Good Corporate Citizens May have Recruitment Advantage

Two academic studies, one from Stanford Graduate School of Business and one from University of Olso, support the idea that companies that are socially responsible may be better at recruiting talented and motivated employees as a result.

This supports Ecopledge's belief that companies that protect the environment can succeed financially as well. It also suggests that companies should consider any potential recruitment advantage when evaluating corporate social responsibility programs.

Finally, these papers also suggest that Ecopledge's strategy of organizing students to use their leverage as potential employees to win environmental change from companies can be effective.

Whole Foods & GE Labeling

Whole Foods has stated that, "The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not issued mandatory labeling requirements for GE-ingredient or non-GE ingredient foods nor have they determined a standardized testing protocol for how to test for the presence of ingredients that have been genetically engineered. Accordingly, it would be extremely difficult, as well as costly for us, or any other retailer or manufacturer, to provide customers accurate and meaningful information about the GE status of products on the basis of speculation of future changes in legislation."

And yet, many other food manufacturers such as Simply Organic, Walnut Acres, Hains, Amy's Kitchen and Natures' Path already list the absence of genetically engineered ingredients on all of their products. Amy Kitchen has accepted the additional costs to labeling despite the fact Amy's Kitchen revenues are significantly smaller.

Furthermore, according to the Austin American Statesman, when sales per square foot at Whole Foods are nearly $800 it is hard to believe that they are not labeling based on the financial costs incurred.

Not just in India

Almost ten years ago I spent 8 months in India. In India using cow dung to fuel your stove or a small motor is common practice. Today Environmental News Network reported on an ethanol plant that would run on methane, methane derived from cattle manure. Nebraska BioClean plans to build the facility approximately two miles south of Mead Nebraska. This plant would produce approximately 20 million gallons of ethanol a year.

To keep the inputs local for Nebraska BioClean, Mead Cattle Co. will supply the manure for this project. Approximately 7 million bushels of corn will need to be distilled to produce ethanol. The leftover distilled grain will then be feed to the cattle to produce more manure.

Debunking the myth of biotech crop safety

Friends of the Earth International posted a press release stating that a peer-reviewed scientific paper published in Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Reviews reveals the fundamental flaws in how biotech companies test and the United States regulates GM crops; questioning if GM foods are in fact safe.

This paper includes a comprehensive case study examining two types of insecticide producing GM corn (mainly the MON810 variety of biotech giant Monsanto Co.), demonstrating how flawed testing and lax regulations permit these varieties onto the world market despite strong evidence that they could cause food allergies.

William Freese, research analyst with Friends of the Earth U.S., further exposed the mis-doings of the EPA by citing one example in which the U.S. EPA ignored a published study by a FDA scientist that suggested that GM corn could cause food allergies, and instead asked Monsanto and Syngenta to re-do FDA's analysis.

An Energy Saver

NRG Systems, Inc., manufacturer of wind assessment systems for the wind energy industry, cut the ribbon on its new 46,000 square foot manufacturing facility and office building.

Two thirds of the building's electricity is supplied by a 67-kilowatt solar photovoltaic installation, which will avoid the emission of up to 105,000 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.

David Blittersdoff, founder of NRG Systems said, "We spent more to build our facility green, but we see it as a long-term investment that will more than pay for itself..."

NRG's building is LEED registered and seeking gold level certification.

Bank of America leading in LEED

GreenBiz.com reported today that Bank of America and The Durst Organization have broken ground in Midtown Manhattan on construction of what they say is the world's most environmentally responsible high rise. The high rise will serve as the headquarters for Bank of America's operations in New York City, house its global corporate and investment banking, its wealth and investment management, as well as its consumer and commercial banking business.

I must applaud Bank of America and The Durst Organization, two companies not known for the environmental emphasis, on their environmental commitment and innovation. With an emphasis on sustainability, water efficiency, energy, and indoor environmental quality this high rise will be constructed largely of recycled and recyclable materials. It will include a gray-water system to capture and reuse rain and wastewater as well as a 4.6 megawatt cogeneration plant, providing the building with its own clean and efficient power.

For city dwellers like myself, the incorporation of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental) designs are truly a breath of fresh air.

Investing in Solar

According to Planet Ark, the United States is narrowing the gap with Japan and Germany, the world's top solar power producers. However, narrowing this gap will mean that more U.S. companies must invest in the global solar business.

And yet, Exxon Mobil Corp, the world's largest publicly traded energy company dropped out of the solar market because CEO, Lee Raymond believed it not to be profitable. Meanwhile GE, the world's largest publicly traded company proved Lee Raymond wrong. GE expects to profit this year and forecasts sales to top $1 billion annually by the end of the decade.

Taking Precaution

Taking Precaution is a new web site dedicated to promoting the Precautionary Principle. This principle lies at the heart of much of our work at Ecopledge.

Our economy currently operates on the assumption of "safe unless proven harmful." For example, chemicals are assumed to be safe until someone proves that they aren't. "Someone" in this case usually means the government (i.e. your tax dollars) or a nonprofit research organization. This is true even though private companies produce, use, and profit from the chemicals.

The Precautionary Principle turns this equation around. New chemicals must be proven to be safe before they can be used, and the burden of proof lies with the private interests who want to use the chemicals.

There's a lot more to the Precautionary Principle. Take a look at Taking Precaution and let us know what you think.

United Airlines fined for Waste Violations

Bankrupt and broke United Airlines agreed to pay $850,000 to environmental regulators over alleged waste violations at San Francisco International Airport's maintenance center. United admitted no liability in the settlement but insisted that the deal was the best route to avoid a costly litigation. Despite United Airlines claims of innocence, United is currently working with the EPA to develop an environmental compliance management system.

The Politics of Oil

The Center for Public Integrity will hold a press conference on Thursday, July 15 at 10 a.m. at the National Press Club to discuss the oil and gas industries' political influence via lobbying and campaign contributions. Should be interesting. Watch this space for updates.

Campaign Institute Update

The Campaign Institute has changed their training schedule and extended their application deadline. This looks to be a great, nonpartisan training for people interested in working on political campaigns in the fall elections.

Trainings will now be held in Boston on August 2 through 9 and August 13 through 15. The deadline for applications is August 1. To apply online, visit the Campaign Institute's web site. For more information, contact Kimberly Larson by phone at 1-877-TRAIN69 (1-877-872-4669), or by e-mail at info@campaigninstitute.org.

iCorp Has Arrived

U.S. law gives corporations many of the same rights as people. But what happens when you have a person who lives forever, doesn't have a conscience, and whose only goal is to make money?

I haven't yet seen the film The Corporation, but I'm planning on catching it as soon as it comes to Boston. In the mean time, you can find some good discussion of the film and attitudes towards our corporate overlords at Metafilter.

Campaign Institute

A short break from our regular topic of corporate campaigns:

Interested in working on a political campaign this summer or fall? The Campaign Institute is providing an intensive non-partisan one-week training for electoral activists and wannabe campaign professionals. There will be great speakers, great trainers, and even a job fair at the end to offer you the opportunity to find a paid campaign position�. Among the goals of the Institute: to help move campaigns from the airwaves back down into local neighborhoods, and to get more people (especially young people) involved in campaigns.

There will be a training in Washington from July 8-11 (application deadline May 21st) and a session in Boston from August 2-9 (application deadline June 25th). (Note that the Boston session is longer.)

Marking Earth Day Inc.

What do we lose when polluting corporations sponsor Earth Day events? Should enviros be more careful about whose money they take? In today's NYTimes, Geoff Johnson of The Green Life argues that we should. Greenwashing doesn't just cover up corporate dirt; it also contributes to the fog of misunderstanding around the economy, the environment, and our personal responsibility for both. By accepting money from irresponsible companies, local Earth Day organizers are buying into that separation of word and deed, value and action, which is at the root of our disconnect from the Earth.

It's worth a read.

More about The Green Life and corporate greenwashing here.

Don't Be Fooled

On April Fool's Day, The Green Life released the 12th annual Don't Be Fooled report profiling the 10 worst greenwashers of 2003. The report holds corporations accountable for the integrity of their environmental messages in marketing and public relations.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines greenwash as, “Disinformation disseminated by an organization so as to present an environmentally responsible public image.�

“We're all familiar with greenwash at some level,� said Geoff Johnson, Program Coordinator of The Green Life. “It shows up on product packaging in the form of vague labels like ‘eco-friendly' and ‘all-natural,' it's in advertisements that show SUVs at home in the wilderness, and it's in the way corporations churn out environmental rhetoric about ‘sound science' and ‘sustainability.'�

The Don't Be Fooled Report finds that new forms of greenwash are emerging as corporations, industry groups and government agencies explore innovative ways to mislead the public about their environmental commitment.

One alarming development is the advancement of the logging and biotechnology industries into American school systems. Project Learning Tree, an environmental education curriculum taught in over 300,000 classrooms, is a program of the American Forest Foundation, whose members include over 100 logging and paper companies. The Council for Biotechnology Information, funded by Monsanto, publishes “Look Closer at Biotechnology,� an activity book targeted at 3rd and 4th graders.

“Greenwashers are attempting to take over environmental education in this country,� stated Johnson. “Clearly they believe the children are their future. They're writing and publishing educational materials that promote their agendas and providing them for free to underfunded and overburdened schools. Our kids are being shown the wonders of tree farms and genetically modified foods without being taught to think critically.�

The report does not focus exclusively on the worst environmental offenders. In fact, several of the corporations profiled are recognized by consumers as environmentally progressive. Yet, the report reveals, such corporations have a tendency to slow down their environmental progress once they are perceived to be a step ahead of their competitors.

“Whether they've earned their reputation or not,� said Johnson, “corporations that are considered to be an environmental leader in their industry often take advantage of the public's trust. Some, like Starbucks and BP, rest on their laurels, at least compared to the progress they could be making, until a competitor challenges their environmental leadership. Others, like Subaru this past year, move backwards on the environment and hope that it won't get noticed.�

The complete ten worst list consists of the American Chemistry Council, Avalon Natural Products, BP, the Environmental Protection Agency, Monsanto Company, Project Learning Tree, Royal Caribbean International, Salmon of the Americas, Starbucks Coffee Company and Subaru.

The Don't Be Fooled Report is a project of The Green Life's “Take Greenwash to the Cleaners� campaign, designed to explain, expose and erase greenwash in marketing and public relations. Copies are available at www.thegreenlife.org. The Green Life, formerly Earthday Resources for Living Green, is a non-profit organization that promotes simplicity, health and sustainability in daily life.