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Celebrating transformative philanthropy. Global Cleantech Cluster Association Announces Winners. The Global Cleantech Cluster Association is pleased to announce its winners for the 2011 Later Stage Award.

Global Cleantech Cluster Association Announces Winners

Global renewable energy investment to double over next 10 years - 16 Nov 2011. Smith Electric Announced IPO. This is an archived story.

Smith Electric Announced IPO

The information and any links may no longer be accurate. Smith Electric Vehicles, which recently unveiled the first electric school bus, has filed for an IPO, hoping to raise $125 million. It will trade under the ticker (SMTH). Smith produces electric vehicles (EVs) for commercial uses - vans, buses and trucks - for companies and municipalities. It sold 320 vehicles over the past year and says it has written letters of interest for 2200 vehicles. Frito-Lay says it's building the largest fleet of commercial electric trucks in North America. Clean tech investment clears $45bn on back of record asset finance - 14 Oct 2011.

Today’s Better Businesses Are Green. Business Published on October 10th, 2011 | by Guest Contributor Not so long ago, any overture an entrepreneur made toward environmental sensitivity served her company well. Customers responded favorably to these businesses, whether or not their particular shades of green came from sincere and meaningful efforts or superficial marketing campaigns. The Unreasonable Institute Helps High-Impact Social Entrepreneurs Take Flight. There is a growing consensus that entrepreneurs will be the force behind economic, social and environmental development this century. IF11: The Power of Sharing Sustainability. Breaking down the walls of trade secrets and copyright protection is one of the biggest obstacles to advancing disruptive innovation -- after all, owning the rights to the Next Big Thing is the tried-and-true way to make your company a big success.

But a short presentation on the last day of the Innovation Forum showed how that obstacle is slowly disappearing, and how that will speed innovation. John Wilbanks, the Vice President of Science at Creative Commons, presented on the power of sharing knowledge. "The risk of incremental innovation is that when we don't share, we typically get only incremental advantages in technology," Wilbanks said. He gave the example of the ear horn, of all things. News, Opinion, Events, Press Releases, Jobs, Directory, Resources. Making money took a back seat yesterday at a conference for Chinese businessmen from around the world.

News, Opinion, Events, Press Releases, Jobs, Directory, Resources

Instead, social responsibility and the time-honoured values of Chinese towkays, like diligence, were the dominant themes at two sessions of the 11th World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention. Speaking on environmental protection, property tycoon Wang Shi, chairman of China Vanke, was blunt, saying real estate developers – including his own – were not yet doing enough to introduce green features to buildings in China. But they are slowly changing, he said, as more Chinese cities offer subsidies for green technology and the cost of utilities goes up, making consumers more conscious of saving energy. But too many companies were still opting for profits first, he added. ‘We must remember that if the earth fails to continue sustaining itself, China’s economy will also not be able to sustain itself either.’ Top Ten CleanTech Initiatives of Veolia. Veolia is one of the global leaders in environmental services.

Top Ten CleanTech Initiatives of Veolia

They provide services on all seven continents and offer customized solutions that need the growing needs of industrial and municipal customers in four complementary categories – energy services, environmental services, water , and passenger transportation . Currently, Veolia is listed as a global leader in water services, European leader in energy services for business and local authority clients, the only operator able to manage all forms of waste, including hazardous and non on all continents, and the leading private operator of United States and European public transportation.

Government launches £1m clean energy skills drive - 07 Oct 2011. Cleantech Investments Grow 12% in Q3, US Leads the World. This is an archived story.

Cleantech Investments Grow 12% in Q3, US Leads the World

The information and any links may no longer be accurate. Investments in clean technologies around the world grew 12% in the third quarter, totaling $2.23 billion across 189 deals, announced Cleantech group. It grew 12% compared to the second quarter ($1.98 billion - 179 deals) and 23% in Q3 2010 ($1.81 billion). Finding Your Funding Model (September 14, 2011) Many nonprofit leaders seek reliable funding but are not sure how best to pursue it.

Finding Your Funding Model (September 14, 2011)

Four guidelines provide a road map for leaders to identify and develop the right funding model for their organization. (Illustration by Greg Mably) Nonprofit leaders spend an enormous amount of time on fundraising, but many typically have little idea how to secure the money they will need over the next five years. At the same time, their vision for how the organization’s programs will evolve over the next five years is often sharp and clear. The rub is that a well-thought-out approach to raising revenue is essential to sustaining those programs and increasing their impact.

Strong Growth in 3Q Clean Tech Investments Despite Headwinds. Cars Published on October 6th, 2011 | by Andrew Clean tech investments rose 12% quarterly and 23% year-to-year in 3Q 2011, totaling $3.34 billion and 189 transactions.

Strong Growth in 3Q Clean Tech Investments Despite Headwinds

Slowing activity in major economies and the possibility of another breakdown in the global financial system hampered clean tech investment growth in 3Q, yet overall investment levels continued to exhibit strong growth, according to preliminary results of a Cleantech Group research report. “While financing remains constrained, it’s great to see growth in venture activity,” said Sheeraz Haji, Cleantech Group CEO. “Energy Storage emerged as our top sector, indicating continued strong interest in advanced technologies for grid-storage as well as for electric vehicles. Open Sustainability Innovation Gives Companies a Competitive Advantage. This post makes the point that companies need a long-term and open approach to thinking about sustainability and innovation that will require companies to adopt a more collaborative perspective and a more open approach to innovation.

Open Sustainability Innovation Gives Companies a Competitive Advantage

The increasing adoption of open innovation is important in getting sustainability innovations out of market niches to allow them to spread across a whole industry sector. by Frank-Martin Belz, Professor at the Technische Universität München (TUM School of Management) and Ken Peattie, Professor at Cardiff Business School, and Director of the Research Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability and Society (BRASS). Both authored the award winning book, Sustainability Marketing: A Global Perspective. News, Opinion, Events, Press Releases, Jobs, Directory, Resources. Natural cosmetic sales are increasing at a fast rate in Asia, however the market is blighted by false marketing claims, mislabelling of products and consumer confusion.

News, Opinion, Events, Press Releases, Jobs, Directory, Resources

Organic Monitor (www.organicmonitor.com) research finds high consumer demand for ‘chemically clean’ cosmetics is leading many Asian companies to jump on the natural & organic bandwagon. Many new products are making claims such as ‘100% natural’, ‘no synthetic chemicals’ and ‘includes organic ingredients’. Unlike in Europe and North America, there are no private standards for natural & organic cosmetics in Asia. Companies looking at certification have to adopt Western standards, which can incur hefty inspection costs. Nike Jumps Into Venture Capital to Fund Green Start-Ups. This is an archived story.

Nike Jumps Into Venture Capital to Fund Green Start-Ups

The information and any links may no longer be accurate. Nike announced this week that it's launching a venture capital arm called the Sustainable Business & Innovation Lab to invest in start-up companies in renewable energy, efficient manufacturing and healthy lifestyles. How Small Businesses Are Using Social Media [INFOGRAPHIC] Outside the classroom, students create future businesses. At a recent meeting of the 23-year-old MIT Entrepreneurs Club, one recent graduate of the Sloan School of Management described his plans for a business — one based on his solution to a little-recognized problem that currently costs airlines $10 billion a year.

Why Fair Trade is Thriving, Even in Tough Times. News, Opinion, Events, Press Releases, Jobs, Directory, Resources. Island of Majorca Will Get Renewable Energy from Mainland Spain. Energy Efficiency Loans Are Low-Risk With Large Potential. Architecture for Humanity Acquires Worldchanging. Events. (Founder Stories) Eric Ries Tells Lean Startups: “Stop The Line So That The Line Never Stops”

In part III of Chris Dixon’s Founder Stories interview with Eric Ries, the Lean Startup author explains how Toyota’s “lean manufacturing” production model can be applied to startups. Startup Japan: A Silicon Valley Entrepreneur Visits Onlab, A Young Japanese Incubator. What Does It Take To Be a Social Strategist? [INFOGRAPHIC]

Bright Ideas for the Economy and Environment. In the world: Design summit’s inventions find willing buyers. Sustainability – The Value of Integrated Reporting. Creative opportunity. ‪Blue Ocean Strategy: Making the Competition Irrelevant‬‏ Majora Carter: 3 stories of local eco-entrepreneurship. Communicating the Business Value of CSR. A 4-Step Program to Put a Price Tag on Your Company's Eco Impacts. 'Most Efficient' label sets high bar for Energy Star products - 19 Jul 2011. Banks assess carbon tax impact on loans. Energy firms predict "negawatt market" could help keep the lights on - 18 Jul 2011.

Lessons for Creating Your Sustainability Report: An EMC Case Study. Leaders Awards 2011: Simmons and Simmons makes the case for sustainability - 19 Jul 2011 - Feature from BusinessGreen. British Gas launches early "Green Deal" service - 19 Jul 2011. Power Finance to set up renewable energy unit, fund Asia plants. How Marketing Has Failed Socially Responsible Investing. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Call For The Reinvention Of The Toilet, Offers $42 Million In Potty Grants. Get Taxi Launching in London. This Is Way Beyond Uber. Clean Technology Venture Investments Down 33%, but Bright Future Expected. 5 Reasons Why the Chamber of Commerce Can Be a Force for Green. Should the Green Deal support big businesses too? - 18 Jul 2011. GreenWorld (BVI) offers renewable energy investment to the retail market.

Better Vision for the Poor (March 24, 2011) The Problem with Fair Trade Coffee (June 22, 2011) Not Enough Funding for Your Cleantech Startup? Making It Across The Valley of Death. Three Ways Finance Departments Do Sustainability With Big Impact. The Innovative Business Models Leading the Next Wave of Sustainability. Medicaid’s impact, finally measured. Eric Schmidt On Google’s Acquisition Strategy. The Smarter Cleaner™

Water for People: Finding Better Ways to Deliver Water to People – Ecopreneurist. G24i and Ecotricity team up to power 'green from green' revolution - 12 Jul 2011. Chinese Wind, EU Small Solar Drive Global Clean Energy Investments Up 32% in 2010. Two Great Sustainable Investment, Tech Support Groups Merge. Leaders Awards 2011 - 13 Jul 2011 - BusinessGreen special report. Green building features support worker wellbeing and productivity. Leaders Awards 2011: PwC and the financial case for carbon accounting - 12 Jul 2011 - Profile from BusinessGreen. Former Chinese Vice Premier proposes global mechanism for stabilizing energy, resources market.

Développement durable. How the Eco Index is Leading Apparel to a Green Future. Technology and Inequality. Q&A: Bill Gates on the World’s Energy Crisis. Macquarie, IFC agree forest carbon investment fund. First Utility and Opower partner to nudge households towards energy saving - 06 Jul 2011. GE, Ryder, Staples To Cut Fuel Consumption With Energy Department. The BusinessGreen Charter - 07 Jul 2011 - Feature from BusinessGreen.

Adobe, News Corp, Starbucks, Nokia among top companies using renewable power. The Ultimate Green Twitter Hashtag List: Build Your Online Green Twitter Following. Why Broadband is a Lynchpin of a Sustainable Global Economy. Building a 21st century communications economy. UN Report: Immediate Gains in Cleantech and Sustainable Agricultural Needed to Avert Catastrophic Impacts. World Economic and Social Survey.