environment

At an event in Google's New York offices on Tuesday, the company unveiled a new initiative to make its Google Earth geography software a more accessible tool for nonprofit organizations.

"We're now officially launching a program called Google Earth Outreach," said John Hanke, director of Google Earth and Maps. "Google is stepping up and validating this as a bona fide program that will be staffed in our group."

Google Earth Outreach is now live, and several downloadable layers from the program's inaugural partners--the Global Heritage Fund, Earthwatch and Fair Trade Certified--are now … Read more

There's no easy way to tell if leaving the lights on in the kitchen is causing sky-high electrical bills, but digital tools for smart homes are coming down to earth.

The Building Dashboard from the Lucid Design Group displays a running tally of electricity, natural gas, and water usage within an elegant, precise interface. Showing how many resources are being spent and where in a building, it hooks up to energy meters as well as automation systems from Siemens, Honeywell, and other brands. Alarm bells ring if consumption spikes past preset levels. The real-time display also adds up the … Read more

In this eco-chic era, it can be tricky to separate public-relations greenwashing claims from sincere product-greening campaigns. Businesses vying to appear ecologically kinder and gentler than the competition slap a broad variety of eco-labels onto their goods and services.

Aiming to make corporate practices simpler for consumers to decipher, a new effort by B Corporation is setting stringent sustainability standards. It will audit companies' environmental and social practices, encouraging businesses to integrate green goals into everyday operations. Businesses that pass the test can tap into B Corporation's collective marketing efforts. The so-called "triple bottom line" of serving &… Read more

The California Clean Tech Open kicked off its second competition with a sunny outlook at San Francisco's City Hall Tuesday night. In October the contest will award six fledgling green businesses with start-up starter kits worth $100,000 in cash, office space and professional services. Prize sponsors include AMD, Google, Lexus and Pacific Gas & Electric.

Last year 156 seedling companies entered the open, which is backed by nonprofit Acterra; twice as many contenders are anticipated for 2007. A new green building award joins five other categories: energy efficiency; renewables; smart power; transportation; and air, water and waste. Entries … Read more

Many green products and services sprout on Earth Day only to wither the rest of the year. Hoping to maintain the momentum year-round, many geeks are nurturing social-networking sites for the nature-loving set.

Online communities built to help you take baby steps to green your life include Riverwired--where you can keep a blog, upload videos, and mingle with other members--and Be Green Now, a project of Green Mountain Energy. And in addition to the many green car-sharing, rental, and limo services out there, the new GoLoco site might help you find carpooling pals.

Internet services that encourage users to … Read more

Philips Electronics has come up with a new logo to help consumers identify environmentally friendly and safe products.

The new "Green Tick" logo will label gadgets with "significantly better energy efficiency than the nearest competitor products in the same category as well as having other environmental benefits such as the use of flame-retardant materials," the company said.

Products bearing the logo have been certified by external auditors as being 10 percent more energy-efficient than other products on the market within a given consumer electronics category, according to Philips.

Currently, 7 of Philips' flat TVs carry the … Read more

This is why I love the Internet.

Director Rob Reiner has created a 15-minute sequel to his mockumentary classic This Is Spinal Tap, a portrait of rock's most famous semifictional heavy metal band. While Reiner's short film was featured at the Tribeca Film Festival in April, it won't be released in theaters any time soon.

It is available, however, online.

The short is in part a promotion for Live Earth, environmental charity concerts scheduled for July 7 at locations across the globe. Proceeds from the concerts will help fund a worldwide environmental program led by Al Gore. … Read more

After years of being tight-lipped about the company's environmental efforts, Apple CEO Steve Jobs posted an 1,880 word open letter online Wednesday about the computer maker's work to be green. Jobs cites criticism from environmental groups as his impetus to talk about Apple's initiatives in recycling old products and removing toxic chemicals from new products.

"It is generally not Apple's policy to trumpet our plans for the future...Unfortunately this policy has left our customers, shareholders, employees and the industry in the dark about Apple's desires and plans to become greener. So today … Read more

If you're lucky, as I have been in several cities, you might occasionally flag down a rare taxicab bedecked by its driver with disco balls, mood lighting, tinfoil hearts, or even a menagerie of stuffed animals. This week, San Franciscans got the option to hitch a ride in a novelty taxi of a different sort, as start-up Green Cab's single hybrid Honda Civic hit the road. Next month the fleet could total five gas-electric taxis painted in low-toxic green paint.

"It's not only environmentally friendly, it's good financially for the driver," said Green Cab … Read more