GreenBeat spotlight: Picarro’s “sci-fi” box may prevent cap-and-trade fraud after Copenhagen

GreenBeat spotlight: Picarro’s “sci-fi” box may prevent cap-and-trade fraud after Copenhagen

As the United States and world consider new policies and legislation to help stop climate change, verifying whether they actually work is going to be a big deal.

And it’s really encouraging to see a bunch of companies already trying to help. Picarro is one of them. It helps monitor the atmosphere’s gases to determine whether one of the main ideas for fighting global warming, a “cap-and-trade” system, is working.

By the way, startups that help verify… Continue Reading

Green investing bounces back from recession

Green investing bounces back from recession

Venture Capital investment in green technology companies has jumped to tie pre-recessionary levels, according to a new report out of Greentech Media. With $1.9 billion spread over 112 deals, this year’s third quarter trounced figures from earlier this year, signaling a stronger than anticipated comeback for the sector, which took a beating during the economic downturn last fall.

To put the recent numbers in context: the second quarter this year saw $1.2 billion distributed across 85… Continue Reading

Kleiner-backed Hara launches to manage companies’ eco-impact

Kleiner-backed Hara launches to manage companies’ eco-impact

Hara, a company that helps businesses and government agencies track their environmental impact, has just launched with $6 million from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and the support of former vice president Al Gore.

The Menlo Park, Calif., company makes the Hara Environmental and Energy Management System, which gauges how much energy and water a company or organization is using and how much carbon and waste it is producing. The core of the system are the… Continue Reading