Author: Scott Cooney

New Source For Renewable Energy

Decomposition – the kind that occurs at landfills and wastewater treatment plants – creates natural gas, and there are moves locally to harvest that gas and use it for energy. Natural gas is primarily methane, which can be burned to…

Sustainable Schools Earn An A

Private and public schools discover many benefits to their sustainability programs, including financial, educational, motivational and recruiting returns. For companies, the path to sustainability often starts with a volunteer task force (a “green team”) and some small initiatives with quick financial…

Sustainable Hawaii Businesses

The pace at which sustainability has been adopted as a sound business imperative is impressive. A few years ago, most companies would have put it in a silo, where a small portion of profits would be dedicated to “greening” along…

Military Drives Alternative Energy in Hawaii

The Pentagon is investing billions in alternative energy and conservation, and that’s good news for local companies it’s good news for hawaii’s economy and local aspirations when the state’s goals align with the American military’s goals. That’s because the U.S.…

The Economics of Recycling in Hawaii

Much more than just HI-5, the economics of recycling is about fluctuating market prices for metal, glass and paper, and about jobs, electricity, carbon footprints and the cost of landfills Hawaii got a basic lesson in the economics of recycling…

5 Steps to Becoming a Sustainable Business

Sustainability is all the buzz in the business community these days. It’s good for the planet, people appreciate it, and it’s a great way to cut costs and potentially reach new customer groups. Scott Cooney, adjunct professor of sustainability at…