Category Archives: Health

Walmart's Sustainability Trilogy: A Close-Up Perspective from EDF's Office in Bentonville

By | Published: May 10, 2013

By: Alisha Staggs, Bentonville-based project manager at Environmental Defense Fund In Marc Gunther’s recent article "Walmart’s index: a real life toy story," he calls the Walmart supplier Sustainability Index, "the biggest environmental initiative in the company's history," and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) agrees. He also questions whether "Walmart is taking this too far”"and "how the [...]

Also posted in Behavior, Chemicals, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Innovation, Partnerships, Supply Chain Management, Walmart | Leave a comment

Four Factors Driving Focus on Freight

By | Published: November 26, 2012

As a new member of EDF’s team focusing on reducing emissions from freight transportation, one of the ways that I have been learning about the transportation and supply chain industry has been by attending conferences. Over the past couple months I have attended four events including: Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) Sustainability Conference, Council for [...]

Also posted in Behavior, Events & Activities, Goods Movement, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Innovation, Supply Chain Management | 1 Response

EDF Bowes Fellow Works to Revolutionize Nitrogen Use in Farms

By | Published: May 30, 2012

When was the last time you enjoyed a chicken sandwich for lunch, chicken wings at a bar, or grilled chicken at a family cookout? If you’re like many Americans – myself included – the answer is recently. We all know poultry is a staple. But what many don’t know is that producing all that chicken [...]

Also posted in About Us, Chemicals, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Innovation, Supply Chain Management | Leave a comment

Crowd-sourcing stirs up fresh ideas for recycling TVs and monitors

By | Bio | Published: February 28, 2012

Can our old TVs and computer monitors, which are filled with toxic substances, be safely and profitably recycled into new products?  We don’t know, but with tens of millions units expected to hit the waste stream over the next few years as households upgrade to newer flat panel models, we need to find out. And [...]

Also posted in Chemicals, Eco-Challenge Series, Innovation, Innovation Exchange, Partnerships, Safe Products | Leave a comment

That's All Folks! Eco-Challenge Submissions Close

By | Published: September 27, 2011

It is an exciting time for the Eco Challenge Series, the partnership between Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and open innovation company InnoCentive.  With our first two challenges closed, we are on the verge of awarding our first prizes for eco-innovation. EDF put up two prizes to solve pressing environmental challenges in agriculture and we’re working [...]

Also posted in Eco-Challenge Series, Innovation, Innovation Exchange, Partnerships | Leave a comment

Sustainable Shopping: On the right track with GoodGuide

By | Published: September 1, 2011

By Lillias MacIntyre, Program Associate, Corporate Partnerships OK – so you’re part of the ever increasing group of environmentally conscious global citizens trying to make a difference.  I’m sure you’ve found yourself browsing a retailer’s shelves or clicking through Amazon.com in search of a product more sustainable than the one sitting on your shelf at [...]

Also posted in Behavior, Innovation, News Commentary, Tools | Leave a comment

We have a problem. Can you solve it?

By | Published: July 14, 2011

Nitrogen pollution is a significant issue facing the environment: Across the U.S. and many parts of the world, large scale farming operations are applying excessive amounts of fertilizers and the unprecedented excess of nitrogen resulting from these farming practices contributes to coastal dead zones, impaired drinking water supplies, degraded fisheries and recreational areas, and risks [...]

Also posted in Eco-Challenge Series, Events & Activities, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Innovation, Innovation Exchange, Safe Products, Tools | 2 Responses

Using Open Innovation To Bring The Gulf Of Mexico Dead Zone Back To Life

By | Bio | Published: July 13, 2011

I don't live on a farm, or anywhere near one. So I know that my mental picture of a farmer–a guy wearing overalls, driving a tractor and consulting the Farmer's Almanac for advice–is right out of the 1950s. Today's farmers are plugged in, tech-savvy, and globally connected. The Iowa Soybean Association has teamed up with [...]

Also posted in Eco-Challenge Series, Innovation, Innovation Exchange, Partnerships, Tools | 1 Response

New Collaborative Efforts to Help Clean Up Port Pollution

By | Published: June 29, 2011

By: Elena Craft, Air Quality Specialist, Climate & Air Program, EDF Today’s press conference in Charleston, S.C., marked another successful milestone toward reducing trucking emissions and improving local health in and around our nation’s ports. Together with the Coalition for Responsible Transportation, Environmental Defense Fund and the Port of Charleston announced an agreement today to [...]

Also posted in Education, Fleet Vehicles, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Innovation, News Commentary | Leave a comment

Power Company Trades Your Jobs And Our Health For Its Profits

By | Bio | Published: June 24, 2011

Over a decade ago, EPA began developing new regulations to cut dangerous pollution from power plant smokestacks. These plants churn out most of the mercury, acid gas and arsenic pollution in our air, and the new rules will dramatically slash this pollution, saving up to 17,000 lives and preventing 120,000 asthma attacks each year. Most [...]

Also posted in Behavior, Energy Efficiency, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Innovation, News Commentary | Leave a comment