Starbucks Goes for LED; Fueling a fleet with Biodiesel; Road Trains; Energy Efficient Desalination; Mini E leases

Starbucks Goes for LED Lights Coffee behemoth Starbucks will replace conventional lights with light emitting diode (LED) bulbs in 8,000 stores by March of next year.

U.S. Foodservice-Atlanta Fuels Fleet with Biodiesel The distributor is using B5 fuel, a 5-percent blend of diesel made from vegetable oils, animal fats or recycled restaurant greases, to run its 185 tractor-trailers.

Europe Testing “Road Trains” to Cut Fuel Use Have you ever been driving in rush hour and wished you could just zone out and read a book during your trip instead of stressing about the traffic? Well, the EU is testing a way to make that possible while cutting fuel consumption at the same time. The idea is that eight vehicles would travel as one “train,” linked by wireless sensors. It’s believed that the system, called Safe Road Trains for the Environment (SARTRE), could cut fuel use by 20 percent for cars traveling in the trains.

Breakthrough in Energy Efficient Desalination Technology Saltworks Technologies, a Vancouver, BC cleantech company, is positioned to revolutionize the desalination industry with a breakthrough technology that uses far less energy than current commercial processes.

BMW mull lengthening Mini E leases There are two reasons an extension would be good for the automaker: it would keep customers happy and to it would make sure the project is in operation long enough for BMW to get the data that it is looking for. This data includes information on how often the EV was charged and how it was driven. If people couldn’t drive their EVs because they were not able to charge them, then BMW doesn’t get its gigabytes of data, so an extension might be best all around.

Powering cell phone towers with wind; States Allowing Use of ‘Greywater’; PSE&G cleared for additional solar projects; Citroën C-Zero EV; Eco 7 – Compact Transportable Bike

Powering cell phone towers with wind Helix Wind announced Wednesday that it’s beginning a trial run in Southern California to see if its wind turbines might be useful for powering cell phone towers.

California Joins Handful of States Allowing Use of ‘Greywater’ Finally! Plagued by drought and homeowner recalcitrance, California building officials last summer relaxed the rules for greywater use, allowing residents to hook up their washing machines to garden hoses without a permit … because they were doing it anyway.

PSE&G cleared for additional solar projects New Jersey’s largest utility has received permission from state regulators to finance another 51 megawatts of solar power — enough energy for more than 45,000 homes.

Citroën C-Zero EV The C-Zero is based on the Mitsubishi iMiEV and uses a standard European 220V plug to fill the batteries in about 6 hours.

Eco 7 – Compact Transportable Bike…with FOLDABLE WHEELS! The Eco 7 is designed to be taken on planes and other transportation where space is a significant problem. Once you reach you destination, you unfold your bike and enjoy the great outdoors!

While the image here of an interior storage bin made from wheat straw plastic may seem like a small start, Ford is also considering using it for center console bins and trays, interior air register and door trim panel components, and armrest liners. Not bad at all, Ford, not bad at all.

Cadillac Converj; Financing Challenges for Geothermal Power; EPA sticks Energy Star label on millionth home; LEED Bowling Lanes; Solar Curtain Wall

Cadillac Converj electric car Using the Volt’s same Voltec electric drivetrain, GM also plans to roll out the Cadillac Converj, which will reportedly look much like the original Cadillac Converj concept vehicle introduced last January This might be the first Caddy I would consider buying!

Financing Challenges for Geothermal Power Using current technologies, the report found, the United States could generate another 40,000 megawatts from geothermal resources, while the development of new enhanced geothermal systems could bring an additional 517,800 megawatts online. However, financing remains an issue.

U.S. EPA sticks Energy Star label on millionth home The Energy Star program reached a major milestone on Tuesday when the agency marked the one millionth home to be built with the Energy Star label.

LEED Bowling Lanes in Brooklyn Peter Shapiro and Charley Ryan have built a hipster bowling alley and music venue and gone to the considerable trouble of getting it LEED Certified.

Solar Curtain Wall Konarka Technologies and Arch Aluminum & Glass plan to erect two walls of solar panels in a pilot project to gather data for architects and other customers interested in integrating solar cells into building materials.

Manhole Cover Harvests Rainwater; Backyard wind turbine; Cheaper thermal solar power; The Future of the Grid; Next Generation in EcoTechnology

Futuristic Manhole Cover Harvests Rainwater Power and Tells You Where to Catch a Bus City streets could be much more interesting and informative with these manhole covers - a concept dreamed up by Cheolyeon Jo & Youngsun Lee. The covers, called “eco signs,” would harvest power from rainfall in order to tell you, just by tapping your foot on its right or left side, information such as where to find the closest subway station or bus stop.

Backyard wind turbine? There’s an app for that So cool. Now you can test whether you’re both techno-chic and an ecogeek by combining the iPhone with home wind turbines.

Google develops new technology for cheaper thermal solar power Google Inc is working to develop its own new mirror technology that could reduce the cost of building solar thermal plants by a quarter or more. It a also works on new turbine technology for further cutting the cost of electricity.

Smart Grid Roundup: The Future of the Grid We’re on the cusp of the electric grid’s future, and leading it forward is the smart grid. The smart grid is rapidly moving beyond the household energy meter to an intelligent, information-rich networked grid

The Next Generation in EcoTechnology Calling all emerging designers! We at the Greener Gadgets Conference are looking for an intelligent design that helps solve issues of energy efficiency, carbon footprint, sustainable lifestyles or development in nations off the grid.

Sean Daily, CEO of Green Living Ideas, Inc. and Adam Shake, founder of Twilight Earth, have teamed up to create online environmental media company Simple Earth Media.

A group of the Web’s leading environmental blogs, podcasts, and social media outposts today announced that they have combined to form a single environmental publishing and social media powerhouse. The resulting new entity, named Simple Earth Media, includes top environmental media and publishing entities such as Green Living Ideas, Blue Living Ideas, Twilight Earth, GreenTalk Radio, EcoTech Daily, and and Natural Papa.

Simple Earth Media’s brand mission is to create a compelling, organic, educational network of environmental online venues that engage an ever-growing audience concerned with sustainable lifestyle habits and business practices.

What makes Simple Earth Media different from other environmental blog networks is that each one of the channels are fully established and have their own social media followers.

“Bringing the Green Living Ideas and Twilight Earth site networks together was a natural fit all around,” said Sean Daily, Simple Earth Media’s CEO and President. Daily continued, “Adam and I share a very similar outlook and perspective, not only on the type of editorial content that is necessary and relevant for the future of humanity and the planet, but also in regards to the types of companies we want to work with as sponsors and advertisers supporting our network. We are also really fortunate to have a combined staff of the best writers in the business.”

In addition to the sizeable daily web traffic and newsletter subscribers of the constituent sites, the combined social media audience and following of the Simple Earth Media network is unprecedented, totaling over 50,000 Twitter followers in addition to tens of thousands more friends and subscribers on FaceBook, LinkedIn and other social media platforms — making it one of the largest online environmental social media communities in the world.

The Simple Earth Media family of websites and audio/video podcasts (Including the popular GreenTalk Radio Show, which is syndicated on numerous sites including Apple iTunes, PersonalLifeMedia.com and Sustainablog.org), cover the topics that conscious consumers are most concerned with, including sustainable living tips and ideas, alternative energy and alternative fuel vehicles, water, ocean, and marine life conservation, clean tech, environmental news, and natural health and parenting topics.

“Our success is measured on the change that we make in helping to protect and nurture our environment, our families and our health,” says Adam Shake, founder of Twilight Earth. “It’s not about saving the environment, it’s about saving ourselves. Clean air, water and soil are basic human rights. We’ve got to continue to fight for those rights.”

Simple Earth Media employs some of the Web’s best-known and most highly-regarded environmental writers, including Derek Markham, Jennifer Lance, Ariel Schwartz, Susan Kraemer, Scott James, Wendy Gabriel and numerous others. The company’s tagline is “New Media Making a Difference.”

Coming up, Green Talk Radio will be interviewing top environmentalists and sustainability experts such as Fabien Cousteau, Celine Cousteau and Ed Begley Jr. In addition, we will have reporters and journalists on the ground in Copenhagen to bring you the most up to date and original content in reference to these historical talks.

As a family of environmental websites, Simple Earth Media can better assist you in finding the information you’re looking for, to help educate you on the changing world you live in. As always, we continue to offer our support to you, our readers, as we continue to grow.

Here’s to working together in a much bigger way, and to making positive change to our planet and its inhabitants!

Green Living Ideas provides ideas, tips, and information to help you improve the environmental sustainability of every aspect of your life: home energy, green building and remodeling, cars, food, waste recycling—and everything in between.

Twilight Earth is the place to go for in depth Environmental news, advocacy and activism with a deep Green editorial twist. We realize that environmentalism is less about saving the planet than it is about saving ourselves and it’s through the protection of our environment that we ultimately protect each other. Twilight Earth is about clean Air, Water and Soil, three basic human rights that are essential to our survival.

Blue Living Ideas is the most comprehensive water-focused site ever assembled and is the ultimate Web resource for information, tips, news, and events related to Earth’s most precious resource — Water. Planet Earth and human beings alike are comprised of over 70% water, and issues such as the availability of adequate supplies of drinking water for Earth’s inhabitants, water pollution, droughts, and marine life protection are among today’s most critical environmental and humanitarian concerns.

EcoTech Daily is the continuing journal of a green revolution. We’re here to help you make sense of change. We’ll keep you in touch with the latest green technology, gadgets, and news. Track the hottest CleanTech startups. Learn about alternative energy technologies that can power your community’s future. Discover cool and useful green gadgets designed to make your life simpler and more eco-friendly.

GreenTalk Radio is a Internet radio show/podcast that helps listeners in their efforts to lead more eco-friendly lifestyles. Navigate the explosion of green and ecology-oriented products and services with host Sean Daily. Sean entertains and educates you with smart choices on products and services in the green world through interviews with innovative and caring companies, authors and experts from around the world. Green Talk Radio series is also distributed on iTunes.

Natural Papa focuses on natural parenting and fatherhood, home remedies for common children’s ailments, homeschooling, green and simple living for families, and natural foods. We hope to be a valuable reference for parents and parents to be, and to engage in a conversation with our readers about issues in raising a family in an environmentally friendly way.

Local, green electricity; Hypermiling Plane Gets 45 MPG; Hybrid Alarm Clock; Buffett’s Big Bet on Trains; Mod Lantern-Style Flashlights

Local, green electricity possible for most of the U.S. The Energy Self-Reliant States study found that 31 states have the potential to produce more renewable energy in-state than they currently use and that another ten could make more than 75 of the amount.

Hypermiling Plane Gets 45 MPG at 207 MPH Mr. Savier won this year’s Fuelventure 400 in his modified VariEze (originally designed by the famous Burt Rutan) by getting 45 MPG at 207 MPH, and this with two people on board.

Solar-Powered Hybrid Alarm Clock During the day, the clock is powered using solar power gathered from it’s solar panel. At night, the clock glows blue due to the blue backlit display. Therefore the clock is designed to save energy by using as much solar energy as possible.

Warren Buffett’s Big Bet on Trains s Warren Buffett’s $26 billion purchase of Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad a bet on 19th-century industry or the 21st-century economy? Neither, it seems—it’s the perfect hedge.

Mod Lantern-Style Flashlights To Use A Rechargeable Battery Big, bulky lantern-style flashlights are super easy to find when the power goes out, but the $7 batteries they require can be draining on the pocketbook. This small modification lets work with a rechargeable battery to ease the cost.

Making sustainability mainstream; Solar Power Mobile Power; Toilet, Sink, Grey Water Cistern; EcoFactor thermostats; Collapsible, portable rain barrel

Video: How can we make sustainability mainstream? Campaigner and environmental activist Julia Butterfly Hill reflects on the concept of sustainability and what it will take to make it mainstream.

Making Solar Power Mobile Power The units come with a block of solar panels that extend and tilt out from the trailer, as well as batteries, inverters and — just in case — a backup diesel generator. The trailers themselves are roadworthy and can be towed by any truck with a V8 engine, according to a company spokeswoman.

Roca Toilet Integrates Sink, Grey Water Cistern This is fantastic. Its sleek design houses a nifty self-contained greywater system that is capable of reducing water use by up to 25% compared to a standard 6/3-litre dual flush toilet.

EcoFactor pings thermostats to save energy There are several companies developing Web-based software or displays to show consumers, in more detail than a monthly bill, how much energy they are using. But EcoFactor’s software, by contrast, works behind the scenes by gathering data from a two-way thermostat and then analyzing the information to optimize heating and cooling systems, which often account for about half of home electricity use.

Collapsible, portable rain barrel This rain barrel is collapsible making it easy to take with you wherever you go. It will hold 34 gallons of rain water to use in your home.

World’s Tallest Green Roof; Solar Powered Monorail; Waiting Lists For Think City and Aptera; Solar Power When the Sun Goes Down; Honda designers talk about EV concepts

Sears Tower May Sport World’s Tallest Green Roof The Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower, is spending about $200 million to $300 million to upgrade its energy efficiency and become more “green” overall, reports the Chicago Tribune. The building might have one of the tallest green roofs in the world. (It’s always going to be the Sears Tower to me!)

Solar Powered Monorail System For Bologna This looks amazing - Iosa Ghini Associati has designed the Energy Belt, a sleek solar-powered monorail system for Bologna, Italy that will connect the airport to the city center.

Long Waiting Lists For Think City and Aptera Cars Think, the Norwegian electric car maker that rebounded from a near-death experience earlier this year, has 2,300 customers on its waiting list for the Think City town car.

Solar Power When the Sun Goes Down The holy grail of renewable energy is a solar power plant that continues producing electricity after the sun goes down. A Santa Monica, Calif., company called SolarReserve has taken a step toward making that a reality, filing an application with California regulators to build a 150-megawatt solar farm that will store seven hours’ worth of the sun’s energy in the form of molten salt.

Honda designers talk about EV concepts Honda made a pretty big splash at the Tokyo Motor Show a few weeks back by showing off a number of eco-friendly concepts, though many of them were decidedly short on actual details. The automaker finally seems ready to talk a bit about the EV-N, EV-Cub, EV-MONPAL and U3-X.

Giants’ Danny Clark drives a Smart; Japan buries greenhouse gases; Probe to track climate change; San Diego gets $154 million for solar; Methanol fuel cells for gadgets

Giants’ Danny Clark Chose to Go Green With a Smart Car D, N.J. — Danny Clark of the Giants says he gets a lot of long looks from curious motorists when he drives his Smart car between Manhattan and the team’s practice complex in New Jersey. But the glances turn to stares and smiles when he parks his 1,600-pound vehicle and his 6-foot-2, 245-pound body emerges from behind the wheel.

Japan aims to bury greenhouse gas emissions Swathes of dirty clouds brood over a coal plant in rural Japan, but scientists are now hoping to send the pollutants the other way, deep into the bowels of Mother Earth. The cutting-edge but controversial technology of carbon capture and storage (CCS) is being tested at the Mikawa power station, located near the coast of Japan’s southern Fukuoka prefecture.

Probe to track impact of warming on Earth’s water A 315-million-euro satellite that will gauge the impact of climate change on the movement of water across land, air and sea was hoisted into space early Monday.

San Diego Solar Projects Get $154 Million Funding A total number of 192 solar installation projects in the public sector of San Diego were awarded with $154 million in allocations through the Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBs) program.

Methanol fuel cells for gadgets gain steam Not sure how I feel about this idea yet, but a company called Direct Methanol Fuel Cell said on Monday it has licensed a patent from CalTech to build methanol-based gadget chargers, a week after Toshiba took the wraps off its own portable fuel cell.