It's a GREEN sign of the times... http://ping.fm/9D190

A "GREEN" sign of the times

When natural products like Method and Seventh Generation appear on the shelves of your local supermarket, and magazines like Sports Illustrated devote entire feature articles to sustainability, it’s a sign that the times are changing. Companies like Clorox, with their Green Works® cleaning products, and GE, with Ecomagination™, are shattering the old stereotypes of greener products being ineffective and expensive. And they are showing that large multinationals can win in the marketplace with natural, organic, and “eco” products—even during tough economic times.

“Today, developing greener products is no longer the right thing to do, but something you have to do,” says Al Iannuzzi in his new book, Greener Products: The Making and Marketing of Sustainable Brands. Customers—both individual consumers and businesses—are demanding it. “One of the reasons for this new focus is the greater awareness of environmental issues related to things such as hazardous chemicals in our food and bloodstreams, glaciers melting, and scarcity of resources and clean water,” he notes.

 In the book, Iannuzzi, senior director of product stewardship at Johnson & Johnson, offers practical advice on how to design and market greener products and services. He also shares best practices and lessons learned from companies such as Clorox, GE, Timberland, Philips, Apple Inc., Procter & Gamble, and BASF, as well as insights from guest authors Jim Fava and the Shelton Group.

Outlining the market and regulatory drivers, Iannuzzi makes the case for greener products. “Now more than ever, companies are interested in becoming more sustainable, and I believe that it is possible to strike a balance in meeting the world’s product needs while appropriately reducing the resources to meet this demand,” he says.

As Dan Esty, Hillhouse Professor at Yale University and co-author of the book Green to Gold, explains, “Green is the new black. To say this differently, sustainable products increasingly stand out in the marketplace, translating into faster sales, greater profitability, and deeper brand loyalty. Iannuzzi and his co-authors show the way to this future.”

CRC Press/Taylor & Francis Group

Marc Gutierrez

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Takes on "Green" Challenge. http://ping.fm/MTmgH

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Takes on "Green" Challenge

LOUDON, N.H. (Nov. 9, 2011) - New Hampshire Motor Speedway turned over a new "green" leaf during the 2011 season, with the help of Waste Management, the speedway worked to manage and reduce waste while recovering valuable resources and creating renewable energy.

"The Magic Mile" and Waste Management reached several milestones this year on their way to a "greener" environment. Exactly what is the speedway saving?

So far, the track has saved 180,211 kW of power which is enough to provide energy to 15 homes for a year. The speedway recycled 1,266 gallons of oil, which can heat and cool 15 houses for an entire year. 84,000 gallons of fresh water was saved, that's enough to meet the daily needs of 93 people for a year. The speedway has also planted 144 mature trees on property, which is enough to produce 1,784,100 sheets of newspaper. 

"NHMS is going above and beyond the standard recycling efforts traditionally seen in the area," said Jaren Naef of Waste Management. "They have started many new programs to help with their sustainability goals, including Single Stream Recycling, metal recycling, tire recycling, wood recycling, plastics, glass, paper and much more. There is a lot of time and effort put into running a race at the speedway, thousands of race fans are on site for days at a time, all generating massive amounts of waste. NHMS and WM have developed a comprehensive recycling plan that strengthens our business partnership and helps everyone reach their sustainability goals."

"Green" is definitely a way of life not just for the speedway, but for NASCAR as well. "Going 'green' is not a fad or trend; it is an important component for any business on a day to day basis. It is not only the right thing to do for the environment, but also helps reduce costs in many different areas everywhere," Naef added.

Bills Introduce Wind Power Partner WindStream Technologies

Micro-Wind Turbines to Produce Renewable Energy for Ralph Wilson Stadium

ORCHARD PARK, NY, Nov 03, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- The Buffalo Bills today announced an agreement with WindStream Technologies to install their innovative, micro-wind turbines to generate supplemental energy for Ralph Wilson Stadium.

The agreement represents an effort by the Bills to evaluate alternative sources for power, including Western New York's natural abundance of wind. The WindStream TurboMill(R) units, installed on the west end of the stadium beneath the video scoreboard, are expected to begin producing power in time for the Bills' home game against the Jets on November 6. This represents the first deployment of micro-wind technology in an NFL stadium.

"Our partnership with the Buffalo Bills allows us to demonstrate how a small investment in a clean energy solution like the TurboMill(R) saves money over time, and demonstrates to fans the team's commitment to energy efficiency and sustainability," said Dan Bates, CEO of WindStream Technologies. "As a nation, we need to innovate and lead the world in affordable and abundant clean energy, and with that comes quality American manufacturing jobs to help get our economy growing again."

WindStream's TurboMill(R) delivers clean, silent, renewable electric energy alternatives for urban or suburban settings, and for applications not connected to power lines. The TurboMill(R) device is expected to benefit municipalities, states, businesses, schools and residential customers in the U.S. who are seeking affordable ways to reduce energy costs and lower their consumption of energy generated through fossil fuels.

"The Bills are working with WindStream Technologies to target energy costs and promote the positive environmental impact that wind energy resources can provide," said Bruce Popko, Bills senior vice president of business development. "We're excited to implement this clean, silent alternative energy at Ralph Wilson Stadium."

WindStream has invested more than three years in design, engineering, testing, and optimization of its TurboMill(R) wind energy device, working with a global network of innovation and technology providers. As an Indiana-based company, the product is "Made in America." Manufactured in North Vernon, Indiana, the TurboMill(R) is being sold and distributed to a worldwide marketplace.

WindStream Technologies Inc., designs, manufactures and markets TurboMill(R) micro-wind turbines, a low-cost, highly efficient solution for urban, suburban and off-grid environments. Founded in July 2008, the company aims to become a leading distributed energy generation solution for the U.S. and developing nations worldwide. Manufactured in North Vernon, Indiana, the TurboMill(R) is "Made in America" and is sold and distributed to a worldwide marketplace. For more information please visit http://www.windstream-inc.com .

Founded in 1959, the Buffalo Bills are one of the most storied franchises in the National Football League (NFL). The Bills have won two American Football League (AFL) Championships (1964 - 1965) and won an NFL record four straight AFC Championships (1990 - 1993) that included four trips to the Super Bowl. The Bills are a progressive organization and pride themselves on the regionalization of their team. They hold their training camp in Rochester, NY and were the first NFL team ever to play a home game in Canada with the Bills Toronto Series that began in 2008. As Western New York's top-rated sports and entertainment choice, the Bills annually entertain three quarter of a million fans at Ralph Wilson Stadium, produce the region's number-one rated sports television programming, have one of the NFL's largest fan clubs with the Bills Backers, and host the most visited team website in Western New York. Under the guidance of Hall of Fame member and original team founder, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr., the Bills will play one regular season game in Toronto in 2011. For more Bills information, visit buffalobills.com, call (716) 648-1800, become a fan on Facebook at facebook.com/buffalobills, follow the Bills on Twitter at twitter.com/buffalobills or get the Bills mobile app via buffalobills.com/fans/mobile-app.html.

American Ethanol Takes Center Stage for Green Flag Restart Award

Oct. 31: American Ethanol raced into the spotlight again this weekend at the Martinsville Speedway as last week’s winner, American Ethanol spokesman Clint Bowyer, was presented with the Green Flag Restart Award, which he won last week in addition to the first-place trophy. This prize, also sponsored by American Ethanol, goes to the driver recording the fastest average speed on restarts and finishing the race in the lead lap. The awards ceremony took place just before the Sprint Cup race in front of more than 100,000 fans.                    

Bowyer’s No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet race car also featured a special-edition American Ethanol paint scheme. Millions of TV viewers saw the American Ethanol brand, as the sporty black, silver and green paint design was on-track all weekend. Sunday, an in-car broadcast camera accompanied Bowyer during the race. This valuable coverage yet again amplified the strong point that NASCAR drivers trust American ethanol to protect their valuable cars while fueling them on to victory.

“With so many eyes on Bowyer following his victory at Talladega, many fans noticed how his car prominently featured American Ethanol last Sunday,” said NCGA NASCAR Advisory Committee Chair Martin Barbre. “It has already been an amazing year for both ethanol and NASCAR. We hope that by seizing opportunities to highlight American ethanol even further we can help even more people to understand the incredible performance and reliability of this sustainable, domestic fuel.”

During this first year of the multi-year partnership, American Ethanol aims to highlight ethanol to NASCAR’s immense fan base, many of whom may not of previously been familiar with ethanol or may have carried negative assumptions based upon misleading information. Putting NASCAR’s trust of E15 in the spotlight, the alliance shows consumers that the best drivers operating some of the most expensive cars in the world rely on E15 when the race is on the line.

Through its partnership with NASCAR, which is using Sunoco Green E15 racing fuel this season, American Ethanol is promoting the nation’s homegrown, clean-burning alternative fuel to millions of brand-loyal NASCAR racing fans. NASCAR has made a seamless transition to the new fuel by developing and implementing flawless distribution at the track, where many racing teams report an increase in horsepower.

In fact, in a detailed ‘white paper’ issued in September, NASCAR announced it has accumulated more than 1.3 million miles of driving in 2011 on America’s toughest proving grounds: the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™, NASCAR Nationwide Series™ and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™. With these miles accumulated in practice, qualifying and racing laps in NASCAR racing vehicles – all without incident since the racing season began in February with the Daytona 500 – the report demonstrates the solid performance of mid-level ethanol blends. Click here to access the report.