The financial woes at General Motors could finally be catching up with its fuel cell vehicle development program.

In a Web-based interview with the media Tuesday, CEO Fritz Henderson said the company may take a close look at what it spends on fuel cell development. When asked by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle’s Matt Daneman about fuel cells, Henderson said “while we need to be more efficient in this area, we are confident we can maintain the capabilities necessary to win in the market going forward.” Th giant automaker declared bankruptcy this month and is selling off subsidiaries.

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So what is Virgance? They really sum it up best themselves:

Virgance is a company that seeks to create another moment of seasonal change. As the world has turned, some organizations have tilted towards the extreme of “business values,” and others towards the extreme of “activist values.” We hope to be an organization that finds the perfect balance between them. Naming this event after the equinox is our way of marking the onset of a new season, and a new era in the business world.

I love the idea of getting back to a more balanced place and working together for positive change! They’ve organized some great campaigns in the past like Carrotmob and the cost-saving solar program 1 Block Off the Grid. I can’t wait to hear what exciting plans they’ve got in store!

Not only can you learn about what Virgance is up to, they’ve got “a few surprises” up their sleeves for the evening. The event is this coming Tuesday, April 7th from 5-9pm at the lovely 111 Minna Gallery.

Are you planning to hit up the Virgance Equinox? Tickets are $15 online and $25 at the door, so snag your ticket here before they sell out! Already got your tickets? You can also RSVP on Facebook!

Editor’s Note: This post is a guest contribution by Adam Shake.

It was an overcast Friday morning in Washington D.C., and stepping off the Metro at the Federal Triangle stop in Washington D.C., I had been thinking about how Global Warming was contributing to the strength of Hurricane Hannah.  Hurricane Ike was right on her coat tails, and looked to be like one of the largest Hurricanes on record.

Rounding the corner of the International Trade Center to enter the building from Pennsylvania Avenue, I saw an S.U.V. parked on the plaza with a small shelter positioned near it.  Inside the shelter were stacks of brochures and four people standing beneath it, staying out of the impending rain.

Intrigued, I stepped over to the vehicle to have a closer look.  The doors were open, showing a spacious interior and well designed dash board.  The vehicle was running, and idling quietly as I stuck my head into the front seat, inhaling that new car smell.

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GM’s new Equinox hydrogen fuel cell electric cars are on the road. Well, one hundred of them are, and you can apply to become a test driver for three months.

The Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell has been honored with the Green Car Journal’s Green Car Vision Award, the first time the magazine has recognized a limited-production vehicle for its forward-thinking technologies. “Project Driveway” is the first large-scale market test of fuel cell vehicles with real drivers.

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The crocus and hyacinth have not pushed through the still frozen ground. No migratory birds were bouncing around my still-brown lawn. Spring has not shown her face. So I asked Greg Budney, curator of the Macaulay Library at Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology, if I was crazy. Was something really different?

He alerted me to the fact that many year-round residential birds were now going into a song-mode of reclaiming territory. For example, the female cardinals will now be doing their version of the male’s song. (To hear this, click here and type 49063 into the “advanced search” box) He also pointed out that this is exactly why so many birds sing…you don’t have to see ‘em to know they’re there!

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We thought we'd take the opportunity of one Earth Day to remind you about the other. The fact that green is a hot topic right now, we expect big things of this year's (April 22nd) Earth Day. Find out what is going on in your city, and how you can help.

This Earth Day let's all take the opportunity to really reach the message to new audiences, be it families with small children, young adults, or single professionals. We "greenies" seek out eco-friendly information. This Earth Day let's get the word out to people that might not have been looking so hard for it.

First, find out what events are being planned in your local area. Search the Earth Day Network or Envirolink's Earth Day list. These may not be complete, so if you don't find anything, check with your local government or environmental organizations and see if they are planning anything.

If you find an event, offer to help. Many of these events are created by grassroots organizations or groups that are stretched very thin. Maybe they need help finding local green companies and organizations for booths in an eco-village. Maybe they need help with PR. Perhaps they wanted to get a local school involved and haven't been able to tackle that yet. Or maybe they just need volunteers for the day of the event. So go on, offer to help! What most events will need are more hands and brains - and we know you've got that!

Now if you didn't have any luck finding an Earth Day event near you, consider starting on up! You've only got a month to go, so we would recommend to keep it a manageable scope, but you can do it. Check out the Earth Day Network's Earth Day in a Box, including an Organizer's Guide (pdf).

Happy Equinoctial Earth Day! Have fun and get involved!

Rebecca says: I am working on planning EarthFest, a big Earth Day celebration in the Miami area for Sunday, April 22. It is a big undertaking and we could use all of the help that we can get. Thus, today's Tip! I'm sure we're not the only ones. We're trying to take the opportunity to really push the limits of people's minds on how to reduce waste, and really inspire people to think about the most basic of actions. Can you do an 8 hour event in sunny Miami without water bottles? We hope to find a way.

Want to hear a tip on a certain topic? Have a tip to share? Suggest a tip and you may just see it soon as a Tip o' the Day!