If we're to succeed without burning fossil fuels, we've got to always be on the lookout for alternative forms of energy.  Some great advancements are being made in the development of new types of power -- we've seen it all, from creating hydrogen fuel to recycling old newspapers.  But major Japanese undergarment manufacturer Wacoal recently launched a truly unique recycling program for creating fuel.

According to Earth 911, since 2008, the underwear manufacturer has encouraged women to recycle their bras so that metal and other materials could be "converted into a type of fuel used for boilers and power generation facilities."  Since the program's inception, Wacoal has collected enough donations to produce almost 18 tons of fuel.

How does it work?  The used bras, which contain both fabric and metal wiring, are converted into a fuel that's classified as "refuse paper and plastic fuel" (RPF).  Earth 911 reports that the "bra-based RPF fuel has a combustion efficiency similar to coal but emits far less carbon dioxide."  This means that lots of energy can be produced with fewer impurities being released into the atmosphere.

What do you think -- would you be willing to give up old bras to help create cleaner energy?  Perhaps it's time for the U.S. to invest in similar fuel-generating technologies!

Greenwashing really complicates the lives of people who want to live eco-friendly lives.  How so?  According to Wikipedia, greenwashing "is a form of spin in which green PR or green marketing is deceptively used to promote the perception that a company's policies or products are environmentally friendly."  Often times, services that we use and items that we purchase are not as eco-friendly as they seem.

One way to determine which items and organizations are legitimately Earth-friendly is to look for eco-safe labels.  Let's go over a few you can trust:

 1.  The Energy Star Seal

You're probably familiar with the Energy Star seal.  It's often seen on electronics and appliances, and indicates that the product uses up to 75% less energy than its traditional counterpart.  According to RealSimple.com, the label was created by the Environmental Protection Agency.

2.  The FSC Logo 

Originated by the Forest Stewardship Council, this logo helps shoppers determine which wood and paper products were harvested under certified sustainable standards.  Look for it when shopping for things like furniture and flooring.

3.  The Fair Trade Tag 

The Fair Trade Certified tag confirms which foods (like coffee, chocolate, sugar and fruit) are grown using environmentally friendly practices.  Perhaps more importantly, it also ensures that farmers are receiving a fair price for their products.

Be sure to check out the full list of RealSimple.com's 8 Legitimate Earth-Friendly Seals. Purchasing products with one of these logos is a great way to avoid falling victim to greenwashing scams!

As fuel prices rise, we've all got the same question on our minds:  Is now the time to purchase an environmentally-friendly car?  The fact that there are so many options can either be seen as a blessing or a curse; brands like Chevy and Toyota now have several models from which shoppers can choose.

To make things a bit easier on consumers, Doug Tiffany, an energy economist at the University of Minnesota, created a unique tool.  According to the university's Web site, the tool comes in the form of an Excel spreadsheet that promises "to help you organize your thinking as you consider the purchase of an alternative or conventional vehicle."

How does the tool work?  Tiffany explains the spreadsheet in three easy steps:

1.  Enter key figures for each vehicle you are considering.

2.  The tool will help you compare and contrast costs of ownership and operation, as well as differences in each vehicle's greenhouse gas emissions.

3.  Play around with different scenarios to see how the graph response.

It's as easy as that!  Click here to download the Vehicle Decision Tool now!

One obvious way to help save water is to take shorter showers. But often times we don't realize how much time we're actually spending in the tub. Researchers have come up with a unique way to combat accidental long showers:  Sing a Beatles song.

According to Yahoo! News, "A British water company has urged customers to sing in the shower and recommends Beatles songs as they are short and so can help save water and cut energy bills." Thames Water claims that remaining in the shower just long enough to hum the tune of a short song (four minutes or less) would make an impressive impact on one's water usage.  The company's top recommendation is the Beatles' Love Me Do, which clocks in at just two minutes and 22 seconds.
  

Jayne Farrin, head of corporate communications for Thames Water, urges people to sing in the shower for their mental health, as well.  "It is well-documented that singing can have positive psychological effects, and that the act of singing releases endorphins, the brain's 'feel good' chemicals," Farrin said. "The results of our study show only 35% of Britons sing in the shower. We could all do with breaking into song more often. It’s got to be good for morale."

The world is watching as Londoners make the city's long-awaited Blackfriars Bridge project finally come to fruition.  The eco-initiative, which will be managed by Solar Century, will incorporate over 4,000 solar panels onto the Blackfriars Railway Bridge, located over the River Thames.  It's expected to provide approximately 900,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year.

According to CNN, that much electricity is enough to provide Blackfriars Railway Station "with half of its energy needs."  Additionally, the station's CO2 emissions are expected to drop by more than 500 tons.  The Guardian reports that the project is expected to be completed by 2012, and will be London's largest display of solar panels.

The new Blackfriars Rail Bridge, which is located "in the heart of London," will not only power the station and reduce carbon emissions, but it will also prove to people worldwide that clean energy is the way of the future.  "For people to see that solar power is working is a vital step towards a clean energy future," Derry Newman, a representative for Solar Century, told CNN.

Built in 1886, the railway bridge is part of the city's railroad history.  The solar-panel update will transform the bridge into "an iconic station for the city," said Lindsay Vamplew, project director for Blackfriars.  I'm excited to the effect the solar technology will have on the railroad station and its patrons.  Hopefully the rest of the world's cities will soon follow suit; I can think of a few bridges in New York that could surely utilize the same technology!

An August 31 MSNBC article initially got me interested in learning more about the use of hydrogen as a form of energy.  MSNBC reports that U.S. researchers "have focused their efforts on storing the gas in a molecule called ammonia borane."  If scientists prove successful in their endeavor, a hydrogen-powered vehicle could potentially travel up to 300 miles on just one tank.  It would also eliminate the potential for hydrogen explosions caused by storing the gas in high pressure tanks.

That's why, according to Business Facilities, "Fuel cell vehicles are expected to number in the tens of thousands in California after 2015."  With so much promise, it's no wonder that California is investing over $8 million in support of hydrogen fueling stations as part of its $100 million Clean Transport Investment Plan.  The UK has also recently invested in hydrogen fuel technology; BBC reports that the UK's first public hydrogen filling station has been opened in Swindon.  But what are the fuel-cell cars like?

Wired.com's Alexander George got a chance to take a Hyundai Tucson, which is powered by hydrogen technology, for a spin. "The vehicle begins with a sucking sound," George reported.  "But inside the car, which is comfortable and quite nicely appointed, the Tucson is as silent as an electric vehicle ... The only difference is the Tucson uses a fuel cell instead of a battery to provide most of the juice."

George's test drive of the Hyundai Tucson was part of a larger, cross-country initiative to spread word to Americans that hydrogen is the "fuel of the future."  According to George, "The big pitch for hydrogen is, of course, that it offers the zero tailpipe emissions and energy independence of battery electric vehicles without the limited range and long recharge time."

While there are more than a few obstacles that need to be overcome before we're all driving hydrogen-powered cars (e.g., George reports that he was asked to "keep the motor output below 25 kilowatts" during his test drive), we're still optimistic about hydrogen as a clean fueling option.  So much, in fact, that other companies like Daimler and Honda are testing it out, as well.  Will a hydrogen filling station pop up in your town soon?  Only time will tell!

If you're a green kind of person, then you probably love the idea of doing business with eco-responsible businesses and organizations. Additionally, probably the best kind of corporation to support is a startup.  A startup company, according to Wikipedia, is a company that's only recently begun operating.  Of all the young companies in the world, energy startups could use your support the most.  Let's take a look at the top five new energy corporations, derived from Energy Digital's list.

1. Sapphire Energy

This small company has created a "Green Crude" that can be used in refineries, pipelines and pump stations.  The product is a "drop-in gasoline alternative" and its main benefit is that it can work with existing petroleum infrastructures.  The company's CEO vows it will try to "produce one-million gallons of algae diesel and jet fuel each year in the next two years" and create "one-billion gallons of fuel a year by 2025."

2. BrightSource Energy

The Oakland, California-based startup, which is backed by Google, is currently developing the world's largest solar thermal plant.  Although it's only been in existence a short while, BrightSource Energy has already worked with the likes of BP and Morgan Stanley.

3. Transphorm

Transphorm, another new corporation located in California, has recently developed a new energy conversion technology.  Its secret?  Gallium Nitride.  With it, the company hopes to reinstate energy that's lost during the electricity conversion process.

4. PowerbyProxi

Did you know that electricity could be transferred wirelessly? PowerbyProxi specializes in this unusual process that converts power magnetically, allowing it to travel through the air.  PowerbyProxi hopes to use this technology for battery charging, control systems, etc.

5. Solazyme

This startup's main focus is creating biofuels for fighter jets, ground vehicles and naval ships used by the U.S. military.  Solazyme recently celebrated a huge accomplishment:  It used algal biofuel to run a military helicopter flight.  Algae biofuel is an up-and-coming form of energy.

There are clearly some great innovations being made in the world of alternative energy.  We applaud these startups, as well as the others that made Energy Digital's top ten list and many more throughout the world.  Alternative energy is the key to our future!

Here at the Go Green Blog, we're all about discovering new alternatives to gasoline.  From solar panels to fuel derived from fast food oil, we love learning about the latest and greatest forms of energy.  So when we read an MSNBC article about Tulane University scientists who turned old newspapers into biofuel, we were pretty excited!

According to MSNBC, researchers discovered a bacterium, TU-103, that "will convert to butanol, a biofuel that is nearly as energy dense as unleaded gasoline."  The scientists were looking for a microbe that could produce butanol from cellulose and wouldn't produce oxygen, reports MSNBC.  According to the Atlantic Wire, "Lead by Professor David Mullin, the team found the unique strain of bacteria 'in animal droppings, cultivated it and developed a method for using it to produce butanol.'"

Because cellulose is also found in paper, the individuals involved with the project have begun experimenting with old newspapers, specifically "with old editions of the Times Picayune," reports the Atlantic Wire.  We only hope that the idea catches on-- this could be a great step in reducing our nation's dependency on fossil fuels!

With hurricane Irene expected to be the first hurricane to hit Long Island since Gloria in 1985, people aren't wasting time in preparing. Well, some. Some people might see the hurricane as something that will only put a damper on the weekend while others are stocking up on food - expecting a Y2K-esque disaster. While others, like myself, are working the middle ground and stowing away supplies while carrying on a normal life.
One of the supplies I will have on me is my trusty 12 LED Multi-Function Dynamo Lantern from Garrity. Whether the power goes out or trying to make a repair, I will need a lantern with me to see where I am going or what I am doing. And there's no better light than the one from this lanyern. Simply turn the crank and - without batteries - 12 LED lights light up, illuminating the room, tent or even the outside. And when the emergency is over, use this lantern for outdoor activities, camping and entertaining guests outside.

Current job reports reflect more of the same:  our nation's job creation efforts quite simply do not cut it.  Despite government programs already in place, the employment rate in America is generally not improving. However, according to an article by Kiley Kroh on ThinkProgress.org, one piece of the economy is growing.  That part, reports Kroh, is the clean economy, which increased by 8.3% in the past seven years.

Kroh reports that the growth of the clean economy is "almost double what the overall economy grew during those years."  Furthermore, Kroh explains, 2.7 million individuals are employed by the clean economy. 

One job sector of the clean economy in which there is room for further improvement is that of offshore wind energy.  Although America hasn't invested in offshore wind turbines yet, other nations, such as France, are seeing much success.  "France waded into the fray most recently with the announcement of a plan for five offshore projects," reports Kroh.  The French are expecting more than 10,000 jobs to be created as a result.

Many US groups and organizations are fighting for offshore wind projects.  What's holding America back is the fact that some worry the benefits of offshore wind turbines do not outweigh the potential dangers.  At the same time, though, European and Asian countries are erecting offshore wind farms at a fast pace and consequently creating billions in wages and salaries.  Will America soon catch up, and if so, will our economy experience a rebound?