Archive for the ‘Technology’ Category
Closing the Loop on Electronic Waste
Make no mistake: Best Buy likes to see customers lining up for that next new, must-have gadget. The consumer electronics retailer is in the business of helping people upgrade their technology, whether it’s a mobile phone or a big-screen television.
For every new product, though, there’s often an old one made obsolete: last year’s iPhone, or a clunky analog TV set, or that computer your media collection outgrew. All of this stuff eventually starts to pile up in closets, landfills or incinerators.
It’s an environmental hazard, and it’s a customer hassle. That’s why Best Buy is seeking to help close the loop on the millions of pounds of electronic waste its stores and customers generate each year.
Best Buy has rapidly become a national leader in e-waste recycling since launching an in-store drop-off program in February 2009. Customers at its U.S. stores can bring in just about any old electronics, regardless of where or when they were purchased, and Best Buy will make sure they get recycled responsibly. Last year, the company collected more than 75 million pounds of unwanted electronics. (Continue reading…)
Read my story on water scarcity in Twin Cities Business
I spent a few months this spring looking into the potential risks and opportunities for Minnesota companies as development, pollution, population growth and climate conspire to strain our planet’s fresh water supply. The risk may seem distant here in the land of 10,000 lakes, but in an age when global supply chains span the globe, few industries will be unaffected. Some are already feeling the effects. Meanwhile, the Twin Cities is home to a promising cluster of companies and technologies that could play a role in addressing the coming global crisis. Read more in the July issue of Twin Cities Business magazine.
![When 2nd Wind Exercise Equipment’s e-mail server reached capacity in late 2007, the company had a choice to make. Its decision: Why buy new when cloud computing will do? The secondhand fitness equipment retailer based in Eden Prairie is among the Twin Cities’ first midsize enterprises to adopt cloud computing for core business applications. Instead of buying a new server, the company signed up for Google Apps, an online software suite that removes many of the hardware and licensing hassles related to managing IT resources. “We [believed] that the cloud options were the up-and-coming alternative,” says 2nd Wind President and Chief Operating Officer Tony Enrico. “And to date, we have not had any problems.” 2nd Wind’s experience suggests cloud providers are starting to resolve the concerns of larger enterprises. Locally, organizations transitioning to cloud computing include Minneapolis-based Dunn Brothers Coffee and the State of Minnesota’s Office of Enterprise Technology. If the trend sticks, it could bring a big shift within local IT departments.](http://www.danhaugen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Screen-shot-2011-02-10-at-12.51.02-PM1.png "Cloud Confidence")
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