The planet is headed for an ecological “credit crunch”, according to a report issued by conservation groups.

The document contends that our demands on natural resources overreach what the Earth can sustain by almost a third.

The Living Planet Report is the work of WWF, the Zoological Society of London and the Global Footprint Network.

It says that more than three quarters of the world’s population lives in countries where consumption levels are outstripping environmental renewal.

This makes them “ecological debtors”, meaning that they are drawing - and often overdrawing - on the agricultural land, forests, seas and resources of other countries to sustain them.

WWF’s David Norman says the world will need two planets by 2030

The report concludes that the reckless consumption of “natural capital” is endangering the world’s future prosperity, with clear economic impacts including high costs for food, water and energy.

Dr Dan Barlow, head of policy at the conservation group’s Scotland arm, added: “While the media headlines continue to be dominated by the economic turmoil, the world is hurtling further into an ecological credit crunch.”

The countries with the biggest impact on the planet are the US and China, together accounting for some 40% of the global footprint.

The report shows the US and United Arab Emirates have the largest ecological footprint per person, while Malawi and Afghanistan have the smallest.

Pizza is my biggest food vice (ice cream isn’t considered food…more medication). And it is always such a bummer when we finish the pizza and have to scrap the box.

A company called Green Box has turned the formerly single-purpose pizza box into a cross-functional delivery, dining, and long-term storage solution.

Their design is simple. They take the standard box, perforate the top into quarters, and they can turn into plates. Perforate the edges of the bottom of the box, then once down the middle, and you can fold that into a leftover box that’s half the size of the original. Less than that, actually, since the box is wedge shaped.

The company has clearly added value to the pizza box, but they have also used a simple business solution that yield meaningful environmental benefits. Think about all the other things that would have been used with a normal box: Plates plus the time/water/detergent used washing them. Disposable plates if you’re out, likely tossed. Paper towels standing in for plates. Plastic wrap or foil used to cover or wrap the leftovers in a smaller package then that mammoth box.

This may not sound like a lot in terms of one meal, but it adds up when you consider that American’s consume 4.8 billion pizza’s each year.

The makers of the box didn’t stray much from standard construction materials, believing that would have likely raised the price. They felt that most pizza shops are quantity focused businesses that will only make a move towards sustainability if it doesn’t raise the cost of doing business. Instead, they took the industry standard box, modified nothing but how it’s cut, and made it out of recycled paper, an increasingly cost competitive option.

This sort of creative decision making that focuses on solving conventional problems in a more sustainable way is the future of sustainable business. Sustainable businesses cannot live on the fringe if they hope to succeed in a competitive marketplace. The folks at Green Box clearly took the time to evaluate the factors involved in the decisions of everyone through their distribution chain and made decisions that benefitted each one of them. The end result is a simple product that will hopefully make me feel better about ordering my next gourmet pie from my favorite pizza shop.

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Source: Triple Pundit

Earlier this year we sold one of our cars, which liberated our lifestyle and our pocket book. But, there are occasionally challenges to overcome. Earlier this week my beautiful wife made a beautiful decision in overcoming one such challenge.

I needed the car to visit a prospective client. The meeting came up on short notice, and there wasn’t the opportunity to reschedule. Corey had an appointment at the salon scheduled at the same time, which she didn’t want to miss because this is one of the few treats that we budget for each month.

We considered our options; dropping her off early, asking a neighbor/friend for a ride, or canceling the visit. Then, out of the blue, Corey volunteered to walk.

She immediately got excited about the idea, reminding me that she walks a couple of miles everyday for her part-time dog-walking job. But this was a different story. Her salon is in Dundee proper, maybe 3 miles from our house. After her appointment, she had to immediately go and walk the dogs. Her total walk would be about 8 miles, and it was going to be a hot and humid Nebraska day.

Corey’s choice to walk reminds me of another that she made earlier this year. When our friend Mark gave us the book, ‘How to Live Well Without a Car‘, I’m sure he thought that I would be the only one in the house to read it. (Mark and I are always dorking out on commuting on bikes) But Corey dove into the book right away, and within days had resolved to sell out SUV.

That day she logged a couple of hours of walking, traversing our hilling neighborhood from one side to the other. Her smiling face and healthy glow shined brighter than the newly applied highlights in her hair.

She has completely adopted our simple and sustainable lifestyle approach. She is willing to adapt to our evolving needs, and she does so with a beautiful resolve which I respect so much.

An article in today’s Wall Street Journal, Toyota is doing more than just designing hybrids when it comes to sustainable initiatives. They are taking the concept to the distribution network with a new approach to the traditional dealership model.

By 2011, Toyota expects to have 100 ‘green’ dealerships open. They will each include features like hydraulic lifts in the service bay lubricated with vegetable oil. Skylights in the ceiling and doors made of pressed corn. Even salespeople will drive home the message by wearing organic shirts.

Toyota has already drawn up a prototype store design that dealers can follow to automatically gain environmentally friendly certifications. On Thursday, Toyota will announce an effort under which the company will help about a dozen dealers build new, highly energy-efficient facilities. The move is an investment us front, but in the long term it aims to save money and attract customers who are increasingly environmentally conscious.