Do you know that NC is outfront in building three solar power stations near Wilmington, NC.

Here is the latest news from Sustainable NC

LOCALDurham landfill gas will generate power for DukeBurt’s Bees sets aggressive greenhouse gas reduction goal NC IDEA grant cycle opensProgress Energy reaches solar power deal with SunEdisonWith 3 solar plans, N.C. is out frontBuilding communities keeps Self-Help on trackTriangle colleges hope 'green' look attracts students
City of Lexington eyes practical 'green' initiatives
Camden eco-park plans in the works
FINANCE
The ROI of sustainabilityInvestment banker brings market finesse to conservationENERGY & CLIMATE CHANGEFirst draft of sustainable biofuels standard releasedScandinavia's lateral thinkersElectric bikes sell briskly as gas prices climbGM to finish electric car design by mid-SeptemberCSRIBM expands consulting services with 'green sigma'Retailer creates jobs with green practicesGREEN BUILDINGReport examines effectiveness green building incentive optionsLEED 2009 now open for second public comment periodSUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMSNational initiative to establish sustainable agriculture standard enters next phaseMeasuring the carbon footprint of fruit and winePRINTINGMaine company offers first soy-based toner cartridges for offices and schools
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NCSBC NEWSNominate your Sustainability Champion!This year's Sustainable North Carolina Awards will feature recognition for individual achievement for the first time. If you know someone who has worked tirelessly to promote triple bottom line approaches to a sustainable future in their organization and community, take a moment to submit a nomination. Other 2008 categories are Triple Bottom Line, Entrepreneurship, Innovation and The Greater Good. The nomination deadline for all categories is Sept. 17.
Read More & Download Forms ___________________________________Early bird discounts for Nov. 10-11 Sustainable Solutions Expo expire Aug. 31 The first-ever Sustainable Solutions Expo at the Raleigh Convention Center is shaping up to be a huge success! Reaching both a national and regional audience of 2000 institutional and business decision-makers, the tradeshow will feature a wide range of environmentally sustainable and socially responsible products and services.To reserve your space at the best rates, contact Scott Kenney today at exhibit@sustainablesolutionsexpo.org.
Read More ___________________________________Triad and Charlotte sustainable business networks growing The NC Sustainable Business Council's local networks of business professionals in the Triad and Charlotte are organizing and growing. While local Sustainability Cafes have been held in both areas over the past year, both now have formal steering committees to develop networking and educational programs tailored to those communities. If you are interested in getting involved or learning more, contact us at info@sustainnc.org.
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LOCALDurham landfill gas will generate power for DukeNews & Observer - Duke Energy said Thursday that it plans to use methane captured from the City of Durham landfill to generate electricity. Under its deal with Methane Power Inc., Duke next year will begin buying up to 2 megawatts of power generated from the landfill gas.Read More ___________________________________
Burt’s Bees sets aggressive greenhouse gas reduction goalCSRWire - Burt's Bees today announced its goal to reduce its U.S. Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 35 percent per dollar sales from 2006 to 2011. Last fall, Burt's Bees joined the US EPA's Climate Leaders program and has spent the last six months working with US EPA to learn the formal GHG inventory methodology and reduction goal setting process. Burt's Bees has completed the inventory process and has formalized their reduction target, now joining a powerful collective response to climate change, bridging industry and government.Read More ___________________________________ NC IDEA grant cycle opensTriad Business Journal - Companies in information technology, medical devices, material sciences or green technologies interested in applying for an NC IDEA grant have until Sept. 12 to submit an initial proposal, according to an announcement.Read More ___________________________________Progress Energy reaches solar power deal with SunEdisonTriangle Business Journal - Progress Energy has signed an agreement to allow SunEdison, a solar energy company, to build, own and operate a 1.2-megawatt solar energy project near Progress' coal-fired power plants in Wilmington.Read More ___________________________________With 3 solar plans, N.C. is out frontNews & Observer - After years of false starts, large-scale solar power is scheduled to come to North Carolina.Read More ___________________________________Building communities keeps Self-Help on trackNews & Observer - One year into the credit crunch and mortgage meltdown, a Durham financial institution that banks on neighborhoods at risk is doing business as usual. How so? Common sense, said Martin Eakes, co-founder and CEO of Self-Help, a Main Street nonprofit organization that has, according to its Web site, provided $5.24 billion to 60,130 homeowners, small businesses and nonprofit enterprises since starting the practice in 1984.Read More ___________________________________Triangle colleges hope 'green' look attracts studentsNews & Observer - Princeton Review, publisher of a college selection guide, debuted its green rating, a measure of how environmentally friendly campuses are based on policies, building practices and academic offerings. The green rating will join other scores the review publishes about financial aid, academic selectivity and quality of life to help applicants choose among colleges. In The Princeton Review's rankings, Duke, N.C. State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill all scored 90 or higher out of a possible 99 -- placing them in the top fifth of more than 500 colleges and universities ranked.Read More ___________________________________
City of Lexington eyes practical 'green' initiativesThe Dispatch - Natural gas-powered vehicles, an innovative water reclamation system at the city's golf course and a new "green challenge" initiative have Lexington leaders thinking more about the environment.Read More
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Camden eco-park plans in the works
The Daily Advance - Plans for an eco-park in northern Camden County appear to be taking shape with prodding from Sen. Marc Basnight. Basnight's vision of a green park would not only promote Earth-friendly industry in Camden, but it would also create a template for implementation of green parks nationwide, he said. NCSU's School of Design is working on a conceptual design for the park. A presentation will be held on Aug. 28 at 4 p.m. in the Camden Middle School auditorium.
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FINANCEThe ROI of sustainabilityGreenBiz.com - Business is reacting to all corners of the emerging green economy by adapting to volatile energy prices and responding to the raised expectations of investors, customers and policy-makers. Companies are reassessing their operations and supplier relationships, raw material procurement methods, shipping and transportation costs, even the pricing of their goods and services -- all because the greenest companies are likely to be the most successful.Read More ___________________________________Investment banker brings market finesse to conservationEcosystem Marketplace - The new head of the Nature Conservancy is a 24-year Goldman Sachs vet who thinks big and acts globally. The Ecosystem Marketplace talks to Mark Tercek about his past success, his current challenges and his vision for TNC's future.Read More ___________________________________ENERGY & CLIMATE CHANGEFirst draft of sustainable biofuels standard releasedGreenBiz.com - A coalition of farmers, businesses, governments and nonprofits released the first draft of a biofuels global standard. The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) created the set of principles that it hopes will guide worldwide production and processing for the controversial fuel that has recently come under fire because of environmental and food price concerns.Read More ___________________________________Scandinavia's lateral thinkersGuardian - Just outside the city of Norrköping in south-eastern Sweden, Händelö is a "cleantech" park housing only green technology industries. It is also an example of how the Nordic nation is rushing ahead in developing the green economy.Read More ___________________________________Electric bikes sell briskly as gas prices climbMSNBC - The surging cost of gasoline and a desire for a greener commute are turning more people to electric bikes as an unconventional form of transportation. They function like a typical two-wheeler but with a battery-powered assist, and bike dealers, riders and experts say they are flying off the racks.Read More ___________________________________GM to finish electric car design by mid-SeptemberReuters - General Motors Corp said on Thursday it would finalize the design of the all-electric Chevy Volt by mid-September and aims to have 50 prototypes with production-ready parts by the end of 2008.Read More ___________________________________CSRIBM expands consulting services with 'green sigma'GreenBiz.com - IBM is ramping up its consulting services targeting businesses seeking a softer environmental footprint. Dubbed Green Sigma, the service can study water and energy use wherever these resources are used, such as in transportation, data centers, IT systems, manufacturing and distribution or retail facilities. The tech giant launched a consulting service based on the Lean Six Sigma strategy at a time when companies are facing growing pressure from stakeholders to lighten their environmental impacts.Read More ___________________________________Retailer creates jobs with green practicesIPS - Seven years ago, 54 subsistence farmers in the Umbumbulu district on the KwaZulu-Natal coast of South Africa were struggling to feed their families. They could barely pay their children’s school fees. They seemed to have no hope of breaking out of the cycle of poverty. Their only source of survival was the crops they planted to feed themselves. But since forming the Ezemvelo Farmers’ Organisation (EFO) in 2001, their lives have changed dramatically. Their production practices have secured them a position as major supplier of organic foods to one of South Africa's most prominent large retailers, Woolworths Holdings (not to be confused with the UK-based Woolworths).Read More ___________________________________GREEN BUILDINGReport examines effectiveness green building incentive optionsLOHAS - State and local governments are using a variety of incentive-based techniques to encourage green building practices. These efforts have encountered challenges including the cost of new incentive programs, resource shortcomings and implementation difficulties. In order to help communities overcome these obstacles, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) commissioned a report, Local Leaders in Sustainability – Green Incentives, that defines and examines many types of incentive programs, details the inherent barriers to success and highlights best practice examples from around the country.Read More ___________________________________LEED 2009 now open for second public comment periodBuilding Design + Construction - LEED 2009 is now open for second public comment. LEED 2009 is a new version of the rating system that delivers against key environmental and human health impacts, and puts in place a transparent framework for weighting credits accordingly, based on the best available science.Read More ___________________________________SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMSNational initiative to establish sustainable agriculture standard enters next phaseCSRWire - The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) process to develop a national standard for sustainable agriculture will take another important step forward this September as the newly formed Standards Committee meets to establish its work plan and form the Subcommittees that will negotiate the contents of the final standard.Read More ___________________________________Measuring the carbon footprint of fruit and wineIPS - In an effort to stay competitive in a global market where increasing demands are made by consumers for 'green' products, South African fruit and wine farmers have launched an initiative to determine the environmental impact of their industries. The research could challenge the idea that exported products from the developing world have a higher environmental cost.Read More ___________________________________PRINTINGMaine company offers first soy-based toner cartridges for offices and schoolsCSRWire - PRC Technologies, a division of Print Recovery Concepts Inc., announced today an environmental breakthrough in printing for offices, public schools and colleges. This summer, PRC will offer the first laser printer cartridges using toner powder derived from soybeans. PRC reports they will supply cartridges for the most popular laser printers under the SoyPrint brand at prices comparable to brand name versions currently available. Soy ink has been available for some time but this is the first soy toner cartridge for laser printers.Read More
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