Innovation Exchange » 2009 Innovations Review

Green Advances for a New Economy

Each year, Environmental Defense Fund surveys the landscape of environmental innovations in business for the most compelling new practices and technologies—those that continually redefine "business as usual."

Video: Bon Appetit Management Company's food and beverage innovation, the Low-Carbon Diet Program

Networking for Farmers

Agriculture Innovation: Iowa growers are reducing their use of nitrogen, a major source of environmental damage, through an innovative data-sharing network.

Smarter Irrigation for Crops and Landscaping

Water Conservation Innovation: Precision systems gather weather and soil data to reduce water use, save money and improve plant health.

Shining a Spotlight on the Supply Chain

Supply Chain Innovation: Patagonia, Tesco and Wal-Mart are taking bold, creative steps to build more transparency into their supply chains.

Low-Energy Computing

IT Innovation: Replacing PCs with thin clients—terminals that centralize computing and storage on the network—offers business and environmental benefits.

Low-Carbon Food Service

Food & Beverage Innovation: Bon Appétit's "Low-Carbon Diet" is reducing the environmental footprint of 400 corporate and university on-site restaurants.

A New Business Model for Energy Efficiency

Utility Innovation: Midwest Energy has launched a program to help customers overcome traditional costs associated with energy-efficient upgrades.

Rewarding Efficiency in the Data Center

Data Center Innovation: Google's internal policies and structures have helped it develop some of the industry's most energy-efficient data centers.

Linking Compensation to Environmental Metrics

Human Resources Innovation: For all Intel employees, annual bonuses are now linked to environmental goals, in addition to more traditional compensation metrics.

The Next Frontier of Green Building

Retail Innovation: Forward-thinking retailers like REI are systematically retrofitting older stores.

Greener Drivers

Transportation Innovation: New fuel-smart driver training programs can increase a corporate fleet's average MPG, reducing operating costs and emissions.

Solar Mortgages Drive Sales

Real Estate Innovation: Through a new mortgage program, a Denver developer offers homebuyers lower annual costs for condos with solar panels than without.

Green Leasing

Corporate Real Estate Innovation: Cisco paves the way for more efficiency in leased commercial buildings.

Closing the Loop on Plastic Bottles

Packaging Innovation: Coca-Cola is building the infrastructure necessary to recover 100% of its packaging in the U.S. marketplace.

Hotel Room Energy Management

Best Practice: A key-card system, widely deployed in Europe and Asia, is beginning to catch on in the U.S.

IT's Low-Hanging Fruit

Best Practice: Power management software helps solve the problem of computer equipment that stays on day and night.

Posted: 06-Apr-2009; Updated: 26-May-2009

Green Advances for a New Economy

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