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Doors on fridges debate heats up again in UK

Andrew Gaved Waste Management & Environmental

The debate around whether to make it mandatory to have doors on all display refrigerators in the U.K. has been reignited by a combination of carbon targets and public pressure. While supermarkets in the U.K. have historically been resistant to adding doors to fridges because of fears that they will impact purchasing, the mounting pressure on the U.K. to reduce energy to meet long-term carbon targets has put the subject back on the agenda. However, many merchandisers cling to the belief that the addition of doors to their chiller cabinets will negatively affect the purchase of goods by presenting a "barrier" to browsing.

Creating a sustainable organization through facilities management

Scott E. Rupp Facilities & Grounds

Sustainability and corporate social responsibility efforts are now significant factors for successful organizations as regulations and consumers drive change. Organizations that don’t take account of their environmental impacts face potential backlash from consumers who are increasingly sustainability minded. While not previously top of mind, environmental and sustainability issues are more central to facilities management than at any point in the past. However, what steps are required to meet these challenges?

Eating insects could help save the planet

Dave G. Houser Food & Beverage

If predictions from United Nations food scientists are right, menus of the future might include such dishes as stink bug stew, cockroach canapés and mashed mealworms. Scoff — or gag — if you will, but edible insects could well serve to supplement the human diet in a world increasingly threatened by skyrocketing population growth and a steadily shrinking food supply. Authors of a recent report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emphasized the need to reduce meat consumption — and trumpeted the cause for more high-protein meat alternatives. The report makes a particularly good case for the consumption of insects.

Economics key in new Endangered Species Act rules

Michelle R. Matisons Waste Management & Environmental

In the grand scheme of federal vs. state-level environmental battles, we have nearly seen it all lately. With the Department of Interior steering the helm of the most controversial environmental issues of the day, we witness a shifty and complex federal culture when it comes to environmental rules. It’s on-again and off-again, with federal departments mainly deregulating and the federal judiciary emerging with some surprising decisions. The Trump administration appears to want to lift any restriction blocking land development; some federal judges have protected precarious rules or have challenged executive actions.

Green buildings can make employees more productive

Terri Williams Business Management, Services & Risk Management

There are a lot of things that you can do to increase employee productivity, but there’s one thing you probably haven’t considered: the physical workplace. According to a new report, creating a "green" environment isn’t just good for the environment; it’s good for your company’s bottom line. The World Green Building Council's (WorldGBC) report, "Doing Right by Planet and People," demonstrates the additional benefits that green buildings can offer besides decreased energy use.

Native Alaskan tribe’s lawsuit fights ANWR drilling

Michelle R. Matisons Natural Resources

July 31 was a fateful day in the climate change struggle. Just as the Gwich’in tribe of Alaska and Canada launched an important anti-drilling lawsuit, Greenland’s ice sheet lost 12.5 billion tons of ice in one day. Although an offshore drilling ban was recently upheld by Alaska federal court for some Arctic areas, the Trump administration seems set on drilling the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's (ANWR) 1002 Area, with speculated returns of up to 9 billion gallons of oil. The Gwich’in tribe, along with the Wilderness Society, Alaska Wilderness League, and Defenders of Wildlife, want to keep the oil in the ground.

Interesting notes from recent TPWD law enforcement reports

John McAdams Recreation & Leisure

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department publishes some of its more interesting events compiled from TPWD law enforcement reports each month or so. These reports are usually good for a laugh and sometimes even provide a good lesson or two. As I noted in a previous article, usually those lessons contain good advice on what not to do, though. Interestingly enough, neither of these episodes involve any social media mishaps or alcohol use, which makes them somewhat unique among noteworthy game warden encounters.

Cruises are popular, but what effect do they have on the environment?

Bambi Majumdar Waste Management & Environmental

Princess Cruises, a Carnival subsidiary, recently made news for the wrong reasons. Carnival will have to pay a $20 million fine after illegal and environmentally damaging acts were revealed on Princess ships. Princess violated the terms of its 2017 probation when it was convicted for improper waste disposal. Perhaps even more damaging was that the cruise line did not report the findings of environmental inspections to the authorities. Carnival is not the only cruise line to flout regulations, and the environmental costs of these firms' negligence are high.

Why Wisconsin’s recent survey of mussels is important

Scott E. Rupp Waste Management & Environmental

The state of Wisconsin recently did something for the first time in four decades: Conducted a massive statewide survey of native mussels in an attempt to show the benefits of the water-cleaning clams on the state's waterways. Why does this survey matter? Several reasons. Mussels are considered one of the world’s most imperiled animals. 70% of the world’s mussel species are in decline. Mussels are considered "ecosystem engineers" because they modify the aquatic habitat, making it more suitable for themselves and other organisms. A single freshwater mussel can filter gallons of water a day, removing pollutants like mercury and other contaminants.

By any other name: Beyond Meat grows beyond belief

Linda Popky Food & Beverage

In 2016, a Los Angeles-based company called Beyond Meat introduced the first plant-based burger to be sold in the meat section of a grocery store. Not only do these products look like a real hamburger, but they taste almost meat-like, too. The company’s revenue is expected to more than double this year, and the total market for plant-based, meat-like products is expected to shoot up to $5.2 billion by 2020. There's a lesson here for your business: Rather than continue to make incremental changes in a crowded or constricted category, try taking a leap forward with innovations so dramatic they change the category itself.

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