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Boston-based startup Cambrian Innovation has come up with water-cleaning technology that uses microbes to turn dirty water into clean energy. Cambrian has federal and private equity funding, including $365,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency. "It's where we will go in the future, where waste is a resource and we don't just want to get rid of it, we want to get energy out of it," said April Richards of the EPA's small-business innovation-research program

Philanthropy has long been a common business activity. From local restaurants sponsoring their town's little league team, to Fortune 500 companies with million dollar foundations, companies have found that it's good business sense to give back to the communities in which they operate.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is the first to receive the US Zero Waste Business Council's platinum certification - the highest possible rating - for successfully diverting 99.8 percent of its waste.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is the first to receive the US Zero Waste Business Council's platinum certification - the highest possible rating - for successfully diverting 99.8 percent of its waste.

After months of consultation with stakeholders, the Natural Capital Coalition has published the first draft of a suggested framework to help businesses account for the value of natural resources such as water, soil, forests and even clean air in strategic decision-making.

Businesses love to talk about employee engagement. In fact, an increasing number of businesses see employee engagement as an essential strategy for achieving their goals.

The Dow Chemical Company today announced new sustainability goals, to be accomplished by 2025, which include creating products that offset three times more carbon dioxide than they emit throughout their life cycle and delivering $1 billion in cost savings or new cash flow by valuing nature in business decisions.

This week, scientists from The Nature Conservancy and The Dow Chemical Company, with research support from Colorado State University and Duke University, published Finding solutions to water scarcity: Incorporating ecosystem service values into business planning at The Dow Chemical Company's Freeport, Texas facility, which addresses challenges businesses face to accurately estimate the value of water resources and address future scarcity threats. 

Almost two-thirds of companies say water shortages could affect business operations over the next five years, according to the CDP Global Water Report. That's driving shareholders to insist that companies plan for dealing with water scarcity. "It doesn't take many shareholders, especially big ones, to ask a few questions ... about water to make a company to do something," says Stuart Orr, freshwater manager at WWF International

If the EPA lowers ground-level ozone - a decision it is likely to make this month - some businesses, cities and regions will be affected more than others, HPAC Engineering reports.

The travel and tourism industry needs to put sustainability at the forefront of everything it does and businesses need to lead by example - that's the message from David Scowsill, CEO & president of the World Travel & Tourism Council. Scowsill asked leading sustainable tourism businesses to play their part in ensuring that the industry's ethics are raised to the highest order.

As 2014 comes to a close and we launch into the new year with new ambitions challenged by changing operating realities, we share our most important lessons of the past year for the sustainable business community. The implications extend far beyond, of course.

Carbon markets are working, but challenges remain for making carbon markets work to support forest owners and businesses.

Ninety-one percent of companies in the S&P Global 100 Index see extreme weather and climate change impacts as current or future risks to their business, but many struggle to translate long-term, global climate data into short-term and local risks, according to a new report by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. Despite growing access to climate-related data and tools, companies say they need "actionable science" that helps them understand locally-specific risks or risk scenarios.

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has introduced a plan to bolster energy efficiency. The plan, intended to save families and businesses about $70 billion annually, seeks to roll back energy waste by one-third within a decade. "Deploying more clean energy isn't enough -- we also need to cut energy consumption, which will save families and businesses money and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change," say informational materials on the program. The Hill (2/2)  

The interactive report, produced in partnership with Trucost, features: our ninth annual State of Green Business report, This year's report continues our tradition of taking the pulse of corporate progress in sustainability, in the United States and around the world.  * The top 10 trends for 2016 * Video interviews with key sustainability leaders * 30+ metrics assessing the environmental performance and progress of nearly 2,000 companies

They'll always have Paris. But what did the U.N. climate summit mean to these business leaders who lived it? Execs from H&M, BASF and others weigh in

The Paris climate accord heralds a new era for the global economy, with a wide range of investors and industries now likely to seek ways to avoid carbon risks and adopt less carbon-intensive ways of doing business, experts say. Secretary of State John Kerry says the deal will be a net job creator and sends a powerful message to the marketplace. Nancy Pfund, managing partner of DBL Partners, agrees. "It's very hard to go backward from something like this. People are boarding this train, and it's time to hop on if you want to have a thriving, 21st-century economy," she says. 

On Thursday, the European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced changes to EU financial tools to help circular economy projects and businesses secure funding and support the realization of EU climate goals. The changes open €24 billion (~US$26.4B) in funding for businesses looking to transition to a circular economy model.

Six major industries can save 7.6 gigatons (GT) of carbon emissions by digitizing business processes, according to a report by SAP.

Samsung IT says its subsidiary will not pursue any business with the Korean-Indonesian conglomerate Korindo, a company linked to rainforest destruction practices. A petition, launched by SumOfUs.org and delivered by Mighty Earth directly to Samsung's Corporate Social Responsibility team, was part of an extensive two-month campaign, calling on Samsung to drop the joint venture or any business partnership with Korindo. But Samsung IT still needs to clean up its palm oil practices, the groups say.