(3BL/JustMeans) Food waste is a big problem. An estimated 30 to 40 percent of the food supply in the U.S. alone is wasted. In 2010, about 133 billion pounds of food end up wasted in the U.S., amounting to $161 billion worth of food. Globally, about one-third of all food produced is wasted. Food waste in industrialized countries is about $680 billion. Food that is wasted ends up in landfills where it emits methane, a greenhouse gas with a warming potential 23 times that of carbon dioxide.
Airlines are a big source of food waste. Consider that a flight with 300 people serves 300 meals, and some of the food in those meals goes uneaten. A study on flight...
(3BL/Justmeans) President Trump has proved to be a president who is weak on climate action. In June, his administration announced it would withdraw from the Paris climate accord. Trump will likely continue with policies that are detrimental to the environment, but business can lead where government lags or fails.
There is a clear lack of environmental protection for national parks in the Trump administration. President Trump issued an executive order in April instructing the Secretary of the Interior to review all lands declared national monuments since January 1, 1996.
(3BL/Justmeans) Disposable cutlery is convenient. Instead of having to wash spoons and forks, it is sometimes easier to use single-use ones that can be thrown into the trash. However, that only adds to the volume of garbage created every day. The average American generates about 4.3 pounds of trash a day, and about 55 percent of the 220 million tons of waste created annually winds up in landfills.
(3BL/JustMeans) The wood products industry is a leader in the use of renewable energy. Almost two-thirds of the industry’s total energy is from renewable energy, on average. Most pulp and paper mills use the co-generation of steam and power, and many of them sell electricity or renewable energy credits. Energy happens to be Sappi North America’s third largest expense related to pape making, so reducing energy and using more renewables helps the planet and the bottom line.
(3Bl Media/Justmeans) — Why would a car company like General Motors help pollinators? The answer is simple. Along with other companies, the iconic car maker is participating in the Corporate Pollinator Ecosystem Project, an initiative of the U.S. Business Council for Sustainable Development and Pollinator Partnership.
(3BL/JustMeans) Bacardi pledged to stop serving straws last year at company events. The company known for its rum began its "no straw pledge" at its North America regional headquarters office in Coral Cables, Florida and its Bombay Sapphire Distillery at Laverstoke Mill in Hampshire, England.
(3BL/JustMeans) Conserving water is important in a world where some regions are water-stressed. One company understands water conservation and works to produce products that save water: Kohler Co.
(3BL/JustMeans) Coconut oil is growing in popularity. It is projected to have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.75 percent. The wide range of health benefits associated with coconut oil is one of the main drivers of market growth. What is lacking in the coconut oil industry is sustainable certification.
(3BL/JustMeans) Women are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and math careers (STEM) careers. The percentage of women in STEM careers has stagnated since 2001, particularly within the engineering and computing workforces where only 12 percent and 26 percent of the workforces are women. And the number of women working at tech companies is seriously low. Men make up 80 percent of the tech industry’s global workforce. Facebook’s workforce is only made up of 27 percent women, while Google’s is 31 percent.