In celebration of Earth Day 2009, Service Experts, the HVAC installation and repair guys, are giving away 10,000 programmable thermostats.  This is actually a pretty cool thing that they’re doing: the Service Experts’ Earth Day promotion will create the same environmental effect as planting 14 trees for everyone who gets one of their free programmable Earth Day 2009 thermostats installed in their house.

The programmable thermostat is free, and the only real requirement is that you get one of their HVAC tune-ups performed (which will cost you about $79 to $149).

Thermostat manufacturers like Lennox, who are providing thermostats for this Earth Day 2009 promotion through Service Experts, estimate that about 75 percent of homes in North America do not have programmable thermostats. Most houses between 15 and 25 years old still actually use thermostats that contain mercury. If you did not know, the mercury in that old thermostat of yours is very toxic to the environment if you don’t dispose of it properly.

When you get your new programmable thermostat installed, Service Experts will actually remove your old thermostat, and properly dispose and recycle it for you so you don’t have to worry about its effect on the environment.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) say that the proper use of a programmable thermostat can save you about $150 each year in energy costs. Add improved efficiency from regular heating and cooling HVAC tune-ups to that, and the savings can increase even further.

So, go check and see if you’ve got one of those old thermostats in your house that contains mercury. If you have one, check out the Service Experts 2009 Earth Day promotion and get one of those new programmable free thermostats installed. You’ll save some money on your electric bills and help the environment, too.

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Renewable Energy World North America will begin 10 March 2009 and will be held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The Keynote Session will be dedicated to offering the most current insights into what the next four years may hold for the industry.

Leaders of the major renewable industry trade associations plus a senior executive from Host Utility NV Energy will join in a roundtable discussion on the economy, the economic stimulus bill, and renewable energy initiatives likely to come from the Obama Administration and the Congress.

“There is no better time to be involved in the renewable energy industry. We are excited to welcome our renewable energy association partners to help us kick off our sixth Renewable Energy World North America show with what promises to be a dynamic and must-attend Keynote,” said Richard Baker, Senior Vice President Power Generation Group for PennWell Corp., which owns and produces the show. “The support of these outstanding industry leaders has been instrumental in helping Renewable Energy World North America grow to be the continent’s largest all-renewable conference and exhibition.”

Confirmed as taking part in the Keynote Session are:

*** Mr. Roberto Denis, Senior VP Energy Supply, NV Energy (2009 Host Utility for the event);

*** Ms. Denise Bode, CEO, American Wind Energy Association;

*** Mr. Douglas Durante, Executive Director, Clean Fuels Development Coalition;

*** Mr. Karl Gawell, Executive Director, Geothermal Energy Association;

*** Ms. Linda Church-Ciocci, Executive Director, National Hydropower Association;

*** Ms. Julia Hamm, Executive Director, Solar Electric Power Association;

*** Mr. Rhone Resch, President & CEO, Solar Energy Industries Association; and

*** Mr. Edwin F. Feo, Partner, Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy LLP.

The Keynote Session takes place from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM on 10 March 2009. Immediately following the session, the sold-out exhibit floor opens for two days of product demonstrations, business negotiation and networking involving all forms of renewable energy. Conference sessions will be held on the 11th and 12th March 2009 and will cover the full spectrum of renewable energy technologies, finance issues, government initiatives, and more.

In addition, Renewable Energy World North America thanks a record number of event sponsors: NV Energy, Milbank, Navigant Consulting, Germany Trade & Invest, National City Energy Capital, UK Trade & Investment, WorleyParsons, Brookfield Renewable Power, Hurst Boiler, AgriPower, 3Tier, Southern Company, SkyFuel, Bombard Renewable Energy, The Babcock and Wilcox Company, and Trade Commission of Spain.

Companies that generate electricity are especially encouraged to attend this year’s conference and exhibition. PennWell makes it easy and affordable through the Energy Provider Program. For a single $500 registration fee, qualifying Energy Providers may send an unlimited number of delegates to

Renewable Energy World North America.

For full details, contact David Wagman: davidw@pennwell.com

About PennWell Corporation

PennWell Corporation is a diversified business-to-business media and information company that provides quality content and integrated marketing solutions for the following global industries: Oil and gas, electric power, water, electronics, semiconductor, contamination control, optoelectronics, fiber optics, information technology, fire and emergency services, and dental.

Founded in 1910, PennWell publishes 75 print and online magazines and newsletters and conducts 60 conferences and exhibitions on six continents. In addition to PennWell’s headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the firm has major offices in Nashua, New Hampshire; Houston, Texas; London, England; Mountain View, California; Fairlawn, New Jersey; Moscow, Russia; and Hong Kong, China.

For more information, please visit their website: http://www.pennwell.com

Source: PennWell Corporation

Website: http://www.pennwell.com/

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Logo courtesy of The ACIN Camden Center for Entrepreneurship in Technology website.

Last week, Science Magazine published the findings of Liming Dai, the University of Dayton’s Wright Brothers Institute endowed chair in nanomaterials, and fellow scientists that have taken a step toward a more efficient fuel cell that can be affordably mass-produced. They found that carbon nanotubes containing nitrogen are cheaper and work better than platinum in providing long-term fuel cell power.

Fuel cells convert hydrogen and oxygen to electrical power and water with no air pollution, hazardous waste or noise.

“Traditionally, fuel cells employ expensive platinum-based electrocatalysts, which cost about $4,000 for a passenger car,” Dai said. “The goal is to reduce the major cost of a fuel cell in order to compete with current market technologies, including gasoline engines. Our finding is a major breakthrough toward commercialization of fuel cell technology for various applications.”

Dai said those applications could someday include electric and hybrid vehicles, submarines that could operate silently underwater for weeks, airplanes powered by only a fuel cell and lightweight batteries, power plants, notebook computers, portable charging docks for electronics, and power-hogging smart phones with large displays and elaborate features like GPS.

“The importance of developing new types of energy is evident frothe fact that global energy consumption has been accelerating at an alarming rate due to rapid economic expansion worldwide, increase in world population and ever-increasing human reliance on energy-based appliances,” Dai said. “As we become more aware of ‘greenhouse gases’ and their detrimental effects on our planet, clean and renewable energy alternatives like fuel cells become more important than ever.”

Dai also believes the role of nitrogen-doping, or adding nitrogen to carbon nanotubes, could be applied to the development of new materials for applications beyond fuel cells.

Michael Durstock in the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Zhenhai Xia in the University of Akron department of mechanical engineering, and Kuanping Gong and Feng Du in the University of Dayton departments of chemical and materials engineering contributed to the report. Dai also has joint appointment in the University of Dayton’s chemistry department, the University of Dayton Research Institute and the Institute for Development Commercialization of Advanced Sensor Technology.

Dai has been a co-author of two Science articles since last October.

Source: University of Dayton

Website: http://www.sciencemag.org/
http://www.udayton.edu/

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Third round brings total disbursements to $828,000; final grant proposal deadline announced

Green Building Alliance (GBA) awarded a total of $240,000 in Product Innovation Grants for five Pennsylvania projects, which are expected to develop and introduce new and enhanced green building products. The GBA has now made three of these awards since giving them began in 2006. To this point, a total of fifteen Pennsylvania recipients have benefited. Previous grants were awarded in December 2007 and June 2008. GBA’s fourth and final round of Product Innovation Grants will be disbursed in June 2009.

Awarded through a competitive selection process, GBA’s Product Innovation Grants expedite the commercialization of new and revised building products within the fast-growing green building market. “Despite a down economy, the green building market represents a significant economic opportunity for Pennsylvania,” said Jeaneen Zappa, director of green business development at GBA.

“With the eighth-largest number of LEED(R) certified buildings in the U.S., Pittsburgh continues to be a green building thought and practice leader. For the past two years, our Product Innovation Grant projects have included collaborations between private sector companies and university teams all over Pennsylvania.”

In this third round of GBA Product Innovation Grants, five out of thirteen proposals were selected to receive grants, including:

*** $100,000 for commercialization of plastic composites that use renewable and recycled raw materials and achieve greater thermal insulation and lower embodied energy - a project of Bedford Reinforced Plastics, Inc. and the University of Pittsburgh;

*** $80,000 to develop an energy-efficient air conditioning system that will employ a natural refrigerant with no global warming or ozone depletion impacts, thus consuming substantially less electricity than
conventional systems - a project of Thar Technologies, Inc. and Carnegie Mellon University;

*** Three $20,000 Proof of Concept grants: Development of a web portal resource for architects and engineers that will feature sustainability and performance measures for building facade materials and assemblies that optimize natural resource flows - a project of Carnegie Mellon University;

*** Use of residual silt from water treatment as a growing medium for landscapes and green roofs - a project of GTECH Strategies; and

*** A wearable bio-sensing comfort controller that will measure a person’s comfort level and then maximize it by adjusting their immediate thermal environment - a project of Carnegie Mellon University.

“We solicited Product Innovation Grant proposals in early July from established Pennsylvania companies investigating the development of innovative sustainable building products or greening of existing product lines; start-up Pennsylvania companies seeking to enter the green building product marketplace; and Pennsylvania university researchers and teams developing innovative green building products along with the processes necessary to produce them,” explained Dr. Aurora Sharrard, GBA’s Research Manager and program manager of the Product Innovation Grant program.

“We’re very pleased with the sustained interest in our green building product grant program and look forward to this next round of submissions, which we anticipate will be our last opportunity to offer this program with State funding.”

A Request for Proposals for the fourth and final round of Product Innovation Grants was also released, with a deadline of April 3, 2009. Awards will be announced in June 2009.

For submission information, please visit: http://www.pa-greenbuildingproducts.org/product_innovation_grants.aspx

Proposals are assessed based on the criteria of green building leadership, technical merit, commercialization plan viability, partnership resources, and potential market impact. Grant award decisions are made at the discretion of GBA on the recommendations of the Product Innovation Grant Review Committee, which is comprised of individuals with a variety of relevant experience, expertise, and backgrounds, including consultants, manufacturers, investors, economic development stakeholders, and academic researchers. Participation on the Review Committee is kept confidential.

About Green Building Alliance

Green Building Alliance is a 16-year-old nonprofit organization that advances economic prosperity and human wellbeing in Western Pennsylvania by driving market demand and facilitating green building
practices and products that have minimal impact on the natural environment. The Product Innovation Grants are a component of GBA’s Green Building Products Initiative economic development program, which serves all of Pennsylvania. Funding for the Initiative is provided through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority; The Heinz Endowments; and the Richard King Mellon Foundation.

For Individual project sheets, please download them at:
http://www.pa-greenbuildingproducts.org/product_innovation_grants.aspx

Source: Green Building Alliance

Website: http://www.pa-greenbuildingproducts.org/

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Emblem courtesy of ASU School of Sustainability.

Establishment of world’s most comprehensive and sophisticated facility for testing and certification of solar energy equipment

Celebrating the launch of the much anticipated new clean-tech venture, TUV Rheinland Group and Arizona State University (ASU) jointly created TUV Rheinland PTL, LLC, the world’s most comprehensive and sophisticated facility for testing and certification of solar energy equipment. The celebration will expand with more events to come in Cologne and Shanghai featuring dignitaries from business, government, academia, and the solar industry.

The new private venture, TUV Rheinland PTL, significantly upgrades the technology and know-how of the former ASU Photovoltaic Laboratory (PTL) and relocates it into a strategic location in Tempe, Arizona, USA that is close to both ASU and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. With a new facility and additional human resources, the lab more than doubles its previous capacity and now provides a unique one-stop source for clients to get full testing and certification for all safety and performance standards in use by the industry anywhere in the world.

The just-opened 40,000 square foot facility is staffed with the world’s most technically competent and capable solar testing team and is equipped with state-of-the-art solar simulators and temperature-humidity environments. Clients can take advantage of full system testing for all photovoltaic system components, including inverters, grid-tied electronics, controllers, motion and tracking devices, and wireless control electronics. In addition, clients can get technical direction and testing on standards for newly emerging technologies such as concentrating photovoltaic, concentrating solar power, and building-integrated photovoltaic.

This venture is the product of a farsighted collaboration between TUV Rheinland and ASU. The former ASU-PTL lab, established in 1992, was the first accredited photovoltaic qualification testing laboratory in the U.S. and one of only a few in the world. Many in the solar testing industry today have roots that connect them to ASU-PTL.

“Our facility in Tempe serves as a cornerstone of TUV Rheinland Group’s strategy for a global network of photovoltaic testing and certification services,” said Stephan Schmitt, president and CEO of TUV Rheinland North America Holding, Inc. “The expertise and knowledge of TUV Rheinland PTL’s team combined with the brainpower of ASU’s faculty and their outstanding research reputation in the field of renewable energies represents a unique opportunity for the solar industry to obtain true and highly sophisticated information and services. Together with TUV Rheinland’s laboratories in Europe and Asia, TUV Rheinland PTL is able and competent to obtain and deliver global certification for the solar industry’s needs.”

Arizona’s largest electric provider, Arizona Public Service (APS) worked with the new venture by providing five acres of outdoor testing space at its renowned Solar Test and Research (STAR) Center for use in conducting outdoor endurance testing. The STAR Center, a pioneering facility among U.S. public utilities, was established in 1985. It has earned an international reputation as a leader in the commercial development and proof of operation for emerging solar energy technologies including Dish-Stirling arrays, high concentration photovoltaic systems, and innovative solar tracking systems.

“APS shares in the vision of a bright solar energy future for Arizona,” said Don Brandt, president and CEO of Arizona Public Service. “As more collaborative projects come to fruition, such as the one currently taking place between APS, ASU, and TUV Rheinland, Arizona will become the solar capital of the world.”

Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz) also worked closely with TUV Rheinland and ASU in helping strengthen the university’s research infrastructure leading to the commercialization of products and services that foster new industry growth.

“Science Foundation Arizona leverages the R&D capacity of industry, universities, and government to focus on innovation breakthroughs of strategic importance to Arizona’s growing technology sector,” said William C. Harris, president and CEO of Science Foundation Arizona and former director of Science Foundation Ireland. “This new venture by TUV Rheinland builds upon ASU’s solar research expertise and positions the state and ASU as a significant player in the sizable and growing alternative energy market.” Harris announced that SFAz will establish an office in space provided by TUV to ensure his organization can most effectively facilitate industry and university R&D.

TUV Rheinland officials believe their new venture will become an industry leader in promoting technical advancement of the photovoltaic industry and they plan to eventually move beyond photovoltaics to include other green power technologies. This is seen as a global opportunity for the industry as well as a boon for Arizona.

“In an increasingly clean-tech, green energy world, TUV Rheinland PTL is the next generation of renewable energy testing,” said Rob Melnick, executive director and COO of the Global Institute of Sustainability at ASU. “Countries and businesses world-wide are investing heavily in the renewable sector to create high paying, high tech jobs all over the world, even in a weak global economy. In an age of peak oil, it’s clear the arena to be in is renewable energy, now and for the foreseeable future.”

About TUV Rheinland

TUV Rheinland (R) is the world leader in independent testing and assessment services. The $1.5 billion-corporation is comprised of an international network of more than 12,500 employees at over 360 locations in 62 countries and serves most industry sectors and markets worldwide. TUV Rheinland is a member of the Global Compact of the United Nations, a global network of companies and interest groups involved in the world’s largest voluntary corporate social responsibility initiative.

For more information, please visit their website: http://www.us.tuv.com

About ASU’s Global Institute of Sustainability

The Global Institute of Sustainability is the hub of ASU’s sustainability initiatives. The Institute advances research, education, and business practices for an urbanizing world. Its School of Sustainability, the first of its kind in the US, offers integrated degree programs that advance practical solutions to environmental, economic, and social challenges. ASU has a vision to be a New American University, blurring the boundaries that traditionally separate academic disciplines, promoting excellence among its students and faculty, conducting cutting-edge interdisciplinary research inspired by real world application, and leveraging its competitive advantage through strategic global engagement.

For more information, please visit their website: http://sustainability.asu.edu/

About APS and the STAR Center

APS is a subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corporation, a Phoenix-based company with consolidated assets of about $11.5 billion. Through its subsidiaries, Pinnacle West generates, sells, and delivers electricity and sells energy-related products and services to retail and wholesale customers in the western United States. The STAR Center is APS’s 33 acre outdoor testing facility situated on the grounds of a working power plant where solar energy technologies can be monitored for reliability and longevity over a period of decades while providing electricity to the local community.

For more information, please download:

http://www.aps.com/_files/renewable/STARGuide.pdf

About Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz)

With the mission of helping spur new innovation in Arizona and developing a diversified, robust knowledge-driven research and education infrastructure, SFAz, a 501 (C) (3) public/private partnership, has to date awarded $35 million in 59 innovation investments in communications technology, biomedicine, and sustainable systems including renewable energies. In just one year, these investments have demonstrated clear strategic advantages to Arizona by attracting an additional $43.8 million in outside research dollars, seeding the development of eight new companies, and fostering science, engineering, and math skills in over 20,000 students statewide.

For more information, please visit their website: http://www.sfaz.org

Source: Arizona State University

Website: http://sustainability.asu.edu/

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Photo courtesy of RushPRnews website.

Faithful Friends’ Kid Reporters at the CES will report on ‘green’ issues, review new consumer electronics, and more for the Faithful Friends TV show on Animal Planet and for KidsCom.com virtual world

Whether kids are blogging about global climate change, teaming with their avatars in the virtual world to help animals, or socially networking online, today’s digital kids are active consumer electronic users. For that reason, Animal Planet’s hit TV show Faithful Friends joined up with KidsCom.com, the tween (children between the ages of a young child and a teenager) virtual world where kids game green and parents save green, to report about Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which is beginning 08 January 2009.

From the floor of CES, at both the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Sands (hotel) Expo Hall, the kids will be filing reports on the newest electronic devices.

An upcoming Faithful Friends’ Kid Reporter Contest will provide the opportunity for a winning kid reporter to be featured along with 10 year old co-host Electra Mustaine (daughter of “Rocker” Dave Mustaine of Megadeth) on the Faithful Friends TV show. Faithful Friends is seen nationally Saturday’s on Animal Planet and syndicated over 100 NBC, CBS, FOX and ABC (television) affiliates nationwide.

“Kids don’t usually get to interview corporate executives or the President of the United States about subjects that are important to them. We are hoping for the opportunity to interview the ‘First Kids’ Malia and Shasha Obama about their vet’s advice for getting a new puppy, making the White House puppy friendly and new eco-friendly ideas to help our planet,” stated Electra Mustaine, Faithful Friends co-host

“We are like sponges, and becoming leaders to help our planet and our pets’ health is important to learn about and to share. My hope is that we can find other kids to become reporters for our show Faithful Friends.”

KidsCom.com will promote the Faithful Friends Kid Reporter Contest, in its Idea Seeker Universe on KidsCom.com, encouraging videos to be submitted to the Drs. Foster and Smith’s Faithful Friends website pages.

Already, thousands of children are actively participating in digital learning in innovative ways that use technology on KidsCom.com each day, discovering and exploring the topics of going green and helping animals.

As part of their experiences they have used digital cameras in their pursuit of knowledge about energy efficiency; GPS devices in finding out about endangered animals in a real world information scavenger hunt at the National Zoo; and virtual cameras to learn about biodiversity at the virtual Field Museum tied to exhibits in the real Field Museum in Chicago.

“We knew that the convergence between traditional TV broadcast media and new media virtual worlds is actively being used by kids today. This is an important trend to jump on in getting out key messages to families about proper animal and planet care,” said Gordon Magee, Doctor Foster and Smith’s spokesperson.

“We were impressed at how the virtual world of KidsCom.com took digital learning to a new level in their social networking and gaming experiences, making it fun for kids and good for parents. Blending this creativity with a voice on our television show is a great way to spread the word.”

The Faithful Friends television show provides pet owners with veterinarian advice and tips on subjects including health, nutrition, behavior, travel, new and aged pets, horses, fish & coral, and birds. Kids are pet owners too!

Beginning January 17th on Animal Planet, Electra together with a host of 3D animated characters, and Faithful Friends’ host Wanda Goldberg, will introduce the going green segment, “Close Your Eyes and Imagine.” “Close Your Eyes and Imagine” includes segments that encourage and teach us how to compost horse manure for gardening, how to use dog hair to attract birds who are nesting, how to propagate coral in the 3rd longest reef in the world in the Florida Keys and more.

Electra is only one voice, but by blending new media with traditional media her voice will encourage kids from around the world to be more educated faithful friend’s to their pets and their planet. At the CES conference, Electra will be looking to learn how companies and executives at companies such as Mattel, Electronic Arts, ATT, DirectTV and Sesame Street are doing their part.

“We are very excited with the launch of the Pets and the Planet Adventure with Drs. Foster and Smith,” said Jori Clarke, CEO of KidsCom.com. “Kids will not only learn from the Faithful Friends TV show and meet Electra on her virtual world TV set in our Idea Seeker Universe, but having the opportunity to be on the real TV show should take it to a whole new learning excitement dimension.”

Today’s digital kids are today’s and tomorrow’s consumer electronics users. Kids are interested in the latest technologies, services, and ideas that inspire them to play, learn, and grow into their role as the next generation of digital users.

In hopes of becoming the Faithful Friends Kids Reporter, kids will submit digital videos to Drs. Foster and Smith.

This week, Electra will be taking some Idea Seeker Kid Reporters around CES to review and to post their recommendations on KidsCom.com about the best digital devices they can use to help the planet and their pets.

Doctors Foster & Smith and KidsCom.com will be participating in the Kids@Play Summit conference and exhibition held at CES in Las Vegas that explores how kids, from toddler to teen, play, learn, communicate, and entertain themselves in the digital world.

About Doctors Foster and Smith

Doctors Foster and Smith, a privately owned company, is the #1 catalog and online seller of pet supplies and pharmaceuticals in the industry. This firm is known for empowering pet owners by providing extensive veterinarian-supported advice, proprietary information and quality pet products, serving millions of pet owners from coast to coast via their extensive website, publications, and the television series “Faithful Friends presented by Drs. Foster and Smith Pet Supplies” on Animal Planet as produced by Heads & Tails, Inc. Dr. Race Foster and Dr. Marty Smith have become the nation’s foremost authorities on pet wellness, pet care and pet-owner education, earning an unmatched reputation for the scope of their veterinary expertise on dogs, cats, fish, birds, reptiles, pond life, small animals, and equine.

For more information, please visit their websites: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/ and http://www.peteducation.com/

About KidsCom.com

Offering kids and tweens the opportunity to “game green” and their parents to “save green,” for 15 years KidsCom.com has been the place for families from over 200 countries around the world to know their children will Play Smart, Stay Safe, Have Fun(TM). Believing that being in the real world is as important as being in the virtual world, we encourage kids to take what they learn by gaming in our Idea Seeker Universe to become an ambassador of change in the real world. On KidsCom.com, kids learn about important issues such as global climate change, character education and healthcare as they customize their own avatar characters; safely practice social networking skills and team up with old friends and meet new ones from around the world to play and learn. KidsCom.com is published by Circle 1 Network, LLC.

You can game and learn more at http://www.kidscom.com

Source: Doctors Foster and Smith

Website: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/

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The Dynegy, an American power company, decision by to pull out of planned power plant projects means that “coal-fired power is one big step closer to being mothballed once and for all,” according to Green America, formerly “Co-op America.”

On Friday, Dynegy canceled its joint development agreement with LS Power to build a new fleet of coal plants. Although LS Power retains the right to develop the projects on their own, Dynegy is far larger than LS Power, and without Dynegy’s support LS Power will have a much harder time raising funds and securing long-term purchase agreements which enable new power plants to move forward. Green America was a leader in putting pressure on Dynegy to pull the plug on its coal-fired power plant expansion plans.

In May 2008, Green America climate action campaign coordinator Yochi Zakai warned investors attending Dynegy’s annual shareholder meeting about the massive cost of carbon regulation to the company and also raised concerns about the toll of its coal plants on surrounding communities and its impact on climate change. Heeding that message, Dynegy’s stock rose 38 cents on Friday as investors acknowledged the risk that new coal plants represented.

Zakai said, “Dynegy — the company that was being called ‘the next King Coal’ for its extensive new power plant plans — has all but given up pursuit of that throne. 2009 promises to be a landmark growth year for clean energy and with this development coal-fired power is one step closer to being mothballed once and for all in the U.S.”

Under the terms of Friday’s announcement, Dynegy cut its ties to coal-fired power plant plans in Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan and Nevada. LS Power may continue development on the
Arkansas coal plant, and Dynegy currently plans to move ahead with plans to build a new plant in Texas. Green America and other groups vow to continue fighting these new coal plants.

The environmental community had labeled Dynegy “the next King Coal” in response to their plans to build the coal plants, the largest new coal fleet proposed in the USA. Last spring thousands of Green America members spoke up to urge Dynegy to cancel the plants. Working with individual and institutional investors, Green America raised concerns about Dynegy’s climate risk consistently over the past year.

“America doesn’t need dirty, expensive coal-fired power plants. A focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy will be far more cost-effective for meeting power needs going forward,” said Todd Larsen, Green America’s director of Corporate Responsibility. “Investing in efficiency and clean energy will jump start our economy, America’s quest for energy independence and the victory over the climate crisis.”

About Green America

Green America is a not-for-profit membership organization founded in 1982 and known until 01 January 2009 as “Co-op America.” Green America’s mission is to harness economic power — the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace — to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society.

For more information, please visit their website: http://www.greenamericatoday.org

Source: Green America, Washington, DC

Website: http://www.greenamericatoday.org/

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The flight will be powered using algae as a fuel source and the first using a two-engine aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 equipped with CFM International CFM56-7B engines.

The media only demonstration will held at Bush Intercontinental Airport-Houston, Continental Express Hangar, with strict security measures. In attendance will be the scientists and engineers involved in the creation and testing of the biofuel for the demonstration flight and Continental test pilots who will engage the aircraft in anumber flight maneuvers.

Notables present will be, as follows:

*** Larry Kellner, Chairman and CEO, Continental Airlines;

*** Billy Glover, Managing Director, Environmental Strategy, Boeing Commercial Airplanes;

*** Jennifer Holmgren, General Manager, UOP Renewable Energy and Chemicals; and

*** Eric Bachelet, President and CEO, CFM International

Source: Continental Airlines

Website: http://www.continental.com/

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Using guiding questions, graphs, data tables, and short reading assignments to assist their real-life problem solving, teachers and students have the opportunity to investigate six field-tested case studies that explore the impact of our changing climate on various life forms — including penguins, birds, and pollen.

The book also contains three special chapters chock-full of up-to-date background material on climate change for teachers and a six-page summary for students. All these features plus captivating photographs and a glossary of key terms make Climate Change From Pole to Pole a must-have for science teachers who want their students to understand the challenges facing planet Earth.

About the Authors

Field ecologist Juanita Constible is a coastal Louisiana outreach coordinator with the National Wildlife Federation in Baton Rouge. Luke Sandro is a biology teacher at Springboro High School in Springboro, Ohio. Richard E. Lee Jr. is a distinguished professor of zoology at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

To browse sample pages of this new book free, please visit the NSTA Science Store website: http://www.nsta.org/store

For additional information or to purchase Climate Change From Pole to Pole: Biology Investigations and other books from NSTA Press, please visit the NSTA Science Store: http://www.nsta.org/store

To order by phone, call 800-277-5300 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET weekdays. Outside the United States and Canada, call 301-638-0200. The 238-page book is priced at USD $29.95 and discount-priced for NSTA members at USD $23.96. (Stock # PB225X, ISBN # 978-1-93353-123-6).

About National Science Teachers Association

The Arlington, Va.-based National Science Teachers Association is the largest professional organization in the world promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. NSTA’s current membership includes more than 60,000 science teachers, science supervisors, administrators, scientists, business and industry representatives, and others involved in science education.

NSTA Press produces 15-20 new books each year. Focused on the PreK-college market and specifically aimed at teachers of science, NSTA Press titles offer a unique blend of accurate scientific content and sound teaching strategies.

Source: National Science Teachers Association

Website: http://www.nsta.org/

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Ever since disclosing “AUO Green Solutions” early this year, AUO has registered remarkable records in seven major areas: Green DNA, Green Innovations, Green Procurement, Green Production, Green Logistics, Green Service and Green Recycling. In addition, AUO’s new vision for the next decade “Bright Innovation, Amazing Life” also acts as a catalyst to inspire employees to create amazing lives for people by innovative thinking, and to love our planet by fulfilling “AUO Green Solutions.” The establishment of AUO’s “Energy Project Office “marks another proactive move in protecting the environment by offering green energy solutions in addition to the Company’s longstanding efforts in reducing waste and energy consumption. The office represents a major leap forward in realizing this vision.

To address global warming issues that have been induced by traditional fossil-fuel energy, AUO proactively seeks solutions in clean energy as one of its main future businesses. The advantages of solar electric systems include zero green house emissions, convenience for households to install, and significant increases in energy transmission efficiency by smart grid distribution and energy storage.

With its sound technology basis in the TFT-LCD sector and compatibility in numerous manufacturing processes, as well as technology maturity in thin film solar power, (converting efficiency has improved from 5-8% in the first generation to 8-10% in the second generation and even reached 10% and beyond in the third generation), AUO sees this as the right time to establish its “Energy Project Office.” The Company will begin implementing these initiatives with third generation technology directly, starting with a pilot line at its Taichung site in 2009. This also marks a new forward-looking innovative operation model since the Company was founded 12 years ago.

“AUO has been working diligently in providing consumers quality visual amusement. In addition to its ongoing efforts in TFT-LCD technology, AUO is now extending its innovations into the clean energy industry, seeking a win-win situation for CSR fulfillment in protecting the environment and promising green business opportunities for the TFT-LCD industry,” said Dr. LJ Chen, President and COO of AUO. “We also welcome more people and companies to join us. Together, we can strive to advance Taiwan’s green energy industry toward a more international level.”

In related news, AUO successfully hosted a week-long “2008 AUO Photovoltaic Forum” in early December. The forum invited international and domestic renowned solar energy experts to share and exchange views with the AUO task force, resulting in constructive and diversified discussions, as well as many forward-looking ideas. AUO expects that in the near future these advances will foster a lifestyle in which consumers live more advanced and eco-friendly.

About AU Optronics

AU Optronics Corp. (AUO), (TAIEX: 2409; NYSE: AUO), is the worldwide top 3 manufacturer* of thin film transistor liquid crystal display panels (TFT-LCD). They are able to provide customers a full range of panel sizes and comprehensive applications, offering TFT-LCD panels in sizes ranging from 1.5 inches to greater than 65 inches. The firm generated NT$480.2 billion (US$14.8 billion) in sales revenue in 2007 and now houses a staff of more than 40,000 employees throughout its global operations spreading across Taiwan, Mainland China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the U.S., and Europe. Additionally, AUO is the first pure TFT-LCD manufacturer to successfully list at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

For more information, please visit their website: http://www.AUO.com

Source: AU Optronics Corp.

Website: http://www.auo.com/

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