Climate Technology

Hybrid Anxiety

Ford plans to hybridize half its models by 2010 Reeling from recent profit declines and concerned about stiff competition from Japanese automakers, Ford Motor Co. today announced a big expansion of its hybrid strategy, including plans to offer gas-electric hybrid versions of half its models by 2010. Its current hybrid offerings are limited to SUVs […]

Former Google chef plans to launch sustainable cafe in Cali

Regular web searching was not enough. Neither were searches for images, news stories, and things for sale. Our own computers were becoming a web of their own, so there is desktop search to help keep us organized. And who can keep up with the ever-evolving blogosphere? But don't worry, there is now a search for that too. And the world is apparently not enough for Google.

In addition to niche searches, Google also provides a number of services, such as email, photo management, text and voice messaging, and web page translation. And there is even a rumor that Google wants to get in on the Wi-Fi bandwagon.

So what could possible be the next Google gift to the world? How about sustainable cafes? That's right; Charlie Ayers, former Google chef, has cashed in his shares and wants to launch a health-conscious and sustainably farmed cafe in Palo Alto, Calif.

New E.U. environmental standards are changing the global marketplace

Europeans are a wee bit funny when it comes to incubation. During the Middle Ages, they obsessed about the threat from incubi, evil spirits rumored to descend upon women and have their way with them as they slept. Then (in the condensed version of history) came the New Economy, and incubating was all the rage, […]

Giving Us the Business

World’s biggest firms give lip service to cutting CO2 but lag on results More than 70 percent of the world’s 500 largest companies by market capitalization volunteered information on how climate change is affecting their businesses for a survey this year, but the info they released is not exactly heartening. According to a new report […]

Umbra on architectural salvage

Dear Umbra, We recently replaced the doorknobs in our place, so we have a fistful of old yet working doorknobs I’d hate to just toss. What to do with this and other perfectly good hardware? R.B.M.Arlington, Va. Dearest R.B.M., This answer goes out to you, but also to all your fellow home remodelers out there. […]

All’s Well That Ends Wells

Investors bullish on clean energy technologies The clean-energy sector is experiencing a post-Katrina bounce. Petroleum stocks are looking less attractive after the storm damaged Gulf Coast oil rigs and refineries, and many investors seem to think pre-Katrina high fossil-fuel prices are here to stay, making renewable-energy investments more attractive. Several small U.S. solar technology firms […]

Price Guys Finish First

Toyota plans to cut price of its hybrids Aching for a Toyota Prius hybrid, but wilting at the thought of shelling out $3,500 or more over the price of a conventional car? Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe is thinking of you: He’s directed the company’s engineering chief to halve the price difference between a hybrid and […]

Nicole Rycroft, recycled-paper pusher, answers questions

Nicole Rycroft. With what environmental organization are you affiliated? I’m the campaigns director for Markets Initiative. What does your organization do? We work to completely transform heavy paper-consuming industries in Canada (e.g., book, magazine, and newspaper sectors) — to shift them away from papers originating from ancient or endangered forests and to reduce their overall […]

Photovoltaic Finish

California’s Million Solar Roofs bill dies in legislature Partisan squabbling effectively killed California’s closely watched Million Solar Roofs legislation last week, as the state Assembly session ended on Thursday with no vote on the bill. The measure, which would have dramatically boosted the state’s use of solar power by providing incentives for businesses and homeowners […]

Net Loss

Katrina has wiped out Louisiana’s fishing industry This should be the height of Louisiana’s shrimp and oyster season, but the state’s $2.7 billion-a-year commercial fishing industry may be another casualty of Hurricane Katrina. The region’s fishers, shrimpers, and oyster harvesters typically supply the U.S. with about 30 percent of its seafood, and the industry employs […]