The Refinishing Touch Blog

Well, it’s our final post of 2009. It’s been a bumpy year for the economy, and by relation, many businesses and organizations. Though on a brighter note, the beat of the “green drum” has increased throughout the year as global eyes, ears and tongues turned to sustainability. In 2010 this beat will continue.

A recurring theme that we’ve written and talked about in 2009 has been the application of innovation and technology to support and drive sustainability – not just our own innovations, but others across an array of goods and services that impact businesses and consumers. So, we thought we’d finish 2009 with the Cleantech Group’s 2010 green technology predictions.

As reported by Reuters, the group’s predictions for 2010 include:

- Clean economies become the new space race. There will be changes in which countries and cities are driving global momentum, but greater protectionism surrounding the industry will be a drawback.

- Electric cars take the back seat to smart mobility. The trend will influence city designs, shipping ports and governments’ tax incentives and budgets.

- Resource constraints beyond carbon rise to the fore. As the global economy picks up, there could be price spikes that impact clean technology sectors, pushing companies to use resources more efficiently in order to maintain or boost their profitability.

- Commodity trade-off debates intensify, in particular in the areas of water and energy; land and energy; land and water and carbon and water. The group predicts that more environmentalists will object to wind and solar projects because of how they use up swaths of land and other reasons, slowing down projects’ progress.

- Energy efficiency eclipses solar. Information and communication technology, along with more policy support, will help create a boom in energy efficiency. The sector could outshine solar, so far a clean tech darling of investors.

- Marketing suddenly matters. The group predicts that companies will have to distinguish themselves and employ branding as clean technology goes mainstream. Marketing campaigns are likely to target more consumers instead of just businesses.

- Buffett leads the super rich into cleantech. The group points out how U.S. billionaire investor Warren Buffett has made plays in clean tech-related companies, including GE, Goldman Sachs and Chinese electric car battery maker BYD Co Ltd. The group argues that energy efficiency factors partly influenced Buffett’s acquisition of the nation’s largest rail company Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp.

- Acquisitions and consolidations accelerate. The group predicts that many Chinese wind and solar companies will be gone by the end of 2010. That will happen, the group argues, even as China’s market for renewable energy grows and despite the government’s investments in high profile companies like solarpanel makers Suntech and Yingli.

- The rise of waste-to-energy, geothermal and aquaculture, as part of a shift to more sustainable agriculture and food production.

When it comes to sustainability and green practices, we can each play our part. As the drive for more sustainable practices continues to build momentum, we’ve seen innovators in core industries set themselves apart with their commitments and capabilities.

We’ll raise our glasses to the innovators that set the bar for sustainable practices and show the world the direction to the green-bricked road. We simply can’t wait to see all that 2010 promises to be and more. We have a number of interesting announcements we’ll be making ourselves to benefit our customers and the communities we serve - it’s going to be an exciting year.

Happy New Year from all of here at The Refinishing Touch!

Labels: Cleantech Group, Green, technology

As December comes to a close, we say goodbye to the holiday season and a decade that has ushered in (and out) events that have changed the lives of millions for better and worse.

The second half of 2008 brought a sequence of events that would set the tone for challenges that would carry through 2009 and ripple throughout the country and world for the foreseeable future. The riches of the earlier part of the decade were wiped away almost instantly. But, even in the bleakest of times, Americans found ways to live and do business while coping with tighter budgets and limited resources. As a nation and a member of the global society, we hope that each of us has learned invaluable lessons in the need for resourcefulness, conservancy, efficiency and restraint.

Recently, 4Hoteliers posted the top global consumer trends expected for 2010, according to Mintel, an international market research firm, which seems to agree that 2010 will see global citizens making decisions armed with the experience gained throughout the course of the past decade’s events.

Along with resilience as a means to recover from the changes that effected so many people’s lives, consumers are anticipated to re-evaluate and review their decision-making. When they do make a decision to purchase, they will expect a greater level of accountability from companies as a means of rebuilding consumer trust.

According to Mintel, consumers in the new year will have a tendency to lean towards escapism in contrast to the value culture seen in 2008 and 2009 as a way to tap in to new experiences, while consumers will continue to embrace the “media evolution” of social networking and interactive media as a part of everyday lives. The research firm also believes that we can expect to see a return to focusing on ethical responsibility and stability. “If a business is to rebuild its brands with ethical efforts,” they say, “they’ll need to connect with consumers by giving them an emotional reason to buy.” And finally, consumers are expected to make a return to stable decision-making by seeking balance, readjusting and making conservative decisions when it comes to spending.

We look forward to 2010 and a new decade that will surely bring a whole new set of lessons to be learned and a wealth of opportunities for advancement. On behalf of each of us here at The Refinishing Touch, we look forward to continued successes with our friends, new and old, and wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.

Labels: 2010, consumer trends, market research

From all of us here at The Refinishing Touch, we wish you peace and happiness during this holiday season.

For the past two weeks, it feels as if the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen took over the world. The summit will take its place in history as the largest international environmental meeting to ever take place as some of the world’s most powerful leaders convened in Denmark’s capital to tackle the issue of global climate change.

While the conference wasn’t without its controversy and disagreements–at one point the conference reached a stalemate as delegates from developing nations walked out of the talks due to a dispute over how to fairly regulate how richer and poorer countries approach cutting emissions–in the end, it seems that the leaders and delegates of the world’s nations were able to find some common ground and signed an interim deal called the Copenhagen Accord.

The deal in many respects is not perfect as it does not require the world’s largest polluters to further cut their emissions and has yet to be signed into a legally binding treaty. In spite of all this, the interim deal is a strong foundation for a promising new treaty to be signed into law in the near future. It calls on countries to prevent global temperatures from rising more than 3.6 degrees above preindustrial levels by reducing emissions and providing billions of dollars in aid to poorer nations.

The most important aspect of this deal is that it brought together some of the world’s biggest polluters, who after two weeks of often times heated and strained discussions found a way to begin working together to prevent any further damage to the environment. With any luck, they will take this deal and the momentum it has created and reach a strong and binding agreement that will have far-reaching and positive effects on the environment throughout the world.

For years, Christmas tree lovers have been divided over which is better: real or artificial Christmas trees?

While there are several arguments in favor of artificial over real, it may surprise you to know that the environment isn’t one of them. In fact, although they last for years, artificial trees are much more harmful to the environment due to the high levels of carbon emissions caused by their production and the fact that the plastic trees take years to break down in landfills.

Unfortunately, despite their negative impact on the environment, fake trees are seeing an increase in popularity as consumers try to save money by purchasing reusable trees.

Still, the benefits of buying a real tree far outweigh those of buying an artificial one. For example, the carbon emissions created from artificial tree production is equal to driving 120 miles, while those created from the use of real trees is about the same as driving only 10 miles. Also, real trees are often recycled by thousands of private and governmental programs that take holiday trees and grind them into mulch or landscaping chips for use in other industries.

While all the environmental benefits of real trees are the right reasons to keep it real during the holidays, we here at TRT also know that it just wouldn’t be Christmas without that evergreen smell.

As the UN’s Climate Change Conference went into its second week, talks were halted when developing nations and developed nations reached an impasse that caused African countries to pull out of the conference in protest. Their protest was supported by the major developing nations such as China and India. Luckily both groups were able to come to a resolution through informal talks that brought the conference back on track.

The cause of the dispute was whether to extend the agreement made under the Kyoto Protocols in which rich nations would be subject to penalties for not complying with strict emissions limits while poorer nations were free from any such penalties. One of the major concerns coming from the talks is how countries with vastly different resources will be able to conform to the same rules, and this brief boycott is proof that negotiations don’t always go smoothly.

Some solutions that have been proposed include programs that allow international partners to provide funds to developing nations for clean energy technology such as solar power alternatives and cleaner appliances.

Although the conference has seen its fair share of ups and downs, there is still promising evidence that all participating countries are willing to sit down and negotiate. All eyes stay on Copenhagen and the leaders gathered there must come together now to find a solution for the future.

As the climate conference in Copenhagen – and our Copenhagen Watch – moves into its second week, we take a look at a new technology that is aimed at helping a cause that we at The Refinishing Touch take to heart: Deforestation.

Google unveiled a new deforestation monitoring tool that will allow scientists to track deforestation throughout the world. The tool, which is still in the early stages of testing, is expected to provide global observations and measurements of changes in the earth's forests through the use of satellite images. Because there is currently no concrete method for determining the rate at which the forests are disappearing, Google’s new service would be revolutionary for scientists hoping to curb the rapid depletion of the world’s forests.

Here at TRT we work hard to prevent as many trees as we can from ending up in landfills. With the introduction of Google’s latest service, we’re optimistic that deforestation will become a top concern for more and more individuals and drive action to help prevent it.

With the first week of the United Nations Climate Change Conference coming to a close, we thought we’d take a look at Copenhagen, the conference’s host city, and the environmental initiatives taking place there. As it turns out, Copenhagen is full of green ideas and ambitions, such as making the city carbon neutral by 2050, having one in every five products sold in shops organic by 2015 and increasing the number of bicycle lanes in the city (currently there are roughly 185 miles) by at least 50 percent by 2015. The city is also known for its smaller, but just as important, initiatives. These include using biodegradable plastic bags and providing hundreds of bikes free of charge to use in lieu of cars. As a result, it is estimated that 36 percent of the city bikes to work or school every day.

Copenhagen’s hotel industry is also known for setting the bar high in environmental sustainability. Many of the city’s hotels strive to be sustainable by using low-energy light bulbs and motion-triggered lights, taking part in extensive recycling programs, providing organic toiletries in refillable bottles, waiting three days before washing towels, and – our favorite – using furniture made with sustainable materials such as bamboo. Hotels in other countries should look towards the city as an excellent example of what sustainability can look like.

The city of Copenhagen embraces all things green, making it the perfect choice for the climate conference. We hope that this sustainable atmosphere will have a positive effect on the delegates who have been tasked with determining how to preserve the future of our environment.

As the first reports from Copenhagen have started to trickle out, one of the first stands out more than any other. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced that 2009 will likely rank among the top ten hottest years since temperature records began in 1850, and that the first decade of the new millennium will be the hottest decade ever.

The record also states that while North America experienced cooler than normal temperatures, the rest of the world felt higher than average temperatures and, as a result, negative climate extremes. For example, several Asian countries suffered as a result of the heat. China had its worst drought and saw the lowest water levels in the last five decades. Africa and South America also suffered from extreme water shortages and recorded large amounts of damage to livestock and agriculture.

Weather patterns were also affected by the high temperatures, with parts of Europe, such as Spain and France, impacted by winter storm Klaus, which brought with it winds as strong as a category 3 hurricane. Additionally, just as summer droughts were brought on by the increasing temperatures, heavy and intense rainfall at the beginning of the year caused landslides, heavy flooding and severe damage to infrastructure in cities worldwide.

The report, which details specific weather patterns for areas throughout the world, illustrates some of the dangers that result in rising temperatures and the importance for people to make changes now that will lessen the likelihood of global warming and help prevent damaging climate change.

As the climate conference gets underway in Copenhagen, new reports from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) show that greenhouse gases not only damage the environment, but are a threat to public health, with findings that demonstrate climate change not only affects weather patterns such as droughts, hurricanes and heat waves, but it also degrades the quality of air that we breathe.

The EPA was tasked to determine the effects of greenhouse gases on public health by the Supreme Court. The Court ruled that the agency had to issue an endangerment finding, or evidence that carbon emissions endanger the health and well-being of the public, in order to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.

These results of the EPA study continue to add fuel to the fire that has given way to the United Nations’ climate conference. Hopefully, once these findings are presented at the conference, the world leaders gathered there will work even harder to find solutions that will bring more environmentally sustainable actions to more countries worldwide.

Today the media is full of reports from Copenhagen, and tomorrow we’ll be providing an overview of the key news to come out so far.

You may have seen the advertisements: they’ve been running in newspapers, in magazines, and online. It’s a cause that’s been supported by celebrities, governments, companies as diverse as Google to HSBC; media outlets such as YouTube and USAToday; and individuals from Kofi Annan to Bob Geldof. As the advertisements state, “the list grows daily.” The Refinishing Touch is added to the list.

The initiative is www.timeforclimatejustice.org and it’s all about putting pressure on governments to take action on global warming. To encourage broad support and to get as many people to be involved as possible, the movement has come up with the innovative idea of a digital signature on their petition for Copenhagen, which is triggered by individuals downloading a free remake of the Midnight Oil song “Beds Are Burning” that can be downloaded for free in return for your support. Just go to www.timeforclimatejustice.org and download it to show your support for climate change.

The United Nations' Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, the world’s largest global warming summit, is a crucial meeting for the human race. Six billion people will be directly and dramatically affected by the outcome of the climate talks of delegates and heads of state from 192 countries. It started today and goes until December 18, so go and show your support now while it has an impact; it’s up to each of us to make our voice heard.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on news coming out from the Copenhagen climate conference and sharing them here on our blog – more to follow.

The EPA recently announced it has awarded grants to several universities and organizations and their pollution prevention initiatives: The University of Missouri’s Environmental Assistance Center, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the University of Nebraska, Kansas State University and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment have each received grants for projects they have planned or are implementing. Each organization has also committed to match the awarded amount by the EPA.

The University of Missouri’s EAC is putting its grant money into programs that will provide a minor degree or certification in Pollution Prevention, as well as into an internship program that will support local Missouri businesses to help them reduce toxic materials and conserve energy.

The IDNR has committed to lowering the use of toxic materials in two industries: health care and metal finishing. The funds it receives will go to building improved management systems for these industries to reduce the amount of toxic metals and chemicals used.

The funds provided to the University of Nebraska will go toward providing source reduction assistance to local business during the current economic climate at its Lincoln campus, and toward enhancing the capacity of its Pollution Prevention Resource Information Center.

In Kansas, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment is to provide multimedia pollution prevention technical assistance, and the Kansas State University will use the funds to offer source reduction technical assistance to healthcare and hospitality industries via its Pollution Prevention Institute.

The EPA’s generous grants – not to mention the matching of the funds from the recipients – are incredibly beneficial, not only to the organizations and students that the funding will go to, but also to the various communities and industries that they touch. We’re extremely hopeful that with the help of these grants, all of the recipients will make remarkable headway in the fight to reduce pollution and drive sustainability.

With the environment among the top priorities of legislative bodies throughout the world, it’s no wonder that businesses are working harder to meet the demand for more efficient energy use and less carbon emissions. This week we’re excited to see that the city of Palo Alto, California and AltaTerra Research have partnered to present a web conference this Thursday, December 3rd called "Carbon Footprint Reduction for the Long Haul." The conference is aimed at assisting attendees learn more about how to minimize their carbon footprints.

The conference will include presenters, such as Palo Alto’s Sustainability Leader and Energy Risk Manager, Karl Van Orsdol, and President of AltaTerra Research, Don Bray, who will discuss approaches and strategies for implementing carbon management systems. Other topics include target goals, motivations, selecting and implementing systems, challenges and budgets.

We here at TRT are all about lowering carbon footprints and we support communication initiatives that bring government and business together to generate new ideas and share thoughts on how to be more environmentally aware. We hope that this web conference gives way to a growth of innovation and improvement in environmental initiatives. We plan to attend the conference, and also ask the presenters if they’d care to post a guest post here – or join us for a Q&A session.