Plenty of products these days claim to be environmentally friendly, recyclable or biodegradable. And the list of buzzwords for environmental marketing claims continues to grow.

But how many of these claims stretch the truth just to sell more product? By creating a set of regulations, Hubert Humphrey III says he hopes to stop what he calls green-collar crime.

Humphrey, Minnesota’s attorney general, has become a national leader in this quest for consistency and accuracy in the use of environmental claims. He currently heads a task force to address the situation with 10 other state attorneys general.

On behalf of all states, this task force prepared Green Report II, a 50-page list of recommendations on green marketing. The report has been submitted to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for consideration and distributed to the corporate world, as well.

“Green Report II goes a long way toward establishing guidelines for marketers,” Humphrey said. “Many companies are trying to do the right thing, but we need to keep the green revolution on the right course by establishing standards and enforcing them at both state and national levels.”

The FTC held hearings on the subject in July. And Humphrey has testified before a Senate subcommittee regarding a bill that calls for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to get involved in green marketing.

“Both the FTC and the EPA have roles to play,” Humphrey said. “The FTC should monitor the day-to-day activities to prevent green-collar fraud, while the EPA has the expertise to define long-term standards. We have a unique situation where consumer protection is merging with environmental protection.”

But the consumer has a role to play as well, he added.

“As we walk down the supermarket aisles, our choices are affecting the environment,” Humphrey said. “And those choices need to be driven by more than just price and quality. That’s why I want to see more accurate information presented to the public.”

However, government control isn’t the consumer’s only hope to achieve more accurate and consistent product claims. Humphrey said he is optimistic about the industry’s own self-regulation efforts. Certification programs like Green Seal and Green Cross, which designate products that are beneficial to the environment, also will help the effort, he noted.

“Certification programs can be very valuable in developing an atmosphere of trust,” he said. “These programs should require producers to maximize efforts, where the FTC and EPA will establish minimum standards.”

If Humphrey achieves his goals, the old warning “buyer beware” no longer will be a consumer’s only source of protection from false environmental claims.

(Tip/Stat) Shoppers make an average 2.3 trips to the grocery store every week. Eliminating one of those trips would save time and energy.

Technorati Tags: green business, consumer protection, environmental protection, environmental marketing claims, environmental marketing, green marketing, environmental fraud

Source: environmental marketing

Mega search engine Google.com, today announced an investment of $10.25 million in advancing the development of green technologies. Google is supporting a technology called, Enhanced Geothermal Systems, to help meet its goal of providing enough green energy to power a city the size of San Francisco. Through Google’s philanthropic entity Google.org, an initiative dubbed “Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal” has been laid out to make this goal a reality.

Enhanced Geothermal Systems generates energy by pumping cool water 2-3 miles into a reservoir lying on top of dry, hot basement rock. The water is then pumped back to the surface at which point in condenses and creates powerful steam that is used to propel turbines. After the steam cools, it is re-injected back into the reservoir to begin the process again. This process allows energy extraction in areas that do not have natural steam pockets and hot flowing water.

The investments pledged by Google will go to help fund 2 companies and a university working on the development of Enhanced Geothermal Systems. $6.25 million will go to AltaRock Energy, Inc, which will work to reduce the cost and efficiency of EGS technology. Potter Drilling, Inc. has been given $4 million to design drilling tools capable of penetrating deeper and stronger rock. Southern Methodist University Geothermal Lab has been awarded a $489,521 grant to update geothermal maps and study geothermal resources in North America.

Google has recently been involved in many steps to reduce its environmental footprint and promote green technology. Data centers housing Google servers, are being designed to cut the energy needed for cooling to 50% of similar installations. The idea is not only to save money, but to create a self sufficient business model that promotes clean energy. This initiative is evident in the production of a 1.6 megawatt solar energy plant in Mountain View, California. Other projects include the Climate Savers Computing Initiative to create more efficient computers and servers, and the RechargeIT initiative aimed at developing electric vehicles and infrastructure.

Though $10.25 million may seem like a small amount to a power house company like Google, it shows considerable attention is being provided to changing the way we look at natural resources and energy generation. Google has the resources and intelligence to begin to leave a legacy that varies far from just creating one of the most popular websites of all time. Funding and support by Google leaders will help to attract more corporations with the potential for a green technology revolution. Though energy change falls on the hands of every citizen, major projects can not be completed without the funding and backing of large groups such as Google.

For Google Earth lovers, a map overlay has been provided by Google to show current distribution of geothermal resources. (Must have Google Earth)

Google has also provided an EGS policy brief to outline what the U.S. Government can do to help encourage the production and continued innovation of this technology.

Enhanced Geothermal Systems on YouTube

Renewable energy projects are beginning to show the world just how efficient and safe, producing electricity can be. Rising costs of fossil fuels have given cities and nations a reason to look to nature to provide the power by which we live. While alternative energy is a fairly recent trend, countless hours have already been spent researching and experimenting to create sources of energy that can be reliable and efficient.

Geothermal energy, currently, only supplies about 1% of the world’s power, but the possibilities are virtually limitless. A 2007 study by MIT has published that geothermal energy could supply the world with enough energy to power our homes, businesses, and industries well into the future. Geothermal wells can be drilled all over the world and leave a relatively small footprint. Initial costs of constructing a new geothermal plant can run high, but with oil over $125 a barrel and rising, it would not take long to recoup those costs.

Geothermal energy generally works by drilling wells deep into the Earth and pumping water that travels down one well, is heated by hot rock, and is retrieved by the other well. The water traveling underground transforms into steam, which in turn, powers turbines connected to the power grid. Water that does not reach steam temperature, can be piped to low level heating systems such as those found in homes and greenhouses. Though efficiency may decrease as heat sources are depleted, the Earth’s mantle does replenish the heat stored in these deep rock layers.

The advantages of geothermal energy are many. This energy source is extremely reliable as it is available around the clock. Unlike solar energy and wind power, once a geothermal plant is installed, the exact amount of energy can be calculated which in turn will help to reduce future rate hikes. In combination with emission control systems, environmental pollutants can be cut to 0.1% of current fossil fuel plants. Also, this technology is scalable to allow energy production for large cities down to small towns.

Geothermal does have a few disadvantages which have kept it from becoming a front runner in energy production. The initial costs of drilling and constructing plants, can be very intimidating. As with all new technology, it takes a serious investment and well thought out plan to make this energy source function. In addition, concerns over contaminated ground water need to be further addressed. Additives used to increase the efficiency of steam rising to the surface, need to be properly controlled and kept separate from sources of drinking water.

Many different nations are beginning their journey to provide effective and reliable, geothermal energy.  Germany has been developing this technology and has recently launched a massive plant that harnesses the heat of the earth.  This plant can currently power about 10,000 homes or 3.4 megawatts of electricity.

The United States has been experimenting with geothermal power since the first generator was created in the early 1900′s. Today the U.S. generates about 2850 MW of electricity using geothermal technology and boasts the largest use of geothermal sources for power.

New sources of energy are being developed all over the world, and geothermal energy is just one more energy source in an arsenal that can help to eliminate our need for fossil fuels. By developing this technology further, we can begin to build a reliable source of energy that can help to backup the energy produced from wind, hydro, and other alternative energies.

Under a recent New York City law, building owners now have the option of installing green rooftops for a 1 year property tax credit of $100,000. Each owner claiming the credit would have to utilize at least 50% of the rooftop space available. The bill was sponsored by Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr.

This legislation is so important because it can help to capture rain water that would otherwise funnel into storm drains and cause overflows in the sewage system. Keeping sewage waste out of waterways is necessary for local plant and animal life in addition to providing safe drinking water. Also, lessening noise and absorbing heat play a vital part in the allure of green technology. The Bronx has already been incorporating green technology in their rooftops as part of a program designed to conserve energy and promote a healthy environment.

According to a board member of the New York City Soil & Water Conservation District, Dr. Paul S. Mankiewicz, “”Each 10,000 square foot green roof can capture between 6,000 and 12,000 gallons of water in each storm event. This is rainfall that will never enter the combined sewer. At the same time, the evaporation of this rainfall will produce the equivalent of between a thousand and two thousand tons of air conditioning, enough heat removal to noticeably cool ten acres of the City. This is a management practice that increases biodiversity and can literally add enjoyable landscape to all the boroughs of New York”. (Source: E-wire)
 
Germany also has been a key player in green roof top technology.  Today, Germans enjoy a $77 million green rooftop industry. 10% of German flat rooftops are reported to be installed with green gardens. Germany is generally credited with starting the green rooftop trend. Elsewhere, London has planned many new green roof projects in the coming years which include an additional 1 million square feet scheduled to add to their already 200,000 square feet of green roofing. Europe is currently leading in this developing technology, but the U.S. is starting to catch up, with New york taking the lead in providing tax incentives for future projects.  Chicago has stepped up to the challenge with a large green roof atop the city hall building.

Low Impact Development has some great tools and ideas on their website to begin the process of installing green rooftops and gardens.

Greenroofs.com is a great site to visit for research, links and projects featuring green rooftops. They also highlight a green rooftop each week to help get the creative juices flowing.

Rising food prices have recently been blamed in part on the redirection of corn to ethanol plants. By growing less corn to take advantage of ethanol prices and subsidies, demand and speculation of food supplies has risen. To counter this effect and find a more efficient alternative to corn ethanol, a few companies have began to build and develop ethanol plants that use household and solid wastes to produce fuel. This idea not only provides a reliable stream of raw ingredients from landfills, but helps to cut down on waste that is being deposed of in our environment.

GeneSyst International is currently constructing a plant in the Netherlands to convert landfill mass into fuel. The company uses a design that allows gravity to filter out particles that can be converted. By building near landfills, transportation costs can be kept low, extending that savings to local customers. Some of the items they will be converting include: food wastes, office paper, cardboard, yard wastes, scrap wood, sewer and septic screenings, and crop chaff. GeneSyst hopes to reduce landfill waste and run a more profitable operation than any current waste disposal programs.

Another company that operates in the United States is beginning construction on a similar technique of producing ethanol from waste products.  BlueFire Ethanol uses its system of Concentrated Acid Hydrolysis to convert landfill waste into a usable fuel. The process separates the biomass into cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Afterwards, the cellulose and hemicellulose are changed into sugars, fermented, and purified into a final product. Acid is used to break down the source biomass and reused in future conversions. Operation is expected in 2009. BlueFire boasts of being the only demonstrated company currently, though that may soon change with plans of competing companies.

Many other projects are being planned by competitors that use variations of the above technologies. The waste industry provides vast opportunity to reduce our dependence on foreign oils and limit the destruction that landfills create. While ethanol does not claim to be the most efficient alternative energy, it is an idea that scientists and developers see as a step in the right direction that can also provide income and jobs. We will always create wastes and this may be a great answer to waste and energy management.

Here are a few interesting links from various websites about the environment and nature.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Listing of endangered species in the United States. Browse the database by category. The list includes extinct plants and animals as well. Interesting to see how many species we have already lost.

NowPublic.com – User edited news website. Post and reply to environmental and all types of news. Flickr and YouTube links to add media to news stories. Users are ranked by participation which encourages discussion. This site is not huge yet, but a very addicting experience.

Consumer Reports: GreenerChoices – Reviews and advice on Green products from Consumer Reports. Some nice information on making informed decisions about purchasing appliances and other products.

Fire Mountain Solar – Listing of household solar panels starting at about $400. Prices have came down a lot, and will continue to fall, making solar power for the average home a great investment.

These next two are products made from recycled materials.  Interesting ideas for common products.

WorldWise – A manufacturer of pet products made from recycled plastic bottles.
RubberRecycle – RubbeRecycle creates and sells rubber mulch for use in playgrounds and gardens. The mulch is made from recycled rubber tires.

And this photo below is just plain funny. Look closely at the logo.

There are currently many wind power myths associated with this type of alternative energy that may be contributing to the slow production of new wind farms. By addressing each issue we can begin to filter out the bad information from the legitimate concerns facing one of the most beneficial alternative energies.

1. Wind energy is more expensive than traditional fossil fuels.
Though using wind to generate electricity can raise the operating costs of a particular company, studies have shown this is a relatively small increase. A study done by the Colorado Public
Service Commission about the effects of a large wind farm, reported that this technology was the cheapest alternative energy model proposed. Furthermore, with the increase in the price of oil and violate possibilities of the future, wind energy proves to be on par with current operating costs. Not to mention, the damage to the environment will cost much more to repair than spending a bit more up front to prevent long term environmental damage.

2. Tax breaks and incentives are the only way to produce wind energy on par with current economics.
True, but nearly all energy sources receive tax breaks and subsidies from federal funding. Why would wind energy and alternative energy be any different.

3. Unpredictability of wind energy requires backup power generation.
No current energy source is reliable 100% of the time. By increasing and weaving the current power grid to other forms of alternative energy and current backup energy sources, near 100% reliability can be achieved. Though relying totally on wind energy is not viable at this moment, expanding our current power grids to include 25-50% wind power generation is not far fetched.

4. By migrating our current coal energy plants to wind, consumers will experience rate increases.
Studies in New York have shown that wind energy is nearly the same rates as current technologies. In fact, some areas experienced a decline in rates. Lower fuel costs could follow the decrease in reliance on fossil fuels for electricity. The bottom line, wind is a cheap and healthy alternative energy.

5. Wind turbines are dangerous to birds and the environment.
Just the opposite. With the exception of Altamont Pass in California, wind energy has been able to be implemented without affecting the local wildlife. Birds can and do navigate the slow moving turbine blades effectively. Fossil fuels and greenhouse gases cause more destruction to wildlife and nature than a traditional wind turbine. With newer innovations and technologies to wind turbine design, this will become a non-issue.

By addressing the concerns of alternative energy sources, we can begin to arrive at an effective, cheap, and renewable energy that will help to reduce our effect on the environment.

More Wind Energy Myths

For some basic information about wind energy and how it works. Visit the Energy Information Administration website. Though it is designed with children in mind, this is a great site to learn the basics.

Also, T. Boone Pickens has started a website dedicated to expanding the wind energy sector. Some very good information and networking opportunities. Visit the Pickens Plan Website.

Check out this calculator at Yahoo for determining how to lower your carbon footprint. Not only does does this service allow you to pledge to make a difference. It will provide you with many great ideas for reducing your carbon in interesting ways. Login with your Yahoo! ID and pledge your support for our environment.

First, lets not give the current administration more credit than they are due. Whatever your opinions are on our current foreign policy and actions, they are not the reason for the state of our environment. We are in this situation, because ALL of us consume massive amounts of energy and resources every day we drive to work, head to the grocery store, and buy our favorite electronics. We created our problems, and all of us need to fix them. This is not something that can just be fixed by creating laws and hoping that industry and businesses follow what has been laid out.  We need to have industry that benefits from helping keep the earth clean.   Many people make the decisions in this country, and we all have a voice. We can’t expect our leaders to listen when all they hear is the lobbyists for big industry yelling their “opinions” that global warming is not real.  We need to make our voice heard.

Why would certain industries try to suppress the research of the EPA and other environmental groups? Well, the simple answer is greed. How can companies continue to post huge profits during a recession when they now are being penalized for greenhouse emissions? Regulating emissions will be extremely costly and will take a commitment from every single person in this country. If the U.S. government acknowledges that our current practices are contributing to the rapid increase in global warming, they will be forced to spend countless dollars remedying the situation and passing regulations for greenhouse emissions. This is clearly not something the richest country in the world can take lightly. This is extremely sensitive and a new territory for companies that will be effected the most by these “green” policies. So what is the solution?

Corporate diversity in the energy sector is one answer. Companies need not be afraid they will lose money, instead they have a major opportunity to make MORE money by bringing their past innovations to solve our current environmental problems. The sooner they realize this is something that is going to happen, the better off the pocket books will be. Americans love this country because of the opportunities to do almost anything they can dream up. We now have the biggest chance of all to make a difference AND fix our economy.

T. Boone Pickens is one person trying to do just that. This self proclaimed “Oil Man” is working towards reducing our dependence on foreign oil and building a system of renewable energy to save Americans money and rebuild our environment. I highly recommend checking out the Pickens’ Plan website. This network of people is determined to press our Congress into actually working towards the ideas and innovations of the public. At the time of this article, over 35,000 people have signed up to learn more information about this plan.  Though, Pickens clearly has money at stake, environmentalism is another area that will benefit from the American economics.  If anything at all you will leave the Pickens’ Plan site with more green knowledge than you had 5 minutes ago. This is how we begin at home.  Spend a few minutes each day reading about alternative energy, living a green lifestyle, or learning why nature is so important to preserve.

Reports from the Japan-UK Low Carbon Society project, state that living in the Low Carbon Society(LCS) is a practical idea from an economical and technical stand point.  With their research models, meeting the 50% cut in greenhouse gases, laid out during the G8 Summit, is something that we must work for, but possible to attain. 

With the help of international support, developing countries can begin to mold their current economic policies into their LCS goals.  These ideas would only work provided that developed countries were actively engaging in further environmental technologies.  Those countries helping to support developing countries would benefit from new jobs and industries.  These innovations would further help developing countries follow the path to a true Low Carbon society. While it is reassuring to know that scientists have workable models for cutting gas emissions, the real test comes in implementing these into the global setting.

So far, G8 Summit members have acknowledged the need for global environmental change, but haven’t appeared to set hard goals and solutions. Of course, this is step one, but implementation needs to follow along with clear and precise actions to meet our goals.

The ‘Greenest’ List

Honda Civic GX
Toyota Prius
Honda Civic Hybrid
Nissan Altima Hybrid
Toyota Yaris
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Camry Hybrid
Honda Fit
Kia Rio
Hyundai Accent
Hyundai Elantra
Honda Civic

The ‘Meanest’ List

Volkswagen Touareg
Mercedes-Benz GL320 CDI
Lamborghini Murcielago
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Bentley Arnage
Mercedes-Benz R320 CDI
Mercedes-Benz ML320 CDI
Maybach 57S
Bentley Azure
Ford F-2503
Dodge Ram 2500 Mega Cab3
Lincoln Navigator3

Rising oils prices are causing hard times for many Americans, but these record costs are having some unexpected effects on the future of efficient energy.  Biodiesel production has been a hot topic lately though many problems can arise from the substitution of prime food crop land for biodiesel crops.  Many studies are showing that growing biodiesel crops can leave a bigger carbon footprint than traditional fuel sources.  One alternative way of growing plants for use in producing bio-diesel is the harvesting of algae.  Though this technology is in the early stages of development, it is appearing very promising.

The yield of oil from micro algae is considerably higher than other biodiesel sources currently being exploited such as corn, soybeans, and sunflower seeds.  With a higher yield, less surface area is needed to produce larger results.  Less land would have to be converted from growing crops and allow the United States to continue exporting the same level or food crops.  According to studies, the table below gives an estimate of fuel yields.

As we can see, high consumer prices can bring about change and development that can help us in our mission to find renewable resources that are efficient and viable.  We clearly have a need to protect our resources and upgrade our fuel capabilities.  Algae may very well be the answer to our problems and high fuel costs.

Holland, Michigan is in plans to develop a $7 million pilot program addressing the harvesting and production of biodiesel from algae.  Treated waste-water would be combined with carbon dioxide from the local power plant.  Developers intend to test the possibilities of growing an effective source of biodiesel.  In the future, partnerships with Michigan State University could provide the tools and knowledge to perfect the technology.

For more information visit the websites below.

15 Algae Startups

Algae Farm Producing Jet-Fuel

Michigan’s algae solution