Setting the Example

• 2012's best green innovations
  A number of innovative products were introduced during the past year that can have a positive impact on the environment, Lana Winter-Hebert writes. Key innovations include peel-and-stick solar cells and a water bottle that can refill itself through atmospheric moisture. Lifehack.org (12/30)      

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• Transparency and sustainability lead 2013 food trends
  Next year's food trends will include a push to reduce food waste, greater transparency in food labeling, a focus on meatless proteins and the increased use of mobile devices to interact with food, according to SupermarketGuru.com's Phil Lempert. Tech startups will also play a growing role in developing applications and other products that help consumers make healthier food choices and obtain food information, he says. Forbes (12/28)      

• Does your company have heart?
  Consumers expect companies to act ethically and sustainably, and they're willing to punish those that don't, writes Bayard Winthrop. That means companies must not only act responsibly but also communicate their positive behavior. "The onus is on companies to give consumers what they want and deserve. ... Companies that have heart can rise to the top," Winthrop writes. Fast Company online (12/26)      

• 9 executives discuss the top CSR stories of 2012
  This year brought real gains in corporate responsibility, say chief sustainability officers and other executives from companies including Ernst & Young, Dow Chemical, Sprint Nextel and AT&T. Trends included an increased corporate focus on water conservation, new ways of thinking about supply-chain management, and firms taking CSR more seriously and becoming more effective in eco-planning, the executives say. GreenBiz.com (12/28)      

• Wind developers look to stay profitable amid tax-credit uncertainty
  The scheduled expiration of the wind-energy Production Tax Credit at midnight today is expected to temporarily halt construction of wind farms across the U.S., Matthew Wald writes. Robert Thresher, a research fellow at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, says wind projects may still earn a profit without the PTC by adapting wind machines while using less favorable sites. Developers hope Congress decides in January to renew the credit, Wald writes. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/Green blog (12/28)      

• PTC is unlikely to make it into "fiscal cliff" stopgap deal, group says
  A proposed one-year extension of the wind-energy Production Tax Credit being sought by the Truman National Security Project is unlikely to be part of a short-term deal to avert the "fiscal cliff," said Michael Wu, the group's advocacy policy director. "Everything in a stopgap package would be geared toward keeping taxes from jumping on the middle class, which is why the AMT [alternative minimum tax] and payroll tax would likely be in but the PTC wouldn't," Wu said. The group is gearing up to push for a retroactive extension of the PTC. The Hill/E2 Wire blog (12/29)      

Top five news stories selected by SmartBrief on Sustainability readers in the past week.

• The year's top green leaders (GreenBiz.com)

• Automakers face lawsuits over MPG claims (AOL Autos)

• Why businesses will fail harder in 2013 (The Guardian (London))

• Former industrial city in France turned into an eco-metropolis (The Atlantic Cities)

• 8 business leaders give their highlights of 2012 (GreenBiz.com)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

• HR departments must evolve or die
  Are HR departments going the way of the dodo? Probably not, but they'll need to evolve to remain relevant in a changing business world, writes Michael A. Morell. "[T]he evolving business environment and workplace necessitates a different way to look at human capital as a core asset of a company," he argues. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership (12/28)      

• SmartBrief will not publish Tuesday
  In observance of New Year's Day, SmartBrief will not publish Tuesday. Publication will resume Wednesday. Enjoy the holiday!      

You have to create a following that will stand by you when things go wrong, push you to be better, and lift you above the competition." --Bayard Winthrop, CEO of American Giant, writing at FastCompany.com