BT, Shell and Corporates Call for Trillion Tonne Carbon Cap
Unilever, Shell, BT, and EDF Energy are among 70 leading companies today calling on governments across the globe to step up efforts to tackle climate change. The companies, which have a combined turnover of $90bn, say the world needs a "rapid and focused response" to the threat of rising global carbon emissions and the "disruptive climate impacts" associated with their growth. Read more....

U.S. appeals court finds conflict-minerals rule violates free speech
A U.S. appeals court on Monday struck down parts of a regulation that forces public companies to disclose if their products contain "conflict minerals" from a war-torn part of Africa, saying it violates free speech rights. The ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit marks a partial victory for the three business groups that had filed the original lawsuit, which claimed that the regulation violated companies' free speech rights under the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment by in essence forcing them to condemn their own products. Read more....

Best Practices in Recycling
Everybody wants to recycle more and landfill less. In addition to being the best thing for the environment, it can also improve your bottom line. Sustainability efforts have come a long way in recent years, but there are always opportunities to do better. Upgrading your recycling program can save your business a considerable amount in disposal costs as well as increase revenue through the sale of more recyclable materials, at a higher price, to a wider variety of end users. Read more....

How Changing One Habit Helped Quintuple Alcoa's Income
Focusing on one critical metric, a "keystone habit," created a change that rippled through Alcoa's whole culture. A focus on worker safety led to an examination of an inefficient manufacturing process - one that made for suboptimal aluminum and danger for workers. By changing the safety habits, Alcoa improved several processes in the organization and 13 years later, annual net income was five times higher. Read more....

How to Think Like the Dutch in a Post-Sandy World
In December 2012, Shaun Donovan, the secretary of Housing and Urban Development, was on vacation in Berlin when he decided to detour to the Netherlands. He wanted to get a firsthand sense of the famed Dutch approach to water management. Hurricane Sandy struck six weeks before, and in the aftermath, President Obama asked him to lead a task force, whose objective was not just to rebuild but also to radically rethink the region's infrastructure in light of climate change. Read more....

Inspiring a Pipeline of Engineering Talent
To inspire a diverse and sustainable pipeline of future talent, engineers must help others to understand the impact we have on society and to feel a connection to the people behind the profession. Together we can communicate the requisites and rewards of being part of a community of problem-solvers who are making our world a better place. Read more....