environmental performance. Increasingly larger organisations are demanding information on suppliers’ performance and Local Authorities and other public sector bodies are turning to ‘green procurement’ to meet Government targets.
5. Your compliance costs are rising
There are literally hundreds of pieces of environmental legislation being drafted in the EU and the UK Government. Continually shifting incrementally to keep ahead of the law is an expensive hobby whereas eradicating problems completely is cheaper in the long run and keeps you miles ahead of the lawmakers.
Regulators such as the Environment Agency are increasingly taking a risk based approach to enforcement. If you routinely store hazardous materials, or they regard your practices as poor, they’ll be knocking on your door much more often than if you have eradicated the hazards and have tip top housekeeping.
6. You may be risking prosecution
Every three years the Environment Agency surveys small business’ attitudes to the environment. In 2005 only 18% could name one piece of environmental legislation that affects them, even though every company must comply with several pieces of legislation, for example, waste management regulations .
And it is not just small business who are at risk. In the last year, I have had several arguments with major household names who have misunderstood the scope of the Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE). I really had to browbeat them into accepting that they were breaking the law, faced prosecution and the resulting PR fall out.
7. You are missing out on a great PR opportunity
With all the media attention on environmental issues, good environmental performance gives you a great opportunity to get good news stories into the media and advertising. Good solid green PR will impress the public, the pressure groups, your clients and customers and the regulators.
8. Pressure groups may give you a nasty surprise
In 2007, Apple Computers had it all. From their stylish iMac and MacBook computers to the revolutionary and must-have iPod and rumours of a phone abounding, their fashionable, cutting edge image appeared unassailable. That was until Greenpeace put them bottom of an environmental league table of electronics companies and set up a parody of Apple’s website to detail their environmental infractions . Apple’s legendary CEO Steve Jobs at first dismissed the campaign, but only instigated a stronger backlash . Jobs then realised the precarious position he was in, with Apple’s hip image at serious risk. He did a swift u-turn, launching a radical programme to improve environmental performance and publicised it on the company’s home page for a month.
If you are a high profile business (eg a high street retailer, an energy company, a major construction company, a motor manufacturer, a producer of household goods or in the primary sector – mining, oil, gas, forestry etc), then you are at direct risk from environmental and human rights pressure groups. These groups need high profile campaigns like the Apple example to make the mainstream media take notice and are always looking for a ‘tall poppy’ to target. If you are a smaller business, but you do business with a high profile client, then pressure groups will hold them responsible for your environmental sins. This is a very easy way to lose a major customer.
9. Your staff want you to do it
Environmental and CSR initiatives are a determining factor in employee retention and engagement rates according to the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD). In the US, a survey of over 4,000 people carried out by recruitment job site MonsterTRAK found that 80 per cent of young professionals are interested in securing a job that has a positive impact on the environment. Meanwhile, over 90 per cent claimed they would prefer to work for an environmentally friendly employer. In the UK, a survey of 5,000 job hunters showed that 43% would not work for a firm which had no ethical or environmental policies, even if they were offered £10,000 a year more than to work for a business with a sense of corporate social responsibility.
10. Your competitors are doing it
The 2005 NetRegs survey found that 71% of businesses had made at least one practical step to improve their environmental performance . Some sectors have seen green issues come right to the fore eg the current great green supermarket wars where Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Sainsbury’s are fighting it out to get the best green image. Sir Timothy Leahy went on the record this year to say that Tesco’s plans would not be affected by the ‘credit crunch’ as he believed consumers’ values would not change . He sees this as a serious part of maintaining Tesco’s competitive advantage over its rivals.
If your competitors have a better environmental performance than you, then compared to you they will:
• Have lower operating costs and either a higher profit margin or a more competitive pricing structure;
• Be more robust to future change: new legislation, green taxation, and customer demand;
• Have better PR and marketing opportunities;
• Have better motivated employees and will be attracting the best new recruits;
• Have less risk of prosecution, NGO campaigns and a lighter touch from the regulators.
Well, they’d be mad not to, wouldn’t they?
Gareth Kane is Director of Environmental and Sustainability Consultancy Terra Infirma. In his 11 years experience in the field, he has helped 100s of companies cut 100 000s tonnes of waste and save millions.
Key Takeaways from the Green Fleet Conference (Part II)
Clements for Senate
In the race for U.S. Senate, we endorse Green Party candidate Tom Clements.
Read more on The Rock Hill Herald
Al Gore left car engine running while he gave hour-long lecture, claims environmental campaigner
It is alleged that Gore made the gaffe while he spoke at the Gothenburg Award for Sustainable Development in Sweden.
Read more on Daily Mail
Celebrating Lorain County’s beauty
ELYRIA — Lorain County Heritage, the non-profit arm of Visit Lorain County, celebrated the county’s premier architecture, landscaping, preservation and community service projects Oct. 26. The 18th annual Lorain County Beautiful Awards Banquet was hosted at the Spitzer Conference Center at Lorain County Community College.
Read more on The Morning Journal
Aviva’s new home
Aviva, the world’s sixth largest insurance company, opened its new North American corporate offices on the Dallas County side of West Des Moines with much pomp and circumstance Thursday, Oct. 21.
Read more on Dallas County News
Key Takeaways from the Green Fleet Conference (Part II)
Here’s where we left off from last week’s blog on the Green Fleet Show in San Diego. It’s a lot of material, and I didn’t get to half of the presentations!
Read more on Auto Rental News
Eco-friendly products boost competitiveness
More manufacturers jump on the ‘green’ wagon amid stricter export regulations, growing alternatives and rising demand.
Treading the “green” path is on the rise among manufacturers in China, albeit at different levels of adoption. Be it in the garments, jewelry, stationery, paint or consumer electronics industries, more companies are adopting ecologically safe materials, including recycled substitutes.
Suppliers are motivated by two main factors. Most are compelled to do so because of increasingly stringent product regulations in their key export destinations, namely the EU and the US. RoHS, for example, curbs the use of elements and compounds that are perilous to the environment. Among these are lead and cadmium. Although the EU directive applies only to electrical and electronic products, makers in other industries such as fashion jewelry are taking heed and dispensing with these substances.
A few are tapping the eco trend as a marketing tool to help them move to upscale manufacture and break away from cutthroat competition in the low end. Because there is a premium attached to green models, companies can charge 5 to 50 percent more for these items.
No more toxins
Most jewelry suppliers have dropped the use of nickel, an erstwhile widely applied plating metal that can cause skin irritation and has been banned in some countries and regions, including the EU. Other types of heavy metal such as lead and cadmium are also disappearing steadily from both the product composition and manufacturing processes.
Fashion accessories maker Temgo Group Co. Ltd uses nickel-free resin and plastic beads that do not have toxic content. “The plating of the metal does not contain lead and nickel. This is required by all of our EU and US buyers,” vice general manager Stanley Fan said.
“We are also using low-cadmium plastic packing bags. It will be a trend in the future. Some acrylic beads or stones are required to be low in cadmium as well.”
The Neoglory Group, one of the top 10 fashion jewelry makers in China, worked with the Kunming University of Science and Technology to develop a zinc-based alloy that complies with the increasingly stricter overseas standards. Three patents have been applied for the new metal, which took a year to perfect.
Aside from its environment-friendly properties, the newly developed jewelry metal will save Neoglory $0.044 per piece. The company is targeting increased exports to North America and Europe once mass manufacturing begins.
Many products are now also free from phthalates, plasticizers that are endocrine disruptors and suspected carcinogens.
Even paint is being reconstituted for ecological safety. Oil-based versions contain PAH and high levels of volatile organic compounds, which are among the most common pollutants.
Much of the eco-friendly substitutes from China are water-borne. When the water volatilizes, the paint film layer is formed without releasing xylene, formaldehyde and other harmful VOCs.
At present, more than 80 percent of paint suppliers in the country offer water-based variants. Foshan Aoke Chemical Co. Ltd, Foshan Maydos Chemical Co. Ltd and Sunfo International Chemical Co. Ltd have developed paint that complies with the China national standard for VOC content, which is lower than 200g/L.
For printing, water-based oil and soy ink are taken up as a low-VOC, PAH-free choice over solvent-based versions.
Natural, sustainable alternatives
Apart from ensuring components are free from toxins, many companies are incorporating materials that are grown with as little impact on the environment as possible.
Cotton farmers are the leading users of insecticide globally, accounting for 16 percent of total consumption. Organic cotton that is cultivated without toxic pesticides and synthetic fertilizers promotes healthier products, biodiversity conservation and reduction of noxious chemicals seeping into the environment.
Tencel, which is a brand of regenerated cellulose fiber made from dissolved wood pulp, is another eco-friendly material that is often used in pants and coats. It is normally mixed with cotton at a ratio of up to 1:3.
Rayon from bamboo is also incorporated in the production of garments. Aside from being biodegradable, it is one of the most efficient among all types of natural fibers in terms of moisture absorption and breathability.
Other natural materials that makers are turning to are silk, bamboo charcoal, and soybean and milk protein fibers.
Apart from the textile application, bamboo is being employed as an alternative to wood, which is currently in short supply. Some makers have even found ways to reshape the naturally hollow and cylindrical plant by processing it in high-pressure machines.
Bamboo’s short maturity cycle, wide availability, and proven strength and durability make the material not only an ecologically safer option to wood, but also a more profitable one.
Recycled substitutes
Wood pulp, the most common material for paper making, has been linked to a number of environmental issues, including deforestation, and air and water pollution. This has prompted suppliers to turn to earth-friendly alternatives, which are becoming increasingly available. Among these are nonwood pulp paper, including cotton, bamboo and reed pulp, and bagasse and stone variants.
Recycled paper such as the kraft type is also a green option. In terms of quality, recycled paper holds up against conventional versions. It has some usage limitations, however, including unsuitability for color printing.
“Although products made of eco-friendly paper are priced higher, the acceptance of customers is high. Both our old and new customers place orders actively for such products,” said Wang Hao of Zhejiang Guangbo Group Co. Ltd, a stationery maker.
Toy makers cited recycled sawdust, which was merely discarded as a wood byproduct, as a suitable substitute material. Apart from yielding environmental benefits, it improves crack- and heat-resistant properties in toys such as role-play sets. Being easier to process than wood, this alternative also has a shorter production time and simpler molding procedures.
In the beauty and cosmetics line, the trend is reflected in the simpler and recycled or recyclable packaging being adopted by many makers. Refills are likewise more gradually being promoted.
Green economics
Trends show that green manufacture has a direct correlation with the cost of adoption. Makers are more likely to use an environment-friendly alternative if it will not inflate their cost structure, and substitutes that are considerably more expensive than conventional materials have fewer takers.
Organic cotton, for instance, is at least 30 percent costlier than the traditional kind since it has fewer growers and suppliers. Parallel to its popularity, however, organic cotton acreage in the US grew by 26 percent in 2009 YoY with total planted area estimated at 4,342 hectares, the highest since 2001.
For beauty products, biodegradable packaging costs 20 percent more than traditional plastic or glass equivalents.
On average, ecologically safe paper is 5 percent more expensive than wood pulp variants, while water-borne paint is about 20 percent costlier to make than the oil-based type.
Full River (Hong Kong) Ltd estimates total production costs for earth-friendly consumer electronics are 4 to 8 percent higher than for conventional models.
With the use of soy ink, Wenzhou Success Group Paper Articles Co. Ltd raised its quotes 5 to 10 percent.
For some product lines, the green transition is eased by the absence of additional expenses. Multi-Link Apparel has substituted azo dye and heavy metal with greener inputs, but its material costs have remained the same.
Even more fortunate for some suppliers, switching to sustainable production has proven to be more profitable than before. Some denim garment makers, for instance, are able to increase their margins by up to 50 percent per pair.
The cost of making stationery out of bagasse, stone and reed is about 5 percent lower than that of wood pulp paper, but export quotes could be 5 to 15 percent higher.
A plastic refill costs about 30 to 50 percent less than a retail plastic bottle in the same volume, savings that are passed on to consumers.
At present, traditional packaging has lower overall costs than alternatives due to the former’s mature technology and established supply chain. In the coming years, recyclable and degradable packaging materials are expected to become more economical and widely used.
Maximizing advantages with eco-labels
China makers expect to enhance their competitiveness in key export markets by getting their products certified with environment-protection labels. Test and certification fees are shouldered by buyers directly or factored into quotations.
Many of the major export destinations have announced versions for a wide array of items. Beauty products, for example, have the BDIH Certified Natural Cosmetics Seal in Germany, Cosmebio and Ecocert in France, ICEA in Italy, and Ecogarantie in Belgium.
Sleepwear from Qingdao Fitex Apparel Co. Ltd bears the DSD Green Point and recycle marks, which indicate that the apparel is suitable for collection and reuse, merchandiser manager Joy Liu said.
Products without foreign eco-labels may present the local equivalent, China Environmental Label. Developed according to the ISO 14024 standard, the mark is acknowledged by various international eco-labeling organizations and has mutual recognition agreements with Germany, Japan, Australia and other countries.
Much of the locally available green paint is marked with the China Environmental Label. Multi-Link Apparel supplies earth-friendly garments with the China Environmental (Green) Label.
This article was originally published by Global Sources, a leading business-to-business media company and a primary facilitator of trade with China manufacturers and India suppliers, providing essential sourcing information to volume buyers through our e-magazines, trade shows and industry research.
Global Sources?is?a leading business-to-business media company and a primary facilitator of trade with China manufacturers, providing essential sourcing information to volume buyers through our e-magazines, trade shows and industry research.
HeatWaveSolar.com Solar Heater Install and Demonstration
This video shows the “Direct to Air” Solar Heater Installation to capture Free Heat from the Sun. This system is an environmentally sustainable green heating solution that will lessen our dependence on fossil fuels and significantly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. For anyone concerned about the environment or if you just want to save money on your heating bills. This is the “Free Fuel” heater – the cost of sunlight never goes up! Once you own the unit, the fuel is free. The system will last for decades providing free heat and environmental benefits. Regardless of what you call the system – solar panels, solar collectors, solar heaters or my favorite – the “Free Heat” Machine, you’ll have to agree that the planet needs these systems if we’re ever going to wean ourselves from fuels like natural gas, propane, heating oil, diesel and other fossil or carbon-based fuels. This system may not be the total solution, but it’s a step in the right direction. It’s affordable and compares to a high efficiency gas furnace in return on investment. That’s right solar heat is now also affordable heats and easily compares to the fossil fuels – even the “cheapest” fossil fuel right now – natural gas. The only difference is that with this solar heater, the price of your fuel never goes up. Solar heating has never been more affordable. Check out the video! Reduce your environmental footprint and go green!