The Big Apple has moved decisively in the direction of being the green apple in recent years. Here’s the coolest green happenings in the big city. Transportation The city has moved aggressively to create an infrastructure that encourages cycling as a form of commuting, both to alleviate traffic and air quality issues and to facilitate […]
Green, New York Style: A Sustainability Tour of the Big Apple Read More 👉
Ask an economist to give an opinion about any controversial subject in society, and they’ll turn to the data and start digging for answers. While I’ve covered the economics of GMOs in the past, Dr. Vandana Shiva, on a recent visit by the visionary sustainability guru to my home state of Hawaii, opened my eyes to
The Economic Argument Against GMOs: a Top Ten List 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 👉
While working in the green economy is an option for many people nowadays, there are many folks who, for one reason or another, do not, but would still like to support the growth of sustainability and clean tech. Good news–there are many ways that you can invest your money to help make a better world…and
Options for investing in sustainability and the clean tech economy Read More 👉
The housing boom and subsequent bust that caused the financial meltdown of 2008 in the U.S. had many origins. I’d argue that a main cause that has not received much attention was America’s commitment to accommodating the car. Urban planning changed radically when, after World War II, cars became the norm in America. No longer
The effect of walkability and bikeability on real estate value Read More 👉
When citizens of the Italian town of L’Aquila started noticing that the semi-regular tremors along the fault line on which they lived had started becoming a little more regular and a little more intense, many became nervous about the possibility of a cataclysmic event. Seven seismologists from the Italian civil protection agency evaluated the data
It’s hard to pinpoint when, exactly, American politics became so negative, but it’s pretty clear that the days of bipartisanship started dying somewhere around the time of the Eisenhower Administration. The 2012 campaign season has been perhaps the nastiest so far, and the lack of respect given to opposing political viewpoints has become the norm,
Many people criticize policies and elected officials based on strong support for what they believe to be free market capitalism. But do these people actually understand capitalism? What they believe to be capitalism: getting the government off the back of the private sector, is not true free market capitalism. Adam Smith, the man many in the
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 👉
Virginia and West Virginia, as little as five or ten years ago, were reliably supportive of their respective party’s presidential candidate. The politics of clean energy seems to have changed both states’ political tune, with Democrats picking up the 13 electoral college votes in Virginia from Republicans, and ceding the 5 electoral college votes of
Is global warming taking a back seat to other environmental concerns? According to Nielsen’s 2011 Global Online Environment & Sustainability Survey, it is. According to the survey of more than 25,000 Internet respondents in 51 countries, concern about climate change/global warming among online consumers around the world has taken a back-seat to other environmental issues
Survey: Global Warming Takes a Back Seat to Other Environmental Issues Read More 👉
According to new research, what we might call “super green” adults are now 5% of the U.S. population. Since they cluster in the high income bracket, we are likely to see that influence multiplied across the general population as these consumers are targeted by advertisers more and more. That’s a really good thing. New data
“Super Green” Adults Now 5% of the Population Read More 👉
Showing that it can pay to be ethical, Ethisphere Magazine graphed its  “WME Index,” or all publicly traded 2011 World’s Most Ethical Company honorees, against the S&P 500 since the initial World’s Most Ethical Companies recognition from 2007. Even in a recession, ethical companies outperformed the S&P 500; however considerably greater returns (in excess of 30%)
US Companies Represent in 2011 World’s Most Ethical Companies Ranking Read More 👉
The Green City Index is the Business Courier’s annual study in which it measures relative green strengths against 43 cities where the Courier’s parent American City Business Journals Inc. publishes. See where your metro ranked and which cities lead and lag in the four indicator areas of “competitive green-ness” as measured by the index, namely
Green City Index 2011: Leaders and Laggards Read More 👉
Corporate Responsibility Magazine recently released its 12th annual “100 Best Corporate Citizens List,” according to CSRwire.com’s press release.  The list takes into account performance in seven key areas: environment, climate change, human rights, philanthropy, employee relations, financial and governance.  See which US companies are leading the pack in corporate citizenship:
The 10 Best US Corporate Citizens Read More 👉
‘State of Green Business Report’ finds businesses are thinking bigger and longer term about sustainability, according to the CSRwire press release. In its 4th annual report, Greenbiz.com measures the progress of U.S. business and the economy from an environmental perspective, and highlights key trends in corporate culture in regard to the environment to show some promising
Greenbiz.com releases State of Green Business 2011: 10 Big Trends Read More 👉
RepRisk (a Swiss-based environmental and social data provider which compiles negative news on companies’ environmental and social performance) released its third annual ranking of the most controversial multinational corporations, SocialFunds.com reported today. See who were the top 10  most environmentally and socially controversial companies of 2010.
Top 10 Most Environmentally and Socially Controversial Companies of 2010 Read More 👉
A national Capstrat-Public Policy Polling survey found that 59% of consumers consider a product’s environmental sustainability to be “very important” in their buying decisions. And 56% noted they would pay “a little” to “significantly” more for a product that was environmentally friendly. Yet — in a mystifying donut hole between opportunity and realization — nearly
Capstrat Study: Consumers Will Pay More for Green Read More 👉
Julie Urlaub’s guest post on Opportunities for CEOs in 2011 made me wonder where the public stands on their trust in business after this difficult economic year. Turning to the 2010 Edelman Trust Barometer I was surprised to find that global trust in business was up modestly from 2009, especially in the United States where it jumped 18
2010 Edelman Trust Barometer Findings: Trust in Corporate America on Rise? Read More 👉
While agricultural experts and other environmental policymakers still debate the overall merits of organic produce and livestock versus their conventional counterparts, Americans are eating more organic turkeys. According to a USDA data set, certified organic acreage for turkey production was up over 4,000% between 2000-2008. Although this accounts for only 0.15% of overall turkey acreage
Certified Organic Turkey Market Up 4,000% Since 2000 Read More 👉
Concerns have been raised that consideration of environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) issues in investment decision-making could suffer in the aftermath of the financial crisis and the lingering economic recession, however the 2010 Trends Report published by Social Investment Forum (SIF) indicates that this is not the case. In fact, growth in sustainable assets outpaced
2010 Trends Report: Socially Responsible Assets Grow Despite Financial Crisis Read More 👉
A new Institute for Policy Studies report, Executive Excess 2010: CEO Pay and the Great Recession, examines the role of excessive executive compensation in the current economic crisis.  Co-authors Sarah Anderson, Chuck Collins, Sam Pizzigati and Kevin Shih‘s report includes an interesting finding on the compensation of the top layoff leaders and encourages principles for executive pay that promotes economic
Did Excessive Executive Compensation Play a Role in the Current Economic Crisis? Read More 👉
Federal Government Asks Fletcher Allen to Teach the Nation How to Scale Local Sourcing in Healthcare (Part II: Taking Local From Trendy to Essential) “The Hospital That Heals The Earth” is a two-part series on the intersection of sustainability innovation and healthcare at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vermont. Part 1 of the series
The Hospital That Heals The Earth (Part II) Read More 👉
Vermont Hospital Wants To Be The Greenest Health Care Facility in the US — And Makes a Convincing Case (Part I: Mainstreaming Sustainability) Sustainability, clean energy investment, green jobs and health care reform have all been resounding themes of the first 18 months of the Obama administration. But rarely do we conceive of healthcare reform
The Hospital That Heals The Earth (Part I) Read More 👉
