Green
British Columbia’s Carbon Tax Cuts Petroleum Use by 16.1 Percent
The fourth anniversary of British Columbias carbon tax the only one of its kind in North America was marked with an increase on July 1 that raises the tax on gasoline a penny per litre to 6.67 cents ($0.25 per gallon). The tax has been controversial from the start, and it is no less so…
Skanska USA’s Agents of Change
The spectrum of green building is wide, with innovations in design and construction allowing new structures to meet ever stricter standards for energy use, water consumption and carbon footprint. But it takes a significant amount of extra effort to build green designs without allowing costs to skyrocket. This is the challenge Skanska USA Commercial Development…
Alaska: A Rich Source of Washington Growth
Mike Garvey skipped his high school prom and graduation in 1956 and headed for Alaska to spend the summer working at the U.S. Mining and Smelting Company. About 25 years after that great adventure, Garvey, the son of a longshoreman, acquired Totem Ocean Trailer Express, or TOTE, a shipping firm that carries cargo to and…
Bright Idea: A Blanket Endorsement
When loggers have finished harvesting a forest or farmers have harvested a field, they gather the remaining scraps in big slash piles and burn them. The practice generates large amounts of carbon dioxide and smoke while wasting valuable organic matter. Carbon Cultures, a startup launched by University of Washington students after they won a $50,000…
Clean Tech Group Seeks Nominations For Leaders
Nominations opened today for the 2012 Pivotal Leaders, which each year honors and connects the most important senior level executives and influencers in the Northwests cleantech economy. Nominations are open to anyone and are accepted online until April 10, 2012. The final Pivotal Leaders for 2012, selected from among the nominees, will be announced in…
Alaskas native corporations have a dubious Seattle link
Some of the biggest players in the Alaskan economy are the Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) formed as part of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) of 1971. Twelve regional corporations and nearly 200 village corporations own 12 percent of the states land. A 13th regional corporation, headquartered in Seattle, was created to benefit Alaska…
Tackling Environmental Liability
Scott Lockert and his friend Jeff Andrilenas were working as financial risk analysts in 2005 when they noticed that the failure to address liabilities surrounding natural resource damages on waterways was preventing comprehensive solutions from being put in place. Not only was cleanup taking longer than necessary, but businesses liable under Superfund law were finding…
Seattle firm wins innovation award from National Fluid Power Association
Seattle-based Gentech Global is the recipient of the first National Fluid Power Association (NFPA) Innovation Award for its energy-efficient power-generation system that eliminates the need for auxiliary diesel engines on marine vessels, thereby reducing their carbon footprint. The Gentech system was featured in the “Bright Idea” section of the August issue of Seattle Business magazine….
The Seattle Energy Diet
Seattle officials hope a new city law requiring owners to report on the energy efficiency of their commercial and multifamily buildings will drive owners to make buildings greener, thereby reducing operating costs and enhancing market competitiveness. The city Building Energy Benchmarking and Reporting Ordinance went into effect October 3, requiring commercial and industrial buildings exceeding…
Talkin’ Trash
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story from our November issue was written and edited before CleanScapes announced it was being acquired by San Francisco-based Recology for $66 million. CEO Chris Martin says the company will continue in Washington under the CleanScapes name and the management team will remain intact. —- While growing up in the leafy village…
Green Washington Awards 2012: The Green Team
At first, they seem like glimpses of an idyllic future economy: * A building that creates its own electricity and gathers its own water.* A company that puts wings on tractor trailers.* A biodegradable running shoe that outpaces the competition.* An internet retailer who sells everythingand almost anythingthat is honestly sustainable, and shipping those items…
Biofuels grant to UW, WSU will help area businesses
An $80 million federal grant to the University of Washington and Washington State University forresearch into a Pacific Northwest wood-basedbiofuels industry includes funding for expanded efforts by Oregon andWashington businesses, including Weyerhaeuser, ZeaChem and tree farmerGreenwood Resources, the nations largest grower of fast-growing farmed poplar. The $40 million for the UW-led consortium ofuniversities and businesses…
From supply chains to systems
Being Green is good businss. At least that was the conclusion of sustainability experts at the fourth annual Green Washington awards banquet Wednesday night. But many of the experts attending the event, which was attended by 350 people involved in sustainability, argued that companies must do more if progress is to be made in battling…