This study, “Generating Sustainable Value: Moving Beyond Green Teams to Transformation Collaboratives,” offers five key factors for successful green teams and shares insights culled from examinations of 14 leading firms.

The research published by Sabre Holdings, Dominican University and Paladin Law Group LLP explores the extent to which green teams have been able to harness their energy to help drive product and service innovation by adding enterprise value.  

Download the document at GreenBiz

Owning the world’s largest vehicle fleet isn’t a responsibility Enterprise Holdings takes lightly.
It’s a commitment that has driven us to develop a comprehensive environmental stewardship platform that guides our operations and helps bring new technology to our customers. We don’t pretend to have all the answers; on the contrary, we view this as a journey.
Along the way, however have learned a few things that we hope may be useful to others as they pursue their own paths to sustainability:
1. Align Your Sustainability Strategy with the Overall Mission of Your Business
2. Play to Your Strengths

3. Embrace the Forces of the Free Market 
4. Understand – and Anticipate – What Customers Want 

Read the complete article at GreenBiz

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is inviting the public to comment on the agency’s draft strategy to protect and restore our nation’s lakes, streams and coastal waters. The strategy, “Coming Together for Clean Water: EPA’s Strategy for Achieving Clean Water,” is designed to chart EPA’s path in furthering EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s key priority of protecting America’s waters.

The strategy was developed by considering the input and ideas generated at the April “Coming Together for Clean Water” forum as well as comments received through the online discussion forum.  Participants shared their perspectives on how to advance the EPA’s clean water agenda focusing on the agency’s two priority areas: healthy watersheds and sustainable communities. EPA is now inviting the public to consider and provide their comments on the approaches outlined in the strategy. 

Public comments on the draft strategy should be submitted by September 17. EPA will review all comments and post a final strategy later in the year.

More information on the draft strategy and to comment:  http://blog.epa.gov/waterforum/

Let’s talk home economics: The average American household spends $2,340 to heat, cool, and electrify its home for a year, according to the Department of Energy.

That’s more than average annual spending on property taxes ($1,900) and homeowner’s insurance ($800). Over the course of a 30-year mortgage, energy costs amount to $70,000 — a big chunk of change

Smart homebuyers (and renters) will factor energy costs into decisions about where to live. You’d think mortgage lenders would consider energy costs too — they need to know whether potential buyers can afford a particular home. But lenders largely ignore energy expenses, since they’re not a part of standard mortgage underwriting criteria.

That would change under the SAVE (Sensible Accounting to Value Energy) Act [PDF], a bill backed by Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) that would require lenders to consider energy costs before granting a borrower a federally insured mortgage. Bennet is considering introducing the bill after the August congressional recess, his office said, and it could end up as part of a larger banking or energy bill.

“Energy-efficient mortgages” have been available for years, running on the premise that borrowers who spend less on utility bills have more money available for mortgage payments. But they’ve been an underused niche product that few buyers or even lenders know about. The SAVE Act would take the concept and apply it to all government-sponsored mortgage enterprises, such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Housing Administration. Those three entities currently guarantee more than 90 percent of new loans, so the bill would have a profound effect on ramping up home efficiency.

Read the complete article at Grist

Advocacy plays role in highlighting small business concerns

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Today the Office of Advocacy applauded the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to reexamine its final rule for stormwater discharges for construction sites. The Office of Advocacy had estimated that the regulation had the potential of costing business $10 billion annually, with minimal environmental improvement and would adversely affect housing affordability for millions of Americans. Small firms make up 97.7 percent of the construction and development industry.

“EPA’s decision to review its rule should be viewed as a step towards finding the appropriate regulation that protects our environment and doesn’t overburden small business,” said Susan M. Walthall, Acting Chief Counsel for Advocacy.  “A regulation that is based on accurate data, with the opportunity for public input, will benefit us all.”

On April 20 of this year the Office of Advocacy issued a letter petitioning EPA to reconsider the final rule for stormwater discharges for construction sites. The petition identified errors in EPA’s data review and analysis that contributed to a stringent numeric standard of 280 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU). The petition also stated that providing the opportunity for public comment on the data and methodology would have improved the rule.

A significant concern that Advocacy included in its April 20th petition was that EPA misinterpreted vendor data from a construction site in Seattle, Washington, as representing 15, instead of 3, pretreatment systems. This correction alone would drive the limit to approximately 500 NTU.

For more information and a complete copy of the letter, visit the Office of Advocacy website

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s administrator Lisa Jackson said that the prevention and proper management of e-waste is one of the agency’s top six newly announced global priorities. 

The other five priorities were reducing carbon emissions, improving air quality, improving water quality, reducing toxics exposures and building stronger institutional frameworks. 

Jackson’s comments follow the release of a report from the Government Accounting Office entitled Electronic Waste: Considerations for Promoting Environmentally Sound Reuse and Recycling. The report addresses the management and trade of hazardous electronic waste, urging EPA to stem the massive flow of U.S. e-waste overseas.

Read the complete article at Environmental Leader