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Benefits of embracing sustainability and green manufacturing
Alan Kelsky ManufacturingSustainable manufacturing is past being something that's "nice to have." It is now a vital aspect of the manufacturing industry. When manufacturers change their processes to make their company more environmentally friendly, people often refer to the company as "going green." Sustainable manufacturing is practiced across the globe, and companies have invested billions to make "going green" the new business imperative. Why?
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The keys to preventing lead exposure
Piyush Bakshi Waste Management & EnvironmentalLead is among the six common air pollutants that impact air quality in America, according to the EPA. The others are particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, ozone and sulfur dioxide. Once upon a time, unleaded gasoline used in vehicles was the biggest source of lead in the air. However, over a period of two decades from 1980 to 1999, the EPA managed to bring down lead pollution from the transportation sector by 95 percent. Today, the most common sources of lead emissions include lead smelters, metal processing units, waste processing units and lead-acid battery manufacturers.
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Clean cold marches on in Europe
Andrew Gaved ManufacturingThe technology of cryogenic cooling is continuing to live up to its billing of being one of the most disruptive technologies the industry, following a high-profile launch event in London earlier this month. The Birmingham Energy Institute Policy Commission — the organization backing the technology — is proving equally disruptive in the often-low-key world of refrigeration by gaining support among academics, politicians and commercial interest alike for its aim to take a systems approach to low-emission cooling.
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The UN wants sustainable travel — How does this affect the industry?
Bambi Majumdar Waste Management & EnvironmentalIn September, all 193 member states of the United Nations came together for a historic agreement at the Sustainable Development Summit to support a new agenda for sustainable development for the future. Included in the plan are 17 "Sustainable Development Goals" that focus on key areas including the planet, its people, peace and prosperity and all partnerships therein.
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How linear cities can help us boost sustainable living
Michael Lipkan Waste Management & EnvironmentalBurgeoning human populations are causing many problems to the Earth's biosphere — the network of life some call Gaia. James Ephraim Lovelock saw the biosphere of Earth as a self-regulating entity able to respond to imbalances or traumas caused to ecosystems such that balance becomes restored.
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16 ideas for reducing healthcare energy costs
Christina Thielst Healthcare AdministrationHealthcare organizations are constantly under pressure to reduce costs these days. That often means turning to variable staffing and supply costs for solutions. Some healthcare leaders view energy costs as somewhat fixed, but they are probably more variable than one thinks. Energy costs are based upon consumption, and as with electricity, costs are usually higher at times of peak demand.
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The stories told by BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy for 2014
Lucy Wallwork Natural ResourcesBP's Statistical Review of World Energy for 2014 — for which analysts, policymakers and anyone trying to make sense of an extraordinary year on world oil markets had been impatiently awaiting — was released in June. 2014 was certainly a remarkable year. BP described it as one of "tectonic shifts," after what chief economist Spencer Dale called a period of "eerie calm" in recent years. While the supply-and-demand dynamics that have led to the collapsing prices are broadly understood, the statistics provided in this year's review add much flesh to the bones of those theories.
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Europe building upon building efficiency
Andrew Gaved Facilities & GroundsEuropean policymakers and researchers alike are putting their collective minds to the challenge of reducing the energy produced by cooling and heating in buildings. The research funding comes in response to new momentum for efficiency improvement from the European Commission whose Energy Union framework policy aims to transform both energy supply and consumption.
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The end of the 40-year-old crude export ban?
Stefanie Heerwig Natural ResourcesAfter 40 years, the U.S. House of Representatives is considering a bill on the floor to lift the ban on exporting crude oil from the U.S. Implemented during the Arab oil embargo in the 1970s, the export ban has turned into a controversial issue with the U.S. becoming the largest producer of oil after Saudi Arabia in recent years.
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Staying cool: Clean air versus dirty diesel
Andrew Gaved Distribution & WarehousingThis week another report on diesel emissions — and, no, we're not talking about Volkswagen and their test-defeating software. Thankfully, this report is about the potential for liquid nitrogen and cryogenic processes to supplant traditional diesel-driven transport refrigeration units (TRUs) with a zero-carbon emission alternative.
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