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Follow on Google News | Recycling the Debate of Sustainability - Boeing's Dreamliner 787 AircraftA global challenge, sustainability is a top priority at companies like Boeing, IBM, iRobotics, and Starbucks. Cities too such as Boston are keen on becoming carbon neutral by 2030. The race to save the planet while making a profit has just begun.
By: Starbucks, Boeing, IBM, iRobotics, City of Boston Sustainability is a very complex subject. It is a byproduct of a long chain of technological advancements that over time have created the problem we face today, namely, the production of cheaper products. As the global population balloons so too does the demand for our limited resources needed to produce these products. It is only a matter of time before key resources such as iron ore, petroleum, or phosphates (used for fertilizers) Conference #1 – Sustainability My first conference was at MIT’s 4th Annual Sustainability Summit (www.stabilitysummit.mit.edu) Ironically, the same technological innovations (some of which originated at MIT) that helped make our natural resources readily available to the masses is being called upon to prevent its potential demise. For now, at least, experts are focusing on remedies to slow depletion rates through improved management, communications, and efficiencies, but these changes only postpone the inevitable and do not provide a ‘sustainable’ Starbucks Jim Hanna, the Director of Environmental Impact, leads the sustainability charge for Starbucks. Starbucks began by evaluating the carbon footprint of every activity along their supply chain and focused on those areas that offered the greatest positive impact to the environment. In one case they discovered that the nitrous oxide used to make their whip cream was 300 times more damaging to the environment than it’s equivalent volume in carbon dioxide. Along with other like-minded corporations, Starbucks subscribed to a green certification process for their 5 roasting operations and, in addition, re-engineered their stores to use 25% less energy and water. They also empowered members of their supply chain to reduce their respective carbon foot print (i.e. paper mills) and supported their revered coffee farmers with fixed pricing, stable contracts, and business know-how. City of Boston Jim Hunt, the Chief of Environmental and Energy Services for the City of Boston took a similar infrastructure approach to Starbucks. His research unveiled that ‘buildings’ What struck me most from these two presentations was how both entities focused their resources on infrastructure improvements rather than on consumer or voter awareness. Their consumers or voters were almost an afterthought and probably not worth the investment. Perhaps they both felt that consumers/voters would eventually change their behavior or awareness on their own as they adapted to new and improved surroundings at the workplace, especially at companies renting the LEED’s-approved, ‘green‘ office spaces. ...please http://researchpays.wordpress.com/ End
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