Green Options

Lawmakers continue to raise a stink about the $1.7M earmark for hog odor research in Obama’s stimulus package, calling it “pork” in its finest form. Rural residents who live near hog farms, or worse, facilities where hogs are butchered, are calling it about time!

Every day, we are faced with the question of whether it is greener to serve meals on reusable dishes and waste water to wash them with, or contribute to the landfill problem by using paper plates and plastic utensils. Biodegradable Food Service Products (abbreviated BDFS) has a solution to this dilemma by using the humble potato to manufacture a whole line of food service products that include clam shell take-out trays, “silver”ware, plates, cups with lids, and deli [...]

Green plants, trees and their leaves remove noxious carbon dioxide from the air during a process known as Photosynthesis. This is why we are all so upset about the ruination of the rain forests, which act as natural air cleaners in volume due to the density of vegetation.

The question for businesses used to be “Can we afford to go green?” Now it is ” Can we afford NOT to go green?” The upcoming Greener by Design 2009 conference, to be held May 19-20 in San Francisco will focus on helping industries learn to cut costs, create efficiency, and move towards sustainability through a series of focused hands-on innovation sessions, small-group consultative sessions, and demonstrations of new materials and tools.

Inspired green progress continues to be made by Terracycle - the company that first made fertilizer from worm poop and tote bags from food wrappers. The next initiative by this innovative company is to place recycling bins outside Petco and Home Depot, OfficeMax, and BestBuy stores to collect items that were normally not even considered as recyclable materials.

Obama has prided himself on removing government waste and not allowing pork to infiltrate his controversial $787B stimulus package, but was he successful? According to many outspoken opponents such as Senator John McCain, the answer is no.

Boulder, Colorado, an idyllic college town notorious for its health conscious population, has again shown its progressive spirit by voting for county Issue 1A last November, authorizing the government to sell bonds to fund loans to homeowners who want to make energy-efficient upgrades. This week, lawmakers met to decide upon details of this new local “stimulus” package.

The tiny Caribbean island of Bonaire claims to be the very first 100% sustainable island in the world. Located in the Netherlands Antilles, its waters have been protected since 1979 - making it one of the most pristine snorkeling and scuba diving spots that can be found.

I must admit that I was (and still am) a bit nervous about the Obama presidency due to age and experience, but today I discovered something that gives me renewed hope for the future. A new page has been launched on the Change.gov site called Open Government where the American people can ask questions and vote for their stance on all issues, including Energy and Environment.

Eaton Corporation (NYSE:ETN) has been an icon of the American markets for many years - a definite example of traditional US industry that provides power management, hydraulics, and automotive drivetrain systems among its many offerings. Cutler-Hammer is one of its most recognizable brands. Sales in 2007 were $13B.