It's about time! I may be behind the curve on this but after watching Focus Earth about this subject I became aware of what the industry term is for lying piece-of-crap companies who SAY (i.e. advertise) they're Green but ARE DEFINITELY NOT!

Of course, the oil companies lead the pack. Some companies are doing the best they can within the constraints of their industries while others are flat out lying. This is so insidious and low that it initially made me wanna go thru the roof. But, as with many other issues these days, I go beyond the anger stratosphere and into the numbness-sphere.
Get involved in the action and let's hit home the message:  

"Clean up your act, NOT your image!"

At the same time let's also reward companies who DO practice what they preach. Feel free to post your thoughts on this topic and let us know about your personal experiences or any great websites you run across.

I feel very strongly about the matter and I REALLY want to hear from other like-minded people!

If you want to know more about who the biggest offenders are and what they're up to, try some of the links below:

Here is the wikipedia definition and other pertinent info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwash

Excellent watchdog website:
http://www.greenwashingindex.com

Whistle blower website:
http://www.greenwashing.net

Greenpeace's action website:
http://stopgreenwash.org

Huffington Post top 10 Greenwashing companies:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/03/top-10-greenwashing-compa_n_182724.html

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You have to watch this documentary on the horrors of the Palm Oil industry. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE boycott all things Palm Oil!! These companies are incomprehensibly evil without regard to man or nature:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58IELHXCym0

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Solar and hydrogen power are coming to the Cayman Islands. Just 500 miles from Miami, the first solar-hydrogen home in the Caribbean is being built that will be carbon neutral and self-sustaining.

Renewable Energy International (REI) along with Mike Strizki who built the first solar-hydrogen home in New Jersey, will be undertaking this Cayman project. The 3,000 sq. ft. residence on the Grand Cayman Island will take advantage of the island’s 354 sunny days per year to generate electricity from solar and store the excess energy as hydrogen.

The system will electrolyze water to create hydrogen and store it for use at night and during hurricanes, by which it will run the hydrogen through a fuel cell to generate electricity for the home. One has to wonder, however, why the Caribbean’s most prolific hurricane target was chosen for this project, though?

In 2004, Hurricane Ivan crunched 70-percent of buildings on Grand Cayman and if Al Gore’s predictions have any merit, there will be many more tropical cyclones to follow. Perhaps adding a wind turbine or two would also be a bright idea for this windblown island.

When Chris Columbus discovered the Cayman Islands in 1503 he called them “Las Tortugas” after the many turtles found there. Who would have imagined, however, that this tortoise would really be a hare when it comes to leading edge energy technology?

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Today’s home controls allow homeowners to take an active role in managing their power consumption.

Green Aspects
General climate controls as well as security are at the forefront of consumer interests in home automation, says Industry Analysis Director Steve Koenig of the Consumer Electronics Association , which represents 2,200 companies in the industry. While new homes typically have state-of-the-art HVAC with

A collage of Intermatic’s InTouch controls © Intermatic

high-efficiency ratings, older homes have a host of issues. “Apart from replacing the HVAC, there are some pretty basic home controls that can help make a difference in energy bills,” he says.

People can start saving energy simply with some single devices, says Koenig. A basic programmable thermostat can lower the heat or raise the cooling temperature when no one is home, thus saving money. A timer can consistently turn off outside lights at a certain hour instead of having them left on all night using up kilowatts.

Some people leave their lights on because they're afraid to arrive home to a dark house, says Lisa Whitcomb, senior public relations specialist with Intermatic. “Controls would allow them to have lights come on at sunset or when they're expected to arrive, and thus use less energy,” she says. “People also don't think about appliances plugged into receptacles using energy when they’re turned off. The InTouch outlet can truly be powered off, eliminating standby power drain to the appliance plugged in that is turned “off.” This phenomenon is also known throughout the industry as vampire electronics. In a standby mode, some products such as a stereo or TV can still draw small amounts of power to keep them warmed up. When the InTouch outlet is powered off, all electric current is stopped from going through the outlet to whatever may be plugged in to it. ”

• Dimming a lamp 25 percent reduces energy use by 20 percent and provides four times the bulb life.

• Dimming a lamp 75 percent reduces energy use by 60 percent and provides more than 20 times the bulb life.

Beyond individual controls, having devices work together in a whole house system can add to energy savings. For example, a motion detector, noting there is no movement in the house, might reduce energy usage by the HVAC or dim or turn off certain lights.

Sampling the Marketplace
There’s a surprising array of products to help you conserve energy. Here are a few.

Leviton produces lighting controls, wireless controls and power line controls. Leviton’s Sullivan offered examples of what its products can do.

“Consider a lighting circuit controlled by a traditional toggle switch,” he says. “Turn on the switch and each bulb instantly goes to 100 percent every time. Replace that switch with Leviton’s Vizia + or Vizia RF + dimmer and, beyond the obvious ability to dim the lights, the user has added benefits. If the new Energy Save Mode is engaged, the user will reduce energy consumption every time that dimmer is used because that mode allows a maximum brightness level to be preset. The return is savings in energy use and extended bulb life—and less hassle if the lights in a circuit are 15 feet up in a cathedral ceiling.”

Home Automation, Inc.’s Omnistat is a programmable communicating thermostat. (c) HAI

Sullivan says the benefits can be expanded by uniting all home control devices into a common wireless system, such as Leviton’s Vizia RF +, which uses Z-Wave® wireless technology. That wireless mesh network has no central controller, removing reliance on a device that has the potential to bring down a system, he says. The system allows a homeowner to schedule events such as turning the porch lights on at dusk, dimming them at midnight and turning them off at dawn.

Leviton’s system with its remote access capability can even save on gasoline, he says. “Leviton’s two-way status updating in its Vizia RF + products provides information that can be displayed on a cell phone. The phone can indicate whether individual lighting controllers are on or off. When a device is selected remotely and turned off, the Vizia RF + products will respond to the mobile phone and update the status on screen. When the sudden thought ‘Did I turn off the porch lights?’ hits you when you're 10 miles from home, you can check and act to change it. That's 30 fewer miles spent driving—at today's fuel prices—to turn off the lights.” Home Automation, Inc., (or HAI), based in New Orleans, La., manufactures control systems and products, including energy management tools. CEO Jay McLellan says a home often has many control components and it doesn’t cost much more to make them work together for homeowner comfort and convenience. HAI’s tools include programmable communicating thermostats that have the ability to exchange information with an electric meter to show the current cost of energy, amount of energy used and what the next utility bill will be. The company’s heavy-duty control modules can control water heaters and pool pumps. With its home control system, which can be linked to remotely with handheld mobile devices running Windows® Mobile operating software, users can monitor and control lights and temperatures as well as security, audio and Web cams. Intermatic, based in Spring Grove, Ill., manufactures consumer and industrial energy control products. Its InTouch and HomeSettings control systems both use Z-Wave® protocol. Intermatic’s Whitcomb says its home controls can be wired into the wall as a typical electric receptacle would be or plugged into receptacles. They can work alone or as part of a whole-house network. Prices vary with homeowner needs and talents. A HomeSettings starter kit with two devices and a controller is about $100 retail. It allows the DIY homeowner to get started with one room or a room and a hallway and grow a system as needed. Its InTouch entry kit for a 2,500–square-foot home for those hiring professional installers sells for about $1,000, not including installation. For homeowners who want to grow their systems over time, products can be purchased separately. Professional-grade home controllers are upgradeable via the Internet as firmware is updated to provide more capabilities.

Control4, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, uses technologies such as ZigBee, WiFi and Ethernet standards and Linux to increase integration of existing systems and to reduce the overall cost of ownership. Digital households are overflowing with feature-rich gear and media that should work together but rarely do,” says CEO Will West. By developing standards-based products instead of proprietary, Control4 provides home automation solutions that tackle the problem of too many remote controls and disparate digital gadgets with no connectivity standards. Evolving Market Koenig says that among solutions starting to manifest in the marketplace are products in the area of time of use, which allow homeowners to schedule power usage. Typically, electric use peaks in the morning when everyone gets ready for work and again in the evening when everyone returns home and turns on their televisions. He says one marketplace solution is a home battery that can draw its power during non-peak—and less expensive—periods and supplement a home’s needs during more expensive peak hours. HAI is also working in this area. It has pilot projects under way with select utilities, such as Alabama Power near Birmingham, to offer customers smart meters that measure the amount of electricity flowing into a home in real time. “We want the consumer to be able to have devices that let them automatically take advantage of utility rates when they are lower. Consumers could select the cycling of their heating or cooling systems, setting them back or even turning them off,” says HAI’s McLellan.  Home monitors also are of interest. Control4’s 4Sight Internet Service gives homeowners the ability to securely monitor and control their home from any Internet connection. It includes email alerts for events that a person may want to monitor in their home such as a garage door left open or a water leak in the basement. HAI plans to introduce a device that will detect HVAC factors that might otherwise go unnoticed and alert the homeowner. HAI’s McLellan says that often “people might think that an increase in their utility bill is just related to higher prices. But it could be something as simple as a small freon leak, coils that need to be cleaned or a filter that needs to be changed.” CEA’s Koenig says, “It’s a nascent market that is evolving rapidly. Home controls and content distribution were limited to new construction with dedicated runs. Now that is all changed with wireless and scalable solutions.” Courtesy of BobVila.com

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The Green Power Partnership works with a wide variety of leading organizations — from Fortune 500 companies to local, state and federal governments, and a growing number of colleges and universities. The Top Partner Rankings highlight the annual green power purchases of leading organizations within the United States and across individual industry sectors.

These green power purchases help reduce the environmental impacts of electricity use and support the development of new renewable generation capacity nationwide. Purchase amounts reflect U.S. operations only and are sourced from U.S.-based green power resources. Organizations can meet EPA purchase requirements using any combination of three different product options (1) Renewable Energy Certificates, (2) On-site generation, and (3) Utility green power products.

Purchase figures are based on annualized Partner contract amounts (kilowatt-hours), not calendar year totals.  

For more info and to see the rankings:

http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/top50.htm

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On the outside of your bag, there is a paper thin, flexible solar panel. This solar panel charges a battery pack located inside the bag to supply power for your cell phone or iPod, day or night. Simply place the solar panel in the bag towards the sun to collect usable energy. Put it in your window at work, home, car, or on the train; face it towards the sun at a café; or walk/bike around town with the panel exposed. Even on cloudy or rainy days, energy is collected through the UV light of the sun. On a bright, sunny day the battery should be fully charged in 6-8 hours. On a cloudy day the battery will require a bit more time. The battery pack will hold the sun's energy for several days.

For more info or to purchase:

http://www.noonsolar.com/solar

 

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Solar company Konarka has developed a transparent solar cell that it hopes will be built onto electricity-generating windows.

The Lowell, Mass.-based company on Tuesday said it has reached an agreement with Arch Aluminum & Glass to use Konarka's plastic solar cells in building materials, including windows.

Under its Arch Active Solar Glass development, the company has built prototypes of windows with the solar cells between two panes of glass. The photovoltaic cells can be tinted different colors.

"It is energy-efficient and transparent with superior vertical performance and a subtle red, blue or green aesthetic. With these features, BIPV (building-integrated photovoltaics) will no longer need to be confined to spandrel or overhead applications," Arch CEO Leon Silverstein said in a statement.

Konarka makes organic solar cells made from flexible plastic. Last fall, it opened a factory in Massachusetts to manufacture the cells which come off assembly lines as spools fitted with wires to carry electricity.

The advantage of these flexible cells is that they can be used for a wide range of applications, such as power-generating military tents, portable chargers for electronics, and sensors.

But these organic photovoltaics aren't very efficient at converting sunlight to electricity and won't last as long as a rooftop solar panel, which is typically under warranty for 25 years. Konarka said late last year that it achieved 6 percent efficiency in its labs but that's not yet available in its products. A high-efficiency silicon solar cell, the most common cell material, can be over 20 percent.

Konarka's factory is turning out red solar cells but has started making the transparent cells in limited runs for prototypes and development, according to a representative.

Although Konarka has raised over $100 million and has signed a number of partnerships, there are many people who are skeptical that the company can be profitable.

"The real key will be to see if they can make building-integrated products that can stand the weather for 20-plus years," clean-tech venture capitalist Rob Day from @Ventures told Greentech Media in December last year.

Konarka also faces growing competition in the building-integrated photovoltaics field. Thin-film solar manufacturers, including Heliovot, also make flexible cells that can be fitted onto glass or building structures such as awnings but are more efficient. Nanosolar's cells made from CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide), for example, are in the 9 percent to 10 percent range.

Martin LaMonica is a senior writer for CNET's Green Tech blog

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Written by greenguy@smartgreenhelp.com

 

Home automation systems have become a staple in many high-end homes, as they should be.  After all, these systems are designed to allow you to control your home theater components, home security system, lighting, irrigation, pool equipment and heating/cooling from one device (or via the Internet from somewhere else). Behemoth homes require this type of system for obvious reasons, but why hasn't it become a staple in ALL homes? As with many of the tools available to us now in our fight against climate change and global warming, it can be expensive.  

The idea is that these high tech systems will minimize or eliminate the wasted energy from lights left on by accident, vampire loads from home equipment in the “off” state, thermostats set too high or low for usage patterns or climate conditions, etc. The automation systems themselves will set things right even if you forget. We’re all familiar with how important it is to reduce wasteful habits, but are they big enough to warrant buying one of these systems? ABSOLUTELY!

I said it CAN be expensive, but it doesn't have to be. Think of how much water and electricity is wasted each year because of those habits? Is it expensive compared to that? It's along the same lines as the weak argument that nuclear power proponents use against solar and wind. What they don't tell you about is how they'll dispose of the waste and what that will cost as opposed to ultra clean solar and wind which are waste free. Sorry, that's a rant for another place and time. 

 Home automation can be a huge component in serious conservation efforts of both electricity and water. If you can afford it, by all means look into purchasing a home automation system.  For those of us on a budget, one reasonably priced solution is X-10. Although the technology is older, it is pretty reliable and for any residential application it'll do just fine. There are others although I believe X10 is the most cost effective of the bunch. 

If you don't want to spend the money on automating your home, why not at least get motion-sensing or timed switches and outlets? They're cheap. We’ve seen energy bills cut by 50% just installing LED and fluorescent lighting, buying energy-efficient appliances, improving insulation and most of all having a newer, more energy efficient A/C unit.  

We live in a newly built home so we can only use our previous home as a comparison and let me tell you, the difference is startling. We weren't able to build all the Green features we wanted in our current home but let's take a look at the two homes briefly to give you an idea:  

Our previous home is a 3 bedroom 2 bath CBS (concrete block) home built in 1992 and is 2,108 sq. ft. It has a 10 SEER A/C unit, older 40 gallon water heater. None of the appliances were Energy Star and it has a shingle roof and fiberglass insulation. Interior lights are roughly a 50% mix of  CFL and incandescent bulbs. Exterior lights are motion-automated incandescent bug lights except for one out by the mailbox which is on at all times during the night. It has a programmable A/C thermostat set to a sensible daily schedule.  

Our current home is a 3 bedroom 2 bath (with a den) CBS (concrete block) home built in 2008 and is 2,641 sq. ft. It has a 14 SEER A/C unit, Energy Star 80 gallon water heater, all appliances are Energy Star, metal roof and fiberglass insulation. Interior lights are all CFL and ALL exterior lights are motion-automated incandescent bug lights. It has a programmable A/C thermostat set to a sensible daily schedule.  

Both homes are automated using the same setup. I have a dedicated PC using an Applied Digital Ocelot Home Automation controller. This unit can be programmed and operate as a standalone controller or will also work attached to a PC and controlled by computer based software, in my case Homeseer. 

 The electric bill in our previous home during the peak of summer here in Florida (which is when the A/C runs constantly) was an average of $312 per month. The average during winter (the cheapest time here in Florida) was $160.  

The electric bill in our current home during the peak of summer averages $206 per month!  That is a difference of $106 EACH month!!! Our new home is over 500 sq ft larger! The average during winter is $112. Again, good savings.

As you can see, the A/C unit clearly makes a difference. Our home comparison should give you a really good idea of just how effective these methods can be. We are living proof of that. Also, our home automation setup could easily be reproduced for less than $1,000. We are just starting to scratch the surface of what we can do with it as well. If you’re serious about understanding and reducing your energy use, you can easily get 40-50% savings using pretty inexpensive techniques and gadgets.

You don't have to buy a full blown home automation system with a dedicated PC and tons of gadgets and modules to go with it. You can start out small and work your way up. This is the beauty of home automation, namely X10 and other lower end solutions. There are many stand alone controllers available that you can program with your PC, unplug and let run on its own. It'll control lights, HVAC, appliances, pool equipment, sprinkler systems, etc and whatever else you want it to. As money allows, add more devices and slowly build your Green home of the future. 

So, don’t wait until you can afford a fancy home automation system or solar panels to begin automating and conserving - it CAN be done on a budget. If utility companies ever start giving rebates that make smart metering systems more affordable, go for it!. Don’t fret if you own big screen TV's. Install some fluorescent light bulbs and a programmable thermostat, seal up leaks and cracks and replace dead appliances with high-efficiency Energy Star versions. Use light-sensing, power-sensing or timer-based switches or outlets. Automate your water heater or wrap it with a heater blanket. Better yet, switch to a tankless water heater. You’ll be amazed at the savings.  

Home automation is a powerful tool that is currently under utilized. I believe it is one of the least emphasized and most underrated tools currently available to us in our fight against global warming. I don't think public awareness and information are what they should be at this point. Combined with the misnomer that it has to be expensive, home automation may not be getting the attention it deserves. I will leave it up to you to decide if this is acceptable.  

Please feel free to contact me for guidance or resources concerning home automation and energy / water conservation at: greenguy@smartgreenhelp.com

 

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Written by Wenona Napolitano

The NRDC (National Resources Defense Council) has created Green Paws, a green living initiative, to help people keep their pets and families safe from toxic flea and tick products.

The surprising thing is that it’s not just the regular chemical culprits that may be dangerous to the health of your pets but some of the “all natural” herbal treatments can be just as poisonous.

Green Paws is committed to helping inform people that many flea and tick products can harm pets, people and the environment. They give great advice about what to do to avoid getting infested with fleas and ticks-washing your pet regularly, combing and brushing your pet, using a flea comb to pull out fleas and their eggs, vacuum your home often (and don’t forget to clean out the vacuum), and keep pet areas clean.

Visit GreenPaws.org to learn more about keeping your pets and families safe from toxic products. You can sign petitions, download a pocket guide to products, and see a list of safer flea and tick treatments.

I try to avoid chemical products as much as possible so I use herbal products instead. I was shocked to find out that even herbal products are not always safe for pets or people.

Products containing the essential oils cinnamon, clove, geranium, tea tree, lavender, bay and eucalyptus should be used sparingly because they can cause severe allergic reactions in pets and people (always do a small spot test and wait several hours for signs of reaction before overall application).

Products containing cedarwood, lemongrass, peppermint, rosemary and thyme are safer.

Avoid the use of any product containing pennyroyal oil it has been reported to cause seizures, comas, and even death in animals.

This is the most alarming to me because I bought a flea spray from Only Natural Pet Store thinking it would be safe to use. After reading this information from Green Paws and then checking the label on my flea spray I find that Pennyroyal oil is one of the first ingredients. I could have killed my beloved cats by using something “safe” and “all natural”.

I really wish companies would do more thorough research on their products before sending them out to be sold to unsuspecting people thinking they are doing the right thing by purchasing an herbal product instead of a chemical one.

The flea spray I purchased is Doc Ackerman’s Botanical Citronella Pet Spray. “A Natural Alternative to Pesticides”. Oil of Pennyroyal is the third ingredient listed.

Visit GreenPaws.org to find out if your flea and tick treatments are not as safe as you thought they were.

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By Jonathan Watts

By 2020, Chinese government is committed to raising the share of ­renewable energy ­in the energy mix to 6%.

China is to throw its economic might behind a national solar power plan that could result in it becoming one of the world's biggest harvesters of the sun's energy.

The government body responsible for overseeing energy policy has ­finalised a proposal for billions of pounds of ­incentives for solar farms and rooftop panels, which will come from the government's £400bn economic stimulus fund.

Once approved by the state ­council, it is expected to give a boost to the ­domestic solar power market, which has lagged behind China's wind, nuclear and hydroelectric power investments. "This is extremely important. It's a milestone," said Chen Dongmei, director of climate change and energy at the WWF's China office.

China is the world's leading ­manufacturer of photovoltaic (PV) panels, which turn sunlight into electricity. But 95% of these are exported.

While solar thermal power, in which sunlight heats water, is in widespread use, the central government and the five major utilities have deemed PV power too ­expensive, particularly compared with coal, which generates ­electricity for between an eighth and a tenth of the cost.

But the global economic crisis and ­increasing concerns about climate change and energy security have prompted a change in attitudes.

Since last year, a glut in supply of PV panels has pushed prices down by more than 30%, cutting ­profits of domestic manufacturers such as Suntech.

To support them and widen the ­country's energy base, the plan is expected to include the biggest ever boost for solar power, along with extra spending and ­policy support for nuclear, wind and ­biomass power.

By 2020, the government is committed to raising the share of ­renewable energy ­(excluding hydroelectric power) in the energy mix to 6%, from the current 1.5%.

Many local governments in "sunshine regions" such as Gansu, Qinghai and Inner Mongolia are already pushing ahead.

According to Li Shimin of the Solar Energy Centre in Gansu, at least 10 solar farms are under construction or in the process of securing approval.

The biggest of those approved so far is in Dunhuang, which will have a 10 MW capacity.

Earlier this year, Jiangsu province – the home of Suntech – announced 1bn yuan (£92bn) of incentives aimed at building solar energy generation capacity to 260 MW megawatts by 2011.

This is extremely ambitious given that the target for the entire country next year is 300 megawatts.

Julian Wong, an energy analyst based in Washington , said 2009 was shaping up to be the year of solar power in China.

"The unique confluence of lower ­productions costs and decreased ­overseas demand means the cost of going solar is lower than ever and makes it an opportune time to make a policy push for domestic solar deployment," he noted in a recent report.

Despite the infusion of cash and ­government support for renewable sources of energy, China is expected to remain dependent on coal for about 70% of its energy needs for at least the next two ­decades, meaning it will remain the world's biggest emitter of CO₂, a major greenhouse gas.

This piece originally appeared in The Guardian.

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A green fuel additive can reduce vehicle emissions by 30% and increase gas mileage by 7% to 19%.

EthosFR+ is composed of a combination of two esters that clean and lubricate the engine. Containing no harmful chemicals or metals, EthosFR+ is designed to be used with all types of fuel, including gasoline, diesel, biodiesel, gasoline ethanol blends, and motor oils.

It works by lubricating, cooling, and cleaning the engine. Because fuel is burned more completely, emissions are reduced and mileage is improved.

Independent tests made by a California Air Resources Board (CARB)-certified facility and recognized by the EPA have showed that the product improves vehicle horsepower and fuel economy while significantly reducing measured tailpipe emissions for Hydrocarbons, Carbon Monoxide, Nitrous Oxide, and Particulate Matter.

EthosFR+ is manufactured by San Diego-based Ethos Environmental, Inc., which counts the City of San Diego as one of its most prominent customers.

The City of San Diego has been using EthosFR+ in its municipal trash trucks for the past nine years. In all that time the fleet has reduced its emissions by 60% and saved 1.2 million gallons of fuel per year.

In October 2008, EthosFR+ was tested by FERIC, a private research and development organization and division of FP Innovations, which verified that it increased fuel efficiency and reduced emissions.

When compared to a control vehicle following the rigorous testing protocol, the results concluded that EthosFR+ successfully improved fuel efficiency and reduced harmful diesel emissions by 29.1%.

In actual field results conducted by freight carriers, fuel efficiency improved by 7% to 19%, on average, as documented by fleet drivers.

For the first time, the EthosFR+ fuel additive is being offered to consumers for direct purchase by ReduceMyEmissions.com, an environmentally-focused organization that believes in thinking globally and acting locally.

Until May 31, 2009, the sign-up fee to qualify to purchase EthosFR+ at the wholesale price is just 99 cents ($0.99). As a "distributor," consumers can choose to either purchase the product for personal use at the wholesale price or to pursue the business opportunity. For 99 cents each distributor receives a fully-functioning e-commerce website. Inventory warehousing, order tracking, and fulfillment are all handled by the parent company. To get started, please visit www.ReduceMyEmissions.com. - Katrice Jalbuena

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It seems like just yesterday that President Barack Obama took the oath of office on a bitterly cold January morning, but here we are exactly 100 days later. So what does the cleantech community have to show for the president it worked so ardently to get elected? Well, quite a lot, actually. Here’s our list of the top 10 things the Obama administration has done for cleantech in its historic first 100 days. Hit the comments to let us know what you’d like to see in the next 100.

The Greenest Budget Ever – Obama’s $3.55 trillion budget proposal is a one-two punch for cleantech — it boosts funding for renewables while slashing tax breaks for fossil fuels. Obama’s wish list, which Climate Progress called “the first sustainable budget in U.S. history,” includes $15 billion per year for cleantech over a decade as well as an estimated $650 billion in revenue from his promised but yet-to-be-seen cap-and-trade program on greenhouse gas emissions.

The Green(er) Stimulus – Signed in February, the stimulus package is chock-full of cleantech goodies with $43 billion for grants for clean power, extensions on tax credits for solar, wind, geothermal and energy efficiency programs, smart grid funding, weatherization programs and a new tax credit for cleantech hardware manufacturing.

Regulating Carbon – The EPA’s historic finding last month that greenhouse gas emissions are a threat to public health and welfare, which paves the way for the agency to regulate them under the Clean Air Act, is the inconvenient truth that the Bush administration ignored for two years. If Congress doesn’t get its act together and legislate carbon regulation, new emissions rules will likely come from the administration.

 

Pricing Carbon – Giving industry a solid, long-term price on carbon is the most important thing government can do to ensure the private sector starts making big bets in cleantech. As Obama said in a recent speech on the economy: “If businesses and entrepreneurs know today that we are closing this carbon pollution loophole, they will start investing in clean energy now.” He gets it.

Green Collar Job Creation – In January, Obama raised his goal of creating green collar jobs to 3 million as part of his plan to double renewable energy production. The newly created Middle Class Task Force made green jobs the focus of its first meeting. The administration has brought on the green collar economy’s most fervent and eloquent advocate, Van Jones, as a special adviser at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

Fighting Dirty Fossil Fuels – Obama’s proposed budget snips out $31.5 billion in “oil and gas company preferences.” Meanwhile, the reinvigorated EPA is using its newly realized regulatory power to put a hold on new coal-fired power plants. Now if Obama would just lend his voice to decrying the myth of “clean coal.”

Improving Fuel Efficiency – Obama ordered the EPA to grant California’s long-awaited emission waiver affirming the Golden State’s, and 13 fellow states’, power to enforce stricter automobile-emission standards. On the federal level, Obama had the Department of Transportation raise CAFE standards for the first time in nearly three decades, requiring new cars and trucks to have a fleet average fuel efficiency of 27.3 MPG by 2011 — an increase of 2 MPG over the 2010 standard.

Funding Hard Science – The surest way to get long-term, technological innovation is to fund basic science research in the lab. Obama’s stimulus plan includes $6.5 billion specifically for research and development in advanced energy efficiency, renewable energy, and low carbon technology, the largest investment in science and technology since the Space Race. With the former director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Steven Chu running the DOE we hope to see more money flowing into R&D soon so that in a few years entrepreneurs can start licensing it.

Jump Starting the Smart Grid – Programs created under the stimulus package jump-start what Obama calls a “nationwide transmission superhighway” with more than $4 billion specifically for smart grid tech. The newly appointed Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chairman Jon Wellinghoff is a firm believer in the smart grid but is already dealing with utilities griping about the cap on stimulus spending as well as the pesky issue of eminent domain.

Engaging China – Truly global action on climate change will require negotiations with China, and already the Obama administration has been to Beijing. On the eve of Secretary of State Clinton’s first trip overseas she said, “[C]ollaboration on clean energy and greater efficiency offers a real opportunity to deepen the overall U.S.-Chinese relationship. So we will work hard with the Chinese to create partnerships that promote cleaner energy sources, greater energy efficiency, technology transfers that can benefit both countries, and other strategies that simultaneously protect the environment and promote economic growth.”

Courtesy of earth2tech.com

 

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Check out these DIY solar motorcycle links:

http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/05/12/solar-flyer-diy-solar-motorcycle-tops/

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/05/06/phoenix-man-taps-into-the-sun-with-his-diy-solar-motorcycle/

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This car runs on charges of compressed air. The technology sounds incredible! I can't wait to see it in action. Let's hope this takes off:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/may/14/air-powered-car-hybrid-france

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If you haven't visited the website, Build It Solar, do yourself a favor and go there. There are so many DIY projects you won't even know where to begin. I stumbled onto this site in my search for affordable rainwater barrels and so far I am blown away:

 http://www.builditsolar.com/index.htm

Do yourself a favor and check it out. If you like it, let me know. I want to make sure I am providing the highest level of content here. Thanks for your input!

 Green Guy

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Here are some staggering statistics about the detrimental environmental effects of plastic water bottles:

• 2.5 million disposable water bottles are thrown away in the US every hour.
• In 2007, $16 billion was spent on bottled water.
• 20 oz. of bottled water costs almost as much as a gallon of gas.
• Discarded plastic water bottles take 700 to 1,000 years to break down.
• A 20 oz. bottle of water takes 5 oz. of oil to produce and ship.
• Dioxin, one of the deadliest air pollutants, is created when unrecyclable PVC is separated from PET/PETE #1 plastic water bottles and then incinerated.

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