Miscellaneous material to start your week.
– The Halifax Chronicle Herald pushes back against the Cons’ and Libs’ anti-Bloc witch-hunt:
For partisan reasons, involvement with the Bloc has become a game of political football. The Tories and Grits feel …
It’s no particular secret that “intensity” targets for greenhouse gas emissions are an utter joke, designed to facilitate the continued growth of heavy polluters as long as they make marginal improvements in per-unit emissions with no regard for the fa…
Continue readingHow does Coca-Cola integrate sustainability into their operations? For several years its facility in Brampton, Ontario, one of its largest in North America, has been transforming its manufacturing and distribution to save energy, reduce carbon footprint, water usage, and material usage. In this case study we look at the goals, implementation, and progress of the programs put in place by this $20 billion food and beverage giant.
Continue readingMiscellaneous material for your midweek reading.- Stephen Gordon weighs in again on the Cons’ census disaster:Many readers may have thought that the census issue was settled last summer; it wasn’t. We haven’t even begun to deal with the consequence…
Continue readingThis and that for your Thursday reading.- Andrew Jackson points out and sums up a Statistics Canada study showing how much possible revenue is lost to the underground economy:Statscan have produced interesting and important new estimates of the upper b…
Continue readingYes, it’s a problem if the Cons are giving different answers about climate-change policy to different audiences. But I’m not sure how the difference between federal action making next to no difference and its making even less than that makes for a more…
Continue readingEnvironment Minister Peter Kent sets the tone of Canada’s carbon policy for the next four years in his first interview after the federal election that resulted in a Conservative majority. Instead of cap-and-trade or carbon tax regime, Canada will introduce sector based regulations, starting with the transportation, coal, and oilsands sectors.
Continue readingCompanies know that a coordinated sustainability initiative is a business imperative. But how do you implement your sustainability initiative? Where does sustainability fit within the corporate structure? How do you overcome the inevitable challenges? Sustainability Leader of Sears Canada James Gray-Donald opens his playbook and shares the challenges and successes of leading Sears towards greater sustainability.
Continue readingHistory was made in Canada’s federal election on May 2. Conservative gets majority goverment while New Democrat serves as Opposition for the first time. How will this alter federal policies on energy, environment, and climate change? Let’s examine the parties’ environmental platforms, their gains and losses, followed by how Canada’s federal policies may change.
Continue readingUnilever is the top Food & Beverage company on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Through Bullfrog Power, Unilever recently became the largest commercial purchaser of renewable energy in Canada at 59,000 MWh per year. What is Unilever’s sustainability strategy and why do they do it? To find out, I took a tour of their Brampton plant and talked to John Coyne, Vice President and General Counsel of Unilever Canada.
Continue readingFor decades HP has worked to manage its environmental impact by adopting environmentally responsible practices in product development, operations and supply chain. At a recent Toronto Sustainability Speaker Series event, Frances Edmonds, Director of Environmental Programs at HP Canada, told the story of how HP developed its sustainability program over the years.
Continue readingHow does sustainability affect raising capital? How do investment banks see sustainability when analyzing opportunities? What’s the point of view from venture capital firms? How does sustainability affect a business’ credit rating? This article looks at the current views from Standard & Poor’s, Toronto-Dominion Bank, MissionPoint Capital and others on this matter. We also look at what a business can do to attract capital.
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