By Richard Romano on May 16th, 2012 - Comment
Perhaps for Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner, “stuck, without breath nor motion, idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean,” but when thinking about how much potable water the Earth actually contains, it may seem like it’s everywhere (particularly on those interminably rainy spring days), but when actually quantified, it turns out there’s not as much…
By Richard Romano on May 15th, 2012 - Comment
GreenBiz has an article about the current—and future—state of the so-called “paperless office,” the quixotic attempt to rid our lives of the printed documents that clutter our lives, desks, and filing cabinets. We’ve ambled down this road before, but I was intrigued by the release of a new “Send to Kindle” Mac app (there is…
By Richard Romano on May 15th, 2012 - Comment
Don’t believe the headlines. Wind farms do not cause ‘global’ warming. (Christian Science Monitor) Coffee crisis looms as climate impacts intensify (Business Green) Did you know? Kodak Park had a nuclear reactor (Democrat & Chronicle) [well, Rochester is called the “Flower City” so...Flower Power!] [h/t Dan Webb] What does the future of sustainability mean for…
By Richard Romano on May 14th, 2012 - Comment
Via Bloomberg, an attempt to make the EPA and DoE’s Energy Star label more stringent and reliable has drawn pushback from electronics manufacturers who feel that the new requirements increase cost and bureaucracy. Since the inception of Energy Star, companies were largely left to their own devices (as it were) when it came to testing…
By Richard Romano on May 14th, 2012 - Comment
WhatTheyThink’s Going Green has joined forces with Two Sides to help address the “perceptions” that paper destroys forests, that electronic media are “greener” than print and paper, and that recycling is the solution to all environmental ills. According to a study by Jonathan Koomey at Stanford University, “Electricity used in global data centers in 2010…
By Richard Romano on May 11th, 2012 - Comment
Well, now, finally some research with some truly practical benefits: Krechetnikov and his graduate student Hans Mayer decided to investigate coffee spilling at a fluid dynamics conference last year when they watched overburdened participants trying to carry their drinks to and fro. They quickly realized that the physics wasn’t simple. Aside from the mechanics of…
By Richard Romano on May 10th, 2012 - Comment
The folks at the Sustainable Green Printing (SGP) Partnership have been busy lately. In the past several weeks, they have announced the following new certified facilities: ProGraphix (Austin, TX), a wide format digital printer specializing in sustainable and eco-friendly retail, exhibit, event, and promotional graphics. Webcrafters (Madison, WI), a nationally recognized leader in conventional and…
By Richard Romano on May 9th, 2012 - Comment
Earlier this week, over at the Mother Ship, Cary Sherburne talked to Mohawk CEO and Chairman Tom O’Connor about Mohawk Paper’s “reinvention.” Recall, that reinvention will comprise: Mohawk will focus its manufacturing exclusively on high-margin papers and products that will bring distinct value to the new generation of print customers, a unique positioning in an…
By Richard Romano on May 9th, 2012 - Comment
Here’s one of those neologisms from hell that I just recently came across: “gamification,” or, basically, turning something into a game. More specifically (via GreenBiz): Gamification applies game design to make otherwise boring tasks more engaging. Think of airline points and loyalty cards. However, the rise of social media and mobile internet (smart phones, tablets)…
By Richard Romano on May 8th, 2012 - Comment
Take a break from reading about—or perhaps even visiting—DRUPA and have a look around the universe beyond Dusseldorf: Nike fails to shrink carbon footprint as trainer sales boom (Business Green) Can McDonald’s lead in green? (GreenBiz) Marriott Ranked Least Efficient, as Budget Hotels Show the Way (Environmental Leader) Oil Not Guaranteed: The XL Pipeline’s Accidental…
