June 2010
Bionade – Science meets Practical Innovation
Bionade GmbH is taking an innovative approach in answering how theory and reality can actually cooperate together. At the end of April 2010, 23 students from the Sustainability Management MBA programme, led by Prof. Dr. Stefan Schaltegger of Leuphana University Lüneburg, met for a week-long workshop in Ostheim. During the seminar they were able to apply the knowledge they have acquired from their programme on Bionade. The distance learning MBA is the first of its kind worldwide and the leading programme in Sustainability Management and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). For the students, Bionade was an attractive workshop partner: “Even though we had read a lot about Bionade before coming, we were impressed by what they have already achieved in the area of sustainability. They are already implementing a sustainable corporate culture,” says Martina Meckel-Wille, who, like most of her colleagues, is a working professional completing her masters. Michael Garvs, head of Bionade’s sustainable development department, selected the topics for the workshop.
The up-and-coming experts in sustainability management concentrated on ways the company could protect biological diversity, one of Bionade’s core interests. During the workshop, the students’ main task focussed on developing precise steps for Bionade to implement a biodiversity management plan. These steps should enable the company to fulfil the commitment it made to protect biodiversity, when they signed the Leadership Declaration.
At the end of the week a variety of ideas and concrete approaches had been developed, advancing Bionade along on its way towards more sustainable management practices. Additionally, the students’ understanding of what makes Bionade stand out from the competition became more apparent. Bionade’s CEO Peter Kowalsky concluded: “Working together with the students inspired us to think about an array of new suggestions on dealing with biodiversity.”
Cornelia Obitz, Bionade
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Werner & Mertz builds new headquarters with positive energy balance
“This is the first administrative building in Germany which produces more than enough electricity to cover the facility’s complete heating and cooling energy needs by combining wind energy with photovoltaic technology. The new building meets our sustainability standards in an outstanding manner,” says Reinhard Schneider, Chairman of the Board of Management for Werner & Mertz GmbH. “We use the unique geologic and climatic conditions the shores of the Rhine River provide us with to harness water, wind and sun energy. These surroundings enable us to offer our employees a comfortable work environment in about 9,000 m2, while at the same time implementing an exemplary energy concept.”
Using ground water in geothermal plants has been practised for some years already. The effectiveness of such a facility can be greatly increased, when, as in this case, the ground water flows at shallow depths. A photovoltaic system laid out across the whole roof generates enough energy on good weather days to meet the building’s energy needs and to feed excess electricity into the public grid. The building’s close proximity to the Rhine River and the subsequent excellent thermal wind conditions enable Werner & Mertz to power its geothermal heat pumps with electricity produced throughout the year by 16 wind turbines.
When it became apparent that a new building was necessary, Werner & Mertz began planning where the new headquarters should be built. In an effort to preserve the surrounding environment, the company decided to build on land that had already been zoned for industrial construction. Werner & Mertz assessed this as a necessary contribution to protecting biodiversity.
As proof that the headquarters is being built with sustainable construction methods and outfitted with an ambitious interior design, the company is applying for one of the toughest sustainability certifications. In addition, the new building presents the company with an excellent chance of winning the Environment Prize 2010 from the State of Rheinland-Pfalz in June this year.
Birgitta Schenz, Werner & Mertz GmbH
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Caixa supports installation of solar water heating systems
Caixa Econômica Federal, the main housing and constructing finance institution in Brazil, together with the Brazilian government have set up a partnership for subsidizing Solar Water Heating Systems for homes built in the “My Home, My Life” Brazilian social housing programme.
Beneficiaries of the Brazilian "My Home, My Life" Programme have another reason to celebrate: in addition to fulfilling the dream of having a home of their own, recipients will be able to reduce their energy bills by about 30 percent, thanks to a government grant for solar water heating systems. The subsidy, approved in February 2010, will benefit around 40 thousand families in the cooler regions of the South, Southeast and Middle-West of Brazil.
The Brazilian government will additionally pay up to 1,000 USD for houses and 1,400 USD for flats. Caixa Econômica Federal has set a goal of installing the systems in 10% of the programme’s housing units by the end of 2010.
As a free and abundant energy source in Brazil, solar energy is a clean energy source and contributes to the reduction of green house gas emissions. It also reduces the demand for energy production, putting less pressure on energy networks during peak hours.
Caixa Econômica Federal
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Introduction of the new EU B&B Initiatives
European Business and Biodiversity Campaign
At the level of the EU Member States, two main Business and Biodiversity projects have recently started, The EC Business and Biodiversity platform and the Business and Biodiversity Campaign. Both projects liaise with each other as well as with the German Initiative Business in Good Company, sharing information and experiences for the benefit of all stakeholders involved.
A European consortium of seven NGOs and private sector companies has established the European Business and Biodiversity Campaign in 2010. Coordinated by the Global Nature Fund, the campaign partners offer industry specific biodiversity workshops and biodiversity assessment which will provide information on the companies’ dependence on biodiversity and ecosystem services. With the establishment of Regional Biodiversity Forums a variety of tangible and feasible activities, such as greening the companies’ premises, will be promoted among SMEs business leaders. NGOs in the EU will benefit from the campaign as well. They will obtain information about private sector’s engagement and the potential for partnerships with companies in biodiversity protection. The newly launched campaign website offers an excellent platform for the private sector to present their business engagement in biodiversity and join a biodiversity expert community at www.business-biodiversity.eu.
European Business and Biodiversity Platform
The European Commission took the initiative to set up a European Business and Biodiversity Platform. The project started in January 2010 and is led by IUCN Regional Office for Pan-Europe and its partners, including the European Centre for Nature Conservation, PricewaterhouseCoopers and the European Land Owners Association. The European Business and Biodiversity Platform focuses on six priority sectors: agriculture, food supply industry, forestry, extractive industries, financial sector and tourism. The platform will benchmark best practices, in the respective sectors, concerning biodiversity protection including developing best-practice guidance. The platform will also develop an award rating system to acknowledge sectors and companies that have an outstanding contribution to biodiversity protection. The EU Business and Biodiversity platform website will be launched during Green Week in June 2010. It will contain general information about the project, sectors background documents, a resource centre and will showcase companies’ best practices. The website will be updated regularly and will act as a clearing house mechanism. It will be hosted by the European Commission server under: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/biodiversity/business/
Contact:
IUCN - Regional Office for Pan-Europe
64 Boulevard Louis Schmidt
1040 Brussels, Belgium
Telephone: +32-2-739 0319
Fax: +32-2-732 9499
Shulamit.alony@iucn.org
www.iucn.org
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