WITNESS - Rescuing a Sea Turtle Named Ed

Picture Here:
http://www.planetark.com/envpicstory.cfm/newsid/43333

Factory Farming Pollution in the US

http://www.factoryfarmmap.org/ allows users to track the proliferation of factory farms by state and county, number of farms, type of operation and even number of animals.

Editorial - A Factory Farm Near You
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/31/opinion/31tue4.html?th&emc=th

Ozone has 'strong climate effect'

China cancels environmental report

Avis Goes Green With Hybrid Rentals

Avis is greening its rental fleet, announcing today that it will add 500 Nissan Altima hybrids to the thousand Toyota (TM) Priuses it began offering earlier this summer. The move is probably less a sign of Avis's (CAR) eco-consciousness than a strategy to spice up a dowdy rental fleet of Detroit cast-offs like the Chevry Impala. For ethanol fans, Avis offers flex-fuel cars. The hybrids are part of Avis's new "Cool Cars" collection that includes some decidedly brown vehicles like General Motors's (GM) Hummer and Dodge's (DCX) Nitro monster SUV. Apparently traditional car rental agencies are feeling some pressure from Web-based competitors Zipcar and Flexcar, which maintain fleets of "cool cars" like the Prius, Honda (HMC) Civic hybrid and Mini Cooper but which, for the most part, eschew carbon-spewing big sedans and SUVs.

60 Seconds to Save the Earth from Al Gore

In order to ultimately force our leaders to take action to solve the climate crisis, we have to use every medium -- including television, radio, and the Internet -- to build public support. And that's just what the Alliance for Climate Protection will do. The Alliance is a three-year campaign that will push the climate crisis to the top of the nation's agenda using a combination of paid advertising, public service announcements, and grassroots power. Your voices have carried our movement this far. So as we begin to create our media campaigns, I didn't want to only turn to an advertising firm -- I wanted to turn to you. If you had 60 seconds to convince all of your friends that they needed to take action to stop the climate crisis, what would you say? How would you get the attention of millions of people all over the world? Well, now you have the chance! Current TV and the Alliance for Climate Protection have teamed up to sponsor 60 Seconds to Save the Earth. The premise is simple: make the best 15, 30, or 60-second ad showcasing how you or someone you know is taking action to alleviate the climate crisis -- or create an original, persuasive message that will open eyes, inspire change and empower your audience. Get the
details and create your ad by visiting: http://www.current.tv/ecospotcontest
After you submit your ad, our panel of celebrity judges will narrow the field to 20 finalists. Then you will be able to help pick the winner through an online vote. The top ads will be aired internationally on Current TV, featured in the Alliance's national campaign, and showcased on MySpace's Impact channel. In addition, the grand-prize winner will receive a Toyota hybrid car, while three finalists will win Sony electronic products, and 16 semi-finalists will receive T-Mobile Sidekicks. So get started -- in 60 seconds you can save the planet. Learn about this incredible contest and submit your ad today by visiting: http://www.current.tv/ecospotcontest Thank you, Al Gore

Download Song to help homeless and abused dogs in Ethiopia

I met Dr. Anteneh Roba at the Animal Rights 2007 LA conference last weekend. He runs a Foundation to help homeless and abused dogs in Ethiopia.

Maria Daines recently provided AGMF a song downloadable for a tax deductible donation to help these dogs.

Animal Agriculture generates more greenhouse gases than Transport

Hi Everyone,

"According to a new report published by the United Nations Food and
Agriculture organization, the livestock sector generates more
greenhouse gas emissions as measured in CO2 equivalent -- 18 percent
-- than transport.

Henning Steinfeld, Chief of FAO's Livestock Information & Policy
Branch and senior author of the report says: "Livestock are one of the
most significant contributors to today's most serious environmental
problems. Urgent action is required to remedy the situation."

Please see more information on the bite global warming link below

http://www.biteglobalwarming.org/

Here's another article from the UK telegraph with similar data.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/19/nbeef119.xml

Thanks,
Mary

Nokia N800 Internet tablet

Small and feature packed. It works with Googletalk out the box and also now supports Skype (with the latest software upgrade).

It has a virtual keyboard that works pretty well, and web browsing seems to support most sites.

There are apps that can be downloaded to make it pretty useful like an ssh client (and server), VNC client etc.

It's just small enough to carry around, but not as small as a mobile phone.

It also has sensible settings for Email (like supporting different smtp servers for different connection profiles.

Google invests in Ubiquisys

Ubiquisys an Oxford based company have developed a 3G femtocell (known as Zonegate) using Picochip technology.

Google have invested around $10m of their $25m B round financing.

Google have also said they are looking at investing $4.6bn in the 700MHz wireless auction in the US (if the FCC holds the auction in a manner they consider fair).

It wouldn't be suprising if Google put money into the UK 2.5GHz auction that will happen next year, they may well also invest in a UK GSM Guard band license holder.

It seems Google believe licensed spectrum is the way forwards and are implementing that strategy.

Facebook | Login

Facebook | Login

First time I've seen Facebook errors: -

"Hey, your account is temporarily unavailable due to site maintenance. It should be available again within a few hours. We apologize for the inconvenience."

My photo albums disappeared and the homepage after login wasn't displaying the right info.

Looks like Facebook broke something badly, maybe they had to do an upgrade and it didn't work? Well it could be anything but coping with the growing number of users must be extremely difficult.

BT feels the need for 50Mb speed | The Register

BT feels the need for 50Mb speed | The Register

BT have said they are considering putting equipment in the street cabinets, though it will be a costly business.

There will also be huge problems as then it's likely BT will have to unbundle the sub-loops (as the copper is known between the street cabinet and the home) as well as already having to unbundle the local loop (allowing 3rd parties to put kit in the exchange).

The unbundling stems from an EU directive which mandates unbundling of the local or sub loops.

If BT has to allow 3rd parties to put kit in their street cabinets it will open a huge can of worms. Maybe they'll be allowed to run the infrastructure, but open it to 3rd parties.

Though speeds of 50Mb/s are quoted, VDSL2/2+ actually allows speeds of up to 100Mb/s which is common in various Asian countries.

Disputes between T-Mobile and BT, O2 and BT, Hutchison 3G and BT and BT and each of Hutchison 3G, Orange Personal Communications Services and Vodafone relating to call termination rates | Ofcom

Disputes between T-Mobile and BT, O2 and BT, Hutchison 3G and BT and BT and each of Hutchison 3G, Orange Personal Communications Services and Vodafone relating to call termination rates | Ofcom

Ofcom has now closed this case and BT will have to pay termination charges to the various operators for the periods in dispute up to 27th March 2007.

On 27 March 2007, Ofcom published a statement concluding a market review into mobile call termination charges.

Ofcom determined that there would be no distinction to voice call termination whether on 2G or 3G networks for 4 years from 1 April 2007 (i.e. until 2011 when a further review may take place).

So the operators will gain some fees, but not as much as they'd hoped for.

PC Pro: News: Facebook facing shutdown over 'stolen code' claim

PC Pro: News: Facebook facing shutdown over 'stolen code' claim

Whether the claim is true or not, it's unlikely Facebook could be shut down, their users would bitterly complain (including myself) and there's enough of them to make themselves heard.

Facebook seems to be gaining popularity at an increasing rate.

If you haven't used Facebook, try it. Though a social networking site, they are also gaining serious business networking professionals and their photo upload too is a joy to use.

Arrangements for porting phone numbers when customers switch supplier | Ofcom

Arrangements for porting phone numbers when customers switch supplier | Ofcom

Ofcom wants mobile operators to speed up the porting process between operators.

Currently they are allowed 5 days which is seen as a barrier to changing operators, Ofcom want to reduce this to two days and then 2 hours.

Eventually this would rely on a central common porting database which all networks could query, this is known as All Calls Query/ Common Database (ACQ/CBD) and is being implemented for Next Generation Networks.

Ofcom has allowed 26 months for this to happen, but the UK 3G operator 3 has said it could be done in less than 12 months.

Some operators will be resistant to this as making it easy for customers to move away from their network is not in their best interest. It will also effect the new tranch of low power GSM (Guard Band entrants) who are already at looking how best to implement a porting mechanism with the 5 existing MNOs.

Ofcom would like to see a database implemented and populated by 31st Dec 2008, then direct routing and near instant porting by 1st Sep 2009 and achieve Direct Routing by ALL networks (including fixed line networks) by 31st Dec 2012. There are also other options, but this is Ofcoms preferred one.

If this can be implemented quickly it will make a huge difference to the mobile world enabling users to move networks easily, it will also help the low power operators who are currently battling the MNO's (in a nice way) to make their life easier.

How the Humane Society Combats Animal Cruelty with Technology

Tiscali to buy Pipex

UK broadband consilidation continues with the acquisition of Pipex's fixed voice and broadband assets going to Tiscali (assuming it gains the approval of Pipex's shareholders and the UK OFT). This will add around 570,000 consumers and 100,000 business broadband customers. Tiscali will pay around £210m.

It looks like Pipex will maintain their hosting business (though it's a good guess they'll sell that off too) and Pipex Wireless who are starting to offer WiMAX based services (with a £21m injection from Intel).

Though Pipex Wireless are rolling out wireless services, they are ripe for a take-over and they may fetch as much as the fixed line assets of Pipex. Wireless is seen as the only real contender to fight BT's last mile hold. Pipex initially zero rated their wireless license on their books when they acquired Firstnet who also acquired the license from another operator. They must now be laughing all the way to the bank.

Emissions don't make Europe happy

A related article is here:

Happiness doesn't cost the Earth
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5169448.stm

Seniors see green, rally to save environment

Virgin loses 40,000 customers, Sky gains

Sky has reported better pay tv results this quarter, 90,000 new subs instead of the 50,000 expected.

VirginMedia has admitted it has lost 40,000 customers to Sky over the loss of basic Sky channels on its service.

Sky is not saying if the increased customer base is due to Virgin's loss, however they have also increased their broadband and voice customers.

If the loss continues VirginMedia will suffer greatly, which cant hurt Sky.

Quicktime 7.2

It seems Apple have added 2 new features to Quicktime 7.2, export to iPhone and export to iPhone (cellular) as well as fixing various security vulnerabilities.

The iPhone export supports .m4v (an MPEG 4 variant), while iPhone (cellular) supports the standardised .3gp format which produces smaller files.

Though the features are there, they're not mentioned in the release notes.

Quicktime 7.2 is available as a standalone download or part of the iTunes 7.3.1 download (which is a minor upgrade from iTunes 7.3 to 7.3.1 and fixes some iTunes library issues).

Spectrum Framework Review: the Public Sector | Ofcom

Spectrum Framework Review: the Public Sector | Ofcom

Ofcom is holding a consultation to make more spectrum available, either by directly licensing spectrum, by spectrum trading and other means.

Much of the spectrum below 15GHz is held by the MOD and public sector, the MOD is already conducting a review of its required spectrum and will make spectrum available after 2008. Ofcom is trying to make it easier for the public sector to do the same.

The Wireless Telegraphy Act is a very draconian piece of legislation which covers most spectrum allocations, however under the Communications Act some licenses have been transferred and allow more flexible use.

Ofcom is proposing that more spectrum be licensed under the Communications Act regime, which would allow spectrum trading.

Disputes between T-Mobile and BT, O2 and BT, Hutchison 3G and BT and BT and each of Hutchison 3G, Orange Personal Communications Services and Vodafone relating to call termination rates | Ofcom

Disputes between T-Mobile and BT, O2 and BT, Hutchison 3G and BT and BT and each of Hutchison 3G, Orange Personal Communications Services and Vodafone relating to call termination rates | Ofcom

The mobile networks are saying it costs more to terminate calls on their 3G networks compared to the 2G (or GSM) networks and have either raised charges, or want to raise charges. BT has complained about the new charges.

Ofcom have received new information and are therefore extending the dispute.

Facebook is growing fast

Facebook is definately the new craze and is growing like mad. Everyone seems to be joining, the same faces from other social networking sites, interestingly business users and consumers alike.

The interface is much more organised than say MySpace and much easier to read/navigate around. It seems "more friendly" too.

Google's Orkut gained a huge popularity when they launched (invite only - which made it geeky cool), but it rapidly seemed to lose it's steam.

While MySpace is huge, Facebook must be catching up. Facebook also rarely has errors while accessing areas etc, so they've obviously thought hard and long about scalability from the beginning.

A major plus for Facebook is that they've opened it up so developers can access the gubbins below and build applications - techy heaven - but it also means stuff gets developed that users want (and that Facebook might not have resources to do themselves).

It looks like it's here to stay.

Nokia adds Skype to N800 Internet device

Nokia and Skype have added the Skype VoIP application to the N800 WiFi tablet. This will allow users to utilise the Skype application when connected through a nome or public WiFi hotspot.

The tablet seems more a techie toy rather than a useful Internet device.

Harvest Home Animal Sanctuary

Stars Join Their Voices to Support Live Earth

Global Warming and Your Wallet

Apple iPhone soon to be hacked

Now that people have got their hands on an iPhone the hacking has started.

Using recovery images people have already found the CPU type, built-in users (and cracked the passwords).

The activation process has also been broken, so it doesn't need to go through the iTunes/AT&T services. This doesn't allow the phone to be used with a SIM though, however the PDA and Internet functions work using WiFi.

There's now intense activity on unlocking the SIM so it can be used with other GSM services. Time will tell if it's actually possible.

Of course when people do break things, Apple are bound to release a software update to implement new security measures which will render these cracks unusable and they'll add more functionality so people want to upgrade (iChat and ringtones are already rumoured).

Carbon With That Latte?

How Starbucks hopes to trim its emissions footprint.

Starbucks wants to go on a carbon-lite diet. But oh, it's hard.

In its shop in downtown San Mateo, Calif., for instance, baristas serve up about 40,000 cups of coffee drinks every month. Just based on utility bills alone, that means Starbucks is serving up about 4,900 pounds of carbon with its drinks--or about two ounces per cup.

Starbucks executives say they are looking for ways to trim those carbon emissions. But they are reluctant to say just how much Starbucks' worldwide carbon footprint is--and how it has changed over the past few years. Starbucks has calculated the carbon footprint of its North American locations only once, in 2003. Since then, its number of U.S. company-owned stores has almost doubled to 6,281. Its international company-owned locations, also left out of the calculation, now number more than 1,500.

"Although we have grown in size, the nature of our business remains the same--the operation of retail stores and roasting coffee," says Jim Hanna, environmental affairs manager at Starbucks in Seattle. While Starbucks chooses not to calculate its carbon footprint every year, the company does conduct annual progress checks, but these numbers are not publicly reported.

Other eco-friendly companies are also surprising coy. Last month, for instance, Google led a group of 40 other companies (including Starbucks) in kicking off the "Climate Savers Computing Initiative," a project aimed at building and buying more energy-efficient PCs.

But Google refuses to disclose its own carbon footprint. "This is important competitive information that relates to the details of our operations," says Google's Bill Weihl, the engineer in charge of the company's energy strategy.

Google is nonetheless keeping a watch on the size of its carbon footprint and hopes to achieve “carbon neutrality” by the end of this year by using non-carbon energy sources for much of its power needs and purchasing carbon offsets for the rest. Recently, Google flipped the switch on 1.6 megawatts of solar power modules on the roof of its Mountain View headquarters.

Starbucks was early among eco-sensitive companies. Executives became convinced early in this decade that atmospheric carbon could wreak havoc on the global climate--and so on the supply and price of coffee beans. "We're facing environmental risks posed by climate change that could negatively affect many aspects of our company, including our ability to procure coffee," Hanna says.

Temperature and rainfall dictate how much coffee comes out of regions including Latin America and Asia. "As we hope to increase to 40,000 stores worldwide in the next 10 years, we're going to need a larger supply," Hanna says.

In 2003, Starbucks hired Denver-based engineering firm CH2M Hill to calculate the carbon footprint of the approximately 3,700 stores it then had in North America. CH2M Hill began measuring corporate footprints in the late 1990s and has done comparable calculations for a few dozen companies, including Nike, 3M, SC Johnson and energy firm Kinder Morgan.

Doing such calculations is still something of a black art. CH2M Hill's Lisa Grice, who worked on the coffee company's carbon footprint, says the final number primarily includes electricity used in retail stores. Carbon calculators take into account stores' geographic locations. That's because electricity generated at power plants in one state may come from a different source than a power plant in another state. Some stores may get electricity from coal-fired plants, which results in greater carbon emissions, while others may depend on hydroelectric power, which has a lower carbon byproduct.

Starbucks decided to leave out the additional 81,000 tons of carbon dioxide it emitted through transporting coffee materials and disposing solid waste. According to Starbucks Environmental Affairs Manager Ben Packard, the company can only control and manage carbon emissions from energy used in retail stores and coffee-roasting plants.

It took about half a year of data collection and complex calculations to figure out that Starbucks emitted 295,000 tons of carbon into the atmosphere in 2003. Starbucks decided to leave out an additional 81,000 tons of carbon dioxide it emitted by transporting coffee materials and disposing of solid waste. According to Starbucks Environmental Affairs Manager Ben Packard, the company can only control and manage carbon emissions from energy used in retail stores and coffee-roasting plants.

Starbucks attributes 81% of its greenhouse gas emissions to purchased electricity and 18% to coffee roasting at its three North American plants and natural gas usage in stores.

That 295,000-ton figure gives Starbucks a small carbon footprint, among a list of about 1,000 companies compiled by the Carbon Disclosure Project, a London-based nonprofit. Near the top of the list is energy giant American Electric Power with 146.5 million tons of carbon emissions. Next in line are oil and gas companies Royal Dutch/Shell and British Petroleum with 105 million tons and 92 million tons.

Comparatively, General Electric's 12.4 million ton footprint makes it a medium-size emitter. The smallest carbon emitters weighed in at a few thousand tons. Most of the lower footprints belong to insurance companies, retailers and banks.

Starbucks execs say that even as they've been growing the number of outlets, they've been trying to be more energy efficient. In 2005, Starbucks joined the World Research Institute's Green Power Market Development Group, a consortium of 15 companies ranging from Staples to Google. The group helps its members purchase renewable energy at lower prices. Last year, the coffee company increased its wind power to 20% of the total energy usage in North American stores. This offset 62,000 tons of carbon dioxide.

But to track progress in reducing carbon emissions accurately, companies need to update those footprints frequently, says Marcus Peacock of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "We've asked companies to check their numbers annually," he says.

A number of companies are doing just that. Both Intel and Sun Microsystems, which are also part of the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, report their carbon footprints annually. Intel's carbon footprint added up to 4 million tons in 2006, a number that includes worldwide operations. Sun first calculated its footprint at 255,000 tons last year, and used past data to figure out carbon emissions dating back four years. The company also reports up-to-date carbon numbers on its Web site.

"We calculate this monthly so that we can make sure we're on track with improving emissions," says Sun's VP of Eco Responsibility Dave Douglas.

Both Intel and Sun are part of the EPA's Climate Leaders Program, a group of companies that sets tangible carbon reduction goals. Climate Leaders began five years ago, when few companies even knew the meaning of carbon footprint. Now, the program boasts 132 members.

In the meantime, Starbucks executives insist they are looking for ways to improve energy efficiency and encourage their customers to do the same. This summer, Starbucks told its customers to go green through a number of high-profile campaigns, including "Green Umbrellas for a Green Cause" and the online Planet Green Game (planetgreengame.com). Starbucks will also start monitoring the energy usage of specific equipment at some stores later this year. "We'll install individual meters on espresso machines, refrigerators, water filtration systems and other components," Hanna says.

This doesn't necessarily mean you'll see a green espresso maker at a Starbucks near you anytime soon. "Quality and performance come first," Hanna says.

Companies Giving Green an Office

The corporate roster of “chiefs” used to be pretty short: chief executive, chief financial officer and, maybe, chief operating officer. Then came the chief marketing and technology officers.

Elizabeth Lowery of G.M. says in making environmental claims, the automaker’s reputation is on the line

Now, the so-called C-Level Suite is swelling again — this time, with chief sustainability officers. These are not simply environmental watchdogs, there to keep operations safe and regulators at bay. The new environmental chiefs are helping companies profit from the push to go green.

“Environmental vice presidents usually spend company money, but this new breed is helping companies make money,” said Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. The upshot, said Geoffrey Heal, a business professor at the Columbia Business School, is that “what started out as a compliance job has evolved into one that guards the value of the brand.”

The titles vary, mixing and matching “chief” and “vice president,” “sustainability” and “environmental,” making it impossible to track how many people fill the role. But whatever they are called, the new environmental chiefs — many of them named in the last two years — wield extraordinary power.

They are exploring partnerships with vendors and customers to create green products — and they have the power to close the deal. They are also getting a vote — often, the deciding vote — on product research and advertising campaigns.

Since he became Dow Chemical’s first chief sustainability officer in March, David E. Kepler has been talking to Dow’s technology, manufacturing and finance people about alternative fuels and green products. “We usually agree,” Mr. Kepler said. “But if a critical environmental issue is in dispute, I’ll prevail.”

Linda J. Fisher, the chief sustainability officer at DuPont, scuttled the purchase of a company that was not in a “sustainable” business. “We’re building sustainability into the acquisition criteria,” she said.

And when two business chiefs at General Electric blanched at the cost of developing green products, Jeffrey R. Immelt, G.E.’s chairman, gave Lorraine Bolsinger, vice president of G.E.’s Ecomagination business, the research money. “I have an open door to get projects funded,” she said.

The evolution was probably inevitable. Corporations are facing demands from all quarters to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, and to buy and produce green products. So, many chief executives are urging their managers to “figure out what products they should sell in a warming world,” said Jonathan Lash, president of the World Resources Institute.

Still, few corporate chiefs want to micromanage the changes. That means they are appointing environmental surrogates to do it for them.

“You need a lot of huskies pulling the sled, but you’ve got to have a lead dog,” said Andrew N. Liveris, chairman and chief executive of Dow Chemical. “I can’t be everywhere, so I confer my clout on Dave.”

The environmental chiefs hail from widely disparate backgrounds. Owens Corning plucked its chief from research, while Home Depot dipped into its merchandising ranks. Ms. Fisher of DuPont once worked for the Environmental Protection Agency, while Francis Sullivan, deputy head of group sustainable development for the HSBC Group, came from the World Wildlife Fund.

“I was already advising HSBC about the environmental impact of their activities, so now I’m making sure that their brand stands for sustainability,” Mr. Sullivan said. Two people share that job at G.E. Ms. Bolsinger is responsible for green products; Stephen Ramsey, the vice president for corporate environmental programs, oversees compliance and external relations. Both are corporate officers. “Jeff will tell the staff to do something,” Ms. Bolsinger said. “We tell them how.”

Other companies have rolled two jobs into one. Ernest Wooden Jr., executive vice president for brands for the Hilton Hotels Corporation, is overseeing Hilton’s efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of its nearly 3,000 hotels. He already sets the standards for everything from architecture to shampoo, so purchasing agents and suppliers are accustomed to heeding his recommendations.

“Our C.E.O. decided I was the most powerful hammer to get things done,” Mr. Wooden said.

The “powerful hammer” thought certainly motivated Home Depot and Owens Corning. Since October, when he became Home Depot’s vice president for environmental innovation, Ron Jarvis has led efforts to sell green products, run green stores and educate customers about sustainability. He is also responsible for buying and selling lumber products.

“The other merchandising people know I’m from their world, and understand what will or won’t work,” Mr. Jarvis said.

Owens-Corning, meanwhile, named Frank O’Brien-Bernini, its research chief since 2001, to the post of chief research and development and sustainability officer. He now uses what he calls the “lens of sustainability” to prioritize research.

One recent example is a machine that makes it easier to insulate attics. Owens Corning developed it after research showed that drafty attics are prime culprits in greenhouse gas emissions, but that the “hassle factor” kept homeowners from addressing the situation. “I drive innovation around products and processes,” Mr. O’Brien-Bernini said. “And I make sure that our claims are backed by deep, deep science.”

Ensuring credibility is also a priority for Elizabeth A. Lowery, vice president for environment, energy and safety policy at General Motors.

Before G.M. introduced the Chevy Volt, its electric car, in January, Ms. Lowery helped to brief reporters, shareholders and environmentalists on how the car worked. She looked over the green-themed speech that Rick Wagoner, G.M.’s chairman, gave at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, making it less “technically focused” and more in line with “how various constituencies think about green issues,” she said.

And she said that she “added facts, and toned down broad brush statements and claims” before G.M. introduced its “Live Green Go Yellow” ethanol campaign last year.

“G.M. is marketing its reputation, not just its cars,” Ms. Lowery said.

Ms. Fisher presides over DuPont’s green name as well. The big chemical company already produces many green products, like plastics made from crops. And Ms. Fisher is helping to develop a scorecard that researchers can use to “evaluate whether their work will produce environmentally smart products.”

But she said she was also making sure that DuPont never overstates the “greenness” of items. “I don’t want us accused of greenwashing because marketing made too much of a small improvement,” she said.

Many marketers, in fact, welcome the oversight.

Kevin Martin, who heads customer marketing for HSBC Bank USA, worked closely with Mr. Sullivan on HSBC Bank’s current promotion. Together, they forged a plan to give customers who sign up for an electronic bill paying service — which HSBC promotes as saving trees — a “green” kit that includes items like energy-efficient light bulbs.

“There hasn’t been any disharmony,” Mr. Martin said. “Environmental involvement is a credential of our brand. Francis is our conscience.”

Environmentalists, perhaps unsurprisingly, are divided on whether the rise of the powerful sustainability chief bodes well or ill.

“In the best of all worlds, we wouldn’t need a separate person to link strategy and sustainability,” said Gwen Ruta, director of corporate partnerships for Environmental Defense. A utopian world would not need ethics officers either, countered Eugene Linden, a frequent author on climate change.

“Chief sustainability officer sounds all crunchy granola and squishy,” he said. “But their rise shows that companies finally realize that sustainability and efficiency go hand in hand.”