Green Options

"There’s no free lunch" is an old axiom that surfaces everytime I think something for nothing is coming my way. This time it’s ethanol, and you’re probably already aware that less corn is going to your table because more of it is going to fuel. So we’re paying for cleaner air everytime we buy products made from corn.

Articles are showing up more and more by writers complaining about rising food

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What if you could use plants to turn industrial waste sites into fertile, productive cropland? Better yet, what if you could produce biofuels in the process? By marrying bio-remediation and crop production, a group of Carnegie Mellon University graduates hopes to do just that: produce biodiesel and ethanol on reclaimed land.

"It’s a proven technology, but in an unproven environment," said Mr. Butcher, 27. "The idea of growing energy crops is

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It's all fun and games until the IRS knocks on your door. At least that's what Bob Teixeira must be thinking after his home state of North Carolina fined him $1,000 for converting his 1981 diesel Mercedes to run on straight-vegetable-oil (SVO). Bob was minding his own business when fuel inspectors, out to nab weekend-RVers using illegal fuel, noticed his "Powered By 100% Vegetable Oil" bumper sticker. After being fined

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Researchers at Rice University claim they've discovered a way to make ethanol from the waste glycerol (syn: glycerin) produced in biodiesel manufacturing. If true, it could be the biggest breakthrough in biodiesel production in years.

"We identified the metabolic processes and conditions that allow a known strain of E. coli to convert glycerin into ethanol," said Ramon Gonzalez, the William Akers Assistant Professor in Chemical

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This is what an algae biodiesel farm might look like. If you aren't sick of the topic yet, here's one more story to throw in the mix: Several new startups, including a company called Solix Biofuels outside Ft. Colins, CO, and Greenfuel Technologies Corp. of MA, have plans for large-scale algae production that should be online within the year.

As I've

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James Hunt: Register-Mail PhotoYou pull into the driveway, tired after more than 3000 miles on the road, but what a vacation! You loaded mom and the kids into the SUV, and set off for the ultimate family trip: a tour of America.

First stop, the nation's capital, then to Disney World, Gettysburg, the Black Hills, Yellowstone National Park, and while you’re in the vicinity, a side trip to the Grand Canyon.

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Editor's note: This week, Ecotality blogger Doug Snodgrass points us to a resource for information on green cars. While the site Doug points to is British, most of the cars listed are widely available. This post was orginally published on May 16, 2007.

VCARS, a website to help Brits find new and used cars, has compiled a listing of "The Greenest Cars on Earth." The list contains real-world info

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Another municipality has discovered the potential of small-scale biodiesel production. Utah State University (USU), in conjunction with the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), has decided to experiment with growing oil-seed crops in the grassy medians dividing I-15.

The unusual idea came from Dallas Hanks, a 44-year-old biologist who is working on his doctoral degree at USU. With an initial $50,000 boost fromUDOT , Hanks aims to prove the 2,500 miles of state-owned highway right-of-way could

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San Francisco is on a roll. In April, the city banned plastic shopping bags, banned bottled water in some restaurants, and banned Styrofoam takeout containers. In another progressive step, plans are now under way to turn the copious amounts of waste vegetable oil produced by the city's 2600 restaurants into biodiesel. The goal: offsetting 20% of the diesel fuel used by city buses.

Under a $1.3 million dollar

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If you thought the biofuel debate was hot now… things just got a whole lot hotter.

WASHINGTON - At 08:04 AM this morning, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) announced the end of a 21-year moratorium on commercial whaling:

The IWC has joined forces with the international community to support the development alternative fuel," said spokesman Phillip Alloway. "Due to increasing domestic oil prices and the serious implications of global warming, we understand the necessity of

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With all sorts of vehicles touting fuel efficiency, low emissions, and a dizzying array of alternative fuels, what's a person to do? If you need a vehicle, how do you find the best one that does what you need but doesn't do in the planet? The answers aren't so clear-cut (so to speak).

Want a hybrid car? There are full hybrids and mild hybrids. The Toyota Prius, a full hybrid, connects an electric motor

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