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US agriculture secretary backs increase in ethanol blending limit
11 March 2009US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack this week advocated increasing the ethanol content of the country's petroleum fuel from the current 10% maximum, adding to the momentum for an increase to avoid ethanol production outstripping demand.
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Investors urge better disclosure of water risk
05 March 2009Companies are largely unaware of water-related risks, or how climate change will likely exacerbate them, says a report from investor and environmentalist coalition Ceres, which urges businesses to report their 'water footprint'.
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SAM, Dow Jones, launch Asian sustainability indexes
05 March 2009Sustainable Asset Management (SAM) and Dow Jones have extended their sustainable investment index family to the Asia-Pacific region, with the launch of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI) Asia Pacific and Asia Pacific 40 equity indexes.
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Thriving pellet sector faces competition as it seeks feedstock
04 March 2009The growing wood pellet industry will compete increasingly with pulp and paper firms for woodchips and pulp logs as its raw material, as supplies of its traditional sawdust and sawmill shavings prove inadequate, forecast a new report.
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Crossing the river
01 March 2009Meg Brown outlines the thinking behind Citi's recent move from a standalone SRI research effort to a more integrated approach
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Profiting from pond-life
01 March 2009Many investors believe that algae could supply valuable energy, but profits may take years to arrive, says Vic Wyman
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Private equity industry steps up on responsible investing
01 March 2009Institutional investors have welcomed an initiative by leading private equity firms that will see them adopt investment guidelines modelled on the UN's Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). The move coincides with the results of a pilot project to improve the environmental performance of leading private equity firm Kohlberg, Kravis Roberts (KKR) portfolio of companies.
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$250m PE fund targets undervalued assets
01 March 2009Unigestion is to launch an environmental private equity fund-of-funds that aims to take advantage of "the significant fall in the price of sustainability assets to levels not seen since 2004".
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More than $20bn on the table for carbon capture and storage
01 March 2009Governments worldwide have set aside more than $20 billion for carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration plants, according to a report from consultancy Emerging Energy Research (EER). This includes $11.6 billion in funding promised by the EU and $3.5 billion earmarked in President Barack Obama's stimulus package.
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Accor under fire for links with controversial logging firm
26 February 2009An NGO is calling for French hotel group Accor to end its involvement in a Malaysian hotel project owned by controversial logging firm Interhill.