we make our readers succeed! green innovation
TRANSCRIPT
Ethanol and Biodiesel Contribute $2 Billion to Canada’s Economy Annually.Ethanol and Biodiesel Contribute $2 Billion to Canada’s Economy Annually.
Renewable Fuels in Canada – Delivering Our Energy Future
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT: greenfuels.org
AN iNdepeNdeNt SUppLeMeNt froM MediApLANet to tHe NAtioNAL poSt
Green InnovatIon
Business Leaders’ insight into eco-friendly prosperity
SuStainable SolutionS for Canada
no.1/June 2010We make our readers succeed!
observation the food that makes your children smart
food production How technology will help feed the world’s population
dragon’s den‘Greenvention’ special to air tonight on CBC
SuStainable Solution3
Tips
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AN iNdepeNdeNt SUppLeMeNt By MediApLANet to tHe NAtioNAL poSt2 · JUNe
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Dollars and sense: What is there to gain by going green?
The price of eco-friendly products, green technology and alternative energy sources, can, in the short-term make going green seem like a costly endeavour for many businesses, workers, and individuals; especially in today’s economic context.
though non-green products may appear cheaper at the check-out stand, we often fail to realize the external costs of these products such as resource
extraction, production, and transpor-tation. So why should we go green and what is there to gain? Well, because economic sustainability so heavily relies upon resources extracted from the Earth, going green holds the key to finding a suitable way of supporting our economy in the long term.
The University of California esti-mated that the state could gain as many as 89,000 new jobs and have an annual economic benefit of up to $74 billion by pursuing its climate action goals. If similar goals were realized in Canada, they could help ensure long-term economic health and stability as well as the creation of many jobs. Going green would help cities, in terms of community planning and land use, to deal with issues such as urban sprawl and local food security. Ecotourism, the responsible travel to natural areas, which conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people, is a prime oppor-tunity to increase the travel & tourism industry, which is responsible for 230 million jobs and over 10 percent of the gross domestic product worldwide.
Greening our cities would create a great opportunity to display leader-ship in environmental action, while attracting investment and increasing opportunity.
A win-winBusinesses can find plenty of
reasons to go green and actually increase productivity and profit. By intensifying production processes, companies can reduce their environ-mental impacts while simultane-ously lowering the costs of inputs and waste disposal. Revenues can be improved through green market-ing, the sale of waste products, and outsourcing a firm’s environmental expertise. Green technology may appear expensive upfront, but soon repay all costs and remain sustain-able in the long run. Companies compete on price and quality, and are now competing more on the environ-mental issues, as well. Competitive advantage can be gained through environmental responsibility creat-ing a positive image to the public, boosting consumer confidence, and establishing good working relation-ships and foundations. Government incentives and tax exemptions, like the LiveSmart BC program, can save businesses on taxes and receive up to $50,000 in rebates. Currently the B.C. environmental technology industry is
worth $1.9 billion and employs about 18,000 people. The green collar sector is constantly creating new jobs and increasing market opportunity.
The working manThe workforce may also benefit by
educating themselves about green practices, which converts to transfer-able skills and working knowledge in a changing economy. Green work-spaces create healthier and better working conditions and increased productivity. Case studies have shown that people working in well-designed energy-efficient buildings measure labor productivity gains of six to 16 percent.
It is imperative that businesses and groups start acting with a green mindset; not only is going green financially feasible but the benefits could be the lifeline to a successful business, sustainable economy and the future health of the planet, which just makes sense.
Michael O. Dayanexecutive director, Green Collar Association
“Canada is viciously competitive and ready to take on anybody, so come and get it!”
Green means profits entrepreneur and talk show host Kevin o’Leary has advice for budding “eco-preneurs.”
We recommend
pAGe 7
When green make cents p. 3More than 180 projects have been given the green light since ontario passed the Green energy Act.
Growing more from less p. 5the world’s population is projected to increase to 9 billion by 2050 and the number of hungry people will only increase.
GreeN iNNovAtioN1St editioN, JUNe 2010
Country Manager: Gustav [email protected] Manager: Jackie [email protected] Manager: carrie [email protected]
responsible for this issuepublisher: daniel [email protected]: missy [email protected] Contributors: michael o. dayan, Stephan Hill, Jed Goldberg, Peggy cunningham, Jessica Hume, Indrani nadarajah, ersilia Serafini, Anthea rowe, Gus Klemos, James Alden
Distributed within: national Post, June 2010This section was created by mediaplanet and did not involve the national Post or its editorial departments.
We make our readers succeed!
Mediaplanet’s business is to create new customers for our advertisers by providing readers with high-quality editorial content that motivates them to act.
An anonymous donor to Trent university recently gave money not for a stu-dent scholarship or research chair—but for lights.
The donor covered the capital costs for replacing old inefficient lights in the building I work with new effi-cient ones, cutting energy consump-tion—and greenhouse gas emis-sions—roughly by half. The beauty is that the donor’s investment in envi-ronmental stewardship will return economic benefits year over year in the form of energy and operating cost savings for the university.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicates that global emissions need to be reduced by 50 to 80 percent in the coming decades to keep climate change under a two degree Celsius limit. While the rate of reductions can be debated, there is no doubt that orga-nizations, whether in the business, nonprofit, or instututional sector, have a moral responsibility to do their part.
preparation is keyBusinesses can do many things to
prepare for climate change: reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their own operations, cajole and encour-age reductions up and down the supply chain, reduce emissions through offsets or trading, or adapt their practices and products for the prospect of a changing climate. The hard part is moving from plans to action. Management research-ers Ans Kolk and Jonatan Pinkse reviewed the climate actions of 136 companies and found that two-thirds of the firms had set some emissions reductions targets but had done nothing that would actu-ally reduce emissions.
In moving from plans to action, what makes some sectors and organizations leaders and others laggards? The truth is some orga-nizations are sitting and waiting explicit direction while others are embracing climate change as an opportunity, seeking economic returns from strategic climate investments.
Motivating factorsKey driving forces for reducing
greenhouse gases include the pros-pect of new government regulation, voluntary industry standards, finan-cial and accounting practices that put a shadow price on carbon, grow-ing customer expectations about the environment, NGO campaigns, and the cost savings that accrue from energy conservation. In short, reducing greenhouse gases can create competitive advantage for your firm and bolster your repu-tation.
But there are also plenty of exter-nal and internal barriers. External, systemic barriers—such as the lack of national and international poli-cies on climate change—create an arena of uncertainty for managers.
Cultural barriersInternally, organizational culture
can be a big stumbling block. Cultural barriers might include executives who fail to see climate change as a high priority; internal perception that the costs of action are too high; organizational cultures that resist change, or poor manage-ment abilities. Overcoming these barriers requires a nuanced under-standing of each organization’s culture.
So how can you build a bridge over these implementation gaps? Recog-nizing the unique motivations and barriers for your organization is crucial. Become a champion who stresses the benefits and opportu-nities from action while building coalitions of support to move the agenda forward. There’s no perfect solution: The most important thing is simply to get started and continu-ally learn and improve.
Barriers and bridges to climate change action
Stephen hill, phD, peng
TIPS
Use less energy at home
1 There are tonnes of ways to reduce your energy use at
home: turn off lights that are not in use, switch to cold water when doing your laundry, use a clothes-line or drying rack instead of a high powered dryer.
Make your home more energy efficient
2 Windows account for almost 25 percent of a building’s energy
loss. Higher efficiency windows, or simple shading and caulking solu-tions can help lower your energy costs.
Make a better choice
3 Ensure that you are informed of the impact of your
purchases, and what your options are: appliances should have the ENERGY STAR approval, wood prod-ucts should be FSC approved, plastic products should indicate that they are PVC and PET free.
stephen Hill phD, pEng Assistant professor, environmental & re-source Studies trent University & Climate and Business topic editor, Network for Business Sustainability
Michael O. Dayan anD Kyle tSanggreen cOllar aSSOciatiOn
reSearcherS
3
“Businesses can find plenty of reasons to go green and actually increase produc-tivity and profit.”
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Canada’s clean energy advan-
tages - nuclear, biomass, clean coal technologies and vast hydroelectric resources - have the potential to make us the envy of the world.Realizing this potential requires leadership and a planning horizon longer than the next election cycle. We also need to better under-stand the limitations of intermittent green energy technologies like wind and solar. Without immediate and decisive action to secure and manage our advan-tages, Canada risks losing huge quantities of reliable, low carbon electricity, hundreds of thousands of good jobs, and billions of dollars in economic benefits.
Canadian designed and built CANDU reactors are one of the world’s lead-ing nuclear technolo-gies. CANDU reactors have safely and reliably provided greenhouse gas emission-free, af-fordable electricity to Canadian consumers for over four decades. In Ontario, any further delay in moving for-ward with new nuclear reactors to provide needed clean base load electricity would be a mistake. Simply closing coal plants in favour of expensive, price volatile, greenhouse gas emit-ting natural gas genera-tion and providing large subsidies for intermit-tent wind farms is not sound strategy and puts Ontario consumers and businesses at risk.
Across the globe, cli-mate change is driving a nuclear renaissance. CANDU’s “safety-in-depth” design and ability to re-fuel when on line and recycle fuel from other reactor technolo-gies is a competitive advantage. Winning even a small part of the estimated trillion dollar global market will bring significant economic benefits for Canada. Electricity exports to our neighbours and reactor sales to five countries have generated billions in revenue. One of Canada’s few high tech-nology exports, CANDU technology represents a $6.7 billion a year indus-try, supports over sixty thousand high-value Canadian jobs and mil-lions in R&D at Canadian universities.
A restructured Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd (AECL) with private sector investment will improve its compe-tiveness but will not eliminate the need for government financial
AND MAKE THE MOST OF CANADA’S CLEAN ELECTRICITY ADVANTAGES
TIME TO SHOW LEADERSHIP
Canada’s clean electricity advantages are in danger of being lost in a “green” energy fog of dubious environmental and economic bene�ts.
Canada’s real advantages offer real bene�ts. Achieving them requires securing a future role for greenhouse gas emission-free CANDU reactors in the world-wide nuclear renaissance; investing in supply chain infrastructure to ensure carbon neutral forestry and agricultural biomass can be used in our coal and natural gas plants; continuing Canada’s involvement in clean coal technologyR&D, such as gasi�cation and carbon capture and storage; and, developing more of our hydroelectric resources.
This clean energy strategy delivers safe, reliable, affordable, low carbon energy, secures tens of thousands of existing high-value, sustainable jobs while creating tens of thousands of new ones and guarantees Canadians a continuing role as world-leading energy technology innovators.
By Don MacKinnon,PresidentPower Wokers’ Union
involvement to backstop for future domestic and foreign sales. This is the case with every success-ful nuclear vendor in the world.
The potential for Canada to generate electric-ity from forestry and agriculturally sourced renewable, carbon-neutral biomass is also huge. Unlike intermit-tent wind and solar generation, biomass produced electricity can be dispatched as
needed. For example, Denmark has been using biomass from Canada in its coal and natural gas plants for many years. Also, using biomass in our existing fossil fuel plants will benefit the forestry, agricultural and transportation sectors.
Canada’s vast coal reserves represent an-other form of affordable energy security. New gasification and carbon capture and storage technologies are fo-
cused on a target of zero emissions. The United States, China, India, Den-mark and Germany are all heavily dependent on coal generation and they are making large investments in these technologies. Canada’s continuing participation in this research effort would allow Canadians to benefit from using our coal reserves and selling our expertise in new clean coal technolo-gies to the world. If we don’t leverage this ad-
vantage, other countries will purchase our coal and ship it back to us in the form of high-value added products.
Canada’s remaining hy-droelectric potential is a crown jewel of our clean electricity advantages. However, most of these remaining sites are in re-mote locations and will require long-term vision, partnerships with First Nations, and expensive new transmission lines to deliver this power to
the large urban centers.
Canadians need to remind our political leaders of their respon-sibility for ensuring Canada’s clean electric-ity advantages are not squandered in pursuit of the latest fad. Canada has a clear competitive advantage in a range of clean energy resources and our leaders need to develop and manage them with care, foresight and common sense.
Why Risk Losing Canada’s Clean Energy Advantages?
AN iNdepeNdeNt SUppLeMeNt By MediApLANet to tHe NAtioNAL poSt4 · JUNe AN iNdepeNdeNt SUppLeMeNt By MediApLANet to tHe NAtioNAL poSt
One year after the Green Energy and Green Economy Act was passed, busi-ness owners and environmentalists are still singing its praises.
“It’s going to stimulate the econ-omy, and our skills and knowledge can be exported,” says Glenbarra Solar CEO Darren Cooper.
Earth Day Canada president Jed Goldberg says the Act “is a great start, and is one of the most far-sighted in the world.”
What is FiT?The Feed-in Tariff (FIT) program,
implemented by the Ontario Power Authority, comes under the auspices of the Green Energy Act. It is North America’s first comprehensive guar-anteed pricing structure for renew-able electricity production, offering
guaranteed, long-term prices for energy generated from renewable sources, including wind, solar photo-voltaic (PV) and waterpower.
Ontario is investing $8 billion into the program and, so far, 184 proj-ects have been approved. These will generate enough energy to power 600,000 homes.
Local is bestGoldberg said the Act has boosted
the renewable energy sector in Ontario, largely because of the requirement that 40 percent of Ontario hardware must be used in renewable energy projects. This figure rises to 50 percent on January 1, 2011, for commercial, large-scale
projects, and to 60 percent for micro projects.
The green economy is expected to create 50,000 new jobs in Ontario over the next 10 years.
The sun as a business partner
The Act is radical because it has a strong grassroots component built into it. The idea is simple. House-holders, farmers and small business owners erect photovoltaic panels on the roof of the building they live or work in to convert the sun’s rays to electricity.
This power is exported to an elec-trical grid.
According to www.ourpower.ca, the householder receives 80.2 cents for every kwh produced,
while buying electricity from the grid through an import meter at the going electricity rate of between six cents to nine cents per kwh.
some teething problemsUnderstandably, because it is
early days, contracts for both large and small projects are taking longer than anticipated to be approved. Instead of the expected 30 days, it is currently taking about 120 days.
Glenbarra’s Cooper is sanguine. “Time and experience will sort
a lot of these problems out. Even financial institutions will have to fine tune their loan products for homeowners.”
Question: A year after Ontario passed the Green Energy Act, has it sparked any action?Answer: Yes. More than 180 projects have been given the green light.
the light of day: ontario’s solar revolution
We have experienced nume-rous waves of environmental awareness among consume-rs, only to see them muted by economic uncertainty or spiking unemployment.
What is different with our most recent wave is that consumer envi-ronmental concerns remain high despite the economic downturn.
A 2009 Harris/Decima poll showed 64 percent of Canadians believe the environment should remain as high a priority as the economy: as a result, many consumers have changed their attitudes. According to a report published by the Network for Business Sustainability, consum-ers will pay a small premium for more environmentally sustainable products. In addition to demanding
more sustainable options, the report continued, consumers increasingly hold manufacturers responsible for the sustainability of the goods they produce.
Marketers have begun to respond by working with their technology teams to develop more legitimately sustainable products. While some companies have made only cosmetic changes—a practice labelled “green-washing”—others made legitimate efforts.
Loblaws has been a Canadian leader since the 1980s, when it first introduced a green line of products; today, it encourages consumers to forego plastic grocery bags. Canada Post developed a new website to help businesses utilize more sustainable direct marketing practices. Frito Lay converted Sun Chips plants to solar power and developed truly
compostable packaging. Smaller firms like Peter Kohler Windows and LED Roadway Lighting continue to push more environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional products.
Despite these developments, there has been far less progress in revolutionizing the ideology behind marketing. As thought leader David Mick notes, marketing has been founded on an ideology of bound-less consumption: little thought has been given to the fact that the resources to support such consump-tion are finite.
Marketers are trapped by corpo-
rate systems rewarding them for their ability to increase sales quar-ter over quarter. Most marketers are neither praised nor encouraged to educate consumers about the envi-ronmental impact of their choices. Even fewer are promoted for taking a long-term view focusing on innova-tions that lead to sustainable alter-natives—alternatives that generate less waste, use fewer non-renewable resources and are produced via energy-efficient processes.
Marketers may argue their job is to understand consumer wants and respond with products satisfying them. Many believe it is not their job to make moral judgements about those wants or the inherent worth and impact of the products that they demand.
But such thinking denies the fact that marketing, as a collective disci-
pline, has great power to convince consumers that certain ways of look-ing or behaving are desirable. We cannot forget marketing collectively shaped the image of Santa Claus we hold dear today; encouraged us to see diamonds as the manifestation of enduring love; or heightened our concern about everything from bad breath to our sexual appeal.
The evidence of marketing’s powerful influence demonstrates that marketers and their firms have a responsibility for shaping needs. Marketers must accept responsibil-ity for promoting more sustainable products and educating consumers about such alternatives because this wave of consumer concern doesn’t appear to be ebbing.
neWs
inDrani naDarajah
peggy cunninghaM, phD
WWW.GLENBARRAENERGY.CA
Turnkey Solutions for Large-Scale Solar Projects
• 5MW of projects built and in construction
• Turnkey approach for commercial projects
• Design and engineering services for solar thermal, solar PV and energy efficiency solutions
• Leading edge, high-performance, quality products • Maintenance and “Real Time” internet-based monitoring
• Financing and power purchase agreement program
LOCAL is BEsTLOCAL is OCAL is OCAL BEsT
1Tip
“(the act) is a great start, and is one of the most far-sighted in the world.”
Jed Goldbergpresidant of earth day Canada
time for the dawn of a new era of green marketingpeggy Cunningham, phD dean, faculty of Management, dalhousie University topic editor, Consumerism, Net-work for Business Sustainability
CANAdA
a natural beauty in spite of poor environmental performanceCanada may be known for its natural beauty, but its environmental track record indicates protecting that beauty is not among the country’s top priorities.
Consistently ranked lower than comparable econo-
mies in its environmental performance, experts say
Canada is already lagging behind and will continue
to unless policy changes aimed at both industry and
individual behaviour are implemented.
“Canada ranks so low [compared to other countries]
party because it isn’t taking the steps it should be tak-
ing [to improve its environmental track record],” says
len Coad, director of energy, environment and technol-
ogy policy at the Conference Board of Canada.
Coad helped author the how Canada Performs 2009:
A Report Card on Canada, in which the country’s grades
were among the lowest of 17 countries surveyed. it did
especially poorly in the environment and innovation
categories, receiving letter grades C and D respectively.
“the poor grades are not because Canada does
poorly in everything, but because the things it does
poorly, it does very poorly,” he explained, adding that
the three worst areas include waste management,
greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption.
Too big to be greenMuch of the waste generated in Canada continues
to make its way to landfill, water is priced in such a
way that it becomes cheaper the more is used, and the
country is among the largest emitters of greenhouse
gases in the world.
According to the 2009 Report Card, the only countries
ranked lower than Canada were Australia and the Us. of
the oeCD countries included in the study, the bottom
three performers are the countries with the largest land
masses, something Coad says is no coincidence.
“the reality is that people and goods here have to
travel long distances; 26 percent of Canada’s national
emissions are from the transportation sector,” Coad
says. “our large size is not an excuse, but it’s clearly a
contributing factor.”
Few international trademarks filledBut Canada also lags behind in innovation, filling the
second lowest number of international trademarks per
million population out of the 17 countries in the 2009
Report Card, 10 of which had rates of more than double
Canada’s. the report concluded the country does not
take necessary steps of ensuring the talent and re-
search in Canadian educational and other institutions
translates into economic activity.
But all hope should not be lost, says Anthony West-
enberg, communications manager at evergreen, a
toronto-based environmental charity that helps coor-
dinate community projects in Canadian cities.
“Action is taking place at the community level,” he
explains. “something like climate change is so complex,
it’s hard to get your head around it. the Green City ini-
tiative though, for example, shows that even if federal
governments feel powerless, it’s the municipalities that
are stepping in. that’s the level actions happens at now.”
jeSSica huMe
AN iNdepeNdeNt SUppLeMeNt By MediApLANet to tHe NAtioNAL poSt AN iNdepeNdeNt SUppLeMeNt By MediApLANet to tHe NAtioNAL poSt JUNe · 5
The facts are sobering: with the world’s population projec-ted to increase to nine billion by 2050, the number of hungry will only increase.
In fact, the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has calculated that overall food production must increase by 70
percent by 2050 to meet demand.This adds another layer of burden
on an already over-farmed planet and over-peopled planet.
One billion hungry people globally
Last October, the FAO said that, in the midst of the financial crisis, it was important to remember that not everybody worked in offices and factories.
Another catastrophe was haunting the small-scale
farms and rural areas of the world, where
70 percent of the world’s hungry
live and w o r k .
There are now 1.02 billion malnour-ished people in the world.
The current food crisis is the result of 20 years of under-investment in agriculture, the FAO said. While agriculture sustains 70 percent of the world’s poor, knowledge has not kept pace with the times.
Biotechnology holds the keyBruce Chassey, professor in the
Department of Food Science & Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign said in an interview, that while the science is clear on the benefits, no one is speaking in favour of genet-ically-modified foods. Too much misinformation abounds, primarily on the internet, he said.
Undoubtedly, biotechnology is viewed with some trepidation, yet, most consumers enjoy its innova-
tions without question. Seed-less grapes, for
example, would not have
b e e n
possible without biotechnology. Aribusinesses like Syngenta and
Monsanto have their critics. There have been calls over the internet to boycott companies, including Syngenta and Monsanto, over “termi-nator” seed varieties.
Terminator seeds have been genet-ically-engineered so that when the crops are harvested, all new seeds from these crops are sterile. Crit-ics argue that this forces farmers to pay for new seeds the following year, keeping them in debt.
Industry argues that engineered sterility would offer a built-in safety feature for genetically engi-neered plants because if genes from a Terminator crop cross-pollinate with related plants nearby, the seed produced from unwanted pollination will not germinate.
Nourishing plant potentialSyngenta is one of the world’s
largest agribusiness employing 25,000 people in 90 countries. It was formed in 2000 through the merger of AstraZeneca and Novartis.
Jay Bradshaw, president of Syngenta Crop Protection Canada, headquartered in Guelph, Ontario, states it simply, “Our purpose at Syngenta is bringing plant potential to life.”
“We’re doing this in a sustainable manner, given the challenges of climate change, water scarcity and a decreasing agricultural land base. Growing more from less is essential.”
Through biotechnology, Syngenta is developing crop varieties with higher yields and greater resistance to drought, diseases and pests. Its research covers soybeans, corn, wheat, sunflower, sugar beets, barley and tomatoes, to flowers, fruits and vegetables.
Last month, Syngenta was honoured for its crop productivity innovations at the BIO International Convention, a biotechnology event, in Chicago. The company received the “Buzz of BIO” award in the “Feed-ing the World” category.
Question: With the global population forecast to hit nine billion by 2050, what will people eat?Answer: This is where new technologies can help.
Growing more from less:how to feed a hungry world
neWs neWs
jeannie arMStrOng
iNvEsT iN BiOTECHNOLOGy
iNvEsT iT iT N
2Tip
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Recycling Electronics –Creating Partnerships for a Greener OntarioFrom laptop computers to cell phones to multi-function printers – every year, new and improved electronic items are introduced into the Canadian market. � ere is no question that new technology can help businesses become more ef-� cient. However, if obsolete, broken, or unwanted elec-tronic equipment is not prop-erly recycled, it can end up in land� lls, illegally dumped or be shipped overseas with little or no regard to harm caused to people and the environment.
In Ontario, through the Ontario Electronic Steward-ship’s (OES) electronic waste recycling program, businesses can be a part of the solution. Last year, OES launched Do What You Can, a province-wide campaign and interac-tive website to promote safe
recycling of electronic waste. � e not-for-pro� t program, funded by fees paid by manu-facturers and importers of electronics in Ontario, sup-ports an extensive network of more than 600 OES approved collection sites to ensure that e-waste is reused or safely re-cycled in Ontario. In addition, OES has approved transporta-tion companies, consolidators
and primary processors. As partners of OES, these companies adhere to some of the most stringent environ-mental and health and safety standards in the world.
“� e partnerships we have formed across Ontario are integral to the program’s suc-cess,” says Carol Hochu, OES Executive Director. “OES ser-vice providers o� er convenient and safe electronic waste recy-cling solutions that take into account worker safety and data security issues. As the program expands, we look forward to forging new relationships with
businesses both big and small across the province.”
British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia also operate similar electronics recycling programs.
Whether it’s part of a formal corporate social responsibil-ity program or simply through regular upgrading of equip-ment, responsibly recycling unwanted electronics with an OES approved collector makes good business sense.
Small Ontario businesses can take unwanted electronics to any of the OES approved collection sites, including na-tional and local retailers, many municipalities and not-for-pro� t organizations to safely and conveniently recycle any of the 44 electronic waste items accepted under the program.
Large companies and orga-nizations that replace a high volume of electronic equip-ment each year can work with OES and their approved service providers to develop a convenient and responsible
program to direct unwanted electronics away from land� ll either through reuse or safe recycling. For more informa-tion, companies can contact [email protected] or visit dowhatyoucan.ca for the most convenient collection sites.
In addition to the program’s important environmental bene� ts, when e-waste is accepted at OES approved sites, collectors receive a � nan-cial incentive for each tonne of eligible electronic waste collected. As a result, new companies have joined OES, existing businesses have expanded operations and non-pro� t agencies like the Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity have generated new revenue streams.
BUSINESSES CAN HOST THEIR OWN E-WASTE EVENTS
Companies, big and small, who want to do even more, can download a new resource: OES Host Your Own Event Toolkit. Available on the OES website at ontarioelectronicstewardship.ca, this easy toolkit o� ers practi-cal tips on partnering with an OES approved collection site to host a business or employee event and engage employees, customers, suppliers and mem-bers of the community to safe-ly recycle electronics.
� e bottom line for companies big and small, is that it makes sense to safely recycle electronics.
OES approved companies adhere to some of the most stringent environmental and health
and safety standards in the world.
The OES is responsible for a province-wide recycling program to divert electronic waste from Ontario landfi lls and safely dispose of toxic components.
To do this, the OES now monitors a province-wide system of approved collection sites, as well as an extensive network of approved processors.
You call it obsolete.We call it raw material.
Let’s connect: [email protected]
Ontario Electronic Stewardship – the companies that make and market electronic products – funds this program to divert waste from landfi ll through reuse and recycling.
We’re well on our way to becoming an integral part of the new green economy.
But to make it all work, we need your help. We’re urging you to recycle your electronics – because it’s good for business and the environment.
dowhatyoucan.ca
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InspIratIon
Can the biofuels industry help lift the fear about job loss in Canada?
■■ Yes. It is creating a net 1,038 direct and indirect jobs each year.
Last month, a comprehensive report commissioned by the Cana-dian Renewable Fuels Association (CRFA) calculated that the biofu-els industry contributes about $2 billion to the Canadian economy each year.
The research, conducted by DoyleTech Corporation, showed that over the past five years, capi-tal investment in biofuel plants came to about $2.4 billion. Close to 14,000 direct and indirect jobs were also created during the construc-tion phase.
The biofuels industry is still creating a net 1,038 direct and indirect jobs each year. “These are uplifting figures, given that we are just now coming out of a recession and people have got used to hear-ing doom and gloom stories,” says CRFA president Gordon Quaiattini.
“The biofuels industry is grow-ing, and is a source of employ-ment for highly skilled individuals with chemistry, technology and engineering skills. Salaries tend to hover around the $60,000 to $80,000 range.
“We expect to announce about four to six new projects over the summer,” Quaiattini added.
Government commitment to biofuels
Equally important for jobs growth, the Government of Canada has provided a fillip to the biofu-els industry through a $1.5 billion investment between 2007 and 2016, through the ecoENERGY for Biofu-els program.
Alongside this, the ecoAgricul-ture Biofuels Capital Initiative is a $200 million capital program helping farmers to diversify their economic base through equity investment and ownership in biofuels production facilities. This program has been extended to September 30, 2012.
What is biofuel?In 1941, Henry T. Ford constructed
a car from biodegradable cellulose fibres derived from hemp, sisal and wheat straw. The car was fuelled from hemp ethanol.
Biofuels are made from naturally occurring plant matter. Ethanol is usually derived from corn while biodiesel comes from both used and new vegetable oils.
Ethanol is usually blended with gasoline in relatively low propor-tions of five to 10 percent (E5 or E10). Virtually all current automo-bile manufacturers accept blends of up to 10 percent without disrup-tions to warranty conditions.
But ethanol has its controversy. Most recently, researchers at the University of Minnesota have shown that the corn required for ethanol production uses vast amounts of water if grown in zones requiring irrigation. Ethanol has also been blamed for rising food prices, as more feedstock gets diverted to fuel production.
Revitalisation of rural areasBiofuels has helped revitalise
rural communities across Canada, offering new employment oppor-tunities and diversifying farmers’ incomes. In south western Ontario, a 162 million-litre ethanol refin-ing plant has been constructed in Aylmer. Managed by the Integrated Grain Processes Cooperative, it is majority owned by the local farm-ers. The plant has 42 employees. This model is replicated across the country.
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill has focused negative attention on the oil industry again, but Quaiattini says there are still few viable alter-natives to fossil fuels particularly in transportation. “We are under no illusions that renewable fuels is going to totally replace fossil fuels in our lifetimes. But we have to keep striving.”
inDrani naDarajah
queSTIonnAIre
Why Kevin o’leary believes green means profits
Entrepreneur and talk show host Kevin O’Leary has one piece of advice for budding “eco-preneurs”—get a new attitude and take a leaf from Canada’s success at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
“No more apologies for new success. Canada is viciously competi-tive and ready to take on anybody, so come and get it!” O’Leary writes in an email interview.
O’Leary is no stranger to environ-mental issues. He graduated with an Honours Bachelors degree in Envi-ronmental Studies and Psychology at the University of Western Ontario in 1977. He also has an MBA from the same university.
Today, he sees the green agenda as “part of a worldwide corporate mandate. ”
He writes: “More capital is being deployed for green initiatives than ever before and if you’re an investor, you have to follow where the capital is going.”
Walking the talkAs one of the hosts on the CBC
reality business show, Dragon’s Den, O’Leary’s abrasive, take-no-prisoners
style resonates with viewers, while also providing great entertainment.
If confidence is a prerequisite for entrepreneurial success, it is easy to see why he has succeeded so stun-ningly. He has confidence in spades. Hard to believe then it was a trau-matic incident at the age of 15 that helped crystallise for him his life’s path.
After being summarily dismissed from his first and only job as an ice-cream parlour employee (for refusing to kneel down to scrape gum off the floor), O’Leary decided, while cycling home, that he was not going to let anybody wield financial control over him again.
He has stayed true to that epiphany
throughout his career.Starting out in the basement of his
Toronto home, and with mom as sole investor, he established a software company. After a period of aggressive growth, O’Leary sold his company to Mattel for US$3.7-billion in 1999.
He currently chairs and is lead investor in O’Leary Funds Inc, a mutual fund company focused on global yield investing. It has $960,000,000 under management.
No government subsidiesIn Canada, the Federal and provin-
cial governments are channelling billions into programs to boost the environmental sector. O’Leary, though, is wary of such subsidies. In fact, he states that the biggest challenge for him is “trying to avoid government-subsidized programs”.
Opinion is divided on the useful-ness of government subsidies, with some describing it as wasteful and inefficient, and masking the true cost of services.
Regardless of the philosophical arguments for and against subsidies, O’Leary’s reasons are prosaic.
“I prefer technologies that are immediately profitable and/or advanced enough that free markets are supporting their growth. Any technologies that require govern-ment subsidies to be profitable I try to avoid.”
Opportunities aboundAccording to management consul-
tants the CIAL Group, the Canadian environment industry consists of more than 6,000 companies, and boasts about $15 billion in annual sales (about 2.2 percent of GDP) and $1 billion in exports. Canada is the seventh largest environment market in the world with around 2.6 percent of global revenues.
These figures appeal to O’Leary. “This is one of the premier coun-
tries and economies to invest in green technology, with plenty of new oppor-tunities being presented all the time,” he says.
■■ Tonight at 8:00 pm EST, a special Dragon’s Den “Greenvention” special will air on CBC. Dragon’s Den will unveil the three finalists for Canada’s best green invention that will make a tangible difference. The winner walks away with $100,000, and the title of Canada’s top green entrepreneur.
“Canada is viciously competitive and ready to take on anybody, so come and get it!”
Kevin O’Leary entrepreneur
KEviN O’LEARyEntrepreneur and venture capitalist, talk show host.Photo: CBC television
inDrani naDarajah
■■ Question: Can a businessman strike it rich while caring for the envi-ronment?
■■ Answer: yes, and Kevin o’Leary can show you how.
CONFiDENCE is A pREREQUisiTE FOR ENTREpRENEURiAL
sUCCEss
CONFiDENCE is A
3Tip
Canadians as a whole have a clear desire to do their part for the environment, but they are not getting the guidance and support they need to take their efforts to the next level.
In fact, there’s a clear Green Gap between Canadians actions and how green they perceive themselves to be. This desire for guidance is an incred-ibly powerful way for businesses to leverage their relationship with their customers and add to the bottom line.
My company, Summerhill, joint with Optimum Public Relations just released its second annual Canadian Green Gap Index, which measures Canadians’ behaviours and their self perceptions across six areas. The study indicated a significant ‘green
pretense’ exists, with a 40 percent difference between the actions Cana-dians take versus their self percep-tions. This illustrates an important area of opportunity for Canadian busi-nesses—how do they align their brand strategies with the growing number of consumers that want to make purchasing decisions based on their environmental beliefs? Well I firmly believe that a combination of having the right product choices available, offering a purchase incentive and having an ambassador engage one on one with customers will begin to close the Green Gap. Making it easier to do it than to not do it is the key.
The Green Gap can’t be bridged without the help of the brands that Canadians know, love and trust; yet, so few companies are seen by consum-ers to be assuming green leadership.
In fact, when we asked Canadians to name a green leader across eight sectors, on average 70 percent of respondents couldn’t or wouldn’t name a green leader. Corporate Canada is still not engaging their loyal following in tangible ways that help them meet their green goals. We have seen time and time again, how the right strategy has a profound effect on customer decision making and market trends, resulting in the trans-formation of consumer behaviour.
integrate sustainabilityIn our opinion, the most effective
approaches integrate sustainability throughout all functional areas of the company—Finance, Operations, HR, Merchandising, Marketing, etc. The plan won’t succeed unless the philos-ophy is set from the top and embedded
into a company’s culture within all the areas in which it operates.
For a company to truly harness the desire of their customers to be green and be seen as a green leader, it must demonstrate commitment through-out its functional areas. Corporate Canada has an important responsibil-ity to help its customers make better choices for our environment. And those choices are only as good as the choices they provide.
Being a green leader isn’t easy, but if we want to bridge the Green Gap we need to create the opportunity and the change by which consumers are making better choices for the envi-ronment every day.
Green leadership bolsters bottom line
erSilia SerafiniceO, SuMMerhill inStitute
SHoWcASe
■■ Name: Kevin o’Leary■■ Birth date: July 9, 1954■■ Birth place: Mont-royal, Quebec■■ Occupation: entrepreneur and
venture capitalist, talk show host
FAcTS
