  
 The New Industrial Revolution -- Ray Anderson, CEO of Interface Carpets & Interiors, is on a mission. After reading 'The Ecology of Commerce' in 1992, he began his odyssey into pioneering "Sustainable Industry." Today, after 15 years of implementing eco programs worldwide,
Ray's multi-Billion dollar corporation has:
reduced energy expenditures by 45%
reduced total green house gas emissions by 37%
reduced global water usage by an average of 71%
increased the use of recycled or biobased products to 20%
diverted over 100 million lbs of reusable materials from landfills
successfully implemented sustainable: products, services, and "products of service"
given millions $$ to social charity and sustainable educational concerns
At the same time, Interface Carpets & Interiors has grown to be #1 in the worldwide commercial carpeting industry, saving Billions of dollars, earning tens of Billions of dollars, increasing worker safety, innovating new product lines, and building a multi-national, multi-cultural "corporate identity."
The Good News
52 of the world's 100 biggest economies are privately held corporate businesses (48 are nations).* In an era of shrinking resource bases and environmental problems, global industries must redefine their operations simply to continue. Interface - the world's most sustainable manufacturer/retailer, with operations in over 100 countries and more than 40% of its industry's global market share, is leading by moving rapidly towards its sustainability goals. Interface plans to be zero carbon, zero waste, zero pollution, zero footprint, and zero impact -- by 2020. This means improving everything: health, management, personnel, communication, financials, long term visioning... Thanks to Ray's example, mega-companies such as GE, HP, DuPont, and Walmart are now racing to get on board. Leading business schools are developing green business paradigms that seek to balance economic demands with social imperatives. Meanwhile, People -- around the world -- are calling for corporations like Ray's; companies that take their social impacts seriously, that lead with the heart, and that consider themselves to be members of a grand ecological system. . . . The future is green, and the global green economy of the 21st century stands to be more innovative, more responsive, and more rewarding and more common sense -- than anything we've yet seen.
To learn more about Ray & Interface, check out Interface.com, our links below, and Ray's book, "Mid Course Correction."
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*Factoid taken from Dr. Bruce Piasecki's outstanding new book,
"World Inc," available this month -- and a darn good read.
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LINKS, LINKS, LINKS
REGARDING CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY,
...and those people following in Ray's Footsteps...
New Sectors
JOBS: 5 Best Cities for Clean Tech
get in the know about where to go
http://makower.typepad.com/joel_makower/2007/02/tapping_into_th.html
WORKSHOPS: Bruce Piasecki Raises the Roof
"Rising Role of Renewables Workshop"
http://www.ahcgroup.com/workshop_2007apr.htm
RADIO: CBS Launches 1st Green Radio Station
50,000 watts of sustainably-oriented programming...
http://www5.sys-con.com/read/331663.htm
LUXURY: 5 Star Accomodations
check out the Gaia Valley Hotel
(hot link below)
REMEDIATION: Opportunities in Global Warming
$4 Trillion Backs Action on Climate Change
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=34740
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=34687
"DEMO" - Taking Things Apart, Sustainably
greendemolitions.org
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/01/green_demolitio.php
GREEN COMMERCIAL LANDSCAPING: Saves Water & Money
"Makes good sense"
(hot link below)
ENERGY EFFICIENCY: The New Frontier
West Coast Data Centers targeted for massive energy reduction
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=34565
BIOFUELS: America's Future
BP puts 1/2 Billion $$ into BioFuels
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=34558
SOLAR: Infinite Potential
SolarWorld Plans America's Largest Solar Facility
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=34671
WALMART: Still Leading
Making "Box Stores" Sustainable?
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/reviews_third.cfm?NewsID=34594
Sustainability Plans Announced
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=34528
Rating Electronics for Eco Performance
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=34715
Hybrid "Big-Rigs" for Greener Trucking
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=34747
BANK OF AMERICA: Bets $20 Billion
on Green Economy's future
http://www.emagazine.com/view/?3649
GREEN BOND INDEX: Launches
jp morgan unveils its green bond index -
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=34693
GOLDMAN SACHS: Investing green...
And reaping rewards
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/reviews_third.cfm?NewsID=34521
TED TURNER: Big spender
Launching a clean energy venture
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=34432
Headlines
CNN-MONEY AND FORTUNE MAGAZINE:
10 Green, Corporate Giants
The Patagonia Success Story
DuPont's Quest to improve the Enviro & Make a Fortune doing it
Arnold's World - How California Leads and the Rest of us Follow
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/goinggreen/2007/index.html
NEWSWEEK:
Americans are taking matters into their own hands
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13768213/site/newsweek/
MARKETPLACE:
"Turning Green Into Gold
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2007/01/29/AM200701291.html
TOP 10 GREEN COMPANIES, 2006
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=34505
PROFILES IN CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP
http://www.uschamber.com/bclc/profiles/default
And, "LEARNING FROM THE LEADERS" - web resource, contains more than 350 specific examples of best practices drawn from sources such as Nike, Ford, & BP.
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=34670
GREEN POWER AWARD WINNERS: Big & Beautiful
Announced by the EPA
http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/winners/index.htm
DELL: Offsetting Carbon
Launches Plant A Tree Campaign
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=34429
TOSHIBA: Taking Responsibility
Toshiba adding a computer take back program
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=34694
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport: Saving $$, Reducing Impacts
Has committed to achieving the following over the next three years:
Reduce 66,000 pounds of pollution through improved fluid recovery techniques;
Reduce energy use by more than 46,000 kilowatt-hours with energy efficiency. (Equivalent to the
amount of energy used by 1,500 households in one year);
Recover and recycle 100 percent of the waste from its graphic services department;
Recycle 800 tons of waste through off-site recycling efforts. (Equivalent to the amount of waste generated by 1,000 people in the course of a year.)
more info - http://www.epa.gov/performancetrack/
Campus
College Sustainability Report
Colleges are ranked according to 26 distinct indicators,
http://www.greenbiz.com/toolbox/reports_third.cfm?LINKADVID=75988
MIT
Launches lab for sustainable business
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=34539
HARVARD
Presents "Turning the Ship" - a sustainable business blog a thon
http://www.greenbiz.com/ship/
PURDUE
Endorses Total BioFuels Economy
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=34727
Why a Sustainable MBA makes Good Common Sense
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/columns_third.cfm?NewsID=34498
Politics
EU
Comes into Accord on CO2 Cuts
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6432829.stm
whitehouse
starts their First Green Initiative (new computers): http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=34758
SAN FRANCISCO
to Ban Plastic Bags
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/27/environment.baggs.reut/index.html
TORONTO
to Build Mega Green, Mega City Center
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/01/the_huge_cityce.php
LONDON
Mayor calls for MORE!
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=34726
And More
MISS AMERICA
Contestant Goes Green
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/01/tonight_miss_am.php
SPEILBERG THINKING CRADLE TO CRADLE?
Mr. Speilberg is considering doing a documentary on architect William McDonugh
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/01/steven_spielber.php
Change a Bulb, Save the Planet
great animation...
http://www.dadoly.com/projects/bulbs/bulbs.html
What's Next... by Paul Hawken
Ecology of Commerce guru blogs his vision (recommended):
http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/005670.html
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thanks so much to GreenBiz.com for contributing the moajority of links to this letter, please check out their website, we especially recommend, "Top 10 Green Biz Stories, 2006"
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/reviews_third.cfm?NewsID=34384
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New to The Good News
Welcome this month: Wesley, Debra, Paige! P., T, Scott, Kristi, MammaGoddess, CJ, SunriseSteps, Oneness, G Wallace, Highland Lakes Studio, Bobby Zirkel, Desiree, C Tabor, Diane, Scott & Liz, Dennis, Mary, and Karen. Thanks ya'll!
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SWITCH TO CLEAN ENERGY.
Do the Bright Thing. It's the best thing you can do. Eliminate your #1 global warming impact TODAY by switching to Clean Electricity. Just click on our link (bottom of page) for a list of nationwide connections to home and office energy supply. This is Good Common Sense!
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Thanks for reading! Visit us online! And see you next month!
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