Environmental Defense Fund

More than 350 staff across the country

25 work in the Corporate Partnerships program

EDF Innovation ExchangeEDF Innovation Exchange

Facilitate rapid and widespread adoption Facilitate rapid and widespread adoption of environmental innovation in businessof environmental innovation in business

What’s Our

NextBig

Thing?

20 years ago…

… the [McDonalds] alliance  with the Environmental Defense Fund was promptly written off by other environmental activists, who said the EDF has watered down its stands in the last decade to please big business and the federal government.

It's like saying I'm going to

join a task force with the

Mafia… Dr. Samuel Epstein

I think it's reallyselling out.Lois Gibbs

The fact of the matter is that to move America, you have to move Corporate America

Fred Krupp,1990

Starting today, one of the world’s largest private equity firms – The Carlyle Group – will look for opportunities to improve operations and create value through environmental innovation during the assessment of potential acquisitions. 

EDF Innovation ExchangeMarch 18, 2010

Walmart Announces Goal to Eliminate 20 Million Metric Tons of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

from Global Supply Chain

EDF Innovation ExchangeFebruary 25, 2010

Its Not Just Us

• DOE, Interior, and Army Corps of Engineers to Cooperate on Hydropower

• Chevron launched a multi-million dollar project to test cutting-edge solar technology

• UPS has deployed a “Smart Pickup” system expected to cut 8 million miles of travel and reduce fuel usage …

• Cisco’s water conservation techniques have reduced water consumption by 10 percent

75% of firms view sustainability as consistent with their profit mission and are engaging in activities (up from 58% in 2006)

2009 Greening of Corporate America McGraw Hill, 2009

Partnerships Bloom• EPA Climate Leaders• EPA Green Power

Partnership• Energy Star• DoE’s Commercial

Building Alliances

• Conservation International

• World Wildlife Fund• National Wildlife Fund• Nature Conservancy

• Global Reporting Initiative• Carbon Disclosure

Project• CERES• Global Footprint Network• CarbonFree Partners• GEMI• …

Last heresy:

Environmental activists can’t work with business

New heresy:

Business can’t work with business

Image of the Internet

Building on the Stack

TCP/IP(Software)

Ethernet(Computers)

HTTP/The Web(Documents)

Creative Commons(Knowledge & Culture)

Sustainable Business Infrastructure(Data & Algorithms)

What would

this look like?

LINUX

GreenXchange

Where to look?

• Shipping & logistics• Supply chain auditing• Performance data sharing• Training materials & curriculum• Energy systems• Investment funds• ???

Dave Witzeldwitzel@edf.orghttp://blogs.edf.org/innovation