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... "The airline has said it plans to eventually power its entire fleet of domestic and international aircraft on 100 per cent biofuel. " ...Via Stuff.co.nz: Jetropha flight
PECO is installing a green roof at it's Phila HQ location at 23rd and Market Sts. The planned 45000 sq. foot roof will " ... reduce the summertime temperature of a dark roof by 60 to 80 degrees, saves on heating and cooling costs, and grows without conventional soil..."
" ... green roof development ... is part of the company’s recently-announced comprehensive environmental initiative with a range of programs over the next several years.
Via: PECO PECO
... "One would be to devise a variable consumption tax in such a way that a gallon of unleaded gasoline at the pump would never go below a floor of $4 or $5 (in 2008 dollars), fluctuating to accommodate changing oil prices and other costs. " ...Via The New York Times: Gas Tax
Here is the first I have read about Green Dentistry ... an established practice (over 50 years) in Aston, Pa that is 
renovating to become GREEN.
" ...Dental Health Care Associates ... undergoing a major renovation ... and will soon become the first LEED certified "green" dental office on the East coast."
"... measures are being taken to create a state-of-the-art facility that will meet or exceed the Gold certification standards for LEED ... buildings. ... renovations include, but are not limited to:
" ... recycled building materials ... Geothermal HVAC ... Solar and wind-powered energy ... No-VOC cabinetry, carpets, flooring, and paints ... rainwater collection tank ... Water-free landscaping ..."
Via: PAGreenDentist.com Link
PECO is changing the lighting system at its skyline tower message board at 23rd and Markets Sts. The Message Board is well known to those in Philadelphia. They are replacing the current lighting system with longer life energy saving LEDs ...
" ... new, energy efficient LED lighting system with color and graphic capability. ... expected to be unveiled mid-summer 2009. 
" ... displaying community messages ... since July 4, 1976. ... the original Crown Lights electronic messaging board consists of a total of 2,600 individual bulbs. ... ... is 38 feet high, 148 feet long along the North and South ... and 71 feet long along the East and West side."
" ... will utilize the latest in LED lighting technology, ... is expected to use 20 percent less energy and provide several thousand dollars of additional savings in bulb replacement costs. ..."
VIA: PECO LINK
Now that it is cold and wintry, in the northeast at least, it is a good time to look at simple home energy saving tips and materials.
Check out Duck Products line of window films, switch plate inserts, and the like to keep drafts and the cold out.
Check out the video on sealing widows with plastic film ... LINK
Check out their website for more information on how to get started ... LINK
Via: DuckProducts LINK
Geami has a really neat sustainable packaging material. It is a available "in bulk" to companies that ship lots of product and to consumers .... I saw it a my local Staples ... 
The product is made from kraft paper that is cut and then expanded into a 3-D profile with a paper liner ... so instead of using plastic foam, bubble wrap or plastic peanuts you have an all recyclable product ... and one that is available with post consumer waster paper.... this is an all recyclable product that takes up less storage space and therefore uses less fuel to ship.
Read on for more and check out the Video on the middle of the page >>>
Via: Geami Protective Packaging LINK
Suntech Power will install the largest building integrated photovoltaic system, with a generating capacity of 3 Megawatts, by September 2009 for the World Expo Shanghai 2010. ...
... "The 3MW building integrated rooftop solar systems will be designed, developed and installed by Suntech's in-house system integration team. World Expo Shanghai 2010 will be held from May 1 - October 31, 2010 in Shanghai, China. " ...Via Suntech Power: China Solar Projects to Be Largest BIPV Installation
Excelon, whose PECO subsidiary servers Pennsylvania; has stated that they want to be carbon neutral by the year 2020.
" ... goal is to reduce, offset or displace more than 15 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year by 2020. ... more than our current annual carbon footprint ... equivalent to taking nearly 3 million cars off our roads ... a three-pronged strategy ..."
" ... Reduce or offset Exelon's carbon footprint by greening our operations ... Help our customers and the communities we serve reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. ... Offer more low-carbon electricity in the marketplace."
Via: Excelon LINK
 "Verizon Toyoto Prius hybrid")
" ... Verizon will add another 100 hybrid sedans ...in metropolitan areas across seven states and Washington D.C., conserving thousands of gallons of gas ... doubling to 200 the number of hybrids, ... conserve an additional 16,000 gallons of fuel and cut greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 1.4 metric tons per vehicle annually. ... Toyota Prius hybrids will be used in California, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, D.C."
Via: Verizon LINK
Mallinckrodt Baker opens laboratory in Deventer, Netherlands to focus on the photovoltaics applications. ...
Via Covidien: Applications Lab in Europe
For years thermostats have been made with a small vial of mercury (center top in picture) that was used to make electrical contact based on temperature.
Newer digital thermostats does not contain mercury so as consumers replace the old with the new -- there is the possibility of contamination from disposal of the old style thermostats. Mercury can contaminate the air and the water and is a neurotoxin ... it is nasty stuff!
" ... Pennsylvania's new Mercury-Free Thermostat Law ... will allow people to safely dispose of out-of-service thermostats containing mercury."
" ... Law, effective December 8, 2009, bans the sale, installation and disposal of mercury thermostats. ... requires that thermostat manufacturers establish and maintain a collection and recycling program for out-of-service mercury thermostats; ... Wholesalers who sell thermostats must participate as a collection site for mercury thermostats."
Via: nbcbayarea.com LINK
The Thermostat Recycling Corp can be reached at 800-238-8192.
Via: nbcbayarea.com LINK
Honda has always been known for its fuel efficient and low emissions vehicles ... it is now known for its LEED cetrified data center in Longmont, Colo.
" ... 61,000-square-foot data center, ... certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system for green building construction. ... selected building materials based on proximity to the data center's location and ... recycled 73% of the construction waste ... left much of the site undeveloped and replanted trees and shrubs indigenous to the area."
" ... administrators were ... advised to decommission unused equipment quickly and to use management tools to ensure that servers are optimally provisioned...."
Via: Informationweek.com LINK
... "Alamogordo-White Sands Regional Airport has installed solar energy cells that will feed energy back to the state power grid. " ...Via Alamogordo Daily: Alamogordo airport
Verizon has an active and effective recycling program in place. Read on for some statistics >>>
" .. waste reduction and recycling program that focuses on minimizing waste, utilizing quality products made with recycled material, and recycling marketable materials."
" ... Defective equipment is repaired and reused. ... collects used cellular phones to resell, refurbish or recycle under its HopeLine® program. ... more than 4.5 million cell phones have been recycled or refurbished and more than 200 tons of electronics waste and batteries have been kept out of landfills. ... customers can drop their used rechargeable batteries at any of our retail locations nationwide. Between the HopeLine® and Charge Up to Recycle programs, Verizon Wireless recycled 35 tons of batteries in 2007."
Via: Verizon LINK
Penn State baseball field achieves LEED through green design features, such as waterless urinals, gray watering system, and intelligent lighting. ...
... "Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, the baseball facility home to the Penn State team and the short-season Class A Spikes, has been certified under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) as an environmentally friendly facility. " ...Via The Daily Collegian: The Med
Northampton Community College, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, creates solar photovoltaics installation course for the Fall of 2009. ...
... "NCC will use the funds to create a course in solar PV installation and design. The course will be introduced in fall 2009 and will include, as its capstone, the design and installation of the solar panel array. " ...Via Northampton Community College: Getting Off the Grid
Toronto Canada based electovaya (Toronto Stock Exchange EFL) has announced its Maya-300, a ZERO emission el
electric car that will go up to 35 mph and have a range of up to 120 miles. Using Lithium ion type batteries with film materials from ExxonMobil the Maya-300 might be your next city car ... or second car.
Read on for more ...
" ... Maya-300, a zero-emission ... transportation solution with sufficient range for many drivers. Its top speed is electronically regulated to either 25 or 35 mph ... long electric range of up to 120 miles on a single charge and works very well in cold weather conditions ...on-board battery charger allows for convenient recharging with standard 110V outlets ..."
Via: elecrovaya LINK
It is time to inject some "smarts" into the nations energy grid. A consortia to be based in Austin, Texas plans to do just that. The smarter grid will be much more efficient and possibly delay / eliminate the need for additional power plants.
Read on for more >>>> " ... nonprofit organization, the Center for the Commercialization of Electric Technology ...made up of investor-owned utility companies, a high tech firm, and six public universities ... has set out to apply the latest in communication and information technology to the grid in the form of a "smart energy network," ... will make the grid more reliable and more efficient ..."
Via: AustinChronical.com Link
Some of the current consumer goods packaging is both wasteful and hard to open. Amazon is launching an initiative with major retailers to eliminate both ... a result in wasteful packaging and reductions in transport costs ...
"... "Frustration-Free Packaging," ... focusing first on ... hard plastic cases known as "clamshells" and those secured with plastic-coated wire ties, commonly used in toy packaging...."
" ... launched in the U.S. with 19 bestselling products from leading manufacturers ... will expand across Amazon's international sites beginning in 2009."
" ... major goal of the Frustration-Free Packaging initiative is to be more environmentally friendly ... the Fisher-Price Imaginext Adventures Pirate Ship, ... new packaging eliminates 36 inches of plastic-coated wire ties, 1,576.5 square inches of printed corrugated package inserts and 36.1 square inches of printed folding carton materials. Also eliminated are 175.25 square inches of PVC blisters, 3.5 square inches of ABS molded styrene and two molded plastic fasteners."
Via: Amazon.com LINK
IBM was recognized as the top company for climate change strategy and practices in the Ceres report, which evaluates climate change governance at large companies. ...
... "In particular, IBM's products and services are addressing not only IT's own direct impact upon energy consumption and CO2 emissions, but also the ways in which IT can help solve the world's energy and climate challenges. " ...Via IBM: #1 Climate Change Strategies
Colexon Energy implements world’s largest rooftop photovoltaic power plant using thin film solar modules. The installation has the capacity to generate 4.64 MW and is located in Hassleben (Brandenburg, Germany). ...
... "The plant will generate an estimated electrical power of 4.35 million kilowatt hours per year, which corresponds to an annual reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of more than 3,800 tons. Based on the current feed-in-tariff of 43,99 cent/kWh the installation will generate revenues of more than EUR 1.9 million per year. Next to the extremely quick installation of the power plant, another highlight during construction was the airlift of modules. Due to costs and efficiency, 10,000 of the total 64,000 First Solar solar modules to be installed were lifted to the roof by helicopter. With a roof area of approx. 224,000 sqm, this special way of module transport enabled enormous time savings. " ...Via COLEXON Energy: Largest rooftop PV power plant
So ... you are finally convinced to switch from incandescent bulbs to LEDs for your tree and house ... and other decorations? Good idea ... but what to do with the old bulbs?
Holidayleds.com will take them for you and recycle them and give you a discount off products.
Read on for more >>>
" ... Mail them in and the company recycles the lights and the box they were shipped in, ... will send you a coupon for 15 percent off LED light purchases through their site. ..."
" ... lights will be processed and any material that cannot be recycled (i.e. loose bulbs)is discarded. ... we take them to a 3rd party recycling facility ... recycling company puts the lights through a commercial shredder, ... the various components ... are separated and transported to a region center for further processing...."
Via: Holiday LED LINK
IBM and Harvard University will create a community-driven grid computing model that will harness unused computer cycles to perform computational chemistry, screening compunds for photovoltaic efficiency. ...
... "Current silicon based solar cells are only about 20 per cent efficient and cost about $3 per watt of electricity generated. A newer form of solar powered cells being developed is plastic not silicon based. It holds great promise because it is flexible, lightweight and most significant is much less costly to produce. " ...Via IBM: Lower Cost, More Efficient Solar Cell Research Project
High tech media player meet low tech hand cranked "power supply"? Green powered media player?
" ... Eco Media Player ...music, ...movie clips ... .FM radio ... without the need for external power or expensive and environmentally harmful batteries."
"One minute of winding ... provides up to 45 minutes play time, ..."u're on holiday abroad or commuting to and from work, the Eco Media Player is the ideal personal entertainment solution.
Via: ecomediaplayer LINK
... "Solar panels have been installed on the roofs of the Science Center and 3 Sacramento St., and at the Harvard Forest in Petersham, Mass. The forest’s extensive photovoltaic array actually feeds electricity back into the local grid when its output exceeds the forest’s energy needs. " ...Via The Harvard University Gazette: Cut greenhouse gas emissions
Want to make it a GREEN Christmas this yer? Wondering what you can do to be GREEN this holiday season?
Read on for more ...
"... LED Light ... switch from ... incandescent lights to LED (light emitting diode) ... and watch your energy bill and carbon footprint drop. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, ten incandescent Christmas light strands, running all night, produce 300 pounds of CO2, versus 30 pounds with LED lights."
" ... Rent a Tree ... The Living Christmas Tree Company in Portland, Ore., will deliver ... then return and pick up the tree after Christmas and deliver them to local parks, schools and other groups who pay $10 to have the trees planted on their property. ..."
Click the LINK below for lots more ...
Via: earth911.com LINK
Multiple New Jersey schools are planning for or implementing solar power generation from roof-top panels as a means of lowering operating costs and increasing their sustainability. Not every town is willing to make the investment, which in some cases requires an increase in taxes. ...
... "Solar energy systems operate in at least two area districts -- Clementon and Voorhees, which this year added a second panel at Voorhees Middle School. " ...Via Courier-Post: Solar panels on school rooftops
Rockefeller Center has solar powered lights on its huge tree. Just like last year the popular tourist attraction in NYC has solar powerred lights.
" ... the solar-powered Christmas tree ... is sending a good clean message to cities and towns far beyond the city limits ..."
Via: energyrefuge / godcleantech LINK
" ... Christmas tree at 3rd and Poplar Streets in Northern Liberties [Philadelphia, Pa] is 40-feet-tall, and it's lit by solar panels ..."
" ... sponsored by the Northern Liberties Business Owners Association,... a nice twist for the neighborhood especially being a neighborhood developed by artists and folks that really focus on alternative methods ... after they're done with it, it will be chipped and used as mulch ..."
Via: KYW1060.com LINK
Three-seater Buddy electric vehicle from Norway will support multiple battery technology as the industry solutions evolve. ...
... "The passengers’ safety is well taken care of by the frame and safety cabin made of steel tubes, the doors with crossbars and the deformation zones in the front and rear. The Buddy allows flexibility for varying battery technologies both where electronics and space are concerned. " ...Via ElBil Norge AS: Buddy electric car from Norway
The Riverside Correctional Facility, part of the Philadelphia Prison System "... hopes to save money - and the environment - by using solar panels to provide hot water ...project will save about $1.1
million and 1 million pounds of carbon emissions over the anticipated 25-year life of the system."
" ... solar-powered system ... replaces traditional oil- and gas-fired water heaters. ... prison system and the mayor's Office of Sustainability provided about $665,000 for the project.
Via: CentreDaily.Com Link
... "The company envisions a set of prefabricated containers the size of a semi-trailer filled with as many as 2,000 preconfigured servers. " ...Via Network World: Microsoft data-center design concept
" ... SUBWAY® ... has made a commitment to do its part to save energy and help protect the environment. ... take the Pledge to Change the World by starting with ENERGY STAR. Change at least one light to an energy-efficient one or make other energy-saving improvements at home, ... small step that'
s already making a big difference."
"As one store, we can take steps to become more environmentally friendly. Together, with the more than 29,000-plus stores in the SUBWAY® chain, we can make a difference!"
Via: Subway LINK
Here are some other steps Subway is taking to be GREEN and help the environment ...
" ... Since August 2006, SUBWAY® restaurants with low-flow sink aerators have saved 41 million gallons of water annually. ... New SUBWAY® Cards are being manufactured using 30% recycled plastic ... Napkin saves approximately 60,500,000 gallons of water and an additional 147,000 trees annually because they are made from 100% recycled fiber processed chlorine free ... Salad Packaging and Catering Tray supplier for the US, Canada and Europe moved their facility ... 1,000 miles closer to our re-distribution center. This move saves 1,120,000 miles, 160,000 gallons of gasoline, and 3,867 barrels of oil, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 1,663 metric tons of CO2 annually ..."
Click the LINK for more info.
Via: Subway LINK
Ever wonder what the saving might be to switch from Gas to Oil or Incandescent to CFB? What different types of TVs "cost" in electric usage?
Check out these easy to use calculators.
Via: PECO LINK
Want to learn how to save even more energy? Take the OnLine Home Energy Saver Audit ...LINK
Via: Lawrence Berkeley National Labs LINK
Governor Linda Lingle and Better Place CEO Shai Agassi plan to create the infrastructure to enable a robust deployment of electric cars in Hawaii, positioning the state as a model for the nation. ...
... "Hawaii spends up to $7 billion a year on oil imports and drivers pay some of the highest gasoline prices in the nation -- accounting for nearly 20 percent of the state’s Green House Gases (GHG). Building the infrastructure for widespread adoption of electric vehicles will not only stimulate the local economy and reduce carbon emissions, but also provide a more affordable transportation option for Hawaii's drivers. Hawaii, with its ready access to renewable energy resources like solar, wind, wave and geothermal, is the ideal location to serve as a blue print for the rest of the U.S. in terms of reducing our dependence on foreign oil, growing our renewable energy portfolio and creating an infrastructure that will stabilize our economy, said Shai Agassi, Founder and CEO of Better Place. " ...Via Hawaii Office of the Governor: NATIONAL BLUEPRINT FOR CLEAN ENERGY IN TRANSPORTATION
My family and I had Thanksgiving dinner at Longwood Gardens (Kennett Sq, Pa) - a beautiful garden that is getting more into being GREEN and their impact on the planet. As I was eating leftovers I noticed that the plastic container was not the #1, #2 or #5 that I expected ... but #7 (inside a recycling triangle) PLA and was marked as composable.
"PLA stands for polylactic acid, or Polylactide, ... produced by NatureWorks LLC. ... made from lactic acid. Lactic acid is made from dextrose by fermentation. Dextrose is made from starch and starch is made from carbon dioxide and water."
"Ingeo™ biopolymer is the world's first and only performance plastic made from 100% annually renewable resources. Corn-based Ingeo™ biopolymer ... Clear and strong like petroleum-based plastic, yet Ingeo™ biopolymer can be commercially composted."
The label shows the container comes from NatureWorks and is composable. I will see if it decompooses in my mulch pile (may take a while as it is probably inactive in the winter ...)
Look for a future post on my success with composting this ...
Via: NatureWorks LINK
"NatureWorks LLC is a joint venture between Cargill and Teijin Limited of Japan. ... first company to offer a family of commercially available low carbon footprint polymers derived from 100-percent annually renewable resources with cost and performance that compete with petroleum-based packaging materials and fibers. ... uses 65% less fossil fuel resources to produce, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 80-90% ... marketed globally as Ingeo™."
Via: NAtureWorks LINK
Marriott International Inc has embraced going green. Read about what they are doing corporate wide to become more environmentally friendly.
" ... a brochure, printed on recycled paper, titled "Social Responsibility & Community Engagement," that outlines the company's environmental sensitivities. ... chief executive Bill Marriott blogs about the "greening of Marriott." ... travels to hotel groundbreakings to tout environmentally sensitive buildings and speaks regularly about his commitment to the subject."
" ... has installed low-flow shower heads and toilets at its hotels. It is moving to compact fluorescent light bulbs. It strives to reduce energy consumption year-over-year. At its headquarters cafeteria, Marriott is using biodegradable utensils made of potatoes. And by 2010, the firm hopes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1 million cubic tons."
" ... getting help from Conservation International, an on-the-ground protector of the environment that is now nudging companies ... toward meaningful green efforts."
Via: Washington Post Link
Via: Marriott Link
University of California business students collaborate with industry and government to commercialize promising clean technology research projects. ...
... "They are investigating the business parameters of going commercial with an enhanced method for pre-treating biomass from wood waste and plants that can be grown on non-agricultural lands. Lorimer says the new technology promises to solve many problems with existing inefficient and environmentally harmful methods of breaking down the cellulose in these crops into sugars for conversion into liquid fuel. " ...Via University of California Berkeley: Cleantech Partnership
Southern California Edison achieves its first commercial rooftop solar photovoltaic installation in Southern California. The total planned rooftop generating capacity would offset the construction of a number of utility-scale solar power plants. ...
... "During recent months, the 600,000-square-foot Fontana, Calif., distribution warehouse roof selected as the first installation site has been fitted with 33,700 advanced thin-film solar panels making it the largest single rooftop solar photovoltaic array in California. The facility now generates enough power during peak output conditions to meet the needs of approximately 1,300 Inland Empire homes. " ...Via Southern California Edison: Commercial Rooftop Solar Installation
