A SERIES of lawsuits is looming against Swiss mining giant Xstrata after blood tests around its Mount Isa operations revealed widespread lead poisoning among the children of the central Queensland town. The legal action over the alleged metal contamination in…
What are student activists doing in Hong Kong? The students who were involved in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 became some of the most famous student protestors of all time. But what few people know is that Hong Kong…
Reporting leaders, including Tesco, Dell and Nestle, are being urged to find out what their suppliers’ carbon footprints are. The move is getting a mixed response. It is five years since the global climate change initiative, the Carbon Disclosure Project,…
Spain-based management rating and research firm Management and Excellence (M&E) has recently released its 5th annual report titled “Most Sustainable Oil/Gas Companies 2008” that helps leading Oil companies benchmark against each other. This particular ranking, marketed with Oil & Gas…
A US advocacy organization has accused commodity companies Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) and Cargill of lobbying against a bill that would protect against child labor practices in supply countries. According to the International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF), ADM and Cargill…
The invention of a tiny stove in India demonstrates the link between reduced carbon emissions and improved health — and how technology can contribute to slowing climate change. Global energy giant BP is producing and marketing Oorja, which means energy…
Pike Place Roastâ„¢ will be the first coffee to bear the new mark symbolizing Starbucks ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability through an expanded relationship with Conservation International (CI). Coffee bearing the new mark is purchased from C.A.F.E. Practices verified suppliers…
The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative is determined to stamp out embezzlement, but has its work cut out. When it launched in 2002 the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative aimed high. A coalition of governments, companies, civil society groups and investors, it…
Yahoo Inc., under fire from civil-rights groups for its indirect role in human rights abuses in China, is answering critics by setting up a fund to give victims of government censorship legal and other assistance. The webco has been charged…
As of the end of 2005 there were something like 2 billion cell phones in service worldwide. Certainly there are more than that now. Without lithium batteries cell phones would be a completely different animal. Bigger and heavier, you wouldn’t…
