This is one of those challenges green companies (any company, actually) can face when trying to make progress as a business. Miracle-Gro is claiming that TerraCycle’s packaging is confusingly similar to their own, as they both use green and yellow. Funny thing, I thought those were very common packaging colors for gardening products.

TerraCycle is sharing their story at a site they’ve created for the purpose. They include their perspective as well as newspaper clippings.

Miracle-Gro is asking to see the study they did at Rutgers that shows that TerraCycle outperforms other products. No surprise that TerraCycle is not much interested in that idea, especially as Miracle-Gro won’t reciprocate. Then again, they aren’t the ones being sued.

Just look at the site, though. The packages shown are nothing alike. There is nothing confusing about them. The use of the two colors is not remotely similar, and having a circle and flowers on both packages doesn’t do anything to make them look alike, as once again the use is not at all similar. Even the shape of the packaging for each is different. Continue reading →

It’s just wonderful seeing religion starting to realize that the environment is worth protecting. It makes sense to me. If our world is indeed a gift from God (any God), do we think he means for us to exploit it to its ruin? Or should we make the most of it more respectfully?

Pope Benedict XVI is the most recent religious leader to call for the protection of the environment. This truly is encouraging, even though some others groups take it as a matter of faith that global warming is a part of God’s plan. For the Christian groups that say so, I don’t quite see how they get that.

The Holy Father invited everyone to adopt “a way of living, models of production and consumption marked by respect for creation and the need for sustainable development of peoples, keeping in mind the universal distribution of goods, as is so often mentioned in the Church’s social doctrine.”

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This is a really interesting idea for businesses with large rooftops. Just perfect for them.

Kohl’s is converting 24 of their 80 stores in California immediately, and trying to get permits to convert 40 more. They have contracted with Sun Edison to help them with the conversion.

I wonder if other companies will follow suit, especially as Kohl’s reports their results. It’s an investment that should save them a nice amount of money over time, not to mention the great PR among those who consider a company’s treatment of the environment.

Technorati Tags: kohl’s, kohls, environment, green, solar power, business

It doesn’t surprise me much to read that global warming could cause national security concerns. The more trouble countries have at home, the more they’re going to look for ways out of trouble.

You can download the report if you don’t mind pages and pages of governement talk, and get some good information on what some of the concerns are. I think it’s pretty realistic, although some may not appreciate the military perspective.

You know already what a strain a natural disaster can be on a country. Many countries face far more potential for natural diasters as global warming becomes more and more a reality to be dealt with. Longer droughts. Land lost to the ocean. Harsher winters. And don’t forget this point:

“Weakened and failing governments, with an already thin margin for survival, foster the conditions for internal conflicts, extremism and movement toward increased authoritarianism and radical ideologies,” the report says. “The U.S. will be drawn more frequently into these situations.”

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I posted earlier about an Australian website hosting company going carbon neutral. I just read that Yahoo intends to do so as well this year.

That’s one thing I love about various online companies; that they think in ways so different from older companies. Yahoo has been working on being environmentally conscious for a long time. Just take a look at some of the things they have done already:

Our commute alternatives program has been recognized annually by the EPA since 2001 for incentives like Wi-Fi enabled biodiesel shuttles, bike lockers, carpool matching, and sizeable public transit subsidies. Our recycling program keeps about 180,000 pounds of materials out of landfills each year. We use renewable power, hydroelectric energy, and passive cooling at our various facilities and data centers. And green-minded Yahoos have launched sustainability-focused products like the Yahoo! Autos Green Center and 18Seconds.org to show people how they can make a difference in their own lives.

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