Green

The Toro Co. will be introducing several new Tier 4 compliant Reelmaster and Groundsmaster mowers beginning in 2013 that incorporate more sophisticated electronic controls, as well as new engines, exhaust systems and after-treatment technology.

Dow Building Solutions, a business unit of the Dow Chemical Co., and Cobblestone Homes, a Great Lakes Bay Region home builder, have joined together on a living case-study to broaden awareness of opportunities for energy efficiency in retrofits.

A triumph for the “light bulb freedom” movement, which opposed the phaseout of traditional incandescent bulbs starting Jan. 1, 2012, may turn out to be a hollow victory. Supporters had hoped to delay the implementation of the new energy-efficient light bulb standards with a rider on the 2012 Omnibus funding bill. Congress passed the bill right before Christmas, along with the light bulb rider, which bars the Department of Energy (DOE) from enforcing the planned phaseout of 100-watt energy-inefficient incandescent bulbs.

Starting in January 2010, California law prohibits the sale or installation of any lead-containing pipe...

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Annual Conference has been set for Sept. 17-19, 2013, in San Antonio. 

According to its website, the SFI is based on principles promoting sustainable forest management, including measures to protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk, and Forests with Exceptional Conservation Value.

The 2012 conference was held in Milwaukee. 

Marketers of consumer products touting various environmental-benefit claims finally have some closure on how to approach green advertising without running afoul of the Federal Trade Commission, said LeClairRyan partner and 17-year FTC veteran Thomas A. Cohn during an Oct. 12 business-law conference.

Belgium-based cleaning brand Ecover said it has created the world's largest green cleaning product company with the acquisition of San Francisco-based Method.

The acquisition will expand Ecover's distribution network across Europe, the United States, Asia and Australia. Collectively delivering sales of $200 million and employing around 300 staff, Ecover and Method will continue as separate brands with a shared ambition to bring as many new consumers as possible into the green cleaning and personal care market, the company said.

Tampa, Fla.-based entrepreneur John Wink, of Novel Ideas, has announced the national launch of EcoBorder, an environmentally friendly landscape product.

Manufactured in the United States and molded from recycled tire rubber, this landscape edging was invented in 15-year landscape Wink’s garage, after his position with Merrill Lynch ended about the time of the 2008 stock market crash. With 15 years of experience in landscaping, he invented EcoBorder out of his garage in 2009.