Green Options

The Japanese government has launched the first satellite to monitor greenhouse gases worldwide. This tool will help scientists better ascertain where global warming emissions are coming from and how much is being absorbed by the oceans and forests. The U.S. will launch a similar orbiter next month.

Coca-Cola Enterprises, the largest bottler of Coca Cola beverages will more than double the size of its hybrid electric delivery fleet to about 327 green truck on U.S. and Canadian roads. The company plans to add 185 hybrid electric trucks and is also launching a new vehicle that is much larger than those in its existing fleet.

Leather manufacturer ISA Tan Tec will spend $8.7 million on its new, Vietnam-based tannery aimed at producing leather using fewer resources than industry standards. The German/Chinese company was founded by CEO Thomas Schneider, who said that the demand from its clients for ecologically friendly leather is increasing rapidly. The Ho Chi Minh City location, set to open in mid-2009, will have 280 employees churning out two million square meters of leather a year.

Baylor University researchers, led by Dr. Walter Bradley, Distinguished Professor of Engineering, has found an innovative way to use coconut husks in automotive interiors. The mission of the group is to develop technologies and a business model that will not only make a profit, but make a difference in the lives of people most in need, all while being good stewards of the planet.

Protecting our waterways is paramount. Failure to do so can adversely affect water quality, as well as plant and fish life. Poultry producer Perdue Farms Inc. and the Environment Protection Agency have inked an agreement , Perdue Clean Water Initiative, to help protect the waters in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast from contamination.