Sustainability : Innovation & Job News

Shale gas is as old as the earth, but three high-tech innovations have won their companies $25,000 each in the 2013 Ben Franklin Shale Gas Innovation Competition. 
 
"Innovation, research and technological advancements have been and continue to be the catalyst for shale gas development's sustained success," said Kathryn Klaber, CEO of the Marcellus Shale Coalition in a statement. "Without forward-looing thinkers and companies willing to invest in new technologies, the natural gas revolution that we're witnessing today would not have been possible."
 
The winners, chosen from more than 70 applicants, are:
 
Pyrochem Catalyst, New Brighton, which has developed a catalyst technology, known as "Reformer," for converting natural gas and carbon dioxide to hydrogen-rich synthesis gas for use in fuel cells and processes for making chemicals and transportation fuels. The company is the early stages of commercializing its technology for its initial target markets -- fuel cells and refining applications.
 
REV LNG in Ulysses is a full-service, distribution company for liquid natural gas (LNG) as an alternative to traditional diesel fuel. The company is one of the first in the U.S.  to deploy small-scale, mobile liquefaction units that can be hooked up to existing gas pipelines to create LNG.
 
Atlantis Technologies in Richboro has developed a "Radial Deionization System," which is 10 times the speed, 15 times the range and less than half the price of previous technologies that deionize wastewater from oil, gas and mining operations.
 
Sources: Bill Hall, Shale Gas Innovation and Commercialization Center; Jeffrey Harrison, Pyrochem Catalyst; David Kailbourne, REV LNG
Writer: Elise Vider

Ardmore's Gregory FCA,  which bills itself as the largest public relations firm in Pennsylvania, and Safeguard Scientifics  of Wayne are on the hunt for the best unknown business in America.
 
"Maybe it's that killer technology startup that has yet to make the radar. Or perhaps it's some new wonder drug that will increase life expectancy. Or could it be that new sustainable business that's doing great financially while doing good for the world," said Gregory CEO Greg Matusky in a blog post.
 
The contest purse comprises $10,000 in cash and a $40,000 PR campaign.
 
The judges include Matusky, Safeguard CEO Stephen T. Zarrilli, Daniel Roitman of Stroll, a Philadelphia-based education e-commerce platform company, and Miles Spencer, an angel investor and co-creator of the reality show Money Hunt.
 
Here’s what they say they're looking for:

* The current operating success, recent growth and future viability of the company.
* The story behind the company and its products or services.
* The company’s current visibility and awareness.
* The likely positive impact of the application of a public relations campaign to the company and its products and services.
* The social shares and number of votes received in support of the company’s nomination as outlined in the contest rules. While this contest is not based on votes or Likes, an applicant’s ability to engage and connect with employees and customers will be considered.
* How well the submission explains why the company should be selected as The Best Unknown Business in America and how it can benefit from exposure.  
 
The contest closes at midnight June 18 and the winner will be announced in July. To learn more and submit an entry, visit Gregory FCA's Facebook page. 
 
Source: Alicia Buonanno, Gregory FCA
Writer: Elise Vider

Energy conservation ranks with motherhood and apple pie, but for many small businesses the upfront costs of renovation and retrofit are daunting.
 
Now the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania (BFTP/SEP)  is offering up to $400,000 in loans to small businesses to retrofit their buildings.
 
The so-called Advanced Energy Retrofit Demonstration Program is intended to promote energy-savings measures in commercial buildings smaller than 250,000 square feet and to accelerate the development and commercialization of promising clean and alternative energy technologies.
 
"This program will encourage the use of advanced energy efficiency products in building renovations, reducing costs and creating jobs," says RoseAnn B. Rosenthal, President & CEO of Ben Franklin.
 
BFTP/SEP is partnering with the Energy Efficient Buildings Hub at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on the program. "The opportunity being offered by Ben Franklin will help accelerate the adoption by the region's building owners of advanced building technologies and complement the EEB Hub's mission to reduce energy use in Greater Philadelphia's building stock by 20% by 2020," says Laurie Actman, the hub's deputy director.
 
Companies with fewer than 500 employees in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties are eligible. Applicants could be building owners, facility managers, tenants, mechanical/electrical/plumbing design firms, energy and design professionals and others with building renovation projects using energy retrofit measures. An email notice of intent to apply is due by noon, Friday, March 15 and the deadline for completed proposals in April 15.
 
Source: BFTP/SEP
Writer: Elise Vider

Fueled by its fast-rising international reputation, KieranTimberlake is growing domestically. The acclaimed architecture firm is renovating a long-vacant industrial building in Philadelphia's Northern Liberties neighborhood as its new home.
 
The firm acquired the 60,000-square-foot, former Henry F. Ortlieb Company Bottling House in the fall and expects to move in by early 2014.
 
The streamlined 1948 structure offers critical amenities, says principal Stephen Kieran, including the expansive second floor, an open loft workspace with elbow room for 90-plus design professionals, and a skylight and factory strip windows that flood the building with natural light. Very important, adds Kieran, is the former loading dock that is being converted to shop space to accommodate the full-scale models – some over one-story tall – that the firm uses to test building materials and systems and for other research.
 
The bustling, mixed-use Northern Liberties location is also part of the appeal, says Kieran, as is "the opportunity to take a derelict building in the city and bring it back to life."
 
KieranTimberlake is working to get the building placed on the National Register of Historic Places and is also incorporating sustainable design features, including day lighting and passive mechanical systems, that it hopes will merit LEED certification.
 
KieranTimberlake was founded in 1984 and has especially emerged in recent years as a big-name firm with major awards and high-profile commissions including the new U.S. Embassy in London. "The recession was relatively short for us," says Kieran, who says the firm has been hiring as many as 25 annually. He anticipates a "few more positions" in the foreseeable future.
 
Source: Stephen Kieran, KieranTimberlake
Writer: Elise Vider
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

As a longtime engineering consultant to municipalities, Christian Birch was well aware of the challenges that local governments face in complying with complex regulations.
 
Spurred by the intricate data collection and reporting requirements necessary to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency's "MS4" stormwater management mandate, Birch established Map Decisions in Bethlehem in May. The goal was to use technology to make compliance cheaper and more efficient. Now, after testing the company's software system in Pennsylvania municipalities, including Bethlehem, Buckingham Township, South Coventry and Lower Saucon, Map Decisions is on schedule for commercial release of its product next month.
 
The web-based information management system developed by Birch and his partner, Mike Hawkins, automates and streamlines the collecting, reporting and mapping of large amounts of data and images gathered by inspectors in the field using everyday smartphones and tablets. "Starting with the EPA's regulatory program, we can save municipalities costs and at the same time support an important water quality program," says Birch.
 
Even in its beta phase, Map Decisions' software is being considered for applications beyond stormwater management compliance. Bethlehem is exploring its use for additional operations such as building and fire hydrant inspections. Several large engineering firms and a large energy audit company have contacted the startup, says Birch, at the same time that Map Decisions is exploring additional new markets such as the insurance industry.
 
"We can help any organization collect data in the field and make them much more efficient in gathering, aggregating and reporting their data," says Birch.
 
"If things continue to go well, we could bring on two to five fulltime employees next year," he adds.
 
Source: Christian Birch, Map Decisions
Writer: Elise Vider
 
 
 

When Hurricane Sandy devastated northeastern coastal communities, one Easton company took particular notice. Eco Swim by Aqua Green  is a maker of swimwear made of recycled plastics. Sustainability is "important to our company," says Caroline Shaw, "but beyond that there is an environmental message and awareness that we want to promote. Sustainability is not just about the product, but about the actions behind the brand."
 
So in Sandy's wake, Aqua Green has pledged to host a minimum of 13 beach cleanups in 2013. Partnering with its retailers and United By Blue, a Philadelphia maker of sustainable apparel, Aqua Green has removed tons of trash since 2011 in locations as varied as the Delaware River in Easton, the Gulf coast in Tampa, lakes in Seattle and Minnesota, the Arkansas River in Little Rock and the Atlantic coast in South Myrtle Beach.
 
"When our great grandfather started this company 72 years ago, the oceans and beaches were cleaner places. Four generations later, in a world with polluted water and dirty beaches, Eco Swim by Aqua Green is answering a call to restore our oceans' health. By making our swimsuits in the U.S. and using fabrics made from recycled materials, we are reducing our carbon footprint in the sand so that our beaches can be enjoyed by the next four generations," say the owners of Eco Swim's parent company, Mainstream Swimsuits.
 
For 2013, the company is expanding with a new line of beach cover-ups made from S.Cafe,  a fabric made from recycled coffee grounds, which offers UVA and UVB protection and odor control.
 
Source: Caroline Shaw, Aqua Green
Writer: Elise Vider

With images still fresh of seawater lapping at Lower Manhattan and a destroyed Jersey Shore, the timing seems imperative for the launch last month of an $11.9 million, international research effort on climate change, centered at Penn State.
 
Klaus Keller, a Penn State professor who heads the new Sustainable Climate Risk Management initiative (SCRiM)  says the funding from the National Science Foundation will support a five-year project to study the science, economics and ethics of various approaches to managing climate change.
 
Proposed strategies all have profound implications, he says. For example, adaptation could involve making New York City more resilient with massive infrastructure investments, mitigation could involve slowing carbon dioxide emissions with worldwide restrictions on fossil fuels, and geoengineering could involve massive interventions such as removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or causing the Earth to absorb less solar radiation.
 
Each is subject to unintended consequences and considerable trade-offs. "Proposed approaches to the management of climate-related risks through adaptation, mitigation, and geoengineering differ in their distributions of costs and benefits, and their vulnerability to deep uncertainties,” Keller says.
 
In recognition of the complex nature of its task, SCRiM is a collaboration of 19 universities and five research institutions in six nations, transcending traditional boundaries among academic disciplines as well as among academia, industry, government and non-governmental organizations. "This is not just ivory tower research," says Keller.
 
To support the work at Penn State, SCRiM has five or more highly skilled positions to fill, including postdoctoral researchers, graduate research assistantships and a scientific programmer.
 
Source: Klaus Keller, Sustainable Climate Risk Management, Penn State
Writer: Elise Vider

The drive to the new economy accelerated last week, when Pennsylvania became the 12th state to officially incentivize corporate activism with the creation of legally sanctioned benefit corporations or "B Corps. "
 
"B Corp certification is to sustainable business what LEED certification is to green building or Fair Trade certification is to coffee," says B Lab, the Berwyn-based nonprofit behind the global B Corps movement.
 
Under the new Pennsylvania measure, passed unanimously by both houses in Harrisburg and signed immediately into law by Gov. Corbett, directors of B Corps can take non-financial interests into consideration without fear of legal repercussion. Until now, those directors were legally mandated to make decisions based solely on maximizing profits. So a B Corp can, for example, lose money on a charitable or socially conscious venture without fear of getting sued by its shareholders.
 
Even without official sanction, there are already 51 voluntary B Corps in the Commonwealth, according to B Lab, including Azavea, a software firm in Philadelphia, Dansko, the footwear maker in West Grove and One Village Coffee in Souderton. Worldwide, says B Lab, there are 643 B Corps including big names like Ben & Jerry's , King Arthur Flour , Seventh Generation and Method  household products.
 
Writer: Elise Vider