Costa Rica: the best country brand in Latin America

Costa Rica is the best country brand in Latin America, says the seventh annual edition of the Country Brand Index (CBI), the global study of country brand strength by Future Brand, published last November 11^th.

The CBI analyzes countries around the world in five main dimensions: Value System, Quality of Life, Good for Business, Heritage and Culture, and Tourism.

Expertos ligan el incremento de la competitividad turística a la recuperación de la identidad del destino

Las jornadas de innovación turística ‘The New Tourism Project 2011’, que se desarrollaron en el Magma Arte & Congresos de Adeje (Tenerife) el pasado 24 y 25 de noviembre, abren nuevas perspectivas para el futuro del sector tras analizar, de la mano de expertos de los ámbitos nacional e internacional, diferentes modelos llevados a cabo en Suecia, Canarias, Cabo Verde o Corea del Sur, entre otros lugares del planeta.

La educación, la relación entre empresa y universidad, el turismo sostenible, cultural y de bienestar y salud fueron algunos de los caminos que se señalaron como vitales para aumentar la competitividad del sector, en unas conclusiones provisionales que están siendo estudiadas por el equipo de El Laboratorio tras la celebración de las jornadas.

Learning the Business of Sustainability

In 1995, Nespresso was one of the fastest-growing business units of the Nestlé organization. Its individual-portion coffee machines, and the coffee capsules they required, had created a new market with international appeal. But Nespresso faced a critical barrier to growth: as consumer demand grew, sourcing high-quality coffee became increasingly difficult.

Their supply-chain woes developed at the same time that NGOs such as Oxfam and Heifer International were working to educate the public about the plight of coffee farmers. Nespresso needed a new, reliable supply chain that would improve conditions for growers. In 2003, it created the AAA Sustainable Quality Program with three partners: two coffee suppliers and Rainforest Alliance, an NGO. Four years later, the program included 14 partners in five countries, and Nespresso sales had nearly quadrupled.

Nespresso learned that to remain sustainable as a business, they had to embrace sustainability.

A partir del 31 de marzo de 2012 estará prohibido el uso de bolsas no degradables

Luego de la aprobación por parte del Concejo Deliberante de la ciudad de la ordenanza que prohíbe el uso de bolsas plásticas en supermercados y comercios a partir del 31 de marzo del 2012, en protección del medio ambiente y en prevención de la contaminación visual, a través de la Dirección de Ecología y Medio Ambiente, el municipio promoverá el uso de bolsas alternativas a las de plástico para contribuir a disminuir la contaminación, por medio de una campaña prevista en la nueva norma.

El municipio iniciará una campaña a favor de bolsas degradables o de otros tipos no contaminantes.

1Río Grande.- “Le pedimos a toda la sociedad que ya empiece a prever el recambio y volver al esquema de otras épocas, como bolsas de yute, o de tela”, comentó el ingeniero Fassi, director del área dependiente de la Secretaría de Obras y Servicios Públicos.

Bamboo Charcoal: A Green Biofuel For Africa?

Bamboo, a plant often associated with China and pandas, may be the key to combating soil degradation and massive deforestation in Africa as an alternative source of energy.

Bamboo, a plant often associated with China and pandas, may be the key to combating soil degradation and massive deforestation in Africa as an alternative source of energy.

Sub-Saharan Africa has over 2.75 million hectares of bamboo forest, equivalent to roughly 4 percent of the continent’s total forest cover.

A partnership among African nations and communities, the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR), and China are working to replace forest wood, on which 80 percent of the rural population in sub-Saharan Africa depends for its fuel needs, with bamboo charcoal and firewood.

200MW Solar Farm Project For Florida

Florida’s National Solar Power has announced the inking of a deal with Hardee County, Fla. to establish a network of solar farms in the area totaling 200MW capacity.

Ten 200-acre PV solar panel based farms are planned for Hardee at a cost of $70 million each. National Solar Power estimates the project will create 200 jobs during the five-year construction period and up to 50 permanent operations jobs.