Here is today’s sustainability news, research and analysis for technology partners; renewable energy and green IT service providers; Today's sustainability news also involves management consultants; CIOs; chief sustainability officers (CSOs), c-suite members and climate accounting professionals.
A. Sustainable Technology, Talent, Partnerships and Green IT Alliances
1. Microsoft Build 2024: When the Microsoft Build 2024 conference arrives in May, the event will feature multiple AI and cloud sessions focused on sustainability.
2. Partnership - Sustainability Software and IT Consulting: Software provider Ideagen and consulting firm Vision Zero Connect are partnering to "help organizations achieve their environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals," the two companies said.
3. IT Consulting and Sustainability Solutions: Keep an eye on TCS Intelligent Urban Exchange -- which leverages "end-to-end data across entire organizations and their value chains, and empowers expedited net-zero journeys, clean operations, and climate goal attainment," the IT consulting company asserts.
4. Talent - ESG Software and Real Estate: Measurabl, which develops an ESG software platform for real estate, has hired Andrea LeMay as director of Go-To-Market Strategy. The announcement did not mention whether Measurabl plans to build a channel partner program...
5. Talent - Consulting: Professional services firm EY named Chase Jordan to Global Private Equity ESG Leader, ESG Today reported.
6. Research - Buildings and Net Zero: To meet midcentury greenhouse gas reduction goals, 100% of new buildings would have to be net-zero by 2030, and operational emissions from existing buildings would need to fall 50%, according to Decarbonizing Buildings, a report from The Conference Board.
7. Earbuds: Fairphone, the sustainable smartphone maker, has developed earbuds that support replaceable batteries.
8. Legal Teams: OpenAI has hired about two dozen in-house lawyers since March 2023 to work on issues including copyright, the Washington Post reported.
B. Sustainability M&A, Investments, Funding and Green IT Business Launches
1. Potential M&A - IoT and Smart Cities: Affluence has executed Letters of Intent with three IoT companies. The three acquisition targets generated $5 million in combined revenue and more than $1 million in combined EBTIDA in 2023. If the acquisitions happen, we suspect Affluence could potential focus on smart cities -- which could lead to some energy management and decarbonization efforts. Still, the M&A deals are not official...
2. M&A - Monitoring Technology: LI-COR Environmental, backed by private equity firm Battery Ventures, has acquired Onset for environmental monitoring and water resource management technologies. LI-COR gains sensor networks, data acquisition, and cloud-based data monitoring technologies. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
3. M&A - Environmental Consulting: Verdantas, backed by private equity firm RTC Partners, has acquired CT Consultants, an environmental consulting and engineering services firm that serves customers in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
4. Complete M&A List: Here's our database of all M&A deals involving green IT and renewable energy buyers, sellers and investors.
C. Regional and Global Sustainability Policies and News
1. United States - Carbon Capture Doubts: President Joe Biden's administration is offering farmers money for adopting practices that store carbon in the soil to fight climate change, but Reuters interviews with soil science experts and a review of U.S. Department of Agriculture research indicate doubt that the approach will be effective, Reuters reported.
2. European Union: The European parliament voted for proposals to make electricity prices less dependent on fossil fuel prices, in a bid to boost renewable energy and shield consumers from price spikes, Reuters reported.
3. Italy - Hydropower Explosion: At least three people were killed on April 10 when a fire and explosion occurred at the plant owned by Enel Green Power, part of Enel Group, near the town of Camugnano, about 60 km (40 miles) from Bologna, Reuters reported.
4. Australia: Keep an eye on the climate-related financial disclosures Treasury Bill in Australia, which will likely face Parliamentary debate in May 2024, according to KPMG. The effort is closely related to the Australian Sustainability Reporting Standards (ASRS) from the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB).
D. Sustainability and Green Technology Conference Calendar
- Earth Charter Conference 2024 (April 12-14, Winter Park, Florida)
- BFA Sustainability Summit (April 14, Birmingham, United Kingdom)
- The World Future Energy Summit 2024 (April 16-18, UAE)
- Apidays Singapore 2024Â (April 17-18, Signapore)
- Green IO Conference Singapore 2024 (April 18, Singapore)
- Complete Calendar of Sustainability Conferences
E. Previous Updates & Future News
- Did You Miss Yesterday's Daily Update?: Here is our previous sustainability, green IT and renewable energy news for technology partners.
- Future Updates: If you have news to share then please email me the details.
