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Gr’investing: ETF’s make cents

by The Green A-Team

With stocks at bargain prices in this volatile market, which green energy companies are your best bet?

The future of energy is in critical condition and the largest investment firms are looking more and more to the new industries whose clean energy supplies could salvage the sputtering market.

One way to get involved is with green exchange traded funds, commonly known as ETFs. These are essentially mutual funds supporting renewable and cleaner sources of energy and technologies.  EFT shares are traded all day long on the major stock market exchanges.  These funds can hold dozens, even thousands of companies under one umbrella unified by an environmental theme.

It’s clear that despite the market-wide downturns of late, green ETFs have performed with stability and predictable gains.  The slow and steady approach to green investing may be just the way to inch your way out your hole and be a part of the inevitable movement toward sustainable, locally produced energy.

For more tips on green investing, check out some of these links:

Green ETF’s providing alternatives (ETF Trends)

Clean energy ETFs for green investors (Business Week)

Green ETFs: Super volatile or supercharged? (EVX, PZD) (ETFExpert.com)

WSJ Sunday turns eight (Wall Street Journal)

Photo by Lamanda2.


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More than a hint of mint in the stimulus plan

by The Green A-Team

A breakdown of the numbers from the NRDC:

The bill provides:

$6 billion for clean and safe water, creating more than 200,000 jobs

  • This insures critical funding for the nation’s pipes and treatment plants.  We don’t often worry too much about where our clean water comes from and this line seeks to keep it that way.

$4.5 billion for greening federal buildings

  • The Federal building codes and standards apply to buildings constructed or used by any Federal agency that is not legally subject to state or local building codes.  This means that any building, not just the White House, Pentagon, Capital Building, etc., ANY building paying their energy bills with Federal money will be subject to completely revised energy efficiency performance standards which have been set by the DOE.

State energy grants, issued through the Treasury Department, that will fund renewable energy projects that are eligible for the available tax credits.

  • As of October of last year, the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 prolonged tax credits in solar, fuel cells, and microturbines; increased the credit amount for fuel cells; established new credits for small wind-energy systems, geothermal heat pumps, and combined heat and power (CHP) systems; extended eligibility for the credits to utilities; and allowed taxpayers to take the credit against the alternative minimum tax (AMT) subject to certain limitations.  If you’ve got these systems already in place are are planning to build new ones, you should apply here.

Funding for the state energy program, which includes important utility reforms and building code conditions.

$2.5 billion for energy efficiency and renewable energy Research and Development.

  • In many cases, the technology just isn’t there yet and it takes resources to get there, hence, this line item.

$5 billion for the Weatherization Assistance Program, creating approximately 90,000 jobs

  • The expansion of this service will help the program reach a critical mass and deliver what it was designed to do - help low income families make energy efficiency improvements on their homes and spend less on utilities.  See if you qualify here.

A multi-year extension of the renewable production tax credit.

  • Even greater insurance to individuals and corporations interested in these upgrades that their renewable energy improvements will be rewarded for many years to come.  This is the kind of thing that boosts investor confidence in green stocks.

A more effective tax credit for home efficiency upgrades.

$6 billion in loan guarantees for renewables, transmission and leading edge biofuels

  • This is a great boon for companies investing in these industries.  Now there will be real money to back up the loans guaranteed by the government.  This comes as particular significance to the USDA.

$2 billion for advanced batteries

  • More than just rechargeable batteries for your TV remote, this category of tech development may be the most important.  Certainly the automotive industry has a lot to gain with hybrid-electric vehicles seeking to replace the current fleet.  Here’s an interesting piece from the US Advanced Battery Consortium (USCAR).  The storage of electricity produced on a massive scale for residential and commercial use is also an integral component to making the new renewable grid happen.

$9.3 billion for intercity rail, including high-speed rail

  • With these new high-speed rail systems, the U.S. may actually be up to speed with the rest of the world.  Here’s a little more on that idea.

$27.5  billion for highways (this large pot of money is not exclusively for highways, and states and cities must use this flexibility to invest in fuel-efficient public transportation)

  • While this may seem a bit imbalanced up against the public transportation budgets, the ethos behind it suggests the auto fleet will be markedly cleaner by the time the highways are improved.  Like it or not, the U.S. is a car culture which means the industries and infrastructure must change to accommodate it.

$8.4 billion for transit

$1.5 billion in competitive grants for transportation investments (which could be used for public transportation)

  • These last two lines combined with the high-speed rail budget is a pretty formidable sum to help the country’s beleaguered public trans condition.  However, it may also prove to be a mere drop in the bucket if the other energy system improvements are not met.

Photo by kali.ma.


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Trash blasting:
The future of waste removal

by The Green A-Team

The future of trash isn’t too hard to predict - there’s going to be a lot of it.

So what’s in store for the future of trash removal?

According to the EPA, the average American produces about 4.4 pounds of garbage a day. Thats an annual 240 million tons produced nationally. So how can the country that invented the internet and the airplane maintain it’s technological leadership under this hulking mountain of trash?

One very high-tech solution involves the blasting of garbage with lasers. While it may seem too sci-fi to be true, the process is known as plasma gasification and uses high electrical energy and high temperature to obliterate the molecular bonds that hold garbage together. The elements are separated and collected as gas, later to be used to power the facility itself.

Garbage zapping is already being used abroad with Florida on deck to be the first state in the US to bring this futuristic form of trash blasting into the present.

For more on the future of trash tech, check out this video.

Photo by gardinergirl.


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Plasma gasification

by The Green A-Team


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Autoshow electrifies and trians are back in style

by The Green A-Team

Electric cars win big at the Detroit Autoshow and a real plan is emerging to fix the nation’s transportation problems.

Foreign automakers aren’t the only ones rushing electric cars to market, it’s domestic manufacturers including Ford who’ve unveiled prototypes at this year’s auto show.  Unlike the electric golf carts you may be familiar with, the new green fleet of autos are quiet and quick and don’t require the noxious burning of ancient plants.

While this innovation does reduce carbon emissions, what about it’s effect on the power grid?  Experts agree that cars won’t burden the grid if owners charge their batteries at night.

Other solutions to our transportation dilemma include airport improvements, expansions, and creating high-speed rail links. Eliminating the horror of terminal gridlock on our runways may lessen headaches for travelers and increase jobs for contractors.  High-speed rail links between city centers bring the classic form of train travel up to date ushering time-crunched travelers to and from their points of passage.

For more transportation innovations, check out some of these sites:

Green Transportation (Mother Earth News)

League of American Bicyclists

Green Autos

Green Eye

Photo by rmarinello.


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Time’s up for gas guzzling automakers

by Rich Awn

The rubber hits the road as President Obama puts car and truck emission regulations in reverse.

With petroleum fueling foreign conflict and gas prices mercilessly gouging  the American people, President Obama announced his plans for decisive action in his first steps toward real energy independence.

The new energy policy now before Congress calls for a massive overhaul in the physical engineering of our current grid; a project that will create a new energy economy loaded with green collar jobs.

As for the new green American auto fleet, the President declares it will be built right here at home.  By 2020, new manufacturing standards will only produce autos that can get at least 35 miles per gallon.  This 40% increase in fuel efficiency could save 2 million barrels of oil per day.

While his wish is not to burden the struggling American auto industry, the President’s swift actions have automakers scrambling to meet these new standards slated to begin in 2011.

For more on the new energy economy, have a look at some of these links:

Environmentalists for Obama

Technology’s fingerprints on the stimulus package (NY Times)

US Secretary breaks with ‘drill only’ energy policy (AP)

Photo by Subject is too Cute.


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White House Farmer Polling Results

by The Green A-Team

This just in from WhiteHouseFarmer.com:

Thank you for your outpouring of support for a White House Farmer – we received nearly 56,000 votes from all across the country in just 10 days!

This amazing grassroots effort has sent a huge wave of awareness across the nation.  You have spoken loud and clear — not only to encourage the new administration to make Michael Pollan’s call for a White House Farmer a reality — but also for the larger cause that we are working toward with our farms and with our forks, delicious food grown sustainably by farmers in our communities.

We offer our congratulations to all the nominees, and to farmers across the nation who steward the land and grow good food.  You are all winners, and we are grateful for the work you do.

The top three vote-getters in this poll were:

1. Claire Strader, Troy Community Farm, Madison, WI

2. Carrie Anne Little, Mother Earth Farm, Puyallup, WA

3. Margaret Lloyd, Home Farming, Davis, CA

Congratulations, Margaret!

Scroll down for more of Margaret’s fight to farm the White House lawn.


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*Special Report*
White House Farmer Nominee, Margaret Lloyd

by The Green A-Team

I just got off the phone with a brilliant young woman named Margaret Lloyd.  She’s a grad student at UC Davis going for her Masters in International Agricultural Development and Plant Pathology.

Why is she so significant at this very moment?

Today, January 31st, is the FINAL DAY of her campaign to become the official White House Farmer! Margaret is one of over 100 nominees selected to till, sow, and harvest 5 prime south-facing acres of the White House lawn at the start of this year’s growing season.

Here’s Margaret in her own words:

Q: How’s the campaign going?

A:

Q: How did you become a nominee?  What kinds of things on campus have you been doing?

A:

Q: Obviously you have farming experience but have you ever had 5 acres all to yourself?  What kinds of crops do you intend to grow?

A:

Q: Do you think you’ll be able to fuel the farm with the crops you grow?

A:

Q: What other challenges are you facing going into this?

A:

Q: What do you have to say to the world in support of your campaign?

A:

Our guest has been Margaret Lloyd, grad student of International Agriculture and Plant Pathology at UC Davis and nominee for White House Farmer.

There’s only a couple hours left to vote so log onto WhiteHouseFarmer.com and vote for Margaret!


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Seawater holds key to future food

by The Green A-Team

Full BBC article here.

Green Air Filter:

One by one, the Earth’s natural resources are disappearing. And by no means is fresh water safe from elimination. And in a world where most living things only thrive on fresh water, the search for an alternative is rising to the top of the science community’s list of priorities.

98% of the water on Earth is from the ocean. So it only makes sense that scientist have been looking to the ocean as the next frontier for survival. Plants such as kale and samphire can be cultivated in salt water, as they have been for several thousand years by our ancestors. Spinach and beetroot are also options for the salt water revolution. At this rate, soylent green is no longer something we have to look forward to.

Photo by Paul Prudence.


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Alberta oil sands catastrophe pending:
Act now

by Rich Awn

Hey Americans!

Thought it would be helpful to direct your attention to this little letter put together by some freaked out Canadians about an industrial catastrophe that will nullify Quebec’s carbon reduction efforts.

As stated, if Enbridge is allowed to implement the “Trailbreaker Plan”, increase production and supply this pipeline that ends at the marinas of Portland, Maine, the emissions and massive holes in the ground will leave a tangible and indelible scar on the planet; it will distort and disfigure life as we know it.  This is real.

Submit your attention as a concerned neighbor and read about the players and the plans below.

Good Guys:

Equiterre

Environmental Defense

Forest Ethics

Bad Guys:

Enbridge (Trailbreaker Overview)

Photo by Arkaiyen.


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Oil Sands: True Grit

by The Green A-Team

What’s worse than oil?  Oil sands.

According to Christine MacDonald, author of Green Inc., oil sands is an extremely heavy form of crude oil found in great quantities in Canada and Venezuela.  It requires an open-pit mining process that destroys forests and uses a lot of water, making it even more environmentally invasive than old-fashioned drilling.

Essentially, the oil in oil sands is mixed together with sand and clay to form a viscous and dense form of petroleum that must be separated out in order to be useful.  It takes three to five barrels of water to separate a single barrel of oil from the clay and dirt.

Turning oil sands into something you can pour into your car’s gas tank takes several times more energy than processing conventional oil and contributes more than twice as much greenhouse gas.  So if you hear of legislators trying to pass off an oil sands project as a way to counteract the global energy crisis, fight it with all your might.

For more on oil sands, click on some of the following links:

High stakes in Canada’s vast oil sands fields (CSMonitor.com)

We’re still fans of oil sands (Motley Fool)

The oil sands of Alberta: Where black gold and riches can be found in the sand (60 Minutes)

Tar Sands Basics (Oil Shale & Tar Sands Programmatic EIS)

Alberta oil sands catastrophe pending: ACT NOW

Photo by shanebe.


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Thomas Friedman:
The Earth is Hot, Flat, and Crowded

by The Green A-Team

According to New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, the world is flat… and hot and crowded.

Also a bestselling author, Thomas Friedman has traveled the road from Beirut to Jerusalem, he’s witnessed the towers of American life crumble with the World Trade Center on 9/11, and has come to the conclusion above all else that the world is hot, flat, and crowded.

In his new book Hot, Flat and Crowded, he takes a look at America’s surprising loss of focus and national purpose since 9/11 and the global environmental crisis.  Friedman claims that if America can lead the world in energy innovation it will save the ailing planet and restore America’s reputation.

He calls this effort Code Green stressing urgency and action to replace our wasteful, inefficient energy practices with a strategy for a clean and conscientious energy solution.

For more on the work of Thomas Friedman, click here.

Photo by keso.


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Evironment waits as economy woes

by The Green A-Team

While the economy hits the skids, environmental issues are taking the back burner.

Is it possible for America to save money and save the planet?

A recent Gallup poll found that 66% of Americans said the economic crisis was hurting their personal finances.  Further, people are more willing to save the environment over economic growth, but not by much.

It’s misrepresented in the main stream media that the problems with the environment and the US economy are inversely related. There’s is no proof that sacrifices of one actually hurt the other.

Anne Thompson, Chief Environmental Correspondent for NBC-Universal,

How do we become less dependent on foreign oil, that is first and foremost in everyone’s mind.  I think that is what’s driving people’s interests to find more environmentally friendly ways to do all sorts of things today.

While there’s panic on Wall Street, the message is that the protection of the environment is directly related to a stabilization of our economy.

For more on the environment’s role in the economy, click here.

Photo by the USDA.

Click below for more of our interview with Anne Thompson.

Read the rest of this entry »


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What’s your carbon FOOD print?

by The Green A-Team

By now you’ve identified your carbon footprint but what about your carbon food print?

According to Michael Pollan’s most recent open letter to the President-Elect, issues like food prices and antiquated agricultural standards are being ignored.

He says, “After cars, the food system uses more fossil fuel than any other sector of the economy - 19 percent.” Clearing land for crops, chemical fertilizers made from natural gas, pesticides made from petroleum, farm machinery emissions, modern food processing and packaging and transportation all add up to a food industry that takes 10 calories of fossil-fuel energy to produce one calorie of modern supermarket food.

The good news is that because of the two-headed crisis of food and energy in our country, Americans are more mindful of the food they’re purchasing, it’s safety, and healthfulness than ever before.  Support for reform from both sides of the aisle suggests the current agricultural machine is decidedly broken and the market for organic, local, and humane practices is thriving as never before.

For more on Michal Pollan and ways to combat the food energy crisis, click here.

Photo by ms4jah(still in indonesia)


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Clean Coal’s Dirty Truth

by The Green A-Team

Jumbo shrimp, a parkway, pretty ugly, and now clean coal.

Do they think we’re oxymorons?

Talk of clean coal is polluting the air around the climate debate and stifling the discussion of alternative energy solutions.  The fact of the matter is that coal extraction and incineration is a downright dirty process.

Additionally, this buzzword charade is being used by the two Presidential nominees as both a mudslinging tactic and vote generating accelerator.  So what are they really talking about?

It’s basic shorthand for a technology that does not exist.  The idea of carbon dioxide being separated from the exhaust of US coal plants is as likely to succeed as drilling for oil in ANWR will reduce gas prices significantly in 2009.

So while new coal technologies are experimental, the Politically infused notion of clean coal is nothing more than hot air.

For more on clean coal, check out some of the links below.

Clean Coal Technology (Wikipedia)

Presidential Race Runs through the Heart of Coal Country (Market Watch)

Managing Wastes From Coal (World Nuclear Association)

Photo by rtokunaga.


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Palin’s Pusillanimous Pontifications:
How Indecision is Corrupting the Climate Debate

by The Green A-Team

Energy solutions from the Right revealed: Drill baby drill.

Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin said in the recent debate, regarding climate change, “I don’t want to argue about the causes.”  She went on later to say, “drill baby drill,” referring to her advocacy for drilling in the ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge) region of Alaska where she serves as Governor.

According to her opponent Senator Joe Biden, “The United States has 3% of the world’s oil reserves and consumes 25% of it… We know what the cause is, the cause is man made, that’s the cause.” Further, he made clear that it will take 10 years for one drop of oil to come out of any of the new wells proposed to be drilled.

So while irreverent disrespect for the environment in the form of domestic drilling is still on the table and long term sustainable solutions are years away from reality, we’d better take a close look at our role in this crisis to limit the damage done.

For things you can do that don’t involve drilling, click here.

Read the full transcript of the Vice Presidential debate here.

Photo by Getty Images.


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Wind and Solar Tax Credits Still Worth It

by The Green A-Team

Hallelujah!

Likely feeling the pressure from the pundits, lobbyists, populace, and the benevolent voices deep inside their collective souls whispering to them the sustainable secrets of the universe, Congress unanimously agreed that tax credits awarded for renewable energy production should be upheld.

A gracious word from Gregory Whetstone, Senior Director of Governmental and Public Affairs at the American Wind Energy Association:

“We salute Members of Congress in both parties who fought under difficult conditions to keep the renewable energy production tax credit and small turbine investment tax credit on the agenda until the very end, and then pushed them across the finish line. These tax credits are essential to the continued growth of wind energy, to the economic and energy security of the United States, and to a successful beginning in the fight against global warming. We look forward to working next year with a new Congress and Administration to fashion a serious long-term clean energy policy that increases domestic energy, increases our reliance on clean renewable energy, and creates jobs for Americans.”

Photo by Charlene Burge.


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Senate Prepares to Vote on Wind Energy Tax Credit Extention

by The Green A-Team

Live C-Span coverage of the Senate’s renewable energy vote here.

Green Air Filter:

This just in!

Moments ago, by an overwhelming 93 to 2 vote, the full Senate approved the Baucus-Grassley tax extender bill, which includes a one-year extension of the production tax credit.  It still has to make it through the House.

They giveth and they taketh away.  Tax credits for renewable energy given to businesses and homeowners of solar and wind power systems (but not geothermal, hydroelectric, or kinetic generators for some reason) are slated to expire at the end of 2008.  If these tax breaks go away, the already jittery utility companies and investors of these technologies may go away and those of us who like our air, water, and power clean can start burning those short lived credits to keep warm.

Today, on the brink of this next round of Senatorial voting, Gregory Wetstone of the American Wind Energy Association delivered these inspiring words:

“On behalf of America’s wind energy industry and the millions of Americans who favor clean, domestic wind power, I applaud this critically important effort to move forward on renewable energy tax incentives before Congress leaves town at the end of the month.  We are grateful to Senate leaders from both parties who put aside their differences to come together around this bipartisan package.  Clean energy tax incentives are a vital part of the solution to our nation’s economic, energy security, and environmental challenges.  With more than 100,000 jobs and billions of dollars in clean energy investment at risk, we urge all members of the Senate to vote yes on the Baucus-Grassley Amendment to H.R. 6049 and on final passage of this important legislation.  We hope the Senate’s approval of this measure today will add to the momentum for swift action in the House of Representatives.”

The vote could happen any minute so cross your fingers and check that C-Span link.

Photo by AWEA.


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Scrap Your Car for a Bike at the Tour de Fat

by The Green A-Team

Forget about trading in your SUV for a Prius, how about scrapping it altogether in place of a bike?

Gas, as we know, is virtually a luxury item these days, and even still the reality of ditching ones car is more achievable for some than for others.  But excuses won’t be stopping the Tour de Fat.  The Tour de Fat is a rambling carnival of two-wheel toting cyclers advocating bike-for-car swap outs accross the country this Fall.

What you’re likely to find at one of these peaceful demonstrations are bicycles of all shapes, colors, and configurations, live local bands, and hordes of cyclers who fearlessly gather by the thousands in the name of pedal power.

You can burn at least 300 calories an hour or about 25 per mile which requires a good amount of fuel in the form of food, or in this case, beer.  The New Belgium Brewing Company is the primary sponsor of the Tour de Fat pumping a steady stream of fermented hops and good spirits throughout this multi-city tour.

For some essential commuter cycling tips and more on the Tour de Fat, read on.

Photo by fastboy.

Read the rest of this entry »


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Circus Election 2008: Democratic Green

by The Green A-Team

Is it audacious to hope for an environmentally conscious President?

Meet the Democrats!

The Democratic National Convention roared through Denver with as many protests, covert meetings, and celebrity sightings as staged celebrations.  Here are some of the key points to consider with the Obama/Biden bill:

1.) Senator Obama’s so-called New Energy Plan promises 5 million new green collar jobs by strategically investing 150 billion dollars over the next 10 years to build a new clean energy grid.

2.) Deleware Senator Joe Biden has a fairly consistent voting record with environmentalists and has stated that “energy security” is his top priority.

and 3.) The team pledges to implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent before the year 2050.

Make the candidates work for your vote and for more on how the DNC went Green, click here.

Photo by Learfield News.


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In Germany, a City’s Famed Industry Now Keeps It Afloat

by The Green A-Team

Full New York Times article here.

Green Air Filter:

A high priority for these recent years has been to look for an alternate form of travel on the road. Maybe we’ve been looking in the wrong place. In Friedrichshafen, Germany, a forgotten innovation has made its way back to saving its citizens from the plight of high fuel prices.

The zeppelin provided the first form of airline service in the early 1900s. And now it appears that it can make a comeback as a public transportation in the sky. Not only does it run on low fuel costs, it does not appear to have a negative impact on air quality. We may be a long way from the Jetsons’ flying cars, but the zeppelin has certainly opened the skies for newer possibilities.

Photo by Hans Erbraut.


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Superhero Series Presents - Morgan Freeman

by The Green A-Team

Editors Note:  We hope a dose of positivity helps Morgan during his hospital stay. GET WELL SOON!!!

He’s Batman’s outfitter.

He guided us through the icy March of the Pengiuns and may have been our first friend at the Electric Company.

Of course I’m talking about Morgan Freeman, Oscar winning actor, environmentalist, and subject of today’s Green Superhero.

From an unwanted blast of bus exhaust on a New York City street corner, Morgan Freeman began his 25 years of understated environmental work that has grown as broadly and influential as his acting career.  Named to the board of directors of Earth Biofuels, he currently works with BMW to promote their development of low and zero emission cars.

Though his sober understanding of our global need for energy, he says it’s not about “saving energy; (but) if we get the right kind of energy, there are endless amounts.”  Morgan chooses to express his excitement about the advancement of biofuels, and clean energy rather than his frustration.

For more Green Superheroes, click here.

Photo by divxplanet.


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Fly the Eco-Friendly Skies

by The Green A-Team

If commuting by bike won’t work because your destination requires wings rather than wheels, a new kind of Green air is taking to the skies.

All big change starts small and the Greening of the airline industry is no exception.  As of this summer, SeaPort, a new commuter airline in Seattle has announced it will mitigate the amount of jet fuel it burns through donations to the Columbia Land Trust, an organization helping to preserve forest land in the Pacific Northwest.

This “carbon offset” balancing act is just one way the industry hopes to satisfy consumer demands for clean air travel.  In Europe, elevated smog and short lived ski seasons have spurred on the EU to cap aircraft carbon emissions by requiring the airlines to purchase carbon credits.

Fortunately, exciting new turbofan jet engine technology promises to revolutionize efficiency and may curb the need for emissions credit purchases by 2013.

For more on Green air travel, check out some of the following related articles:

On the Horizon of Green Air Travel (greenupgrader.com)

NASA’s Personal “Green” Air Vehicle 400 Mile Race! (dailygalaxy.com)

Photo by viola II.


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Can’t (bicycle) Chain Me Down

by Christine Zhuang

In the grand old tradition of looking to the Europeans for acts of social and environmental advancements, several American cities such as Portland, San Francisco, Chicago have instituted a bicycle rental system similar to the very popular program in Paris which promote cycling over gas guzzling and environmentally unsound cars as an alternative form of transportation. After all, bicycles are cheap and eliminates the hassle of looking for a parking space to cram into. Then why are so many of these bicycle programs failing in the U.S.?

For one thing, it seems many of us simply cannot be trusted with returning bicycles. But there are bigger issues than just petty theft.

The U.S. is geographically much larger than all Western European nations, which explains our overreaching and sometimes overwhelming amount of highways and freeways. That said, there are not enough bicycle paths for people who live more than 5 mile from their workplace or school; especially in large cities where traffic laws are really seen as guidelines rather than regulations. And don’t get me started on those of us who find it very difficult to travel light and are too vain for perspiration.

The root of these bicycle sharing problems I find are buried deeper than the pretensions of efficiency. To have bicycles become the new wave of transportation is ideologically backwards. (Probably why so many opt for vintage bike models. Surely not for the kitsch.) Instinctively for many, the future revolves around moving forward. It is more pertinent for the government to focus on is improving the public transportation system in this country. A Green solution that would not only help the environment but lessen traffic. This is one Rise of the Machines I can get behind.

Photo by Joe S.


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Grillin’ Green:
Tips and Links for the Patio Purist

by The Green A-Team

It’s backyard bar-b-que season and what better way to entertain than to grill Green!

Aside from cooking organic vegetables and free range meats this summer, here are some ways to prepare your grillables that’ll satisfy both mother earth and your mother-in-law.

1.) Use natural gas to power your BBQ.  While it is a petroleum-based product, it burns the cleanest and can last the longest.

2.) Avoid a flavor foul with lighter fluid on wood and charcoal burning grills by replacing it with a chimney starter.  Charcoal does burn dirty but look for eco brands like Kamado and Greenlink that don’t contribute to deforestation or contain harmful additives.

And 3.) Choose a grilling surface that will distribute heat evenly and last a long time.  Stainless steel is still the best choice but like the more common chrome plated aluminum surfaces, they can easily oxidize and become toxic if not properly cared for.

Photo by mixikitten.


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