Fleishman-Hillard’s Sustainability blog publishes a daily roundup of compelling stories from traditional media and blogs that straddle the nexus of sustainability, energy policy, and corporate social responsibility. Inclusion of stories does not translate into endorsement of any particular opinion or technology over another.

Senators Share Emission Bill’s Details With Industry Groups (via New York Times and Greenwire)

The three U.S. Senators drafting energy and climate legislation revealed an outline of the legislation with major industry groups yesterday in an attempt to solidify support before finalizing the bill.

A Setback for Geoengineering? (via Mother Jones)

A study by the National Academy of Sciences has found that fertilizing sea water with iron in an attempt to capture carbon through algae blooms may actually stimulate the growth of toxic species and deplete deep-water oxygen levels.

Green Investment Bank gathers momentum ahead of budget (via BusinessGreen)

A proposal to create a British Green Investment Bank that funds infrastructure, venture capital and job creation has received support from financial experts and all major political parties in the country.

Global cooling bites the dust: Hottest January followed by second hottest February (via Climate Progress)

The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration has released satellite records that show January 2010 was the warmest January on record and February 2010 was the second-warmest February on record.

Clean-Energy Investments Are Moving Ahead ‘Without Copenhagen’ (via BusinessWeek)

Even without an international agreement to limit carbon dioxide emissions, clean energy investments are moving ahead, claims one financial analyst.

White House Officials Link Economic Recovery to CO2 Bill (via Wall Street Journal’s Real Time Economics)

The Obama administration stated the nation’s economic recovery may stall if Congress does not pass a climate bill in 2010 because investors are hesitant to invest in clean technology without guidance on the future costs of emitting greenhouse gases.

Poll: Obama’s energy, environment efforts fall short of expectations (via The Hill’s E2-Wire)

President Obama’s approval ratings on improving the nation’s energy and environment situation have fallen sharply since he took office, according to a new Gallup poll.

A Warm Jupiter: A Newfound Exoplanet Bears a Resemblance to the Solar System’s Own Worlds (via Scientific American)

A French spacecraft has found a Jupiter-sized world that closely resembles planets in our solar system and may have a temperate atmosphere.

California’s Smart Meter Battle: Google vs. Utilities (via Earth2Tech)

Google and major California utilities may be headed toward a battle over providing real-time energy prices to customers with smart meters.

AT&T Launches Smart Charger to Fight Vampire Power, Finally (via Earth2Tech)

Phone company AT&T will begin selling a smart phone charger in May that does not draw power when plugged in but not attached to it’s phone.

Take your Cancun potshots here (via Financial Times’ Energy Source)

International government officials and pundits are increasingly skeptical that an international climate change agreement will be reached at the post-COP15 meeting in Cancun later this year.

Cold Tuna, Hot Baseball Face New CO2 Rules in Tokyo (via Bloomberg)

Tokyo will start a city-wide cap-and-trade system next month, in advance of the central government’s nationwide plan.

Major California Solar Project Moves Ahead (via New York Times’ Green Inc.)

California regulators recommended approval of the state’s first new large-scale solar plant in nearly 20 years. The 392-megawatt project must still receive approval from the federal Bureau of Land Management.

Buyer Beware (via Conservation Magazine)

A soon-to-be released research paper finds that consumers who purchase green products can be more selfish and more likely to steal in the future.

If you modernize the grid, will consumers care? (via CNET’s Green Tech)

A conference panel of executives stated that many benefits to smart grid investment exist, but the technology still lacks the requisite regulation or consumer demand to truly succeed.

The secret mall gardens of Cleveland (via Grist)

A project called “Gardens Under Glass” is turning Cleveland-area malls into working farms and greenhouses.

Scotland Approves Ten Marine Energy Projects (via Yale’s Environment 360)

Scotland has approved ten marine energy projects that would provide one-third of the nation’s residential energy and make it the world leader in wave energy by 2020.

Contrary to iconic images of smokestacks and sooty factories, the world’s complex computer infrastructure is fast becoming one of the greatest carbon emitters. By 2020, global IT will reach about 3 percent of carbon emissions, accounting for “1.54 metric gigatons, or twice what the United Kingdom produces today,” according McKinsey & Co.

Where is this intense energy consumption and carbon emission coming from? Look to everything from your home computer and cell phone to the vast telecommunications networks and data centers that make the Internet work.

In the coming years, technology will work its way into more parts of our lives, making the possibility of turning back our insatiable demand unlikely. Fortunately, with this demand are great economic opportunities—by optimizing our use of technology, we can find efficiencies, cutting as much as 7.8 metric gigatons a year, McKinsey reported.

Companies like AT&T, a Fleishman-Hillard client, are looking forward and creating partnerships with energy providers to begin roll out of smart grids, where energy usage can be efficiently monitored and delivered.

Other tech innovators like Microsoft and Google are bringing energy savings to the world of cloud computing—creating remote systems that can grow and shrink computing power depending on need, conserving energy.

While innovative small and large companies will help lead us into a more efficient and sustainable future, regular users of technology can do their part. Check out this great podcast from Northwestern University for tips on how you can green your tech experience.

In April, Fleishman-Hillard Green Champions – our network of employees in offices around the world that helps Fleishman-Hillard meet our own sustainability and environmental stewardship goals – launched a cell phone recycling challenge to all U.S. offices to collect as many used wireless devices and accessories as possible.

It’s a timely cause: Recycling or reusing cell phones — which are made up of precious metals, copper and plastics — prevents air and water pollution and reduces greenhouse gas emissions that occur during manufacturing. According to the U.S. EPA, more than 100 million cell phones are discarded annually; and, in 2007, only 10 percent were recycled.

Our recycling drive supported the EPA’s Plug-In To eCycling National Cell Phone Recycling Week (April 6-12). It also supported Cell Phones for Soldiers, the charity that recycles wireless devices and uses the proceeds to buy free phone cards for military families. (A note of disclosure: Cell Phones for Soldiers also recycles with our client, AT&T.) Some offices extended their recycling work through the week of Earth Day so that more phones could be collected.

Our aim was to encourage fellow FHers to recycle used cell phones, Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), cell phone batteries, chargers and other accessories — and make it easy for folks to participate. Phones were collected, counted and shipped to the charity via free shipping labels available online. We also encouraged a little cross-office competition for the office collecting the most phones and the office with the most creative recycling bin. (Kudos to our D.C. office, which won by recycling 222 phones and accessories to the cause.)

Our scary green friend encourages employees in Dallas to participate.

Drives ran in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, D.C., Portland, Sacramento and St. Louis. Bins ranged from recycled boxes with bobbleheads and decorations, to a stuffed costume of a “green champ” that sat in a break room, “scaring” people into donating phones. In total, we collected nearly 500 devices – which translates to the following environmental equivalents, according to the charity’s recycler:

• Saving enough energy to power 17 U.S. households for a month (more than one for an entire year).
• Reducing the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions as removing 12 passenger cars from the road for a month—or more than one car for a year.
• Reducing 67 metric tons of air emissions associated with manufacturing.

Just think what we could do if we made this recycling project a year-round opportunity to help protect the environment! What has your office done to make recycling easier?