Public Radio tracks California's Progess to be 33% green power by 2020

This link will track the progress in a series. But the first two parts are extremely interesting. A green company (Solargen) tries build a solar farm, but get local opposition. Includes maps, videos, and interactive information.


http://www.kqed.org/news/climatewatch/33by20/

Electric companies screw over people that converted to Solar.

A number of utility companies are changing to new digital meters that don't allow people who generate power to get credit for power put back in to the grid.

See story:

Man goes green, now sees red

May 24: A Texas man's solar upgrades actually increase his power bill. He blames the electric company's new meter. KXAS reporter Ken Kalthoff has the story.


 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/37310586#37310586

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Corn-based plastic

Polylactic acid (PLA), a plastic substitute made from fermented plant starch (usually corn), is quickly becoming a popular alternative to traditional petroleum-based plastics.

Polylactic acid or polylactide (PLA) is a biodegradable, thermoplastic, aliphatic polyester derived from renewable resources, such as corn starch (in the U.S.) or sugarcanes (rest of world).


NatureWorks LLC (formerly Cargill, Inc.) is the main source for PLA corn-resin pellets 

• EarthTalk: How green is corn-based plastic? 
• Wikipedia: Polylactic acid

Bill Gates on energy: Innovating to zero!

At TED2010, Bill Gates unveils his vision for the world's energy future, describing the need for "miracles" to avoid planetary catastrophe and explaining why he's backing a dramatically different type of nuclear reactor. The necessary goal? Zero carbon emissions globally by 2050.

Mercury Pollution from Compact Fluorescent vs Incandescent Light Bulbs