Green Business e-newsletter

April 2009 – Volume 3, Issue 4

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the first April 2009 e-newsletter from Green Business.

Regulatory change and investment in the environment appears to be ramping up in government circles over the past month. Ontario has made several announcements regarding its Green Energy Act, the Federal Government has been pushing forward with aspects of its Turning the Corner program, and Saskatchewan has announced further investments in clean tech.

At the same time, industry is working hard to prove it has what it takes to turn the corner as well – sometimes in odd ways. I'm thinking of GM's partnership with Segway – the new PUMA. I hope it leads to bigger and better things.

For more news and updates on everything green for your business, visit www.green-business.ca every day.

Regards,
Robert Colman
Editor, Green Business

NEWS

Online tools for free cooling from the Green Grid

New IT carbon calculator launched

McGuinty Government helps industry reduce toxics use, find green alternatives

Carbon footprints of top U.S. mutual funds revealed

Government of Canada to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles

VIDEO FEATURE ENEX09 fast approaching – September 22-23 Effective energy management is one of the most cost-effective ways to lower operating costs and create an innovative culture within an organization — and it doesn't have to include a huge capital outlay. At the annual ENEX conference and trade show, attendees will learn how their peers are creating more energy efficient businesses, and challenging their competition to do the same. In a turbulent economy, it's even more important to get your energy management practices in order. Click here to see one of the highlights of last year's event – An Energy Leadership Case Study of Molson Canada's Toronto brewery.

FEATURES Digital Cities — test-driving a more user-friendly municipal design tool Cities are complex and ever changing, and it can be difficult to effectively capture how each change will affect the city system as a whole. Autodesk's new Digital Cities initiative may change all that. Geoff Zeiss of Autodesk and Dan Campbell of the City of Vancouver talked to Green Business editor Rob Colman recently about how this might work. Full story: Digital Cities New electronic waste rules for Ontario By Kelly Harris Earlier this month, the cost of disposing electronic waste in Ontario began shifting from municipalities to corporations. The first stage of the province's long-awaited Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations came into effect April 1, meaning a new recycling fee will be slapped on everything from computers, to televisions, to printers, and everything in between. Full story: WEEE The Green Building Bottom Line – review and excerpt Reviewed by Patrick Buckley Are the costs of being a green corporation affordable for a medium-sized firm? The papers assembled in The Green Building Bottom Line show that the adoption of an environmentally sustainable strategy is profitable for at least one corporation, Melaver, Inc. — a privately owned, real estate and property management firm, in Savannah, Georgia. Martin Melaver is CEO of the company and Phyllis Mueller is a local journalist who worked with him to edit this series of articles that explain how Melaver Inc. has succeeded as a green developer. Full story: Green Building To go directly to the excerpt, click here. Turning smelly, dangerous fumes into safe, clean energy By Isaac Rudik While large manufacturers are leading the way in converting noxious air into clean burning energy to run factories, the same technology is available – and affordable – for smaller businesses. Full story: Clean Energy

WHITE PAPERS Corporate Sustainability Reporting in Canada – FEI, PwC Executive Research Report An overwhelming majority (90 per cent) of Canadian senior financial executives consider reporting on the environmental and social impacts of their companies to be important, but a lot fewer have a strategy to manage that reporting, according to the recently released Corporate Sustainability Reporting executive research study by FEI Canada and PricewaterhouseCoopers. For a précis of the results, click here. To go directly to the study, click here.
CALENDAR April 15-16, 2009 2nd Annual Implementation of the Smart Grid for Canadian Electric Utilities Hyatt Regency Vancouver, BC The objective of this conference is to provide the Canadian power industry, regulators, policy makers, and stakeholders with a review of the current trend toward smart grid applications and how they are being enabled by new power system designs and advanced communications technologies platforms. This conference will provide participants with up-to-date information from Canadian utilities that are planning to devote resources toward deploying advanced communications technologies with the goal of improving power system reliability, security and cost. www.euci.com/conferences/0409-smart-grid-ca/ April 20-21, 2009 Energy Matters Summit Delta Meadowvale Resort and Conference Centre Mississauga, ON Hosted by the Region of Peel, Energy Matters provides delegates the opportunity to deliberate drivers and barriers to long-term energy planning and learn about the newest opportunities in sustainable corporate strategies. www.peelregion.ca April 23, 2009 2009 Green Toronto Awards Direct Energy Centre Toronto, Ontario The City of Toronto in partnership with Green Living will roll out the green carpet at the 5th annual Green Toronto Awards ceremony and reception in honour of organizations, companies and individuals who are helping to lead the way to a greener Toronto. The Green Toronto Awards ceremony will kick-off the Green Living Show which opens to the public on the following day. www.toronto.ca/greentorontoawards April 23-24, 2009 Third Annual Cap-and-Trade Forum: Carbon Constraints and the Economy Toronto, Ontario www.insightinfo.com April 27-29, 2009 EEGlobal Forum and Exposition Palais Des Congres Paris, France Investments in energy efficiency reap huge returns - for individuals, companies, governments, economies and our planet. The EEGlobal Forum is a ''one-stop conference'' for the information, tools and contacts you need to capitalize on this enormous opportunity. www.eeglobalforum.org May 31 - June 3, 2009 Hydrogen and Fuel Cells 2009 Vancouver Convention Centre Vancouver, B.C. Hydrogen + Fuel Cells 2009 (HFC2009) is one of the leading international conferences for the fuel cell and hydrogen industry. HFC2009 will feature keynote addresses from prominent industry and government figures as well as plenary and parallel sessions focusing on key issues in the sector. The Exhibition and Trade Show are of the conference will provide attendees with a place to network and partner with global leaders in the business, government and scientific community. www.hfc2009.com June 9-11, 2009 anada Green Building Council National Summit: Every Building Can Be Green Montreal, Quebec Building on the success of the inaugural summit, the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) is planning an engaging and original program with national participation and representation from business and industry. www.cagbc.org Please visit our website for many more upcoming events.