Climate Action’s Business News Round-up: Earth Day Special
Climate Action brings you an overview of some of the Earth Day promotions and events businesses are carrying out to mark the occasion and highlight their green credentials, including drives to promote responsible disposal of electronics, paperless billing and even the debut of an eco reality show.
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Today (22 April) is Earth Day, an annual celebration of the planet and its environment that has been happening for over 40 years. The day is coordinated by the Earth Day Network (EDN), which works with over 22,000 partners in 192 countries aiming to broaden, diversify and mobilise the environmental movement. This year the theme is “A Billion Acts of Green” – the EDN hopes to register one billion actions that reduce carbon emissions and support sustainability in time for the Rio Earth Summit in 2012.
Climate Action takes a look at some of the different initiatives businesses and organisations are doing for the planet on Earth Day:
To coincide with Earth Day, the City of Austin is broadcasting the first episode of its own reality TV show, Dare to Go Zero, which sees families battle it out to be the first to reduce their household waste to zero. The city hopes to educate the population of the importance of reducing waste.
CenterPoint Energy, a U.S. domestic power supplier, is encouraging its customers to register for paperless billing by offering to plant a tree for each person, in their home state, who signs up on Earth Day.
With technology advancing too quickly for most to keep up with, ever more electronic equipment is being thrown out. Gazelle, a service for reselling electronics is joining forces with online retailer Newegg to encourage people to prevent electronics reaching landfill. People can trade in old equipment with Gazelle and receive vouchers to spend at Newegg.
From Earth Day onwards Microsoft will be using 100 per cent recycled paper in all its Puget Sound facilities including their headquarters. The software giant expects the initiative to save 8,000 trees a year while cutting their carbon and water footprints.
United and Continental Airlines hope to encourage paperless mobile boarding this Earth Day by offering to donate $1 to Conservation International’s Protect an Acre programme – a project combating tropical deforestation – for every customer that uses the service.
Looking to advance your green credentials this Earth Day? The Advertising Specialty Institute is promoting 11 eco-friendly products for Earth Day 2011 that businesses can use to promote their eco credibility today and all year round including drinks coolers made of recycled paper and flip flops that used to be coconuts.
And finally, the Yulex Corporation are using Earth Day to remind people that for them it is Earth Day every day. The company produces environmentally friendly, sustainable materials, from a U.S. grown plant, which could be used as a replacement for traditional rubbers.
Let Climate Action know what you’re doing this Earth Day. Leave a comment below or tweet us @Climate_Action_.
Visit EarthDay.org for more information or to pledge a green act.
Front page image: Saad Irfan | Flickr
Image 1: FlyingSinger | Flickr
Image 2: far closer | Flickr
Image 3: SingChan | Flickr
