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GreenBiz 350 Podcast

Episode 134: Dow on 'valuing nature', and a new niche for fuel cells

This week, we also explore why August is the new October for sustainability.

By Joel Makower & Katie Fehrenbacher

August 3, 2018

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Week in Review

Tune in around 4:45 for a roundup of news.

  1. One-planet prosperity: The business case for addressing 'earth overshoot'

  2. UPS is developing an electric delivery truck with a startup

  3. Speaking of climate change: A CSO's guide

Featured Stories

Plug Power: Inside the corporate market for fuel cells (19:35)
After a decade on the market, in the past year fuel cells are in a fresh spotlight. What will be the impact of Bloom Energy's recent IPO? Tiny Plug Power is finding a niche for its hydrogen-based, quick-charging fuel cells, especially in start-and-stop applications, such as in forklifts in distribution centers. They're coming in handy on peak online shopping days, as customers include Amazon and Walmart. "The fact that we allow people to continuously operate especially during the peaks of some of the internet sales...or during the holiday season...that's when the value really shines," Plug Power CEO Andy Marsh tells GreenBiz.

What Dow has learned about valuing nature (24:10)

The chemicals giant aims to generate $1 billion of business value as part of its sustainability plan for 2025. GreenBiz Editor-at-Large Bob Langert recently spent 10 minutes with Neil Hawkins, Dow's VP of sustainability, who believes this goal is changing the company's culture. "We spent the time upfront to understand how Dow interfaced with nature," he says. "We're helping achieve more ecosystem and economic value." (Next week Langert will catch up with Glenn Prickett of The Nature Conservancy, Dow's partner in its Valuing Nature effort.)

What's new at GreenBiz?

News, events, webcasts — the list goes on. Keep your finger on the pulse of the latest in sustainability by keeping up with GreenBiz.

• Calling all clean economy visionaries. Today is the last day to nominate an individual or company for the inaugural VERGE Vanguard Awards, highlighting the dreamers, pioneers, entrepreneurs, designers, engineers, business leaders, policymakers and investors on the cutting edge of an equitable, inclusive transition to a clean power grid, a zero-emissions transportation system and the circular economy.

• No buyers' remorse here. Don't miss our free upcoming webcast at 1 p.m. EDT Aug. 21, "The Next Frontier: Emerging Models in Renewable Energy Procurement." Our speakers include experts from Rocky Mountain Institute Business Renewables Center and LevelTen Energy and clean power strategist from AT&T and Iron Mountain. 

• We've launched a new daily newsletter lineup! Monday's GreenBuzz and Wednesday's VERGE Weekly are essentially unchanged. But the lineup now includes: Transport Weekly (Tuesday), Energy Weekly (Thursday) and Circular Weekly (Friday). You must subscribe to each newsletter in order to receive it.  Please visit this page to choose the newsletters you want to receive.

• Check out our Center Stage podcast, which features the best of live interviews on sustainable business and clean technology, conducted on stage at GreenBiz and VERGE conferences.

• The GreenBiz Intelligence Panel is the survey body we poll regularly throughout the year on key trends and developments in sustainability. To become part of the panel, click here. Enrolling is free and should take two minutes.

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Have a question or suggestion for a future segment? E-mail us at [email protected].

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