One of the most important factors in a sustainable system (specifically ecosystems) is resilience. Overly specialized and complex structures tend to struggle when the rules of the game change. Consider a plant adapted for a dry climate. If precipitation patterns change and this plant, let say a cactus, is now in an area of moderate [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Necessary Revolution’
There Is No Energy Crisis
January 22nd, 2011
Eric Wilson
As part of a follow up to a post the other day titled “The Reality of Physics” comes this piece. While none of us here at 2nd Green Revolution were alive during the “Energy Crisis” of the early 1970s that stemmed from the oil embargo, I can confidently tell you that there is no energy [...]
Sweden and Denmark Lead the Way Toward Energy Independence
December 16th, 2010
Eric Wilson Look to the Scandinavian countries and you are likely to see a whole host of sustainable measures underway. The city of Malmo in Sweden has been promoting itself as the “Sustainable City,” with its goal of climate neutrality in 10 years and 100% renewable energy by 2030. Watch the video below for a brief piece [...]
First Thoughts on Natural Capitalism
June 14th, 2010
Eric Wilson Usually I skip the preface and acknowledgments in a book. With the decade old Natural Capitalism from Paul Hawken (author of The Ecology of Commerce), Amory Lovins, and Hunter Lovins, co-founders of Rocky Mountain Institute in Colorado, I felt it was going to provide valuable background and history. In reading these sections I was struck [...]
Introducing the 2nd Green Store
January 5th, 2010
Justin Manger We are pleased to announce the opening of a very modest “2nd Green Store” on our site. It can be found underneath the “Features” tab in the drop-down menu at the top of our homepage. The store currently has books that we’ve reviewed on the site for sale through Amazon. We plan to add more [...]
Coke to Launch Bioethanol-based Plastic Bottles in Japan
January 4th, 2010
Justin Manger Here’s a quick note about the increasingly mainstream move to non-oil based plastics. Starting this spring, Coca-Cola (Japan) Co. will use PET bottles made using Brazilian bioethanol for the first time in Japan. The new plastic bottles will be used for three of the company’s products. Up to 30% of the oil-derived materials used in [...]
InterfaceRAISE: Sustainability Advisor Services
November 28th, 2009
Eric Wilson A few days ago, one of our posts discussed the steps that Interface Inc. – a carpet company from LaGrange, GA – had taken to achieve a level of sustainable business practices that places the company as an industry leader. After nearly a decade and a half of developing a sustainable business, Interface has begun [...]
Book Review: Donella Meadows’s Thinking in Systems
August 15th, 2009
Eric Wilson Roughly 15 years ago Donella H. Meadows, founder of the Sustainability Institute and professor in the Environmental Studies Program of Dartmouth College, wrote an introduction to systems thinking titled Thinking in Systems: A Primer. Last year the book was edited by Diana Wright of the Sustainability Institute and published (by Chelsea Green Publishing), seven years [...]
Apple and Costco Ramp Up Their Electronics Recycling Programs
July 5th, 2009
Eric Wilson Last year’s 60 Minutes exposé on electronic waste (also known as e-waste) recyclers may have sparked some corporations, including Costco Wholesalers and Apple, to fill the void of “responsible” electronics recyclers. A recent story in The New York Times also discussed the burgeoning recycled electronics field in light of the conversion to digital television signals. [...]
Part 3: New Belgium Brewery’s Sustainability Efforts
June 14th, 2009
Eric Wilson Yesterday’s post, Part 2: New Belgium Brewery’s Sustainability Efforts, covered New Belgium’s energy efforts. Today’s post will focus on waste. One of New Belgium’s major objectives is to decrease the amount of waste it sends to the landfill. This is often referred to as the diversion rate, or the percentage of waste that is kept [...]
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