Wait, IBM is the Greenest company in the US?!

Yes folks, it is true. IBM has been recognized for the second year in a row, as the Greenest company in the US, by Newsweek’s Green Rankings Survey. Out of 500 US companies being Surveyed, IBM came out on top.

“Environmental sustainability benefits our clients, our company and the planet, and we are constantly striving for continual improvement,” said Wayne Balta, IBM’s Vice President of Corporate Environmental Affairs and Product Safety.

The criteria included: their environmental impact, environmental management and sustainability disclosure.    IBM definitely earned the number 1 spot due to their forward thinking initiative: Smarter Planet. It highlights how forward thinking leaders in Business can use smarter systems to achieve greater economic growth and sustainability. IBM suggests that if corporations can improve on creating greener buildings, use smart grids, use better water management systems, and find better ways to tackle traffic congestion, we will have a smarter planet. IBM  measures and reduces resource consumption for it’s clients in order to help them save the environment and their money. IBM is now providing better management systems and technology to other firms to encourage  “being green”. According to the Newsweek Survey, “At its Zurich lab, water that cools a supercomputer is used to warm nearby buildings”. IBM executives are doing interviews, speeches, and getting the word out on their forward thinking opportunities.

There is a lot that is bugging me about this whole Smarter Planet concept. First of all, does IBM actually want to improve the planet, or is it just trying to use all this marketing and publicity to silence stakeholders that are adamant on IBM being a socially responsible entity? Also, do you all think that the “Smarter Planet” concept will really raise awareness and make a difference for many companies or do you think it will fade away after it’s 15 minutes of fame? Thoughts?

 

 

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http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/39204.wss

http://greateribm.wordpress.com/2012/10/23/newsweek-votes-ibm-greenest-company-in-the-us/

http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/us/en/overview/ideas/index.html?re=sph

Luxurious and Green: The Fisker Karma

What’s better than a green, eco friendly Prius? Well, the Fisker Karma of course. Fisker Automotive is an independent start up by partners Henrik Fisker and Bernhard Koehler. Being in business since 2007, Fisker Automotive is a fairly new brand. The new hybrid is only one of many sports hybrid cars currently on the market that are in fact, greener than ever. How can the Fisker Karma possibly be so green? It has silent electronic door latches and a solar-panel roof. This helps run the AC fans and fill the battery. It is considered an Eco Chic car and it consists of natural-fabric seats. It includes wood trim recovered from California forest fire and the dashboard is ultra suede, which means no leather is used.

“This car is more sexy and exciting than any other car you’ve seen,” boasts designer Henrik Fisker.

Basically, the Fisker Karma is the first luxury plug-in hybrid. It has two modes. Stealth mode is battery mode, and sport mode gives the car 402 horsepower. When driving the car, it can go up to 50 miles on battery power, then the system is jolted by electricity from the 2-liter, 4 cylinder turbo gas engine. This luxury car is competing with the Porsche Panemera and the Tesla Roadster. These are all eco friendly luxury sports cars. What differentiates these cars is price, physical features, and brand equity. Fisker Karma beats its competitors when it comes to being ecofriendly, and no other luxury hybrid can be plugged in to charge. The Fisker Karma is $103,000 and is near in price to its competitors. The Panemera is $95,000 and the Tesla is $109,000.

 

Will the Fisker Karma be successful globally? (They have built the car to have low emissions, to cater to European countries.)

Will people want to invest in such a new unheard of American company or will they stick to trusted brands like Porsche and Lexus?

 

Sources:

http://jalopnik.com/fisker-karma/

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-12-08/classified/sc-cons-1201-autoreview-fisker-20111208_1_batteries-fisker-karma-green-machine

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