Green Design Spree Aims to Trim U.S. Government's Big Energy Bill

With $25 billion in annual power and fuel costs, the U.S. government is the largest single energy consumer in the nation's economy, and among the largest in the world.The Obama administration now is seeking to ramp up that effort dramatically—with the help of an unprecedented $4.5 billion in stimulus funds to be spent by next September entirely for federal green building and renovation projects. By executive order, the federal government is aiming to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 28 percent by 2020. National Geographic.

Michigan based UNI-SOLAR powers UN climate conference in Cancun with rooftop PV array

Rochester Hills, Michigan based Uni-Solar was tapped to provide electricity for the United Nations COP 16 (16th Council of Parties to the UN Kyoto Climate Treaty) gathering in Cancun, Mexico. Uni-Solar provides a bright contrast to the Fermi nuclear power plant in southeast Michigan, scene of a dramatic radioactive water spill in recent days, and targeted site for a third new dirty, dangerous and expensive reactor -- a G.E.-Hitachi ESBWR.

Zero Emissions Race passes through Cancun climate summit

Electric cars and motorcycles, "racing" from Geneva, Switzerland to Cancun, Mexico and back again, created a "sexy" spectacle of sustainability at the COP 16, the 16th summit of the Council of Parties to the U.N.'s Kyoto Climate Treaty. Solar power is the fuel of choice for the Zero Emissions Race.

First solar powered boat to circumnavigate the planet arrives at Cancun climate summit

David Herron in the Green Transportation Examiner reports that the world's largest and fastest 100% solar powered ship, the TÛRANOR PlanetSolar, has successfully sailed from Monaco, France to Cancun, Mexico to take part in the current U.N. climate summit. After that, it will continue on its way via the Panama Canal to enter the Pacific on its global circumnavigation back to Monaco. Follow the ship's progress at its website. Even though this ship is nonfiction, its name comes from fantasy: in one of the languages in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, TÛRANOR translates as "The Power of the Sun."

Good things come in small - and clever - packages

The U.K charity, Solar Aid, working in East Africa, has installed booths where people pay to use solar power to charge their mobile phones. The 100 booths are installed at schools and the proceeds are then used to buy books for the schools.