Notes from America

Driving Innovation to Build Sustainable Cities

Contributed by William P. Chernicoff , Manager - Energy & Environmental Research at WBCSD member company Toyota

The WBCSD recently convened a conference with the Environmental Law Institute and the World Environment Center in DC to explore various technologies, frameworks and collaborations that are enabling cities to become more sustainable. The event looked to examine what will be needed, by whom, and the challenges to expand these technologies, policies, and partnerships across the U.S. and the world.

WBCSD US Blog Earth Day

I have a confession to make. But I’ll get to that in a minute.

It’s Earth Day again where thousands of environmentalists are expected to march on the National Mall in DC to call for a change to business as usual. The theme this year is “Mobilize the Earth” to “secure Renewable Energy for All and a sustainable future for our planet”.  One of the Earth Day Network’s goals is to get governments to take action in Rio on universal access to clean energy.  To support this effort, they’ve launched a campaign called “A Billion Acts of Green,” where individuals can make public environmental commitments to demonstrate the power of individual action in changing the world.

Rio+20: What’s the Vision?

Recently the WBCSD met with some of our US company members to discuss plans for Rio+20, coming up in just a few months.  While it’s tough to argue with the themes of Rio: the green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, and the institutional framework for sustainable development, there’s a big question mark around the concrete outcomes we can expect from this UN process.   It’s doubtful that the governments’ negotiated, non-binding “focused political document” will catalyze a Vision 2050 world where we all live well and within the limits of the planet.  So what exactly is it going to take to get us to that vision?

Innovative approaches to water management

This blog was co-authored by Edwin Pinero, Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of WBCSD member company Veolia Water North America

The availability of water, particularly at a pace that keeps up with global population and economic growth is of paramount importance.  Although the media tends to be dominated by talk of energy and climate issues, and they are indeed important, the issue of water needs to be more front and center.  From addressing access to clean water and sanitation where there is none, to addressing aging infrastructure in areas where water is accessible and relatively plentiful, the nexus of water and growth is critically important.  No one organization or a single policy action can solve the problem and truthfully, just the cost of infrastructure overhaul is prohibitive; but there is a path forward, and all is not doom and gloom.  There is much going on dealing with water awareness, new technologies and processes that conserve water, and innovative approaches to water management. 

Carbon Disclosure – Does Wall Street See the Point?

This blog was co-authored by Brad Sparks KPMG’s Director of Global Citizenship and co-chair of WBCSD’s GHG Working Group

While more and more companies are reporting on their CSR performance, including carbon emissions, there is concern by some corporations that Wall Street is not adequately taking this information into account when evaluating company performance.  The WBCSD GHG Working Group, co-chaired by PepsiCo, Hitachi and KPMG, met recently in New York with sustainability investors like Rockefeller Financial, Quadia Impact Finance and Calvert to figure out how to overcome the apparent “disconnect” between corporate climate disclosure and investment decisions.

Business Solutions to Enable Energy Access for All

The U.N. has declared 2012 the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All. Here in the U.S., we may take for granted the easy flip of the switch to turn on the lights or heat our homes or cook our food. But over 1 billion people around the world lack access to t electricity and almost three billion people have to rely on harmful polluting biomass for cooking.

Sustainable Consumption: Oxymoron or Imperative for Business?

The world’s rapidly increasing population, growing middle class and ageing inhabitants is placing greater pressure on our already limited natural resources. This could spell disaster for business. Or it could be an opportunity in the making.

This topic will be discussed at The role of business in sustainable consumption summit, a WDCSD/ World Wildlife Fund/ World Environment Center organized event in Washington on January 30. Representatives from WBCSD member companies including PepsiCo, Nokia, Henkel, AkzoNobel, Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble will talk about how they are expanding their markets, while reducing their net impact on the environment.