Publisher's Watch

This week I had the opportunity to moderate and co-produce a panel with the SUNY New Paltz Environmental Task Force at SUNY New Paltz, "The Future of Gas Drilling in New York State," primarily focusing on the process of hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale formation, including parts that lay in the New York City watershed. Hydraulic fracturing, also known as "fracking," uses massive amounts of water and chemicals to access oil and gas trapped in hard-to-reach shale formations.

Darden Restaurants, Inc., owner of Red Lobster, Olive Garden, and LongHorn Steakhouse, is taking the first steps in going green. The Orlando-based food purveyor, with over 1400 company-owned restaurants, is implementing a sustainable design program for its facilities with eight slated to complete the transition in 2011. The company's headquarters has already applied for a USGBC LEED Gold certification, and all new restaurants will be built green.

The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada have proven to be exciting and exhilarating save the one tragic death of the Georgian luger. The Olympic Village is a 1.4-million-square-foot eco-community with buildings achieving both LEED Gold and Platinum certifications. The structures have been fitted with solar panels and green roofs, in-slab hydronic systems used for heating and cooling, and other sustainable features. All in all, it's a prototype for future sports facilities as well as communities as a whole.

In a play on words from an unfortunate anagram from years ago, Ford Motor Company has been at the forefront of green automobiles for nearly a decade. This is apparent not only from its advancements in automotive technology but from its return to black ink on its bottom line as well. While the other domestic car companies languished and failed on many levels, Ford is way out in front.

If you haven't heard about it yet, the Oriental Co., of Japan, has created a paper shredder that converts used office paper into rolls of toilet tissue. Named "White Goat," the machine is said to weigh approximately 63,000 pounds and costs about $100,000. All it takes is electricity, water, and 40 sheets of paper, and in 30 minutes a roll pops out. Please excuse the pun.

The Kaufman Astoria Studios (KAS) in Queens, NY, home of Sesame Street and a multitude of other television shows, movies, commercials, and recorded music, has produced much of our cinematic history, hosting such stars as Rudolph Valentino, Gloria Swanson, Woody Allen, and Denzel Washington. A mainstay in New York City since Adolph Zukor opened its doors in 1920, the studio's recent productions include Wall Street 2, Nurse Jackie, and the remake of the Taking of Pelham 123. This New York landmark has begun a transition from traditional heating oil to a blend containing bio-diesel fuel.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released its quarterly rankings of the nation's top green power purchasers, with Intel Corporation leading the way for the third year, followed by Kohl's Department Stores and PepsiCo. The rest of the top ten, in order, are Whole Foods Market, the City of Houston, Dell Inc., The Pepsi Bottling Group Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and Johnson & Johnson.

China has been moving forward quickly in regards to sustainability, especially in terms of new building construction. There has been no shortage of reporting about the new office tower in Guangzhou, China, which may be the world's most energy-efficient when completed. The 71-story Pearl River tower, designed by the New York-based architecture firm, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, is intended to be a "zero-energy" skyscraper that generates all the energy it needs to operate on its own.

In a report published by the energy and environment blog of The New York Times, Green Inc., two analysts from the financial services firm Raymond James indicate that hybrid cars won't curtail the world's oil consumption over the next two decades. The analysts, J. Marshall Adkins and Pavel Molchanov, state that even in the most aggressive modeling--projecting that one third of all automobiles purchased in 2020 will be hybrids--oil consumption will be reduced by only 200,000 barrels per day, or a total of 1%.

As the New Year begins, it's a good idea to take a few steps back and review the year behind us. In 2009, we learned that the consumer isn't dead and is showing signs of regaining purchasing power.

This was certainly evident in the television commercials broadcast over the past month or two. One that comes to mind promotes the automaker, Audi. Known for its sleek designs, good gas mileage and, sometimes, excellent EPA air pollution scores, Audi disappointed with its crass approach to marketing during the holiday season.