Oil giant ExxonMobil invests $300 million in biofuels

Oil giant ExxonMobil has made plans to invest at least $300 million (and up to $600 million) in research involved with developing algae-based biofuels.

To conduct the research, the company is teaming up with DNA pioneer Craig Venter and his biotech research company. Venter is credited with being instrumental in the completion of the Human Genome Project and is a regular on Time's yearly list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

"We believe that biofuel produced by algae could be a meaningful part of the solution in the future if our efforts result in an economically viable, low net-carbon emission transportation fuel," said Dr. Emil Jacobs, vice president of research and development at ExxonMobil Research and Engineering, in a press statement.

As Venter said in another statement, the real challenge to this project will be creating the ability to efficiently mass produce any algae-based biofuel that is developed. Fore more info on ExxonMobil and Venter's work with algae-based biofuels, check out this story on cnn.com.

U.S. and China make climate change pact

U.S. State Department and Chinese officials signed a pact today to work together to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions by promoting environmentally-friendly technologies.

The U.S. and China are the two leading emitters of greenhouse gases in the world. While the deal is almost entirely symbolic because it contains few specific details, the fact that the two countries can agree on this is a good thing as the U.N.-led climate change negotiations approach later this year. At the negotiations, countries from around the world will meet in Copenhagen in an effort to form a treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had this to say of the pact: "[The agreement] provides our countries with direction as we work together to support international climate negotiations and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy."

Global warming to increase wildfire damage by 50 percent

Scientists have been telling us that the Western part of the U.S. should brace for longer and more intense wildfire seasons, thanks in large part to the effects of global warming.

A study released today has quantified those effects. The study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, claims that wildfire damage will increase by 50 percent by 2050. The study points out that this number is determined by using conservative estimates of temperatures, meaning if the Earth gets even warmer in the next 40 years, the effects could be even worse.

This is pretty scary stuff, especially considering the damage that wildfires are already causing. Your company offers benefits and incentives for choosing environmentally-friendly ways to commute to work. If you have any questions about them, contact Verizon's Transportation Coordinator, Trisha Morris.

Nike and Coke pledge to improve sustainability of supply chains

Shoe manufacturer Nike and soft drink giant Coca Cola have often been criticized for the environmental impact of their supply chains. However, it seems like both companies are turning over a new leaf in the interest of becoming more eco-friendly.

Similar to other shoe manufacturers, Nike's supply chain has been shown to do significant damage to Amazon rain forest. By July 1, 2010, the company plans to make all Brazilian hide suppliers (the leather used to make their shoes) certify that their cattle are raised on land that is not cleared rain forest.

Meanwhile, Coke has pledged to be more "water neutral" than it has been in the past. The company has been accused by many environmental groups of creating water shortages in developing countries around the world. However, the company has pledged to return as much water as it uses to the water supply in these countries.

For more info on the supply chain changes at Nike and Coke, check out this story from Business Green.

Massachusetts-based startup creates fuel made from sunlight

This week, Joule Biotechnologies, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based start up, is announcing that the company has created a fuel that is literally made from sunlight.

The fuel, dubbed SolarFuel, is created in a process called helioculture, where carbon dioxide and sunlight are combined in a device that resembles a solar panel. Inside the device, engineered organisms (the company won't say what they are for proprietary reasons) absorb the sunlight and carbon dioxide. The organisms will then omit a combination of fuel ethanol, petroleum-derived compounds, and hydrocarbons that, in theory, can be used to fuel things.

While this process certainly is revolutionary, the big question (as with all biofuels) will be whether it can be produced efficiently in mass quantities. For more info on SolarFuel, check out this story from The Boston Globe.

New Balance launches environmently-friendly line of running shoes

Boston-based shoemaker New Balance has launched its first eco-friendly running shoes, dubbed the New Balance 70.

Seventy percent of the shoes are made from "environmentally-preferred materials." New Balance has gone out of its way to reduce waste in the production of the shoes, including shipping them without that useless paper you find inside shoe boxes. People have reported that the shoes are extremely comfortable because they are very light-weight and supportive. They also are very durable, meaning that even though they will cost slightly more than shoes that are not as eco-friendly, they should last longer.

While we would love to see major shoe manufacturers debut shoes that are made from 100 percent recycled and eco-friendly materials, this is definitely a step in the right direction. Check out this blog post from The Daily Green if you'd like to read more about the New Balance 70 shoes.

Honda to launch its CR-Z sport hybrid next year

In 2007, Honda first introduced its hybrid sports car, the CR-Z, and said that its new models over the next several years would change the way people look at hybrids. Well, it's yet to be seen if the company will be successful with that goal, but the CR-Z is definitely something to look forward to.

This week, Honda announced that the car will go on sale in Japan in February and in the rest of the world later in 2010. The company is expected to announce specific launch dates for Europe and North America by the end of the year.

For more info on the sporty CR-Z, check out these stories from The Daily Green and Auto Blog Green. The Daily Green link includes videos of the car in action.

Renewable energy use on the rise in the U.S.

A report released today by the Department of Energy shows that the use of renewable energy in the U.S. in on the rise as the use of fossil fuels continues to decline.

The report found that about 11 percent of energy consumed in the U.S. came from renewable sources, including hydroelectric, wind, biomass, and geothermal sources, during the month of April. While the use of coal is still the largest source of energy at 46 percent, the number fell by 13.9 percent from April 2008 to April 2009 and will likely continue to fall because of the increased emphasis on creating and using renewable energy.

You can click here if you want to review the hard facts and data from the DoE, or if you prefer an easier to digest version, here's a story from Business Green.

Walmart to create sustainable product index

Retail giant Walmart announced plans this week to create a worldwide Sustainable Product Index. Company officials said the index will measure the environmental impact of the products its stores carry.

To create the index, Walmart is expected to do two things. First, it has a created a 15-question survey that it will send to suppliers to gauge the environmental impact of each product and company. Second, the company will fund a group of universities, retailers, suppliers, and government agencies to do a lifecycle analysis of the products. Not many details were given about this part of the plan, but we're assuming that means the group will examine the environmental impact of the creation, shipping, and disposal of each product.

The form that the Sustainable Product Index will take has not been determined. It could be a color-coded sticker, a number score, or something else, according to company officials. For more info on the index, check out this story from The Daily Green.

Internet's carbon footprint drives energy-efficiency movement

Researchers estimate that every second you spend browsing a website creates about 20 milligrams of CO2. That's certainly not a lot, but when you consider that there are millions of people using the internet every second, it really adds up fast. In fact, the carbon footprint from internet usage alone is as much as the carbon footprint of the entire aviation industry.

So, what's being done to mitigate this issue? A lot of work is already being done to make electronics more energy-efficient, from the personal computer level all the way up to the data center level. Many large companies are switching to green hosting providers that use solar-powered data centers. On the PC level, some companies boast creating computers and monitors that are better than current energy-efficiency standards (which, quite honestly, are not very strict).

On a personal level, we can support the energy-efficiency movement by buying electronics that meet or exceed Energy Star standards. Also, remember to do the little things, such as powering down your computer at night as well as setting it to run at lower power levels when you are using it. A little bit goes a long way.