June 2008 – Volume 2, Issue 6
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Dear Reader, Welcome to the June 2008 Green Business e-newsletter. Each month seems to bring a new development in carbon trading – none of them truly satisfactory for any industry players. The latest move came this week, when Ontario and Quebec signed an accord that would introduce a cap-and-trade system aimed at fighting global warming that could be up and running in the two provinces as early as January 2010. The system would, of course, limit the amount of greenhouse gases polluters can emit. Those that exceed the limit could buy unused emissions capacity from companies that come in under the cap. The provinces have modeled their version of the cap-and-trade system on the European model. Ottawa introduced a less rigorous proposal earlier this year, aimed at intensity reductions rather than absolute reductions in greenhouse gases. While it’s very nice to see Ontario and Quebec getting along and pushing a concerted agenda, like all other proposed and operational carbon trading regimes in North America, this one will likely remain toothless. A market as small as Canada can’t support a vibrant carbon trading market on its own – there just aren’t enough players to create the necessary liquidity. The idea of two provinces creating such a market alone simply looks like window dressing. While the development of the Western Climate Initiative and other proposed trading schemes have demonstrated that many provinces and U.S. states are thinking alike and looking in the right direction, the only announcement that will be worth the paper it’s written on in the next couple of years will be one made by a new U.S. president. A U.S. federal carbon trading regime will create a model that Ottawa, out of necessity, will have to follow. The hope right now is that model will be similar to the current European system. The most popular model, which is set to be introduced in the U.S. Senate this summer is the Lieberman-Warner bill. Although it’s unlikely that this will pass, it gives us a sense of what is likely to be introduced stateside soon. For more information on the bill, click here, or visit www.green-business.ca. If you have any questions or comments about what appears in this month’s e-newsletter please don’t hesitate to contact me at rcolman@clbmedia.ca. Robert Colman  |
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| INDUSTRY NEWS
The editors and publishers of Energy Management, Green Business and PEM Plant Engineering and Maintenance magazines and Canada’s largest manufacturing consortium, Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC) have joined forces to create Canada’s leading energy management & efficiency conference and exhibition. Full story: ENEX08 Government of Canada updates Energy Efficiency Act The Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources, and the Honourable John Baird, Minister of the Environment, announced the introduction in the Senate this week of legislation that will expand the scope of the Energy Efficiency Act. Full story: Efficiency Act Dell intros new, ultra-efficient small biz PC With the skyrocketing price of energy, Dell’s new, ultra-efficient Vostro 410 small business PC might turn a few heads. Full story: Dell GHG Management Institute and GE AES venture launch carbon training course The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Management Institute, a not-for-profit corporation focused on carbon market education and training, and Greenhouse Gas Services, LLC, a venture of GE and the AES Corporation, announced this week that they have formed the Institute’s first corporate partnership. The Institute will develop and provide online courses to train professionals on accounting techniques for verifying the scientific and environmental integrity of greenhouse gas (GHG) credits generated by projects that reduce GHG emissions. Full story: GHG Minister of Environment names Fielding an Environmental Leader An announcement was made at the Green Living show in Toronto that Fielding Chemical Technologies Inc. has been accepted into the Ontario Environmental Leaders Program. Full story: Fielding |
| FEATURE STORIES
Demand for “green” forest products key to future industry growth in Canada The future of the forestry industry in Canada seems bleak today, with the collapse of the U.S. housing market and the rising value of the dollar. And there’s no question that the industry is suffering right now, but some see a light at the end of the tunnel. That light is the environmental record of producers here. At PricewaterhouseCooper’s 21st Annual Global Forest and Paper Industry Conference, held in Vancouver, B.C., at least a few speakers felt that this would be the essential differentiator for Canadian companies in years to come. Full story: Forestry Make your sustainability story worth telling: put rigor in your reports Do you want your sustainability story to resonate with an audience of analysts, investors, employees, rating agencies, banks, governments and other stakeholders? Put some substance into it. Full story: Reporting ISO tools to help Canada’s SMEs go green Concerns about climate change are increasingly driving public policy and corporate decisions. They are also altering consumer behaviour and rewarding those who build environmental sustainability into their practices. But exactly what does it mean for a company or organization to be green? Full story: ISO EVENTS June 11-12 Shifting
into the Mainstream is where building industry decision makers will
learn about how LEED Canada is evolving from one-time certification to
a life-cycle building performance management system for any type of
building, new and existing. LEED Canada for Existing Buildings will be
launched in 2009 and offer online assessment, action planning and
performance verification as well as a certification process that is
fast, economical and easy to access. Learn about these initiatives and
more that will help create more efficient buildings across Canada. LAST CHANCE TO SIGN UP!! The
Canada China Environmental Forum, hosted by TLI - The Mandarin School
& Summerhill Group in partnership with CCBC, HKCBA and OWIT, is
designed to stimulate ideas, encourage partnerships, and inspire
Canadian and Chinese businesses to create relationships and
opportunities that have significant impact for the environment in both
Canada and China. In cooperation with some of Canada's leading
environmental companies, business associations and government agencies,
the progressive workshop will focus on the requirements for
development, promotion and collaboration on sustainable business
practices in China.
September 23-24 Green
Business, Energy Management Magazine, PEM and our industry partner, the
Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium, are developing an energy
management focused conference and trade show aimed at helping
manufacturers and building owners lower energy costs and explore new
energy efficient technology. |
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Energy Management Conference Debuts in September 08
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