I can’t help myself! I review the shopping venues shelves, such as my local supermarket and Walmart, to investigate what manufacturers are doing to make the packaging of their products more sustainable. I have to admit that I focus on the negative. I really notice the packaging tragedies, and cringe to see just how bad […]
LYFE Kitchens founder Steve Sidwell knew nothing about the grocery retail market, but he knew what demand was. Sidwell, who said he’d struggled with finding healthy, quick meals for years and battled weight issues as a result, was looking for a good tasting, healthy, quick meal plan that he could stock up in his fridge.
Lyfe Kitchens cuts into Lean Cuisine’s market share with wholesome quick meals Read More 👉
Any business, any person, can understand sustainability. It’s not difficult, in fact it’s remarkably easy. It’s all about give and take, and making sure you give more than you take. Is that such a terrible thing to say, to say that a business ought to create more than it absorbs? Not just in terms of
What is Sustainability? Read More 👉
The environment has become an increasingly big concern for companies around the world. While many companies are begrudgingly forced to abide by local environmental regulations, the are other companies that are constantly looking for new and more efficient ways to be green. In addition to our recent America-centric article about corporate social responsibility in the
Titans of eco-friendly industry, 2013 edition Read More 👉
This is a guest post by Louisa Leontiades. When I look at recent reports on Fairtrade and Cadbury, I see that both Fairtrade and Cadbury are doing well out of their alliance. In 2009, when Cadbury Dairy Milk went fair trade and started boasting the green and blue swirls, it was hailed as a major turning point for
How Fair is Fair Trade? Read More 👉
A guest post by Gregory Krauss of Brilliant Earth, a brand The Inspired Economist loves. Brilliant Earth is a purveyor of socially responsible, conflict free jewelry With today being Valentine’s Day, one of the most popular days of the year for marriage proposals, Inspired Economist asked us to take a closer look at how socially-conscious
Why the Jewelry Supply Chain is Becoming More Transparent Read More 👉
Unfortunately, protecting the environment often falls way down the list when companies are out to make money. This trend is beginning to change however as stricter government regulations try to cut down on pollution, and public relations try to match the growing concern for “going green.” Many of the leading companies are striving to become
The Most Environmentally Conscious Fortune 500 Companies Read More 👉
The trend for men spending more than women in preparation for Valentines Day is a global one, as early figures released in the U.S. seem to confirm. According to the study cited above, male consumers are planning to spend an estimated 75% more than their female companions on gifts and events this year. On the
Buying Jewelry for Valentine’s Day? Avoid Conflict Diamonds Read More 👉
Like other industries, construction companies feel the negative effects of the recent economic downturn. A decrease in new home construction and remodeling projects means contractors work less and make less money. There is hope, however. As the Great Recession recedes into history, the future holds bright possibilities for construction business growth. Hurricane Sandy might have
Fitting into the New Economy Read More 👉
Mandatory CSR spending moved a step closer this week after and announcement by the Indian Ministry of Corporate Affairs that it had received no objections to the controversial Clause 135 of the Companies Bill 2011. This helps clear the way for the bill to become law sometime next year. Clause 135 states that all businesses
Mandatory CSR spending a step closer Read More 👉
One of those projects I’ve kept an increasingly excited eye on is the Business and Biodiversity Offset Program (BBOP .. an acronym which always makes me want to dance!). This month is something of a BBOP milestone as they’ve published their very first standard. This takes the initial 10 principles around which BBOP is based
Introducing the Biodiversity Offset standard Read More 👉
Companies are looking to renewable energy in growing numbers, both for cost-savings in the long term, but also for public relations benefits. Whatever the motivation, these companies are moving markets by creating demand for renewables in their many forms. The list below is a top 20 of companies that have gone solar. The list contains
Which companies are doing the most solar? Costco? REI? Google? Mars?!? Read More 👉
Diesel engines are a big deal in America. They are used to haul the food we eat and the goods we otherwise consume. The biggest challenge in the wide use of the diesel engine is that its emissions will often pose a problem for maintaining clean air. The good news is that advancements in technology
EPA Allows Illegal Engines As Long As Feds Get Paid Read More 👉
Many people argue vehemently about who builds businesses. Conservatives argue that CEOs built them from the ground up, and should be entitled to ample pay which is hundreds to thousands of percent more than that of most employees. Progressives argue that the pay of CEOs is severely inflated. In this article we will explore who
Who Builds Businesses Read More 👉
This week, the Important Media Network has committed to highlighting some of the women that are making the world a better place. At Inspired Economist, we thought we’d take part by profiling a great sustainable woman CEO every day this week. See previous posts on Irene Rosenfeld, CEO of Kraft Foods, Kim Jordan, CEO of New Belgium Brewing,
This week, the Important Media Network has committed to highlighting some of the women that are making the world a better place. At Inspired Economist, we thought we’d take part by profiling a great sustainable woman CEO every day this week. See previous posts on Kim Jordan, CEO of New Belgium Brewing, and Eileen Fisher (of high end
Women in Focus Week: Day 3! Meet the top women sustainable CEOs: Irene Rosenfeld (Kraft) Read More 👉
The idea that coal is cheaper than wind and solar is what keeps coal in the forefront of energy production in the U.S. But what if the idea itself is completely flawed? The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity is actively promoting the benefits of coal power. If you see an ad on a website
How is coal power so cheap? (Hint: it’s because you’re subsidizing it) Read More 👉
This week, the Important Media Network has committed to highlighting some of the women that are making the world a better place. At Inspired Economist, we thought we’d take part by profiling a great sustainable woman CEO every day this week. Check in each day to see who we have next! Kim Jordan was New
Meet the Top Sustainable Women CEOs: Kim Jordan Read More 👉
I have to hand it to Mark Phillipson of Syngenta. It can’t be easy to be a spokesperson for genetic engineering of food. Phillipson recently gave a talk to a community group in a lower income area on the windward (east) side of Oahu. Syngenta has research facilities and agricultural test beds on several islands
Syngenta Seed Company, on the goals of Genetic Engineering Read More 👉
The local first movement has a new frontier: locavesting. Friday’s stronger than expected jobs report showed several indications of economic growth. Every sector grew, including construction, manufacturing, and agriculture. Image what would happen if we could actually drive investment capital to Main Street! One way to make that happen is embodied in a term I heard
First, context: Homo sapiens is an actively interdependent species of agents with responsibilities as collaborative participants in this web of life: all our destinies are intertwined. There is, in any healthy community a social contract, and its acknowledgement is emerging more and more vocally from our society’s closets and into our front yard again. Thank
Love Letter to Banksters Read More 👉
Sustainable tourism certification programs are increasingly important to safeguard tourism providers from loss of market position due to negative social and environmental impacts induced by their operations. With the plethora of certification systems and ecolabels proliferating in the tourism industry, it is difficult to distinguish the credible sustainable tourism certification programs from superficial ones. Among
In a groundbreaking move toward corporate social responsibility, the United Egg Producers of the United States is teaming up with the Humane Society to push for regulations of its industry making the particularly cruel battery cages with which most chickens are factory farmed illegal. Regulatory attempts like this are often stonewalled by the industry associations
Apple today announced that it might have been just kidding when it previously announced plans to withdraw its Macbook from evaluation by the green IT label EPEAT. Apple’s popularity among designers, artists, and young entrepreneurs might give you the impression that its products are, as the company says, “the world’s greenest lineup of notebooks.” The
Apple reconsiders its plan to withdraw MacBook from third party eco-label EPEAT Read More 👉
