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Topic Page: Business
Too often, a great idea doesn’t fly because it has no business plan. Mushrooms as packing materials? The solar shower? Algae as green crude oil? PF Members have plans for that and many, many more. Have an idea in Business? Tell us
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Featured Ideas
Webisodes Related to Business
Monitor Power Usage With Smart Meters
Did you know that the cost of using electricity changes throughout the day? A business in New York shows us how smart meters can help us save money and energy.
From Fryer To Fuel: Making Biofuel from Vegetable Oil
THIS WEEK: Did you know the vegetable oil we use to make our french fries could also power our cars? In this webisode, Planet Forward drops by GreenLight BioFuels’ new plant in Maryland where they’ve been turning cooking waste into biofuel.
Beer as a Model for Sustainable Business
THIS WEEK: Holy cow! This week Planet Forward got up close and personal with some Virginia livestock. DC Brau, the first local brewery in D.C. feeds their organic waste to livestock in the Virginia area. Take a look!
How does YouTube Consumption Affect the Environment?
THIS WEEK: Have you ever wondered ‘What’s something I do everyday that impacts the environment and I don’t even know it?’ #Thinkfwd student Charles Pulliam-Moore sheds light on an idea you might never have thought of: how green is YouTube?
Building Green for the Future
This week, we take you into the classroom and look at how some organizations are hoping that kids will be “sustainability natives.”
An Innovative Approach to Water Conservation
THIS WEEK: Our rapidly increasing consumption of water is creating concerns about what the world would be like without any! One team, however, created an innovative solution to the planet’s quickly disappearing water. Check it out in this week’s webisode!
Hertz’s EVs Charge Up Car Sharing
Who knew lessons from preschool could apply to smart communities and our energy solution?! Check out this new initiative in Washington DC that takes the concept of sharing to a whole new level. Would you ditch your ride for one of these shared EVs?
Rolling out the Red Carpet: First Up, Solar Leasing
Planet Forward is gearing up for the April 2011 PBS special. Take a look at one nominee and find out how you can weigh in on the idea and have your comment appear on national television
Solar Artist Sculpts with Renewables
Environmental artist Rein Triefeldt calls on more than just stone to make his sculptures. In this week’s webisode, we look at his innovative way of making solar beautiful. Sorry Garden Gnome, these front lawn ornaments aren’t just pretty decoration, they produce energy too. Watch>>
The Rink of Fire
The Rockville Maryland Ice Arena is powering almost a third of its energy use from the sun. In this week’s webisode, Planet Forward features a video that explains how.
Ditch the Peanuts, Pack with Shrooms
In this week’s webisode, Planet Forward host Frank Sesno skypes with Eben Bayer, CEO and Co-Founder of Ecovative Design about the company’s sustainable product that is replacing styrofoam packaging material and home insulation. Watch>>
Sandia Labs Aces Solar Golf Carts
Planet Forward hosted a LIVE event during the White House’s GreenGov Symposium, a conference focused on making all levels of government more sustainable. In this segment, Sandia National Laboratories shows the potential of how a little change can go a long way. In webisode 215, we see how and learn what our esteemed panel (Laura …Read More…
Waiting for the Sun…to Pay Off
On the one hand, it’s a positive sign for renewable fans… a small family business making a go of it in solar and wind power. This Long Island family has been installing small-scale solar and wind energy packages in back yards, reducing homeowner’s electricity bills to almost zero. But, on the other hand, it illustrates …Read More…
Abercrombie & Fitch + Weight Watchers Make the CRO’s Blacklist
Welcome to the Blacklist. Planet Forward host, Frank Sesno, interviews Richard Crespin, the head of the Corporate Responsibility Officer’s Association, about their release of the first ever CRO Blacklist. See who else made the list and why they’re on it in the first place.
Business + Stealth Greening = Fail
Planet Forward host, Frank Sesno, talks with George Washington University business professor and Planet Forward member, Mark Starik, about what businesses can and should do to reduce their carbon footprint.
Interview with Thomas Friedman (2 of 2)
Thomas Friedman discusses his “perfect storm”–the only thing that would get a climate bill past the senate this year.
Planet Forward: Our Energy Future
Our first TV special focused on great ideas from you, our members, about how we as a country should approach our energy future. Originally broadcast on April 15, 2009 on PBS.
TV Segments Related to Business
Turning Methane Into Energy
FlexEnergy has developed a technology that takes low-quality methane and turns it into energy. By using a machine with a small footprint, this company hopes to capture some of the wasted energy that’s currently just flared into the atmosphere.
Verdant Power: Harvesting Power From the Sea
Planet Forward’s Bloomberg West debut featured Verdant Power, an innovative company that is building underwater turbines to harness the power of the tides. See what challenges they face and tell us what you think!
Automakers Use Greener Plants, Production Techniques
If cars are polluters, than car plants are even worse, right? But some car makers are going green. Planet Forward GW students Sara Snyder and Bridget Lynn got a close-up view of the new VW plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Solar Decathlon: The Race to Build the Most Efficient Solar Home
Peek into the solar powered house designs from Middlebury College in Vermont and University of Maryland. It’s all for the Solar Decathlon competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Demand Response: Enernoc Applies Social Media Tech to the Power Grid
Social networks have the power to link cultures across continents. See how energy demand response companies, such as Enernoc, wired their networks to fend off this summer’s heat waves, which scorched communities from New York to Texas.
Planet Forward Announcement: Innovators of the Year
It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for! Hundreds of submissions, thousands of votes, and now TWO Planet Forward Innovators of the Year! See Planet Forward host Frank Sesno, announce the winners on Nightly Business Report!
Home Energy Saving Device
Can researchers find an easy button that will get Americans to save energy? Some experts say we waste 40% of our energy in our homes. Could this be the gigantic energy reserve, hidden right under our doorsteps, that we need?
Planet Forward on Nightly Business Report: Will Infrastructure Charge the Electric Vehicle Movement?
It’s a chicken and egg problem: no place to charge, no reason to buy electric cars; no electric cars, no reason to build places to charge…one Planet Forward member shares an innovation that could change that.
Planet Forward on Nightly Business Report: Innovation at one of New York’s Iconic Structures
How many windows are in the Empire State Building? Watch our Nightly Business Report segment to find out and learn about the building’s innovation retrofit.
Leasing the Sun: An Innovative Business Model from Sungevity
Last month we test drove Nissan’s Leaf…this month, we show you one way you may be able to afford solar panels with zero upfront costs. Check out our piece on PBS’s Nightly Business Report and let us know what you think of Planet Forward member Danny Kennedy’s business model.
Behind the Scenes: Planet Forward’s New NBR Segment
This Thursday, Planet Forward member Danny Kennedy, will show you his idea on PBS’s Nightly Business Report. Check out this behind the scenes reel from our NBR shoots and don’t forget to set your DVRs to record Nightly Business Report this Thursday.
Planet Forward Series Premier on PBS
Tune in Thursday for Planet Forward’s premier on PBS’s Nightly Business Report. Inspired by a PF member, the piece asks: Is the Nissan LEAF worth it? We take a test drive.
Articles From the Blog Related to Business
SimCity Reboot Includes Climate Change
By Andrew Freedman of Climate Central SimCity, the iconic strategy game that gave rise to a generation of “Sims” games, is getting a 21st century makeover. With the real cities of the world increasingly on the front lines of climate change, SimCity will include a climate change component. The new version of the game, developed …Read More…
Steven Chu at ARPA-E: Let’s Make Breakthroughs
Written by Eric Vermeiren What do jet engines, computers, transistors, the internet, and the Global Positioning System (GPS) have in common? They all owe their existence to early stage investment by the U.S. Government. When it comes to emerging technologies and industries, very often the barriers to market entry can be prohibitively high for purely …Read More…
Every Penny Counts: Tracking Building Performance to Save Money and Resources
Lauren Riggs, LEED AP Manager, LEED Performance U.S. Green Building Council This post originally appeared on FacilitesNet. In today’s economy, every penny counts. And as building owners and facility managers know all too well, every penny adds up. When the lights in your 30-story office building are left on an extra hour each day, or …Read More…
Competition: The Cure to Our Energy Problems?
The DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy invests in ideas that could transform our energy mix. Can they make it a competition? Learn about who’s winning now!
Innovator Update: Solar is 100,000 strong and growing stronger!
Contrary to some of the media circus’ coverage, solar is doing great. Sungevity’s Danny Kennedy tells us why in this innovator update.
Is Upgrading an Old SUV More Cost Effective Than Buying a Prius?
The world of efficient automobiles can be an expensive place. Newer, more efficient cars can sometimes scare away average consumers who are looking to get a deal on a new pair of wheels. For example, A new 2011 Nissan Leaf costs around $33,000 (closer to $25,000 after the federal government pitches in with a $7,500 …Read More…
Dispirited Animals
John Maynard Keynes, a giant in modern economic theory, famously wrote that “Most, probably, of our decisions to do something positive, the full consequences of which will be drawn out over many days to come, can only be taken as the result of animal spirits…” This notion, laid out in his seminal book The General …Read More…
Obama Calls for Green Fleet, Reduction of Oil Imports
Facing some of the most intractable foreign policy situations of his term, President Barack Obama is looking inward. In a major speech on March 30th, Obama outlined his plan to reduce oil imports by a third over the next decade and a half while transitioning the federal government to an all-alternative-fuel vehicle fleet by 2014. …Read More…
President Obama calls for Electric Vehicles and Clean Energy in his State of the Union Address
During his State of the Union address, President Obama set a new goal: by 2035, 80 percent of America’s electricity will come from clean energy sources.
Watch
Energy Innovations at a Big Apple Icon
Planet Forward and PBS explore how the Empire State Building is greening its giant footprint.
“Green is so 2008…”
Serious Materials CEO Kevin Surace says, “Green is so 2008.” After interviewing him, along with an energy expert, a green tech consultant, and a BBC producer, I’m beginning to think that’s right. Green for green’s sake may be history. Do you remember 2008? Global Warming was so hot back then. Now in 2010 over 41% …Read More…
Towards a Renewable Business Model
I admire the entrepreneurial spirit of renewable businesses. In some ways they exemplify the best of the capitalist tradition. What are renewable entrepreneurs if not the wildest of wildcat companies, pushing the envelope ever further into new and exciting technology. Not every idea can hope for success, but well-developed companies like FirstSolar persevere. Then there …Read More…
Viva Green Vegas!
Las Vegas is considered a city of excess, with its neon lights, massive buffets, and perhaps too many Elvis impersonators. Lately, Vegas hotels and casinos are keen on a new green trend. For example, the awe-inspiring CityCenter conglomerate with the world’s first green fleet of stretch limousines and energy-efficient slot machines. The 18-million square feet …Read More…
LEED: Green Standard or Black Magic?
Is the U.S Green Building Counsel’s coveted LEED Certification full of crap? No not really but it is very far from perfect. All too often green gurus and real-estate agents sing the praises of LEED certifications but when looked at more thoroughly there are many loop holes in the actual report card system so that …Read More…
Efficiency Can Beat the Housing Crisis
At a time when housing prices are falling nationwide, one thing can actually add resale value: sustainable improvements.
LEED Certified: A Green Standard or Black Magic?
Is the U.S Green Building Counsel’s coveted LEED Certification full of crap? No not really but it is very far from perfect. All too often green gurus and real-estate agents sing the praises of LEED certifications but when looked at more thoroughly there are many loop holes in the actual report card system so that …Read More…
Feeling hot hot hot
What’s up? That’s a question I often find myself wondering when researching solar power since most solar systems inhabit on rooftops. Look high and low, solar can be found in strange places from solar backpacks to solar-powered ambulances. We found solar panels in an unusual place a few weeks ago at the Rockville Ice Arena …Read More…
SBSC: Promotes “Go Beyond Oil”
SBSC (Spectrum Blue Steel Corporation) promotes “Go beyond oil” It is never new to us that world’s dependency on oil has ruined not only many wildlife species but also endangered our environment and our future generation. Oil is just one of the three major forms of fossil fuels; others are coal and natural gas. And …Read More…
GreenBiz Innovation Forum 2010
GreenBiz Innovation Forum 2010 Next-Gen Models, Methods, and Mindsets for Transforming Business October 19-20, 2010 Mission Bay Conference Center at UCSF San Francisco, California http://www.greenbiz.com/innovationforum Is anyone attending this event? If so, please comment or otherwise post any details, observations. etc. Thanks!
From Beer to Biofuel
A brewery in England has started stirring up more than beer. Photo courtesy of Urban75.org (http://www.urban75.org/photos/suffolk/southwold-signs.html) Are American breweries behind? Maybe they should hop on board the trend to become energy independent behind leader Adnams Southwold, an English microbrewery! The brewery has created the first plant of its kind to produce biomethane from its beer …Read More…
The Need to Rebrand Solar Energy
Like most aging baby boomers, solar energy still doesn’t seem very comfortable in a business suit. Despite a new generation of entrepreneurs reducing costs and improving yields, solar energy is still a popular Republican punching bag. The GOP’s new Pledge to America doesn’t even mention solar. Even the White House rebuffed a proposed solar installation, …Read More…
World Energy Congress, brought to you by Planet Forward!
Montreal is playing host to top energy executives from around the world starting this Saturday and Planet Forward will be there to ask the questions you want answered. The World Energy Congress happens every three years, drawing CEOs from major energy companies. Khalid Al-Falih, president and CEO of the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Anne Lauvergeon, …Read More…
Solar’s Energy Innovators
by Max Burns The cost of installing a home solar system has many early adopters feeling sunburned. With fees nearing $60,000, a growing number of alternative energy professionals and policymakers are looking for a way to bring the cost of harnessing the sun back down to earth. Planet Forward is spending September delving into the …Read More…
Has the Economy Helped or Hurt the Growth of Green Business?
Greenbiz.com just released their 3rd annual State of the Green Business report, and the good news is that green initiatives “were not the first ones to be thrown overboard.” Despite the bad economy, there was a “steady improvement” in reducing the environmental impact of information technology, increasing the amount of certified green office space, reducing …Read More…
The New Green Economy
Research and development is essential to making progress in the fields of environmental protection and sustainable energy. During the New Green Economy Technological innovation symposium Friday January 22nd, Dr. Brian Czech, president of the Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy, said “I think we need to look deeper into the relationship between …Read More…
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