Environmental Business Chronicle
April 2010

Business News BIOREM Inc. (TSX-V: BRM), headquartered in Guelph, recently reported more than 30% growth in revenue and gross profit and a sustained 40% gross margin level for fiscal year 2009. Peter Bruijns, President and CEO of BIOREM, attributes the increased growth in part to a commitment by the company to the research and development of its proprietary air filter media products.

INAC Services, based in Guelph, recently announced it is now delivering its research, negotiation, and procurement of government assistance services to businesses in the U.S. as well as in Canada. The INAC team includes experts in a wide variety of federal, state, and local incentives that are available in the U.S.

Canadian Oil Recovery and Remediation Enterprises Ltd. (TSX-V: CVR), also known as CORRE, recently announced the commissioning of its advanced oil recovery equipment system to clean up 20 tonnes per hour of oil waste in southern Kuwait. Optimization of the system is expected to be completed in May when the system is expected to be ready for commercial deployment. CORRE specializes in the remediation of oil-contaminated sites and in oil recovery.

Alter NRG (TSX: NRG), headquartered in Calgary, recently announced the acquisition of 35% of Groundheat International Inc. (“Groundheat”), for $2.3 million by its wholly owned subsidiary Clean Energy Developments Corp. Groundheat focuses on geoexchange drilling and installation services in the Ontario market. Alter NRG sees the acquisition as part of its pursuit of alternative energy solutions.

Plasco Energy Group, headquartered in Ottawa, recently announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Beijing Environmental Sanitation Engineering Group Co (BESG) to build a plasma conversion plant in Beijing. By this, the MOU commits BESG and Plasco to work cooperatively toward a definitive agreement for delivery of a Plasco Conversion Facility to BESG. The facility will be constructed and operated by Plasco at a Beijing site to be provided by BESG.

Intelex Technologies, headquartered in Toronto, recently announced that NRG Energy Inc., one of the largest and most diverse power generation portfolios in the U.S., had adopted Intelex’s web-based management solution software to manage environmental activities at NRG’s 42 generating facilities. Intelex’s management software tool assists NRG in tracking and measuring its environmental key performance indicators, allows facilities to log their own environmental data, and provides uniform company- wide reporting.


Money and Markets Global wind energy markets are expected to continue their rapid growth, with the world's wind power capacity increasing by 160% over the next five years, according to the annual industry forecast presented by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). The two markets leading global wind power expansion will continue to be the U.S. and China. GWEC said that it expects that globally installed wind capacity will reach 409 GW by 2014, up from 158.5 GW at the end of 2009. This assumes an average growth rate of 21% per year.

Water sustainability is likely to break through in 2010 as a mainstream issue for investors according to Jens Peers, portfolio manager of the Calvert Global Water Fund (CFWAX) and head of Eco Funds for Dublin-based KBC Asset Management International Ltd. To provide enough water for all uses through 2030, industry analysts estimate that the world will need to invest as much as $1 trillion per year in water technology and infrastructure. Mr. Peers believes that growth in the water sector is a result of four major trends: growing demand, aging infrastructure, the rise in government oversight, and the water shortage in China.


Government Policy and Business Environment Canada has begun public consultations with the view to updating Canada's regulatory framework for the transboundary movement of waste and hazardous recyclable materials. The objective is to modify three existing regulations related to the transboundary movement of waste to ensure greater environmental protection, improved policy alignment with international agreements, and greater clarity. The Discussion Paper is posted for public comment on the Environment Canada's web site, at http://www.ec.gc.ca/gdd-mw/default.asp?lang=En&n=C6D17E79-1.


Science and Technology Researchers at the University of South Florida recently discovered that an extract from the prickly pear cactus is effective in removing sediment and bacteria from water. The findings, reported in New Scientist, show that the mucilage found in the cactus acts as a flocculent, causing both sediment particles and bacteria to join together and settle to the bottom of the water samples. Prevalence, affordability, and cultural acceptance make cactus an attractive natural material for water purification technologies.

Rice University researchers and their colleagues in Finland and Hungary have found a way to make carbon nanotube membranes that could find wide application as extra-fine air filters and as scaffolds for catalysts that speed chemical reactions. The results reported in the journal ACS Nano indicate that these filters can remove up to 99 % of particulates with diameters of less than a micrometer.


Publications Greening your Business: A Guide to getting Started (RBC, 2010). This 48-page guide provides advice on how a company can transform into a sustainable enterprise using an organizational change approach.

Green Remediation Best Management Practices: Bioremediation (U.S. EPA, 2010). This 4-page reference sheet outlines the U.S. EPA’s policy for evaluating and minimizing the environmental 'footprint' of activities undertaken when cleaning up a contaminated site.


People Bas van Berkel and Ryan Little, formerly of Stormfisher Biogas, have launched a new firm: Rocksteady Investments. This firm will invest in very early stage cleantech companies around the world, especially in the areas of water purification and waste conversion.

Jim Harnum has been hired as a Director at Toronto Water. He leaves the position of senior director of environment and sustainable infrastructure in Hamilton where he ran a department that had a budget of over $134 million and 180 employees. Jim was responsible for the distribution of drinking water and the collection of waste water.

Timothy J. Cesarek was recently named to the Board of Directors at Enerkem. Tim is the managing director of the Organic Growth Group of Waste Management, Inc. Waste Management became a strategic investor in Enerkem during the company’s last financing round.


Marketing According to a report authored by AMR Research and SAP, manufacturers are increasingly viewing sustainability through the lens of compliance, rather than marketing, which suggests a shift in perception from opportunity to cost. The report, Sustainability Reporting and Greenhouse Gas Management—Sensing Market Trends and Evolution in U.S. Manufacturing, marks a dramatic departure from 2008 when manufacturers overwhelmingly cited a gain of a competitive advantage with a corporate brand as the top driver for participating in enterprise sustainability.