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30 July 2009

Human Activity Driving Earth’s “Sixth Great Extinction Event”


By Tom Schueneman from EcoWorldy

According to research recently published in the journal Conservation Biology, Earth is now experiencing its “sixth great extinction event” with disease and human activity as the major driver, leaving a devastating toll on vulnerable species, particulary in the South Pacific and southern hemisphere.

* » See also: Madagascar: A Biodiversity “Hot Spot” for Amphibians
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The “great extinction event” is on par with those caused by asteroid strikes or massive lava floods, says the report, but it is unrelenting human expansion and overreach, not giant boulders from the sky or a surging tide of fire, that is at the center of the current mass extinction.

Pouring through 24,000 published reports, researchers in New Zealand and Australia determined that extinctions will continue to rise in coming years, with the South Pacific experiencing the most biodiveristy loss. The region in the Pacific has been particularly devastated by the introduction of invasive species, where more than 2,500 invasive plants have put enormous stress on natives plants in New Zealand and Australia.

Along with the introduction of invasive species, the researchers identified five other principal causes of global extinction:

* habitat loss and degradation
* climate change
* overfishing or unsustainable hunting
* pollution
* wildlife disease

Richard Kingsford, the report’s lead author and an environmental scientist from the University New South Wales, attributes all six causes to human activity, with habitat loss behind three-quarters of all threatened species. The forest habitat in Australia, for instance, has been damaged or lost entirely through logging or agriculture.

The study sets forth a number of recommendations that are hoped will slow the decline of species extinction. Among them are laws to limit land clearing, mining, and logging; restricting the intentional introduction of invasive species; reducing pollution, carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions; and getting a handle on sustainable fisheries, citing specific concerns over bottom-trawling and the use of cyanide and dynamite - sometimes known as fishbombing. The report also suggests setting up early-warning systems to identify diseases in the wild.

“The burden on the environment is going to get worse unless we are a lot smarter about reducing our footprint,” said Kingsford. “Unless we get this right, future generations will surely be paying more in quality of life and the environment. And our region will continue its terrible reputation of leading the world in the extinction of plants and animals.”

Source:
Greenwire (subscription)

Photo credit: iStockPhoto

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Tags: endangered species, fishery collapse, habitat loss, invasive species, mass extinction

19 July 2009

Wal-Mart plans green ratings for its products


July 17, 2009
By Andrea Chang from The Los Angeles Times

If they green it, will we shop?

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. officially unveiled its widely rumored plan Thursday to slap "eco-ratings" on the hundreds of thousands of products in its stores. The world's largest retailer is betting that shoppers increasingly will care how green their purchases are -- and maybe even pay more for environmentally friendly merchandise.

The green ratings will take years to show up on the chain's shelves.

In the first phase of its three-part initiative, the Bentonville, Ark., retail giant will ask its more than 100,000 suppliers questions about their business practices, such as the amount of water they use in producing items and the locations of their factories. The goal is to develop a green index for Wal-Mart products similar to the nutrition label found on the packaging for food products.

"Customers want products that are more efficient, that last longer and perform better," Wal-Mart Chief Executive Mike Duke said in a statement. "And increasingly they want information about the entire life cycle of a product so they can feel good about buying it. . . . We do not see this as a trend that will fade."
Experts have said the ambitious program, details of which had been trickling out for days on the Web, probably will spur suppliers to redesign products to reduce their environmental impact and improve their scores. And that could cause broad changes in manufacturing.

Many of Wal-Mart's suppliers already have taken their own steps to become more eco-friendly.

At Levi Strauss & Co., Michael Kobori, vice president of social and environmental sustainability, said the jeans maker has set water-quality standards for its suppliers and now recommends that its jeans be washed in cold water to save energy.

Kobori said the San Francisco company was pleased with Wal-Mart's new initiative and called it the next logical step to improve the industry.

"It sends the right signal to the marketplace and the right signal to the supply chain that sustainability is important," he said. "We hope it changes the game."

10 July 2009

Nature's 10 simple rules for survival - a look at Adam Werbach's Strategy for Sustainability

From Examiner.com by Christa Avampato


Adam Werbach recently published Strategy for Sustainability: A Business Manifesto. He's had an interesting, tumultuous career in the environmental space. At age 23, he was elected as the youngest president of the Sierra Club ever to serve. In 2006, he began to work with Walmart, at the time one of the biggest offenders when it comes to environmental issues. The move created a great deal of controversy for Werbach, with some environmental activists declaring him a traitor. Werbach reasoned that if Walmart is one of the biggest causes of environmental damage, he should use his knowledge in the field of environmental conservation to get Walmart to change their ways.

Werbach wrote a short piece for this month's issue of Fast Company. In the article he outlines nature's ten simple rules for survival. They apply not only to nature, but companies as well. I've listed the principles below and added some commentary on how each applies to our day-to-day working lives, specifically focusing on entrepreneurship.

1. Diversify across generations.
It's important to have a variety of perspectives in a business, and in a network for that matter. Some of my very best network contacts belong to generations different from mine. Their views of the world are a critical lens for me when evaluating professional opportunities.

2. Adapt to the changing environment - and specialize.
I absolutely agree that adaptation is the key to survival. Darwin had it right. The specialize part I'm not so sure about. Certainly, people who are winning in the marketplace now are people who are general managers in the purest sense of the word - people with a wide variety of skill sets who can juggle multiple, simultaneous roles.

3. Celebrate transparency. Every scientist knows which species will eat it and which will not.

Clear, concise communication to the market and to a company from its leaders are critical in a time of uncertainty. While "know your competition" may sound like a no-brainer, it's amazing how many companies don't recognize non-traditional competitors. Take a look at this article in Fast Company about Apple versus Amazon. On the surface, they don't appear to be rivals. Dig a little deeper and it's easy to see how they are trying to supplant one another.

4. Plan and execute systematically, not compartmentally. Every part of a plant contributes to its growth.
This goes back to the idea of excess is rarely if ever a good idea. Getting distracted with issues that are not core to a businesses growth are wasteful and dangerous.

5. Form groups and protect the young. Most animals travel in flocks, gaggles, and prides. Packs offer strength and efficacy.
Networks are very powerful tools. A company's network is comprised of customers, suppliers, complimentary businesses, and even rivals on occasion. Consider the National Retail Federation. While many member companies are rivals in the marketplace, they can, should, and do band together on a number of issues that will improve the industry as a whole.

6. Integrate metrics. Nature brings the right information to the right place at the right time. When a tree needs water, the leaves curl; when there is rain the curled leaves move more water to the root system.
Knowing what an organization needs when is critical to its survival. For example, there's no point spending money on recruiting new talent when a company needs to restructure the talent it already has. It's also critical for a business to be able to prioritize effectively, particularly in tough times when investment dollars are tight. While getting bright new offices might be a nice-to-have, a company may really need to pour investment into its online presence to grow sales to finance those new offices. Distinguishing between short-term and long-term needs is a key talent that many organizations lack.

7. Improve with each cycle. Evolution is a strategy for long-term survival.
While it's important to get a new product or service correct right out of the gate, it's also important to recognize that "good enough" and continuous improvement are part of the development process. Perfect is the enemy of good.

8. Right-size regularly, rather than downsize occasionally. If an organism grows too big to support itself, it collapses. If it withers, it is eaten.
It's best to never need a right-sizing effort. Thoughtful, purposeful growth, not based on projects but on long-term objectives is the key to keeping a company's expansion under control. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to visit Amazon's offices. The company still makes their desktops from old doors, and many of the offices are an open floor plan. While they are out-performing every other retailer right now, they still know how to operate on a shoe-string, and that trait is baked into their culture.

9. Foster longevity, not immediate gratification. Nature does not buy on credit and uses resources only to the level that they can be renewed.
The whole phenomenon of Green Business is very confusing. Why is it so hard for companies to understand that if they use up all of their resources, they won't be able to operate? As communities if we don't replenish the resources we use, our communities cannot survive. It's not a complicated theory; it's just common courtesy to leave things better than we found them - the planet included.

10. Waste nothing, recycle everything. Some of the greatest opportunities in the 21st century will be turning waste - including inefficiency and under-utilization - into profit.


Adam Werbach explains the example of Xerox, one of the best turnaround stories of our time. They utilized remanufacturing, reuse, and upcycling as main tenants in their turnaround strategy. Their goal was to become a zero-waste company, and that goal lead them t re-think the way they built every machine. A changed point-of-view on their current situation, led to a business transformation.

We have so much to learn from nature that we must consider the possibility that every answer we need is virtually at our fingertips. All we need to do is be aware and open-minded enough to see the solutions that sit right in front of us every day.

03 July 2009

Five Tips for A Greener 4th


By Sarah F. Kessler frojm The Green Life

What for many Americans is the highlight of summer—the picnics, parades, and fireworks of the 4th of July—can be less than ideal for the planet. Let Earth in on the celebration this year by making these simple green choices:


1. Grill intelligently:
An estimated 60 million people fire up their grills on Independence Day, spewing about 225,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the air. While there’s no way to grill without pollution, electric and propane grills are cleaner than charcoal. If you can’t part with the charcoal taste, choose coal made from invasive tree species or from sustainably managed forest trees. And before you sprinkle lighter fluid on the grill, consider investing in a chemical-free chimney charcoal starter instead.

2. Shrink your food’s footprint: Buying mostly fruits and vegetables, and buying them locally, can save the energy used to transport and package processed foods. But if potato chips are a picnic must, opt for the bigger bag. Buying in bulk can save the waste involved in the production and disposal of individually wrapped snacks.

3. Decorate with class, not cash: Instead of buying new decorations, use what you already have. White Christmas lights, flowers from your garden, or a bowl of bright-red strawberries, blueberries, and apples all look great. Save any decorations you do buy for next year.

4. Reduce picnic waste: Ask each guest to bring his or her own dishware. If reusable dishes aren’t a viable option, use compostable flatware made from corn or bamboo.

5. Nix the fireworks: Instead of setting up your own fireworks display—which explodes a personal contribution of smoke and dangerous chemicals into the air—attend a community display. Ask your local firework coordinators to consider using biodegradable fireworks or the gunpowder-free fireworks that Disney launches using compressed air.

The Forecast from The Keswick Theater on 3/7/09 from Phrequency.com: