Waste-To-Wealth: The Lagos Example

By Joseph Chibueze

 

When in August 1999, the new government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Lagos State launched the waste to wealth programme, it was obviously in response to the terrible state of the environment in the state as at the time. That singular action earned the government a lot of commendations and it was seen then as a government with foresight.

But like most other government programmes before it, there was no further action beyond the official launch. Nigeria is a country noted for initiating beautiful policies that also go with very nice slogans. Remember operation feed the nation, green revolution, school-to-land, operation sweep and many others? Unfortunately most of these programmes in spite of their nice slogans and acceptance by the generality of the people, never achieved their objectives.

The reason is simple: There is just no political will on the part of government to implement them, while on the other hand, some greedy individuals within government circles saw the programmes as opportunity to enrich themselves. At the end of the day, the programmes remain on the drawing board, but the money budgeted for them have been spent.

That was probably the fate that befell Lagos State Government’s waste-to-wealth programme. It has been in the limbo until recently when the present administration decided to dust up the file and give life to the project by empowering the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (Lawma), the body charged with the responsibility of waste management in the state.

Though the government of Babatunde Fashola made environmental cleanness a top priority on assumption of office in 2007, his efforts appeared not to be yielding the desired result as the volume of waste kept increasing by the day. The landfill sites were over flowing necessitating the creation of new ones. For how long will that continue knowing that land is a scarce commodity in the state?

So it was time to look for a solution, a solution that will not only help the state maintain a clean environment and a healthy citizenry, but also save the landfills and create wealth. Mrs. Tolu Adeyo, recycling manager, Olusosu Recycling Plant in an interview said “we could not afford to continue to land fill those waste while there are recyclable materials in there. That is why we are looking at the issue of recycling so that it will prolong the land fills and ensure environmental sustainability. So as much as possible we try to reduce what goes into our land fills.”

Lagos State generates over 10,000 metric tonnes of waste daily. In time past virtually every street had a refuse dump rising as high as a storey building, producing offensive odors and obstructing traffic and in some cases causing flooding as it blocks the drains.

A challenge it was, a serious one for that matter, but that which was a problem is about to become a gold mine, a money spinner for not only the state government but also for the citizens.

 

The project

The State’s Waste To-Wealth programme is an integrated waste management system that involves recycling of solid waste into various new products including clean energy.

The project which is being executed by the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (Lawma) in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) and the African Carbon Asset Development (ACAD) is expected to capture methane gas from waste and use it to generate electricity. The project apart from preventing the release of greenhouse gases which endanger the environment, will also create jobs and provide infrastructure through public-private partnership (PPP) among others.

It is a huge leap for wealth creation and environmental health in Lagos State, as the authorities move from traditional landfill disposal to modes of waste management that are economically rewarding and socially responsible.

Mr. Ola Oresanya, managing director of Lawma in an interview said the project is essentially a private sector driven initiative. According to him, “The reason for this is obvious, if it must be sustainable it has to be in the hands of the private sector while government only play the role of a regulator. In fact as we speak, this project has been concessioned to a private outfit to execute for 20 years. The government did that to ensure sustainability. So it is a Public-Private Partnership.”

He explained that the objectives of the project are to fully harness and utilise alternative options available in managing waste, thus reducing reliance on landfill disposal as well as minimise the emission of greenhouse gases, while managing waste in an environmentally sound, socially responsible and financially sustainable manner.

“We want to harness a new line of economic activities for interested parties within and outside Lagos. We have developed gas wells to manage and recycle municipal solid waste into clean energy. Landfill gas can be generated 24 hours per day, seven days a week.

“The gas is extracted from landfills using a series of wells and a blower or vacuum system. This system directs the collected gas to a central point where it can be processed and treated depending on the ultimate use for it,” he said.

The project holds strong possibilities for job creation, reduction in urban poverty, wealth redistribution and small business enterprise development. Globally, megalitres of raw sewage that would otherwise be pumped into the ocean, and tonnes of organic waste that would normally go into landfills, are being converted into electricity, fertiliser and clean water.

The waste to wealth programme according to Oresanya, also include nylon buyback programme, recycling banks, recycling plant at the Olusosun recycling centre; collection of PET bottles, aluminium cans, cardboard, cullet and other materials; and compost facility in Ikorodu in collaboration with Messrs Earthcare.

Others are the establishment of the recycling village for waste to wealth; engagement in school advocacy programme; waste paper collection; attracting investors for recycling, tyre and waste to energy projects among others.

According to Adeyo, there are different types of recyclables, nylon, metal, paper, plastics, bottles, pet bottles and so on. “But right now Lawma recycles plastics. We have a nylon recycling plant located at Olusosun our land fill site. We also have a composting plant in Ikorodu which is producing organic manure. What we are doing as a government is not to go into the business of recycling, but to show that it is possible, here lawma serves as a waste brokerage, we serve as a stock exchange. Government is supposed to be a regulatory body, but we need to jump start the process so that people will see that it is possible.

 

A new culture

For Adeyo, the whole idea of waste sorting and recycling is a new culture which must be imbibed by the people. “That is why we are doing a lot of education. The recycling banks are there to raise the curiosity of the people and get them asking questions and eventually they will get the right answers and that will help them to begin to imbibe that habit of separating the waste right from their homes.

“The level of compliance is still quite low and we need to do a lot of education and that is why we need to work with the private sector. Yes we are getting response from companies but it is still at a low level yet because not everybody knows that we have these things. That is why we are intensifying our efforts to create awareness and education. The issue of separating waste is a culture that needs to be inculcated and until people start seeing the value in it they will not imbibe it. So we will keep working and educating our people. From the responses we are receiving from our radio and television programmes where people are calling to say so they can actually make money from sorting waste, and they are asking how they can do it better, it is obvious that the message is making an impact. It is a waste to wealth thing, it is an alternative source of income. And we want our people to see it from that angle, in the long run, they will also discover that their environment is becoming cleaner and they are living healthier,” she said.

 

 

Wealth for all

One good thing about the waste to wealth programme is that it has opened up a new business line, the selling of recyclable materials. Moving through Lagos streets these days one sees bundles of satchets water packs which hitherto liter the streets obstructing flow of water in the drains, neatly packed ready for sale to waste merchants. Same goes for pet bottles, waste paper, old cartons, old office files and of course metals of different types.

“What we have done is to put value on those supposedly waste materials by buying it from the public. We have jingles on the radio and television to sensitise people and let them know that there is a market for their pure water sachets. All we want is to get the people sort their waste right from their homes,” said Adeyo.

She added that being a new idea, it would be difficult to get the people to comply if they cannot see any value they can derive from sorting those waste. “You can’t just go from household to household, you can talk from now to eternity people will still not do it, but when you have value that is attached to it, they would by themselves start cooperating with you and that is why that recycling banks are out there to help change the mind set of the people. When people see the banks, they would ask questions and that way they would begin to comply.

“To be honest with you, recycling is a profitable business, if it is not profitable you won’t find people there and it would not be promoted the way it has been in other parts of the world. A lot of companies are now looking inwards because they want to reduce their over heads. Recycling will help to reduce the operating cost for most companies and a lot of companies are looking that direction now. In fact if you go to our land fill site you won’t find metals there because as they are coming people are there waiting to buy them.

“One of the areas we are focusing on this year is tyre recycling. We are working to ensure that after the shelf life of the tyres they don’t end up in the land fills and you know that it remains there, over time it will start releasing some gas that pollute the environment,” Adeyo said.

For Mrs. Tolu Adegbite, a recycling officer at the Olusosun Recycling Plant, “People are actually responding, just a few days ago, an old woman came here with her bundle of satchet water packs for us to buy, even though we have stopped buying satchet water packs for now because our warehouse is over flowing with them, we just couldn’t refuse her. We bought them from her. Another thing we have done is we have rebranded scavengers, they are now called Resource Managers. We did that because we want to give them a more honourable outlook, that way more people would freely join and earn a living from supplying us recyclable materials. It is all part of the job creation part of the programme.”

 

New business opportunity

A visit to the Olusosun landfill site on a typical day, will present the picture of a busy market place with hundreds of scavengers dutifully turning every piece of refuse dropped on the site. It is a case of the faster you are, the more you get. The business is mostly dominated by people from the northern part of the country with a few southerners who in most cases serve as middlemen, buying from the scavengers and reselling to merchants or companies.

Umar Kabila who came all the way from Katsina State is one of the resource managers. Kabila, a secondary school leaver whose aspiration is to do a National Certificate in Education (NCE) programme in a College of Education had to go into scavenging to raise the money he needs to finance his education. He said he has been in the business for four years.  “I want to go to college of education. I finished secondary school in 2004, I tried to do NCE but I don’t have the money, so I decided to come here and hustle. If I get enough money I will go back to school. I have saved up to over N100,000. It would have been more than that but you know I have to assist my parents. We are more than 20 children in my family,” he explained.

Kabila said that metal gives more gain than nylon and plastics. He also reveals that because of the competitive nature of the business, customers deposit money with the suppliers pending the time the materials are available.

On the volume of materials one can pick in a day, Kabila said it could be as high as two tonnes a week or even more depending on how hardworking one is. “But that is no longer the case, the volume has been drastically reduced because many people have joined. I think that is because they have seen that there is a lot of money to be made picking scraps,” he said.

Apart from the scavengers, there are also others who are at the site providing support services like the food vendors, recharge card sellers, loaders and the carriers. Mustapha Abubakar is one of the carriers. He said he makes about N4000 a day carrying the scraps for those who bought them to their vehicles. But then he does not work every day because their work have been scheduled in such a way that every body gets a chance to work. They have a union.

Government also generates revenue from the business activities at the landfill. For instance, scavengers pay a daily rate of N70, sellers pay N100 weekly while buyers also pay N200 to government each time they were at the site to transact business.

From all indication this waste-to-wealth project is of inestimable value especially in a society where unemployment is at its highest peak and families are finding it difficult to feed and where there is severe environmental degradation and frightening trends in the climatic system. Turning waste into energy is a proven technology that has the potential to provide a significant amount of domestic energy needs, while reducing the nation’s over-dependence on landfill and also solving the perennial problem of erratic power supply.

It is instructive to know that this sustainable system environmental management through waste to wealth is catching the attention of other states in the federation. Ondo State has already introduced the system with the slogan: Pure water satchet = Cash. Plateau State is also thinking along that line but according to the state commissioner for environment, Mrs. Sarah Yusuf, the state is still trying to set up a central dump site.

 

 

Price list

 

Item                                                            Price per kg

PET bottles                                                      N20

White paper                                                     N20

Colour paper                                                    N10

Nylon bag                                                        N20

Metals                                                              N15

Shoe soles                                                        N30

Aluminum cans                                                N75

Jerry cans                                                         N14

Satchet water packs                                         N30

Clothes                                                            N10 or N20

Bottles                                                             N10 (each)

Various News on the Environment “2”. by Kolawole Ilori

Survey predicts brighter future for sustainable product marketing

 

If you build it, they will come. That’s the message behind a new research study conducted by shopper marketing and industry insight experts, Ryan Partnership Chicago and Mambo Sprouts Marketing, which shows health and eco-consumers want one universal green score to help them make sustainable product buying decisions.

New survey findings published in the One Green Score for One Earth sustainability research white paper suggest shoppers would increase sustainable product spending if only they could determine which products were truly green and which had been simply green-washed.

“We know that consumer commitment to earth-friendly products is increasing,” says Christine Nardi Diette, president of Ryan Partnership Chicago. “But all of the green messaging is creating more confusion than confidence. Consumers are challenging manufacturers and retailers to be clear about their commitment to sustainability.”

According to the study, health and eco-conscious consumers say that a universal product sustainability score would influence their brand purchase decisions. Research findings indicate just how strong the demand is for such a score and how consumers would prefer the rating system to work.

 

AT&T to use plant plastic in accessory packaging

 

AT&T has announced plans to introduce new plastic in AT&T-branded accessory packaging, which is composed of up to 30 percent plant-based materials sourced from

ethanol harvested from natural sugarcane. The sugarcane used in this plant plastic is a rapidly renewable agricultural crop and replaces nearly a third of the fossil fuels traditionally used in this accessory packaging with material made from plants.

The adoption of the new plastic is part of AT&T’s broader overall commitment to minimize its environmental impact. In March of 2010 the company announced its plans to slim down their accessory packaging; in 2010 and 2011, the company eliminated the use of over 500 tons of paper and plastic in that packaging.

Customers can expect to see the transition to the new packaging in stores and online starting October 2, 2011. The plastic will be used in packaging for AT&T-branded wireless accessories, which includes most device cases and power accessories.

“As a company we are committed to minimizing our own environmental impact, and we see the introduction of this plant-based plastic as an important step in the right direction,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president for devices, AT&T. “We are excited to be the first U.S. telecom company to use this plastic in our packaging and we hope other companies will join us in finding ways to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. We are actively working with our accessory suppliers to incorporate both less packaging and more sustainable plastic and paper.”

Prior advancements in AT&T’s efforts to reduce waste and minimize the overall environmental impact of accessory packaging include using soy and/or vegetable-based ink and recycled paperboard

AT&T is committed to integrating sustainable business practices across its business and was recently added to Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s 12th Annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens List. AT&T was also included in the 2010 Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index (DJSI) and in Carbon Disclosure Project’s (CDP) 2010 Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI).

 

 

KIV

Entergy Corporation leads in sustainability for 10 years

 

For the 10th straight year, Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR) has been recognized as a leader in sustainability, ranking among the best in climate strategy, corporate governance, occupational health and safety, price and risk management, and scorecard measurements.

Entergy was named to the 2011-12 Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index, one of only 13 U.S. utilities included on that list. DJSI North America evaluates the largest North American companies based on long-term economic, environmental and social criteria.

 

Entergy has been included on either the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index or DJSI North America every year since 2002.

 

“We could not be more proud of Entergy being named among the sustainability leaders for what is now 10 years in a row,” said J. Wayne Leonard, chairman and chief executive officer of Entergy Corporation. “It’s objective validation that our work to integrate sustainable business principles into our business model continues to pay dividends to the environment, our customers and our shareholders.”

 

Companies are selected for the index based on a comprehensive assessment of long-term economic, environmental and social criteria that account for general as well as industry-specific sustainability trends.

 

The DJSI North America selects the top 20 percent in terms of sustainability from each industry sector of the 600 biggest North American companies on the Dow Jones Global Total Stock Market Index. The results were announced by SAM, an investment firm focused on sustainability investing, together with Dow Jones Indexes.

 

Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $11 billion and approximately 15,000 employees.

 

Entergy.com

Various News on the Environment. by Kolawole Ilori

Going Green: AT&T sets new milestone

 

 

AT&T’s 10-year commitment to a cleaner corporate fleet is rolling into new territory. The company recently announced the deployment of the 4,000th alternative-fuel vehicle (AFV) in its corporate vehicle fleet – with more than 2,000 AFVs deployed in California alone. It also announced that it has deployed its 3,000th compressed natural gas vehicle (CNG).

AT&T deployed its 4,000th AFV in Chicago, IL; its 3,000th CNG in Houston, TX; and the 2,000th AFV of its California fleet in San Diego. All of the milestone vehicles are Ford E250 CNG vans.

The deployments are the latest in AT&T’s planned 10-year investment of up to $565 million to replace approximately 15,000 fleet vehicles with alternative-fuel models through 2018. Currently, the AT&T corporate fleet – which is part of the Department of Energy’s Clean Cities’ National Clean Fleets Partnership – features more than 71,500 vehicles and includes one of the largest U.S. corporate commitments to CNG vehicles to date. AT&T avoided the purchase of one million gallons of petroleum in 2010 as a result of its use of CNG vehicles.

“As the economy rises and falls with fuel prices, we have a responsibility to look for smart ways to reduce our costs,” said Jerome Webber, vice president, AT&T Global Fleet Operations. “Putting 4,000 alternative-fuel vehicles on the road – including 3,000 compressed natural gas vehicles – is a significant statement about the ability of fleet operators to not only reduce costs, but also to cut vehicle emissions. Every alternative fuel vehicle on the road brings us closer to energy independence, and that’s good for our company and our country.”

Along with its fleet of CNG vehicles, AT&T is deploying all-electric and extended range electric vehicles in its fleet. AT&T fleets in St. Louis, Dallas and Los Angeles received the first of these vehicles. AT&T expects to make additional deployments in 2011 and 2012.

Through 2013, AT&T anticipates it will have purchased approximately 8,000 CNG vehicles at an anticipated cost of $350 million. The company expects to invest an additional $215 million through 2018 to replace approximately 7,100 fleet passenger cars with alternative-fuel models.

According to a 2009 Center for Automotive Research report, AT&T’s planned alternative-fuel vehicle initiative would:

 

* Save 49 million gallons of gasoline over the 10-year deployment period.

* Reduce carbon emissions by 211,000 metric tons – the greenhouse gas equivalent of removing 38,600 passenger vehicles from the road for one year.

 

 

 

UPS also goes for 100 all-electric vehicles

 

 

UPS (NYSE: UPS) has announced the purchase of 100 all-electric delivery vehicles for deployment in California, bolstering UPS’s continuing effort to reduce the emissions of its truck fleet and improve its energy security.

The 100 vehicles will be acquired from Electric Vehicles International (EVI) of Stockton, Calif., and will replace older generation diesel trucks in the largest single deployment of zero tailpipe emission delivery vehicles in the state. These electric vehicles will have a 90-mile range and displace an estimated 126,000 gallons of fuel a year that would have been burned running diesel trucks.

“This purchase is a milestone for UPS’s alternative fleet expansion,” said Mike Britt, UPS’s director of vehicle engineering. “UPS’s research and development of alternative technologies has determined it is time to explore electric drive systems within the short-range segment of our delivery fleet. This purchase is an important first step in supporting investment and advancement in electric vehicle technology. EVI’s vehicle met our requirements in the test phase. Now we will operate these vehicles in the real world and help establish the future viability of this technology.”

UPS currently has 28 all-electric vehicles in its fleet operating in New York City and in Europe.

UPS operates one of the largest private fleets of alternative fuel vehicles in its industry with more than 2,200 in total. Since 2000, UPS’s “green fleet” has traveled more than 200 million miles. Besides all-electric technology, UPS has deployed Compressed Natural Gas, propane, Liquified Natural Gas and hybrid- electric vehicles in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Brazil, Korea, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. It also has tested hybrid hydraulic and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

UPS’s first foray into alternative fuel vehicles was with a fleet of electric vehicles that operated in New York in the 1930’s. Prior to this purchase, the company also tested an electric car in Santiago, Chile, and 13 zero tailpipe emission electric minivans in downtown Los Angeles.

“The advantage of an electric power train is zero tailpipe emissions.” added Britt. “These trucks will be perfectly suited for UPS’s short range urban delivery routes.”

UPS pursues a wide range of socially responsible and sustainable business practices designed to reduce its impact on the environment and improve communities around the world though the company has not yet began experimenting with any of these all-electric vehicles in Africa especially Nigeria.

 

 

Turner, Earle and Branson form OceanElders

 

Ted Turner, Dr. Sylvia Earle and Sir Richard Branson have joined together to help launch OceanElders to help put ocean conservation at the forefront of the global agenda. The newly formed non-profit organization brings together global leaders to use their wide range of experience and influence, supported by science and data, to pursue the protection of the ocean’s habitat and wildlife.

Joining Mr. Turner, Dr. Earle and Sir Richard Branson as founding Ocean Elders are Jackson Browne, Dr. Rita Colwell, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Graeme Kelleher, Sven Linblad, Captain Don Walsh and Neil Young.

“I have a great love for the oceans and I believe that we need a plan to save them,” said Turner. “I’m honored to work together with global leaders in order to advance critical ocean issues and help protect these ecosystems.”

Over the past four decades, Turner has stepped into the international spotlight with one accomplishment after another. Whether in billboard advertising, cable television, sports, sailing, environmental initiatives or philanthropy, Turner’s vision, determination, generosity and forthrightness have consistently given the world reason to take notice.

Dr. Earle, called “Her Deepness” by The New Yorker and The New York Times, is an oceanographer, explorer, author and lecturer with experience as a field research scientist. She will take the lead from a scientific and conservation perspective, helping navigate the wide range of complex ocean issues. Having led more than 100 expeditions and logged more than 7,000 hours underwater, Dr. Earle’s experience in deep-sea research, exploration and conservation is unparalleled.

Sir Richard Branson is Founder and Chairman of the Virgin Group. Virgin is one of the world’s most recognized and respected brands and has expanded into many diverse sectors from air and ground travel to telecommunications, health, space travel and renewable energy through more than 200 companies worldwide.  Sir Richard was instrumental in founding The Elders, an organization focused on human rights.

In addition to working at the global policy level, OceanElders will develop a web-based network of regional Ocean Elders focused on garnering support for ocean-related issues in their local communities. The overarching goal is to make the oceans top-of-mind in people’s thoughts and conversations, bringing the issue to the forefront of the global agenda for the first time in history.

The idea for OceanElders was born on the Mission Blue Voyage to the Galapagos Islands in April 2010, where more than 100 scientists, business leaders, philanthropists and celebrities came together to help Dr. Sylvia Earle, 2009 TED Prize Winner. Given “one wish to change the world” by TED, Earle asked for help in catalyzing public support for the urgent need for ocean conservation by advocating for the establishment of a global network of marine protected areas – “hope spots” in Earle’s words – big enough to save and restore the ocean.

A Mission Blue Voyage participant and philanthropist, Gigi Brisson returned home inspired to sustain the momentum sparked in the Galapagos. Aware of the mission and positive impact of The Elders in addressing human rights, Brisson believed that a similar structure could be applied to benefit the ocean. Following its model, Brisson created and funded OceanElders, and targeted global leaders who had a personal passion for the ocean and all marine life.

 

Nestle wins the 2011 Stockholm Industry Water Award

 

Nestle received the Stockholm Industry Water Award for its leadership and performance to improve water management in its internal operations and throughout its supply chain

The Award Committee recognised Nestlé’s work to improve the water management of its suppliers, which includes over 25 million people who are involved in its entire value chain. Joppe Cramwinckel, Award Committee Member and Director of Water Projects at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, said: “Through its unwavering commitment, Nestlé has established itself as a leader in smart water management and is deserving of this prestigious award. It is providing an example for other food producers and distributors to follow. With agriculture accounting for nearly 70% of global water use, and food demand expected to double by 2050, companies have an increasing responsibility to improve food chain resource efficiency.”

The honourary award was presented to the chairman of Nestlé SA, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, at a ceremony during the World Water Week in Stockholm. When receiving the news earlier, he said: “I am most grateful for this recognition. We have identified water as the biggest challenge for future food security, and beyond that, for economic growth. This is probably the most prestigious award in this area for a company – and it will be a strong encouragement for us to continue with our efforts.”

Nestlé is the largest food and nutrition company in the world, employing around 280 000 people in over 100 countries. Over the past decade, Nestlé has reduced the total water withdrawals by over 30 percent, more than doubled the water efficiency of their internal operations and made significant reductions in the quantity of wastewater discharged into the environment.

 

 

Green Festival celebrates 10th anniversary October 29th

 

Green Festival, United States’ premier green living event is billed to hold in Los Angeles October 29-30 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. This year, Green Festival celebrates a 10 year milestone with over one million attendees in eight cities.

This unique experience celebrates positive solutions working in US communities. It’s where people come to meet renowned authors, actors, visionaries and community leaders; shop with hundreds of green businesses; participate in do it yourself (DIY) workshops; enjoy live music and local vegan and vegetarian cuisine; and join friends at the organic beer and wine garden.

“In Mayor Villaraigosa’s ongoing commitment to make Los Angeles one of the world’s Greenest Cities,  he is happy to welcome Green Festival  to Los Angeles and looks forward to opening the festival on October 29th,” according to Romel Pascual, Deputy Mayor of Environment for Los Angles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa.

Ten stages and pavilions will host more than 125 inspirational and educational speakers and teachers, including Dolores Huerta, Amy Goodman, Tom Hayden, Marianne Williamson, Rev. Yearwood Lennox and the Hip Hop Caucus, John Perkins, Starhawk, Mark Hertsgaard, David Korten, Jeffrey Smith, Jodie Evans and many more.

Spanish language programming will include Latino cooking demonstrations, greening your home and garden, and activities for the whole family at the Green Kid’s Zone.

“We’re excited to host the inaugural Green Festival in Los Angeles and bring Angelenos together to learn how to bring sustainability into their lives,” says Jonathan Parfrey, Climate Resolve Executive Director and a commissioner at the Department of Water & Power Board. “For those of us who care about Los Angeles and its future, the Green Festival is a place to talk about climate change and how to prepare to adapt.”

With the holiday season just around the corner, Green Festival is the perfect location to support local businesses all in one location. The Green Marketplace profiles hundreds of green and socially responsible businesses and organizations. Attendees browse everything from green, non-toxic home furnishings to organic clothing to Fair Trade gifts, children’s toys and much more.

View socially and environmentally impactful film shorts at the Communications Revolution Stage and the Sierra Club Green Cinema. Discover the latest in environmentally responsible construction materials and methods in the Green Building Pavilion. Empower your inner entrepreneur with Green Business Seminars and find your next green careers.

Check out the latest in all-electric and hybrid transportation at the Ford Pavilion and enjoy a test drive right at the Green Festival.  Join Ford in celebrating social and environmental innovation in the community and vote for the finalists who will win a $5,000 Ford Community Green Grant.

A joint project of Green America and Global Exchange, Green Festival is a non-profit 501c3 event to explore and build sustainable solutions for successful communities and a healthier environment.

 

Green sectors expanding into trillions of Dollars

 

While mainstream media, economists and general opinion still designate the Green Economy as “emerging” and assume green investments are riskier or provide lower returns than other investments, global investors have quietly and increasingly moved their assets into the green transition. The 2011 midyear update of Ethical Markets Media’s GREEN TRANSITION SCOREBOARD shows more than $2.4 trillion of private sector investments in green companies and technologies globally since 2007.

The Green Transition Scoreboard (GTS) counts non-government investments and commitments for all facets of green markets starting in 2007 to the second quarter of 2011 – totaling $2,405,182,005,199 worldwide. As Hazel Henderson, creator of the GTS, explains in “Good News on Global Green Transition,” the GTS anticipates investments and commitments of $1 trillion annually until 2020, a figure models and studies indicate will accelerate the global green transition.

Compared to the 2010 findings, global investors are slightly off the mark but still building momentum to reach $10 trillion by 2020. In an otherwise flat market, corporate R&D and cleantech M&A are driving much of the green economic growth. “This updated total is noteworthy, as it comes in spite of economic uncertainty,” says Henderson.

Corporate R&D in green transition technologies accounts for over $258 billion of the August GTS number, a notable increase from the $163 billion finding detailed in the Report on the Green Transition Scoreboard February 2011. This jump may reflect greater management awareness of the need for redesigning products and services for increased energy and materials efficiencies – criteria now driving innovation. And reporting standards are improving, as investors demand greater disclosure and governments, such as Japan, publish environmental accounting guidelines.

The R&D number is also significant in light of the above $100 million threshold in GTS research from 2007 to 2010, meaning thousands of R&D projects, with a myriad of novel approaches, remained uncounted. The 2012 report will focus on investments from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) not normally tallied in summaries, and the Ethical Markets research team plans to expand current categories and add new ones, particularly tracking the emergence of companies based on biomimicry of nature’s productive processes.

The August update is the first GTS report to include some R&D under $100 million. “Deals under $100 million, while barely moving a barometer tracking investments in trillions, are significant as they demonstrate how thousands of different companies believe in the economic soundness of greening industries,” says Timothy Nash, lead researcher for the GTS. “These diverse companies are all investing in making systems and products more effective, using less energy and generating less pollution throughout the life-cycle.”

What is this going green all about?

By Joseph Chibueze

 

The green revolution is on and the bug is catching on like wild fire. Going green has become one of the most used expressions today — in print, on the air, and repeatedly on the lips of individuals, even those who have little or no idea of what it actually entails.

In Nigeria, many companies have joined the bandwagon by painting their offices green, changing their official letterheads, complimentary cards, their window blinds, their carpets as well as their cars to green colour. As far as they are concerned, they have gone green. This is a practice Dr. Ken Egbas, managing partner, TruContact Communications referred to as not only laughable, but outright off the point and a clear demonstration of ignorance. According to him, “The green is not in the colour.”

When the idea to write on this topic came up at our editorial meeting, it was shocking to observe that even those one thought should know, only have a faint idea of what going green means. In fact a number of the people at the meeting argued that Nigeria is not yet ripe to join the green movement because according to them, going green is not only expensive, it is also technologically demanding.

 

Wrong notion

The thinking of many organizations in Nigeria even those whose parent companies have already gone far with their green products in the western world, is that it is a capital intensive concept which they are not prepared to shoulder, at least not for now. If at all they have to do anything, it is planting trees and grasses around the office and go to town to announce that they have joined the green movement.

 

Meaning

Going green reflects a general environmental philosophy and social consciousness around saving and advancing earth’s natural resources — preserving them overall, but also protecting them for the sake of civilization.

For Egbas, “Going green is simply doing business for today while putting your eyes on the future in terms of sustainability.”

The key word in the whole idea of going green is sustainability, doing things that will ensure that the earth is not rendered unhabitable. Unfortunately in Nigeria, this does not seem to bother many people especially those that are engaged in activities that have serious negative impact on the environment. It will shock a lot of people to know that many companies operating in the country, particularly those in the extractive industry are just going about their business with reckless abandon without any regard for the environment.

Mr. Ufot Udeme, Managing director SO&U Saachi & Saachi, one of the leading advertising agencies in Nigeria while acknowledging that Nigeria is nowhere near the green economy, however said it is not yet too late to wake up. According to him, “I don’t think it is too late for us to imbibe those principles of sustainability but I think the earlier we start the better, if we don’t focus on those practices that will ensure sustainability even at personal level, it will be damaging for us.”

So it is something we should begin to look at more seriously. The reason why many people are looking at the concept of going green as something out of this world is basically because they do not understand the concept. According to Udeme, the reason Nigerian companies are not taking the issue of going green and sustainability serious is partly ignorance “because people tend to believe that we have so many other problems so why encumber ourselves with this one. My belief is that as any company embarks on the journey of anti corruption and integrity in business, it should also do the same thing for the environment, for sustainability. A time will come where if we are not careful we will be swallowed up. The world is focusing on Africa now and when they come, in fact they are already here, and many more will come, the danger we will face if we don’t put in place those rules and principles that will protect us, what we will see in our environment will be worse than what the oil companies have done when it comes to pollution. So we must start now to put those frame works in place to protect our environment,” he said.

 

Anyone can join the green movement

Going green is not all about hi-tech and lots of money in the pocket. In fact if anything it actually encourages innovation and cost saving in the long run. There are some simple steps that can also be taken that do not involve huge costs like fewer lights (bulbs in and on), using mugs not paper cups so that it can be reused over and over, 2-up double sided printing, less printing, making notebooks from scrap paper (of which there is lots), shutting monitors and desk lighting off.

In all types of cars, there are some things that can be done to help aid performance and decrease cost such as carrying less unneeded weight and striving to avoid speeding. Ensuring the car is properly tuned up, checking and replacing air and fuel filters and belts, and keeping tires inflated to recommended pressures also help keep a car running in the most efficient, environmentally friendly way. Evaporative emissions may be saved when avoiding pumping fuel on very hot days, while fuel efficiency may get a slight improvement by going without air conditioning whenever possible. The need for air conditioning to vacate really hot air from a parked car’s interior can be reduced by parking in the shade or using a windshield cover to help deflect heat, thus lessening heat build-up, Carpooling, combining multiple errands into single trips and taking public transportation.

In some advanced economies it is even suggested that people should engage in what is called Telecommuting (that is working at home and using the internet or other electronic device to link a central office), if one can handle it, as it saves substantially on pollution and cost, and more companies are offering this as an option. A company can also consider staggering work hours to avoid traffic congestion. If possible, walk, cycle, or use public transportation to get to work. Businesses can take advantage of natural light by installing solar panels. Garages can be rigged accordingly, and some car owners are even using solar power to charge their cars overnight. Some who wash their cars at home do so as a two-fold answer to conserving water as well as watering the yard; they simply park it on the lawn during a wash for less runoff. These are all simple ways of saving energy and reducing toxic emission into the environment.

But is it not surprising that simple as some of these steps are, organizations operating in this country are not thinking of them, instead their mind is focused on the more difficult ones like researching into manufacturing green products and changing their production lines to accommodate the new line of products.

What many organizations in this country have failed to realise, which is why they are still not bothered about the going green initiative, is that very soon as consumers become more aware of the need for sustainability, they will only be patronizing organizations that have proved to them that sustainability is an integral part of their business strategy. According to Udeme, “Saachi and Saachi has a unit called sustainability and they have shown that driving for sustainability can be rewarding in itself. In the western world where it has become a critical issue consumers are very conscious of what companies they deal with. You would want to buy goods from a company that you know is committed to ensuring that your great grand children have an earth they can live in. For the consumers, every good they buy from a company that is committed to sustainability is an investment, and what that means is that such companies will get more patronage.”

 

BOX THIS

Why to Go Green: By the Numbers

• 1 pound per hour: the amount of carbon dioxide that is saved from entering the atmosphere for every kilowatt-hour of renewable energy produced.
• 60 percent: the reduction in developmental problems in children in China who were born after a coal-burning power plant closed in 2006.
• 35 percent: the amount of coal’s energy that is actually converted to electricity in a coal-burning power plant. The other two-thirds is lost to heat.
• 2.5 percent: the percentage of humans’ carbon dioxide emission produced by air travel now, still making it the largest transportation-related greenhouse gas emitter.
• 5 percent: the percentage of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions expected to be produced by air travel by the year 2050.
• 1.5 acres: the amount of rainforest lost every second to land development and deforestation, with tremendous losses to habitat and biodiversity.
• 137: the number of plant, animal and insect species lost every day to rainforest deforestation, equating to roughly 50,000 species per year.
• 4 pounds, 6 ounces: the amount of cosmetics that can be absorbed through the skin of a woman who wears makeup every day, over the period of one year.
• 61 percent: the percentage of women’s lipstick, out of the 33 tested, found to contain lead in a test by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.
• 95 percent: the amount of energy saved by recycling an aluminum can versus creating the can from virgin aluminum. That means you can make 20 cans out of recycled material with the same amount of energy it takes to make one can out of new material. Energy savings in one year alone are enough to light a city the size of Pittsburgh for six years.
• 113,204: the number, on average, of aluminum cans recycled each minute of each day.
• 3: the number of hours a television set can run on the energy saved from recycling just one aluminum can.
• 40 percent: the percentage of energy saved by recycling newsprint over producing it from virgin materials.

Sources: Consumer Reports, Environmental Health Perspectives, Raintree Nutrition, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and EPA Water and EPA Recycling, Worldwatch Institute, Energy Information Administration, Ready, Set, Green, Earth911.org, The Telegraph, Yahoo! News