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AlGonzalezinfo
onto Sustainability & Us December 7, 2013 6:10 AM
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Life hacks are little ways to make our lives easier. These low-budget tips and trick can help you organize and de-clutter space; prolong and preserve your products; or teach you something (e...
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The Sustainable Global Enterprise Immersion helped me understand that, whether we like it or not, sustainability is more of a founding parameter for a business rather than an added trait.
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Cornell Chronicle: Daily news from Cornell University
AlGonzalezinfo's insight:
Great story from Cornell on how recycling soap helps children around the world!
From the aticle:
“That’s a lot of soap,” says Rebecca Rypkema, director of rooms who has headed the recycling initiative. Clean the World, however, doesn’t limit itself to soap.
The program working with Statler also discards shampoo and lotion as waste and recycles their plastic bottles.
Current data shows that, in collaboration with the company, the Statler has recycled more than 988 pounds of waste (shampoo and lotion) and 388 pounds of plastic. The used soaps are melted (and thus sanitized), made into new soap bars and distributed to communities in more than 55 countries.
Diarrhea kills about 760,000 children annually around the world, according to the World Health Organization. This preventable and treatable condition is the second leading cause of death among children under five years old. Roger Soule of Statler Hotel housekeeping said that room attendants separate the soap bars and bottle products into two separate bins. Then, every week the bins are sent to Clean the World, which redistributes the products.
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AlGonzalezinfo's insight:
Great article on a growing and necessary trend in business.
From the post:
So what does it mean to be a B Corp? By registering as a Benefit Corporation, a company is committing itself to:
~ Creating a material positive impact on society and the environment
~ Expanding its fiduciary duty to require consideration of non-financial interests when making decisions
~ Reporting on its overall social and environmental performance using recognized third party standards
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Cornell is harnessing the power of the sun, and state funding, for a proposed solar facility on Snyder Road in the Town of Lansing...
AlGonzalezinfo's insight:
Distributed Sun — a Washington, D.C., company that builds solar-power generation systems nationwide — will construct and operate the facility with Cornell buying the electricity as part of a power purchase agreement. The energy will be used for campus buildings that have yet to be determined, according to Sarah Zemanick, a sustainability management specialist in Cornell’s Campus Sustainability Office who led the project team.
“Solar has been something that Cornell has been thinking about for a long time,” said Zemanick. “It was looked at when the Climate Action Plan was put out publicly in 2009. At that time it wasn’t economically feasible to do. Folks in energy and sustainability have been watching for opportunities to do solar.”
Go Cornell!
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A recent survey of Texas citizens revealed that, contrary to some earlier predictions, Texans are very interested in, and concerned about, the quality and quantity of water in the Lone Star State. Respondents report being concerned about the increasing number and severity of droughts in Texas and about the availability of enough water to serve all the State’s water needs.
AlGonzalezinfo's insight:
As usual, Texas A&M uncovers relevant data so important to the state's ability to sustain its growing population.
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From
www
Imagine an electric vehicle that can get you to work -- or anywhere in a six-mile radius -- quickly, without traffic frustrations or gasoline. Now imagine you can pick it up and carry it with you.
AlGonzalezinfo's insight:
Great example of ingenuity, creativity, and thought leaderhip on sustainability!
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Professors Harvell and Wolfe report that Americans can expect more heat waves, heavy downpours, floods and droughts, and sea level rise and ocean acidification...
AlGonzalezinfo's insight:
~it's getting hot in here!
Overall, the U.S. average temperature has risen by about 1.5 degrees since 1895, but 80 percent of that change has occurred in the last 32 years, according to the report.
By the end of the century, temperatures could rise anywhere from 3 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on human actions, or inaction, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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Scientists have been charting the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana for three-quarters of a century. Hundreds of surveys have provided glimpses of different regions, in different levels of detail. But only recently did all of that work come together. Scientists from Texas A&M University compiled decades of work to produce sharp digital maps of the hidden sea floor.
AlGonzalezinfo's insight:
This is an example of the amazing value the scientist at Texas A&M provide to our society.
AlGonzalezinfo's comment,
January 28, 2013 1:17 PM
Love the spot you guys! Where can listeners see the digital maps or get more information on the link between the maps and changing climates?
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4. Model more than you share.
Seeing it isn't doing it. Sharing it isn't doing it. Only doing it is doing it.
Try this: Next time you see a leadership need in your organization--whether it's about how people should be treated (customers, clients or employees); how you communicate internally or externally; or what your long-term mission, vision or values are--try modeling the change you want to see without the use of emails, memos or powerpoint presentations. Via Amy Ragsdale
AlGonzalezinfo's insight:
good read!
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A recent Dutch study suggests that engaging the public in the moral rather than economic case for sustainability might be more effective Via Willy De Backer, David Hain
AlGonzalezinfo's insight:
Triple bottom line: people, planet, profit
Willy De Backer's curator insight,
January 13, 2013 3:07 PM
Interesting study mentioned in this Sustainable Business blog. Maybe people are just a bit more clever and do not buy the economic arguments. 
David Collet's curator insight,
January 14, 2013 7:46 PM
Morality is at the core of all of our values. Sometimes we try to hide from it, but it will resurface inspite of our best efforts. 
Larry Glover's curator insight,
January 15, 2013 9:51 AM
Addressing climate change is the moral imperative of our time!
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David Pogue examines the impacts of a warming world, its causes, and what can be done to address its hazards...
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There are many ways that good environmental and social stewardship can add commercial value to a business, and more of these are being understood...
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Tech Companies Ramping Up the Green Jobs...
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Life hacks are little ways to make our lives easier. These low-budget tips and trick can help you organize and de-clutter space; prolong and preserve your products; or teach you something (e...
AlGonzalezinfo's insight:
a bit of a stretch but its a great way to recycle things around the house in cool ways.
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How recycling bias affects us daily...
AlGonzalezinfo's insight:
Two billion tons go into the trash yearly and thirty percent of that trash consists of paper that could have been recycled. Researchers Remi Trudel and Jennifer Argo at BU conducted studies to understand and develop a theory about why people throw out certain recyclable material into the trash and other recyclable material into the recycling bin. Their experiments showed that human participants threw out fragmented papers and disfigured cans into the trash. Trudel and Argo believe that this pattern in behavior is due to the way how people use heuristic technique to determine how useful a product is. People view dented cans and small bits of paper as being useless, and incorrectly assume that those materials cannot be recycled.
The dedicated sustainability experts at Cornell University would like to know your thoughts on adding Red Frowny Face on trash bins.
Share your thoughts at:
http://www.sustainablecampus.cornell.edu/blogs/news/posts/are-you-recycling-properly
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Abena Sackey Ojetayo '07, MEng '09, Project Engineer at Cornell University
AlGonzalezinfo's insight:
Excellent video on technology and sustainability at Cornell. From the post:
Technology and Sustainability—Pushing the Boundaries
A LEED accredited professional, Ojetayo is one of the 10 New Faces of Civil Engineering for 2013, named by the American Society of Civil Engineers as the industry’s next generation of leaders.
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Whitney Foard Small loved China and her job as a regional director of communications for a top automaker. But after air pollution led to several stays in hospital and finally ... Via Anne Egros, AlGonzalezinfo
Anne Egros's curator insight,
May 1, 2013 1:42 PM
Would you decline a great job offer abroad because of pollution ?
AlGonzalezinfo's curator insight,
May 1, 2013 2:10 PM
From the article:
Foreigners regularly check the air quality readings put out by the U.S. Embassy and consulates on their Twitter feeds when deciding whether to go out for a run or let their children play outside.
The pollution has become even more of a hot topic since January, when the readings in Beijing went off the scale and beyond what is considered hazardous by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
At the same time, China’s state media gave unprecedented coverage to the pollution following months of growing pressure from a Chinese middle class that has become more vocal about the quality of its air.
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The man chosen to lead the Texas Sea Grant College Program’s extension program says he wants to put the power of university research into the hands of Texas' coastal citizens. Prominent Houston-based coastal development expert John Jacob, who became Director of Texas Sea Grant Extension Program on April 1, said he intends to apply the cooperative extension model to issues facing Texas’ increasingly urban coast.
AlGonzalezinfo's insight:
Through the National Sea Grant Network, Dr. Jacob's expertise can help costal states all over the country on critical issues like water quality. Congratulations Dr. Jacob!
From the article:
Jacob has garnered much attention for coastal development issues through his very successful Texas Coastal Watershed Program, a cooperative effort of Texas Sea Grant and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service that provides education and outreach to local governments and citizens on the impacts of land use on watershed health and water quality.
He has pioneered the use of innovative coastal planning tools like the weTable and the Community Health and Resources Management (CHARM) computer model.
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Scarcely noticed in the wake of the much-discussed spat between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and New York Times reporter John Broder was the opening last week in Estonia of the world’s first nationwide network of fast chargers for electric vehicles (EVs). Via Christian Aymé
AlGonzalezinfo's insight:
From the article:
According to Reuters, money for construction of the quick-charging station network came from a 2011 deal under which the government of Estonia sold 10 million surplus CO2 emission permits to the Mitsubishi Corporation. Terms of the deal also included the government fleet of 500 EVs.
Christian Aymé's curator insight,
March 11, 2013 3:50 AM
1er réseau de stations électriques au monde
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Following are some of the health benefits of coconut milk: Helps to maintain blood sugar places:Glucose intolerance may cause manganese deficiency in your body. Coconut milk is a rich source of manganese. Whole grains, legumes and nuts are some other excellent sources of manganese.
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AlGonzalezinfo's insight:
Great article on the many benefits of coconut milk
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Infographic on Workplace stress by Employees, causes, ways to eliminate in killing employees worth, create creative team and employee standards to kill stress Via Christino Martin, Jose Luis Anzizar
AlGonzalezinfo's insight:
Love the section on being worried about layoffs. The best cure is to ensure we are prepared. Here is an article on how to lead teams in times of layoffs:
http://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-leadership/p/2751703198/engaging-staff-during-layoffs
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Science and the Sea is a production of The University of Texas Marine Science Institute on the Gulf of Mexico in Port Aransas, Texas.
AlGonzalezinfo's insight:
As a kid growing up on an island, dealing with rip currents was something i learned at an early age. Luckily, I never had to deal with one.
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Managing and protecting the state's water—in the face of an ongoing drought, increasing population, and a robust business climate—will lead off the matters facing lawmakers when the 83rd legislative session convenes, Jan.
AlGonzalezinfo's insight:
Running out of water is definitely a possibility...
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For more than 40 years, Gary Graham has sought to keep the commercial shrimp fishing industry viable while also keeping the fishery sustainable. His success is both tangible and unfathomable.
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A hotel stay might have once been thought of as an opportunity to overindulge on rich buffet food, multiple luxuriant baths and mini-bar nightcaps, but is the modern business traveller more likely to demand gluten-free breakfasts, in-room yoga mats and a green-energy policy?
Continue readinghttp://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/22/uk-hotels-green-idUSLNE8AL00W20121122 : Via Maria Cristina Terenzio
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a bit of a stretch but its a great way to recycle things around the house in cool ways.