Vega Biofuels Secures Engineering Firm Hunt, Guillot & Associates, LLC for Georgia Bio-Coal Plant

/PRNewswire/ -- VEGA BIOFUELS, INC. (Pink Sheets: VGPR) announced today that the Company has entered into an Agreement with Louisiana based engineering services firm, Hunt, Guillot &Associates, LLC (HGA).

HGA will provide various services and personnel to the Company, including plant design, project management, and engineering services.

Vega recently announced plans to build a manufacturing plant in Cordele, GA that when completed will produce green energy bio-coal for use in existing coal fired power plants around the world.

HGA's engineers have extensive industrial experience in a variety of fields including chemical process engineering, mechanical engineering, piping design electrical engineering, instrumentation, control system integration, civil engineering, and structural design. In addition to engineering services, HGA will also provide on-site professional staffing services to the Company.

"We look forward to working with HGA and their staff of engineering professionals. This is a very important step in the implementation of our Business Plan in South Georgia," stated Michael K. Molen, Chairman/CEO of Vega Biofuels, Inc. "The expertise they bring to the project will be invaluable. In addition, HGA will provide us with various candidates for a permanent manager for the Cordele bio-coal plant."

Bio-coal is made from a process called "torrefaction". Torrefaction is a partial carbonization process that takes place at temperatures between 475 - 575 degrees in a low temperature environment which makes the physical and energetic properties of the biomass much more comparable to traditional coal. The biomass is then compressed into briquettes to be sold to the end user. Torrefaction has the added benefit of reducing or eliminating undesirable volatiles, such as nitrous oxides and sulfur dioxides and is considered carbon neutral to the environment.

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URG Says Feds Missed Opportunity To Keep Cash for Clunkers Program Green

/PRNewswire/ -- The United Recyclers Group (URG) says that the federal government is not doing enough to help promote the green aspects of the auto salvage industry and encourage the use of environmentally-friendly green auto parts. "Cash For Clunkers (C4C) created some much needed green awareness for consumers and momentum within the auto industry," says Michelle Alexander, executive director of the United Recyclers Group. "But a big opportunity was missed by the federal government when they all but abandoned C4C once the front end of the program involving the new car manufacturers and dealers was completed. The back half of the program is far greener than the front half, and yet the ball has been dropped when it comes to promoting the truly green aspects of C4C. We call on the federal government to change course and help us promote the use of affordable and green auto parts to American consumers."

C4C has also resulted in a number of unanticipated problems for the nation's auto salvage industry. With 690,000 cars sold during the brief run of the C4C (otherwise known as CARS) program, and an equal number traded in and scrapped, a 'tsunami of steel' has hit the industry. A number of unexpected delays by the federal government and a shortened run time for the CARS program have meant less processing time for recyclers. There are still serious issues, despite the recent announcement of a 90 day extension to the 180 day deadline (making 270 days total) for processing all of the scrapped C4C vehicles.

Alexander says, "URG has requested and continues to fully support a minimum six month extension of the CARS program processing deadline mandated by the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA). We need at least a full year to do this job right. The recent 90 day extension is a step in the right direction, but it doesn't go far enough. Many of our members now have a one to two year inventory of automobiles waiting to be processed. There has been no help at all from the federal government promoting the use of green reusable auto parts. So with no increase in demand, we are simply looking at an increase in our costs, and it isn't reasonable or fair to auto recyclers. Auto recyclers are hardworking small businessmen and women, very much tied to their communities, and can be found in every congressional district in America. Just because they don't have the lobbying clout of the 'Big Three' in Washington doesn't mean their needs and concerns don't matter when new programs like C4C are created."

"Cash For Clunkers started as a billion dollar program that was going to run until November 1, 2009," says Greg Wilcox, co-owner and president of Midway Auto Parts (Kansas City, MO), and a URG Manager. "Six months to process the clunkers traded in made sense. But then congress tripled the size of the program, it all came and went in a matter of weeks, instead of months, and then NHTSA finally got around to a small adjustment, less than what anyone in this industry has asked for, of the processing deadline even as they tripled the size of the program. This oversight creates huge problems for the auto recycling industry, because there is no money to support our extra costs - such as more staff, more space, and more inventory carrying costs - incurred because we now have to meet an unrealistic deadline."

John Fischl, President of Riteway Auto Parts (Phoenix, AZ) and a URG manager says, "Cash for Clunkers was all about being green and stimulating the economy. All of those good intentions backfire when auto recycling, one of the nation's greenest industries, and this country's 13th largest, is impacted in a way that hurts our profitability and causes us to be less green as we scramble to meet an artificial deadline."

Fischl says, "These vehicles need more time in the system to produce the maximum green benefit for this country and the American consumer. I wonder how many decision makers who supported C4C understand that the really green thing we do is process vehicles and reclaim the green parts for reuse by consumers. This is what separates us from car crushers, who simply shred cars to recycle the metals. Millions of Americans benefit from the green auto parts we put into the marketplace every year. Doesn't that matter to anyone in Washington?"

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New World Home Achieves Two Historic Green Milestones

/PRNewswire/ -- New World Home has been awarded LEED(R) for Homes Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for outstanding achievement in green homebuilding, representing the first factory-built home in the state of Georgia to earn this designation. In addition, the New World Home project is the first home of any type in Georgia to earn the prestigious Platinum rating without the need for any costly renewable energy sources, such as solar panels, wind turbines or geothermal systems.

The New World Home project, located in East Cobb County, also earned EarthCraft Gold certification as well as National Green Building Certification Gold, which is administered by the NAHB Research Center.

"This home brings green living to its highest level," says Mark Jupiter, co-founder and President of the Product Division for New World Home. "It also reflects our mission to provide traditional-style houses that incorporate a 'whole systems' design approach that results in a minimum 50 percent energy savings annually, reduces water consumption by thousands of gallons a year, provides a non-toxic indoor environment for the occupants and will save homeowners thousands of dollars a year in maintenance costs starting from day one."

Mr. Jupiter adds, "We believe people should be able to live in a home that meets or exceeds the highest green standards in the industry without requiring an array of solar panels on the roof or a wind turbine spinning in the backyard."

The company's trademarked New Old Green Modular(R) (NOGM(R)) design platform incorporates a holistic approach to historically inspired green building. The NOGM process results in homes built to exacting standards in less than 100 days, provides a healthier indoor environment and saves homeowners significant money with ongoing electricity, water, maintenance, heating and cooling expenses. The homes are constructed with lumber from sustainably harvested forests certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and include ultra efficient HVAC systems and low or no-VOC (volatile organic compound) paints, adhesives and finishes. Other base features of the NOGM homes include:

-- Spray foam insulated walls and rafters creating an air-tight thermal
envelope
-- Watersense fixtures, home-run plumbing and a tankless water heater
that reduces annual water usage by 40 percent
-- Low-E, argon-filled, dual pane, energy efficient windows that reduce
air leakage
-- Pre-cast, insulated, moisture resistant concrete foundation that
reduces the potential for mold and mildew growth
-- Advanced framing techniques that significantly reduce waste as well as
thermal bridging energy loss
-- Maintenance-free fiber cement exterior siding that will not rot or
warp and is flame and insect resistant
-- Non-Added Formaldehyde cabinets, floors and trim
-- ENERGY STAR(R) rated doors, windows, roof, ceiling fans and appliances
-- And much more ...


All New World Home NOGM designs are LEED(R) for Homes certifiable at a base level. "We want to help homeowners establish a lasting green legacy, a home that they can be proud of and one that will be around and safe for generations to come," says Tyler Schmetterer, the company's co-founder and Chief Operating Officer. "Our turnkey green housing solution is an effective and affordable way for our customers to attain this important life accomplishment."

"Home buyers are eager to embrace energy efficiency - and save money - particularly if they don't need to learn how to use new equipment or monitor expensive technology," says Michael Natbony, the company's Chief Executive Officer. New World Home's commitment to producing environmentally sensitive houses is reflected in the fundamentals of how they're built. "We're offering a sustainable - even transformative - way to design and mass produce the greenest homes on the market that is accessible to as many people as possible," Mr. Natbony said.

The Platinum home in East Cobb showcases one of New World Home's traditional and regionally-derived American designs. According to Mr. Schmetterer, the underlying essence of a New World Home is that it aligns perfectly with the surrounding design vernacular, while simultaneously representing one of the greenest residential structures available in the country today.

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UPS Completes Deployment of 300 New “Green” Trucks

-(BUSINESS WIRE)--UPS (NYSE: UPS) yesterday announced it had deployed 300 new delivery trucks powered by Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to seven cities in Colorado, Georgia, Oklahoma and California.

The CNG vehicles, part of an order placed last May, will allow UPS to further reduce its dependence on traditional fossil fuels like gasoline and diesel and lower its carbon footprint. UPS already operates the largest private fleet of alternative fuel vehicles in its industry – 1,819 in total with these additions.

The new CNG trucks have been deployed over the past month to Denver (43); Atlanta (46); Oklahoma City (100), and four cities in California: Sacramento (21), San Ramon (63), Los Angeles (9) and Ontario (18). All now are in service.

“Deploying alternative fuel vehicles dates back to the early days of UPS and this CNG deployment is one more step towards the greening of our fleet,” said Robert Hall, UPS’s director of vehicle engineering. “Continuing to add CNG delivery trucks to our fleet is a sustainable choice because natural gas is a cost effective, clean-burning and readily available fuel.”

UPS first began deploying trucks powered by CNG in the 1980s, purchasing traditional gas- or diesel-driven vehicles and then converting them to run on compressed gas. The 300 trucks deployed over the past month were built from scratch as CNG vehicles. They join more than 800 CNG vehicles already in use by UPS worldwide.

The CNG truck bodies are identical externally to the signature-brown trucks that comprise the UPS fleet. Marked with decals as CNG vehicles, the trucks are expected to yield a 20 percent emissions reduction over the cleanest diesel engines available in the market today.

For its alternative fuel fleet, UPS has deployed CNG, Liquefied Natural Gas, propane, electric and hybrid electric vehicles in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, Brazil, Chile, Korea and the United Kingdom. The company recently announced the purchase of seven hydraulic hybrid delivery vehicles, a first in the industry, and has conducted research with hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

UPS began deploying alternative fuel vehicles in the 1930s with a fleet of electric trucks that operated in New York City. Just since 2000, the company’s “green fleet” has traveled 144 million miles.

“Deploying eco-friendly delivery vehicles is one of the many ways UPS demonstrates its commitment to sustainable business practices,” added Hall. “The company plans to continue to expand its ‘green fleet’ and to focus deployments in areas with air quality challenges.”

UPS pursues a wide range of socially responsible and sustainable business practices designed to reduce its impact on the environment and improve communities around the world. UPS is included in the Dow Jones and FTSE4Good Sustainability Indexes, which evaluate corporations based on economic, environmental and social criteria. Learn more about UPS's responsible business practices at www.sustainability.ups.com.

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Lockheed Martin's Environmental Focus Earns 'Green' Awards at Company Operations in Texas, Georgia and California

/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) has invested more than $40 million since 2001 in capital improvements to increase energy efficiency and lower emissions from its business operations. As a result, Lockheed Martin saves more than 125 million kilowatt hours of energy annually - enough to power 10,000 homes for a year.

In 2007, the Corporation launched a comprehensive environmental program with the long-term goal of eliminating adverse impact on the environment as a result of its operations. This includes annual carbon, waste, and water use reduction goals and an aggressive 2012 target of an absolute 25 percent reduction in each of those areas.

"At Lockheed Martin, we recognize the value of effective environmental, safety and health programs," said Bob Stevens, Lockheed Martin's Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Our Energy, Environment, Safety & Health (EESH) team supports our customers' objectives, builds community confidence, promotes employee health and well-being, and helps us to achieve our business goals. Most significantly, delivering environmental and safety excellence is the right thing to do for this and future generations."

The company recently won several awards for environmental stewardship at its operations in Fort Worth, Texas; Marietta, Ga.; and Palmdale, Calif. Some examples of accomplishments follow:

Fort Worth - The North Texas Clean Air Coalition awarded Lockheed Martin Aeronautics several clean air awards, including the TryParkingIt.com Employer Highest Participation Rate award. In addition, the company also received the Clean Air Champion and Vanpool of the Year award. Company employee Debbie Boles, a data processor, won the TryParkingIt.com Individual award for reducing her community mileage by 14,580 miles in a year.

Marietta - The Partnership for a Sustainable Georgia recognized Lockheed Martin Aeronautics with the Continual Improvement Award. The Partnership presents this award annually to an organization that makes strides toward a more sustainable Georgia.

"Lockheed Martin Aeronautics demonstrated environmental excellence by reducing hazardous waste, improving water quality, saving 27 thousand gallons of fuel, and reducing water use by 62.2 million gallons of water," said Suzanne Burnes, assistant director of P2AD and manager of the Partnership for a Sustainable Georgia. "We look to see other organizations in Georgia follow their lead."

Palmdale - The California Environmental Protection Agency awarded Lockheed Martin Aeronautics the state's Waste Reduction and Awards Program.

Last year the Palmdale facility diverted 1,094 tons of waste from landfills, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 1.8 million pounds of CO2, and earned $156,167 (a total savings of $440,607) from recycling and reuse efforts. The state awarded the Lockheed Martin Palmdale facility with the WRAP award because it has incorporated waste reduction, reuse and recycling efforts into daily business activities and is steering the community along a path towards zero-waste.

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'Green' Investing Remains Priority Despite Economic Conditions, According to SunTrust Survey of Wealthy Business Owners

/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Even while citing a down economy and concerns about the earth's ecosystem, business owners continue to be optimistic about giving to environmental causes, according to a survey released today by SunTrust Bank Private Wealth Management. The study surveyed more than 200 business owners with at least $10 million in annual revenue about their outlook on "green" giving and investing.

Sixty-nine percent of business owners claimed, "Even if there is an economic downturn that moderately affects my business, I plan to maintain my current level of giving to environmental causes in the coming year."

Balancing sentiments about the nation's economy and the health of the planet, most survey respondents believe it is a "good" or "average" time to invest in mutual funds or other financial instruments that are specifically marketed as "green" or environmentally responsible. In addition, forty percent of respondents believe it is a "good time" for all businesses to adhere to the highest possible environmental standards.

"The survey shows that business owners recognize that environmental stewardship can have genuine bottom-line results," says Dave Johnston, Senior Vice President, SunTrust Private Wealth Management. "Through our Business Owner Specialty Group, we see that business owners want to give back to the community while also supporting strategic, 'green' investing."

In addition, business owners feel confident about investing in environmental funds. Fifty-nine percent believe that a "green" investment would generate a rate of return similar to any other fund.

An Environment Ripe for Change

Certainly a motivating factor in "green" investing is business owners' belief that the earth's environment is slowly deteriorating (45 percent). When assessing the larger world around us, nearly half characterized the health of the earth's environment as "fair" (47%), with 30 percent citing it as "good," 18 percent as "poor" and five percent as "excellent."

"In the surveys we have conducted over the past year, we have found business owners give altruistically and abundantly," added Johnston. "This survey indicates that business owners consider it a priority to take action based on their personal concerns about changes in the world around them."

Pollution and energy policy topped the list of concerns that prompted business owners to invest in environmental funds and causes. Other influencers included a personal desire to make positive changes in the world, and past performance of a particular investment fund.

Personal and Professional Investment in the Cause

There were some caveats: Eighty-eight percent of business owners surveyed lend financial support only to environmental organizations they have researched thoroughly. And 72 percent give only to environmental organizations that are "well established."

And, as a whole, while attitudes and preferences toward green investing remain strong, most business owners had neither invested personal money nor business money in mutual funds or financial instruments marketed as "green" or environmentally responsible. Only 31 percent had invested personally this way. Only 28 percent had allocated business funds to these investments.

However, nearly half said their company had an official "green" policy that included recycling, energy saving plans and other measures. And, nearly half of the business owners donated personal money to organizations devoted to helping the environment, such as the Sierra Club, the Audubon Society, the Wilderness Society or some other such organization.

"Business owners believe in the integrity and prosperity that can come from green investing," said Johnston. "As they balance personal concerns and economic needs, they continue to see eco investing and 'green' workplace policies as viable and appealing."

Methodology

GfK Roper Public Affairs conducted an online survey for SunTrust Bank Private Wealth Management to better understand the key issues and concerns among high net worth business owners. In total, 202 business owners with $10 million or more in revenue were surveyed. All interviews were self-administered using GfK's proprietary web-based platform. Respondents were drawn from GfK's online panel. The random sample was conducted in November 2008.

The Bank's Commercial and Private Wealth Management lines of business have formed a strategic partnership, through the Business Owner Specialty Group, to address the unique business and personal financial complexities faced by this high net worth population.

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Suniva Opens the South’s First Solar Cell Factory

(BUSINESS WIRE)--At a ribbon cutting ceremony this morning, Suniva Inc., a manufacturer of high value crystalline silicon solar cells, officially opened the first solar factory in the Southeastern US with the help of Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue. Located in the Atlanta metro area, Suniva’s manufacturing facility will create over 100 high-paying, permanent green jobs by year-end 2009 and even more as it ramps to full production capacity in 2010.

Governor Perdue spoke at the event about the company’s importance to the state economy and Georgia’s presence on the national energy stage, “With patents developed in the laboratories of Georgia Tech, Suniva’s story is a prime example of how Georgia can lead the nation by teaming the strengths of public and private institutions,” said Governor Perdue. “Georgia made a strong commitment to the clean energy industry through its Energy Innovation Center and Bioenergy Corridor, and Suniva’s new facility makes us one of the first states in the nation manufacturing solar cell technology.”

Today’s announcement comes at a crossroads in the nation’s pursuit of new energy policies during tough economic times. President-elect Barack Obama and his transition team have discussed advancing the new energy economy as part of the US’s economic recovery plan. As a company whose major intellectual property was developed in a government-funded lab, Suniva is a stand out example of how government-backed initiatives can generate new US-based companies and facilitate the growth of renewable energy production and adoption.

Suniva’s founder and CTO, Dr. Ajeet Rohatgi, who is also the founder and director of Georgia Tech’s University Center of Excellence for Photovoltaic Research and Education (UCEP) funded directly through the Department of Energy (DOE), spoke at the event: “Though Suniva is barely a year old, in some ways today’s ceremony is twenty years in the making. My life’s work in advancing solar technologies has been made possible as a direct result of government funding and involvement with Georgia Tech. Suniva is the realization of all those years of hard work.”

In October — less than six months after announcing plans to build a manufacturing facility — Suniva completed installation of its first production line in this new facility and began shipping its proprietary ARTisun™ solar cells. Suniva’s solar cells are delivered to solar module manufacturers around the world under existing contracts worth over USD$1B.

“As the U.S. economy retools to become an international leader in the new energy economy, Suniva stands at the forefront, supplying a superior homegrown product to the international solar industry,” said John Baumstark, CEO of Suniva. “With our first factory officially open today, we are driving down the cost of solar and keeping clean energy technology and jobs in the US.”

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ING Receives EPA Green Power Leadership Award

PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ING announced today that it has received a 2008 Green Power Leadership Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The annual awards recognize the country's leading green power purchasers for their commitment and contribution to helping advance the development of the nation's voluntary green power market. EPA presented ING with the award at an event held in conjunction with the 2008 National Renewable Energy Marketing Conference in Denver, Colorado.

ING was one of only nine organizations nationwide to receive a Leadership Award for its green power purchase. The award recognizes EPA Green Power Partners who distinguish themselves through purchases of green power from a utility green-pricing program, a competitive green marketer, or a renewable energy certificate (REC) supplier. ING is currently purchasing more than 75 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, which is enough green power to meet 100 percent of the organization's purchased electricity use. ING is buying renewable energy certificates from Community Energy.

"We are proud to receive this prestigious award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency," said Rhonda Mims, president of the ING Foundation and senior vice president of ING's Office of Corporate Citizenship and Responsibility. "Purchasing green power helps our organization become more sustainable, while also sending a message to other companies across the U.S. that supporting clean sources of electricity is a sound business decision and an important choice in reducing climate risk."

ING currently ranks No. 42 on EPA's National Top 50 list. Each list highlights EPA Green Power Partners that have completed the largest annual voluntary purchases through October 8, 2008. EPA updates its Top Partner Lists quarterly at http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/.

Green power is electricity that is generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro. These resources generate electricity with a net zero increase in carbon dioxide emissions, while offering a superior environmental profile compared to traditional power generation sources. Green power purchases also support the development of new renewable energy generation sources nationwide.

"Our nation is shifting to a 'green culture,' with more and more Americans understanding that environmental responsibility is everyone's responsibility," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "EPA commends ING for making a long-term commitment to protecting the environment by purchasing green power."

According to the U.S. EPA, ING's current green power purchase of more than 75 million kWh is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of nearly 10,000 passenger vehicles per year, or is the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power more than 7,000 average American homes annually.

In addition to its green power purchase, ING is also focusing on ways to reduce its environmental impact through waste reduction and energy efficiency initiatives, the addition of new recycled paper options for all offices, more robust recycling programs and eco-friendly procurement practices. A grass- roots, employee-led team called Orange Goes Green is also helping to build awareness among employees about how they can live "greener" at work and home, including supporting environmental volunteer opportunities.

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New UPS Services Making It Easier to Go Global, Go Green

BUSINESS WIRE--As U.S. businesses face challenges associated with a sluggish domestic economy, many are looking to markets overseas. Two technology-enabled services from UPS (NYSE:UPS) are making it easier than ever for businesses large and small to expand beyond U.S. shores -- and helping them go green while they’re at it.

Introduced in January, the industry-first solutions -- UPS Paperless^sm Invoice and international UPS Returns® -- now are available within the UPS Shipping Tool, an application program interface (API) that enables customers to integrate them into their own web sites and enterprise applications. They’re already helping thousands of UPS customers manage shipments to 98 countries and territories around the world via UPS shipping systems like UPS WorldShip®, UPS CampusShip™ and UPS Internet Shipping.

"It’s more important than ever for small- and medium-sized companies to look at global markets and to leverage technology to act ‘big,’ even as they retain the flexibility of a smaller company," said Jordan Colletta, UPS vice president of customer technology marketing. "With the spotlight on operational costs, these UPS services allow businesses of all sizes to overcome some of the complications of operating internationally in a cost-effective manner."

UPS Paperless Invoice

UPS Paperless Invoice, the only solution of its kind offered by transportation carriers today, saves time, money and trees. Since its introduction in January, customers with shipments originating in more than 30 countries have processed hundreds of thousands of “go paperless” shipments.

The free-of-charge solution enables customers to increase efficiency by integrating order processing, shipment preparation and commercial invoice data. It then transmits that data to customs offices across the globe electronically, eliminating the need for error-prone or incomplete paper documentation that is the main reason international shipments are delayed.

Because information is stored electronically, customers greatly reduce their chance of making manual errors filling out Customs documentation, and the tech-enabled service prevents them from submitting incomplete paperwork that could result in a shipment being held for clearance.

Paperless Invoice simplifies international shipping for UPS customers like hip consulting group, a Denver-based event management company, and PBD Worldwide Fulfillment Services of Alpharetta, Ga.

"Using UPS Paperless Invoice has saved us a lot of time and resources, especially with the amount of international business we do," said Becky Furstenberg, hip consulting group office manager. "It’s nice to know that I don’t have to worry about that piece of the puzzle anymore and as a company trying to ‘go green,’ it’s a bonus not having to waste so much paper." Hip estimates it saves a ream of paper on a monthly basis as a result of UPS Paperless Invoice.

Steve Hochradel, assistant vice president of distribution at PBD Worldwide Fulfillment Services, described the old system of keying in information, printing three copies of the commercial invoice and stuffing them in a clear plastic pouch as “manual and tedious.”

“What was taking 20 seconds is now less than five with UPS Paperless Invoice,” Hochradel said. “When you look at a peak volume of more than 3,000 international shipments per day, and saving 15 seconds on each, that’s a lot of time and a lot of money. That frees up a couple of people.”

In addition, eliminating multiple printed copies saves PBD about two pallets of copy paper per year and about 150 toner cartridges. “That adds up to several thousand dollars, a bunch of trees and eliminates concerns over disposal of toner cartridges,” Hochradel added.

UPS Returns

Many companies hesitate to sell globally over the Internet because of the difficulty of facilitating a return if a customer is not satisfied.

Another first-to-market solution, UPS Returns allows customers to efficiently return purchased items from 98 countries or territories around the globe. Now, business and residential customers can receive the international return label and commercial invoice via e-mail, local post or from the UPS driver picking up the return package.

UPS Returns is easily accessed via UPS shipping systems like UPS WorldShip or UPS Internet Shipping and also can be integrated into a company's systems or Web site.

"Before UPS Returns, many of our international returns, especially from residential customers, would end up abandoned,” said PBD’s Hochradel. “Depending on the value of the shipment, sometimes the time and labor, plus the cost of the freight, just wasn’t worth it.”

California-based MicroDental is beginning to expand its business to Europe and Asia and UPS Returns is making it much easier for overseas dentists to send back patient impressions, said Production Support Manager Alan Bayles. He said one English dentist was having trouble returning items using another shipper, but has experienced no problems since MicroDental began using UPS Returns and now has increased his shipments from one or two per month to five to 10 per month.

“It’s been a great thing for him and it’s helping our business,” Bayles said.