Sustainable Industries Daily Update

David Foster, ED of The Blue-Green Alliance

The Federal Trade Commission is planning to release a new version of its "Green Guides" by the end of the summer according to reports. The new guides will replace versions written in the 1990s and will likely have a hefty affect on the plethora of eco-labels, certifications and claims of biodegradability that litter consumer packaging. It might also influence Wal-Mart's proposed Sustainability Index.

Shocking much of the sustainable business world, Burgerville laid off its director of sustainability, Alison Dennis the other day. Business is fine, say company execs. It's just that sustainability is already an ingrained part of the company culture, so other C-level execs will take on the responsibility of tracking and implementing efforts Dennis would have, according to reports.

The Blue-Green Alliance--a group comprising environmental activists and labor representatives--is currently in the midst of a three-week, 30-day tour around the country. The tour is meant to increase pressure on Congress to pass comprehensive climate legislation.

Yesterday, the strength of the Alliance grew when AFL-CIO announced that it is joining up with Blue-Green Alliance.Putting up a green building isn't an effort to be taken lightly as I wrote yesterday in response to an article by Scott Adams, creator of "Dilbert." Nor is it one to be done in isolation according to a group of three architects: Joshua Prince-Ramus, Randolph R. Croxton and Tuomas Toivonen. Putting up a green building without taking into account its surroundings, connecting it to services and using existing technologies when appropriate won't have the desired affect on climate change. Seems simple enough, but a post on Grist points out some of the shortcomings of many "green building" efforts.

Ford and Portland General Electric are joining forces to develop electric vehicle infrastructure and policy. The move only reinforces the efforts of the city of Portland to make the area an electric vehicle hub, as we reported earlier this month.