Episode 139: What's in store for the big climate summit, a self-driving roadmap
Plus, we know energy efficiency is a great way to cut operational costs, so why aren't more companies on board?
Week in Review
Tune in around 6:25 for a roundup of news.
Featured Stories
What's in store at the Global Climate Action Summit (21:48)
Thousands of "nonstate actors" — businesses, cities, labor groups, investors and so forth — will descend on San Francisco next week for the Global Climate Action Summit, an event co-chaired by California Gov. Jerry Brown and a who's-who list of influential climate leaders. We've got perspective from three NGO leaders involved in shaping the program: BSR CEO Aron Cramer; Ceres CEO Mindy Lubber; and C40 Executive Director Mark Watts. Plus, one of the topics on deck next week: how to handle "super pollutants" other than carbon dioxide. That's top of mind for new Rocky Mountain Institute senior fellow Bruce Nilles, who previously led the Sierra Club's "Beyond Coal" campaign.
How Union Pacific keeps sustainability on track (40:32)
When it comes to shipping and logistics, railroads have a long history of efficiency. Bob Toy, senior director of environmental operations and sustainability for Union Pacific, discusses how the railway operator uses technology to shrink the footprint associated with moving shipments across its 32,000 miles of tracks.
On course for a self-driving future (45:10)
Former General Motors innovation chief Larry Burns thinks self-driving transportation options are inevitable. The longtime advisor to Waymo — the Google-born autonomous vehicles project — has co-authored a new book detailing his expectations, "Autonomy: The Quest to Build the Driverless Car—And How It Will Reshape Our World." We chatted with him about urban versus suburban adoption, the safety conundrum and the shape of things to come.
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.
• It's electric. More companies and cities are electrifying at least part of their medium and heavy-duty vehicle fleets. Learn more about which applications are inspiring early adopters in our free webcast at 1 p.m. EST Sept. 25. Register here.
• Passion for the profession. As sustainability initiatives become more core to corporate strategies, the role of chief sustainability officers is evolving. Join GreenBiz Senior Analyst John Davies at 1 p.m. EST Oct. 2 for a free briefing on our biennial "State of the Profession" research, along with some career advice from insiders at Campbell Soup, Cargill and Weinreb Group.
• We've launched a new daily newsletter lineup! Monday's GreenBuzz and Wednesday's VERGE Weekly are essentially unchanged. But the lineup 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.
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