Business

Today I ventured to Ikea.  I'm really not a huge Ikea fan, mostly because the maze-like layout of the store annoys me and stresses me out.  I also don't live super close to this Ikea - it took me a little over a half hour to get there.  However, I do like their kitchen products and kid's stuff.   Today I wanted to do some holiday shopping for my son before Ikea got too hectic for the holidays.    

This was my first time going to the Stoughton, Massachusetts location and I was impressed to see how green it was.

I went specifically to get a wooden train set for my 2 year old.  It's a much less expensive knock-off of the Thomas the Train sets and compatible with Thomas trains, as well.  Most of the toys were wooden or cloth.  The plastic toys they had were mostly BPA-free.  The prices were reasonable, so I stocked up and my holiday shopping for my son is pretty much done! 

While there, I noticed signs mentioning that their Stoughton location has a green roof.  When I got back, I found some awesome pictures of the green roof.  Check them out at GreenRoofs.com.   Very cool!  ... read more

Silicon Valley's Environmental Business Cluster is holding a Corporate Cash for Cleantech event on September 29, 2011.    The event consists of an an industry panel focusing on big corporations seeking information on cleantech.  The discussions will include panelists from Chevron, EFT Energy, and more.  

"Our panel discussions are candid, interactive and informal," explains the Environmental Business Cluster. "We want you to walk away with the real story behind how things work so you can make it happen yourself."... read more

In July, California Governor Jerry Brown, announced a plan to increase the state's renewable energy to a 12-gigawatt by 2020, by relying on “tens of thousands of little decisions” by residents and business owners. Brown cited the cost of routing large-scale energy farms in remote areas as a reason for focusing on smaller projects. He also cited the delays in previous large-scale desert projects due to litigation over natural resources, native animals, and Native American sites.

However, a recent article from Freakonomics.com points out several concerns with this plan, based on simple cost-benefit analysis:

-Individuals (such as homeowners and small businesses) do not make decisions based on what is “socially optimal”... read more

I live in Massachusetts, which is Dunkin Donuts country.  While the affinity for a Dunkin Donuts cup of joe is strong here, Dunkin's commitment to the environment is seriously lacking.  Many of their hot coffee drinks still come in Styrofoam.... read more

Remember Chipkos, their awesome sandals, and their efforts to protect the rain forest?  The rain forest-saving footwear company is at it again, this time with on an online campaign called The Chipkos One Million Square Feet Challenge.... read more