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.

India proposes renewable energy certificate scheme (via BusinessGreen)

The Indian government is developing plans to launch a renewable energy certificate program to drive investment in clean energy projects.

Climate Spending Rises at Biggest Companies, Ernst & Young Says (via BusinessWeek)

Seventy percent of the world’s biggest companies will increase their spending on climate change mitigation programs, with almost all being motivated by customer demand.

Offshore wind project in Lake Erie moves ahead (via CNET’s Green Tech)

General Electric has announced it will build a 20-megawatt(MW) offshore wind farm in Lake Erie.

Google PowerMeter Links With Gadget Maker, Utility (via Earth2Tech)

Google has signed a deal to introduce its PowerMeter home energy management software to the United Kingdom’s retail market.

Price, Performance Still Obstacles to Increased Sales of Green Products (via GreenBiz)

U.S. consumers say price and performance are the principal reasons they don’t purchase more green products.

GridPoint Lands U.S. Postal Service as Customer (via Greentech Grid)

Energy management company GridPoint announced it will install and operate systems to reduce power consumption at 2,250 USPS facilities across the country.

In wake of Gulf spill, should this be the summer of energy reform? (via Grist)

The Gulf oil spill may provide momentum to pass energy reform legislation.

Oil spill: BP is told to cut back on use of dispersant (via Los Angeles Times)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it will require BP to scale back its use of oil dispersants and will begin testing chemical effects on sea life.

Gov’t Legally Required to Step Up Spill Efforts (via MotherJones’ Blue Marble)

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 may obligate the U.S. government to take control of the operation to stop and clean up the Gulf oil spill.

Record Number of U.S. Businesses Say They Want Climate Bill This Year (via SolveClimate)

More than 6,000 U.S. companies are calling on Congress to pass a climate bill this year and set a price on carbon emissions.

New York’s tallest skyscrapers go green (via USA Today’s Green House)

New York City’s two tallest buildings use energy efficiency retrofits and sustainable building practices to go green.

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

Bulgaria cashes in on wind energy gold rush (via BusinessGreen)

Bulgaria has announced it will build a 140 MW wind farm with a targeted completion date of 2013.

China faces up to summer energy crunch (via BusinessGreen)

China has announced it may face power shortages this summer due to high coal prices and a drought in one of the country’s main hydropower-producing regions.

India to Launch Climate Adaptation Fund for South Asia (via Clean Technica)

India has announced a fund to assist South Asian countries adapt to the effects of climate change.

Senior military leaders announce support for climate bill (via Climate Progress)

Thirty-three generals and admirals announced they support the Senate climate legislation.

Greenpeace lauds Cisco on climate, chides Google (via CNET’s Green Tech)

Cisco and Ericsson have received top marks in a Greenpeace ranking of computer vendors’ activity on climate change issues.

Cape Wind decision may take green power national (via Grist)

The Cape Wind project’s approval may stimulate a rush of offshore wind proposal approvals along the East Coast.

New study: Biodiversity Continues to Decline Worldwide (via The Nature Conservancy)

International species continue to decline across all habitats on Earth, despite an international commitment in 2002 to reduce the rate of losses by 2010.

Climate bill analysis to take up to eight weeks:EIA (via Reuters)

The U.S. Energy Information Administration will take up to eight weeks to analyze the Senate climate bill’s potential impact.

Which city has most efficient offices? Survey finds wide gaps (via USA Today’s Green House)

U.S. office buildings are largely inefficient, says a new survey of office workers in 16 major cities.

Department of Commerce Releases Data on Emissions, “Green Economy” (via Washington Post’s Post Carbon)

The U.S. Commerce Department has released two studies to help guide climate change policy decisions, one showing emissions by source and a second estimating the potential size of the U.S. green economy.

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.

Germany commits $2 billion for at least 1,000 hydrogen stations (via Autoblog Green)

The German government has committed to spend $2 billion over the next decade to build at least 1,000 vehicle hydrogen fueling stations in place by 2017.

E.ON flicks switch on Scotland’s first offshore wind farm (via BusinessGreen)

Scotland’s first full-scale wind farm, an 180 megawatt project, has come fully online for the first time.

Report: Climate bill to stop EPA from regulating carbon (via BusinessGreen)

The climate compromise legislation expected in the U.S. Senate next week will attempt to end the patchwork of carbon legislation that has developed across the country, including the EPA’s ability to regulate carbon emissions, say sources.

All 30 Major League Baseball Teams Throw Curve to Climate Change Deniers (via CleanTechnica)

Major League Baseball has launched a league-wide sustainability program with the Natural Resources Defense Council. The program includes conservation, emissions reductions, and clean energy.

Google climate change chief wants price on carbon (via Grist)

Google wants a price on carbon to set off a rush of investment in new energy innovations.

Point Carbon estimates carbon costs of yet-to-be-released Senate climate bill (via The Hill’s E2-Wire)

Carbon prices will average around $31 a ton during the first phase of Senate climate compromise legislation, according to a market analyst’s report.

March 2010 is warmest on record, NOAA reports (via Los Angeles Times’ Greenspace)

Average land and sea surface temperatures made March 2010 the warmest-ever March on record and pushed the January-March 2010 period to the fourth warmest on record.

Garbage patch mapped in Atlantic Ocean (via Los Angeles Times’ Greenspace)

Scientists have identified a garbage patch in the Atlantic Ocean similar to the existing Pacific Ocean trash gyre. The swirl of plastic is located off the coast of Portugal.

New Date Set For Senate Climate Bill (via National Journal)

Senate climate compromise legislation is expected to be released on April 26^th.

I.B.M. Suppliers Must Track Environmental Data (via New York Times’ Green Inc.)

I.B.M will require its suppliers to install management systems to gather data on their energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, waste and recycling. I.B.M. has 28,000 suppliers in more than 90 countires.

Solar Growth Slows, With Homes a Glaring Exception (via New York Times’ Green Inc.)

Total installed capacity for all types of solar energy grew by 5.2 percent in 2009, down from 9.6 percent in 2008, but the market for residential solar panels grew at its fastest-ever pace last year.

Smart Meters by Mandate: 96.3 Million European Households Should Have Them by 2014 (via Smart Grid News)

96.3 million European households will have smart meters by 2014, according to a new research report. This puts the European Union’s target of 80 percent smart meter penetration by 2020 within reach.

Danish Green Hotel Offers ‘Cycle for Your Supper’ Deal (via Treehugger)

A Copenhagen hotel is offering a free locally produced meal to any paying guest who can generate 10 watt hours of electricity on stationary bicycle generators installed at the hotel.

U.S. announces tighter scrutiny for Energy Star products (via USA Today’s Green House)

The U.S. government announced it will tighten its Energy Star certification rules and require lab reports and results about their products. These new guidelines come in response to criticism over standards.

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.

Changing Climate, Shifting Fisheries (via Mother Jones)

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has developed a new model to study rising ocean temperatures and fishing rates on fish populations.

GM debuts electric mini-vehicle concept car (via BusinessGreen)

General Motors (GM) has unveiled an electric concept car designed for densely populated urban centers. The zero-emission transport is a car-bike hybrid with a range of 25 miles on a single charge.

Japan Proposes Wind, Geothermal Power Feed-in Tariff (via BusinessWeek)

A Japanese trade ministry has proposed expanding the feed-in tariff to require utilities to buy electricity at a premium from hydropower stations, wind turbine and geothermal operators.

California: climate change law won’t hurt economy (via Reuters)

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has found that the state’s economy will not be damaged by its 2006 climate change law, disputing critics who say the law would cost jobs and harm businesses.

Fed agencies aim to boost green hydropower projects (via The Hill’s E2-Wire)

Three federal agencies have launched an effort to increase development of hydropower resources across existing federal dams and new low-impact projects on federal lands.

Study: Greenland ice loss accelerating (via USA Today)

Greenland’s ice sheet, the world’s second largest, will not only continue to experience ice loss due to global warming, but ice loss is now accelerating and spreading along the country’s northwest coast.

Google PowerMeter Moving Closer to Smart Appliances (via Earth2Tech)

Google has formed a partnership with chip maker Microchip to create embedded devices in appliances that are compatible with its PowerMeter energy tool.

What the healthcare act means for US climate legislation (via Financial Times Energy Source)

Passage of healthcare reform legislation may have complicated the outlook for climate change legislation in several different ways.

That’s non to a carbon tax, then (via Financial Times Energy Source)

France will drop plans to introduce a carbon tax after the ruling political party blamed opposition to the proposal for heavy losses in recent regional elections.

In clean energy, U.S. innovates but builds slowly (via CNET’s Green Tech)

China outpaced other countries with large economies in clean energy investments for the first time in 2009, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Scientists: BPA has widely contaminated the oceans (via Grist)

Scientists report widespread global contamination of sea sand and sea water with the endocrine disruptor chemical Bisphemol A (BPA). Samples were analyzed from 200 sites in 20 countries.

Bees in more trouble than ever after bad weather (via physorg.com)

The four-year old colony collapse disorder phenomenon blamed for massive honeybee die-offs in North America seems to be deepening, and may be linked to pesticides found in  pollen and hives.

United Nations Rejects Shark Protections (via National Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife Promise)

Delegates at the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) have voted down three of four proposals to protect various shark species.

Raise Your Voice at COP15

We just discovered an interesting collaboration between the Danish Government and Google/YouTube to raise awareness of the importance of global climate change and inspire the public to get involved. The channel includes a number of interesting videos, with testimonials from activists, leaders and even celebrities, including Jet Li and Desmond Tutu.

Be sure to check out Fleishman-Hillard’s new COP15 section, Countdown to Copenhagen, on our sustainability Web site. Our practice group leaders will be on-site during this important gathering. You can catch our COP15 tweets by following the #FHCOP15 tag or by following us @FHSustain.

iPhone Apps For Going Green

OK, this is so cool. Jaymi Heimbuch and the team over Treehugger compiled a list of some of the best 100 iPhone applications for going green.

Solar Power Costs Drop 30% since 1998

Costs for solar power systems continue to drop, according to new research by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a lab within the U.S. Department of Energy.

Since 1998, costs have dropped 30% thanks to cheaper photovoltaic modules, as well as labor, overhead and marketing. Researchers found that in the past 11 years, costs have reduced from $10.80 per watt to $7.50 per watt, with the most substantial reductions coming in small PV systems used in homes.

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.