The world's car manufacturers are working hard to develop engines that aren't reliant on dwindling natural resources to fuel them. So-called hybrid engine cars that combine a conventional petrol or diesel engine with an electric one are available now although the present development of batteries means that the power and range of the electric power units available is limited.

A fuel cell that combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity is the hope for the future for many car makers, but the huge PSA Peugeot Citroën group is aiming to go one better with a hybrid car powered by air.

The new system, known as Hybrid Air, will use compressed air to power a hydraulic motor that provides the force needed to operate the transmission and, therefore, the front wheels when the car is in gear. The tank for the compressed air will be located underneath the car and will be fed from air regenerated from the braking system.
Benefits of this system are that the car can run on petrol alone, a mixture of petrol and compressed air, and on air alone. In the latter configuration there will, of course, be zero emissions and no use of scarce oil resources. As well as the obvious advantages for the environment with this new technology, car owners should benefit from low fuel consumption of around 97.4mpg and with CO2 emissions of 69g/km. It is suggested that cars using this process could save motorists around 45 per cent of their present fuel bills as the cars are estimated to be able to run on air for about 80 per cent of an average journey.

Citroën hope to have cars running on the Hybrid Air units by the year 2016, with the current supermini, the C3, likely to be the first air hybrid model on sale. It is also planned to introduce the Hybrid Air System to larger models such as the Citroën C4 as the technology develops and more power is available when running on air.

Developments such as this will be welcomed by anyone who is concerned about the environment. Emissions of greenhouse gases should be reduced and there appear to be substantial savings on the use of petrol. The new Hybrid Air powered vehicles are likely to be around £1000 cheaper at today's prices than the present electric hybrid models, more pleasant music for the ears of motorists struggling to cope with the rising costs of owning a car.

Renewable energy has become a key target for many multinational companies these days, engaged both in energy production and other industrial fields. Certainly, such companies as Shell or British Petroleum are interested in generation of alternative energy that is a part of their sectoral structure. This trend develops faster than one could imagine decades ago, when traditional fuels were of top priority on the energy market. Since the invention of solar panels, cells, batteries, as well as starting construction of wind farms and turbines, renewable energy was put into practice.

To date, advancement of alternative power facilities has touched big transnational companies that in sober fact have nothing in common with energy industry. One of the latest news is associated with Google network, which announced of major investments in construction of wind power stations. Specifically, representatives of Google declared an acquisition of a significant stake in a wind generator farm, which is located in Iowa State, the US. The sum of transaction is about 75 million dollars, which raises total investments of Google in renewable energy projects up to 1 billion dollars. Thanks to such a "financial contribution" 15 thousand households will get electric power in short terms. Future power station will be located in Rippey town, Green County.

It is interesting to know that Google investments into renewable energy projects are not always about getting clean energy solely. It is obvious that as any other corporate giant, its authorities are intended to receive some significant revenues. In addition, they also chase a purpose of getting energy utility for local data centers of Google. Taking into account enormous cost of providing electricity to data centers of the company, it conducts systematic investments into renewable resources.

For instance, such an idea took place in Oklahoma, where Google Energy purchased 100 MW of power produced by Oklahoma wind farm. Most of Google investments in green energy projects are related to American facilities, located in Oregon, California, North Dakota and others. Especially, Oregon wind farm is expected to be the most powerful in the world; 100 million dollars have been already invested in the project with promised capacity of 845 MW. In addition, the company also invested 5 million dollars in Brandenburg solar station. In 2013 there is one more important project Google is engaged in. It is referred to a number of photovoltaic farms in Mojave Desert, California. The construction was started in 2010.

It is impossible not to mention that Google is not the only IT company dealing with energy production. More precisely, LightSail, Startup Company on energy market, has alerted an attention of Bill Gates (Microsoft founder) and Peter Thiel (PayPal co-founder), who donated 37 million dollars in alternative various projects conducted by LightSail.
To sum up, the words of Peter Thiel in a very best way explain why such corps like Microsoft and Google should take part in advancement of renewable energy aside fuel giants and national governments: "it's time to find honest companies that can develop technologies that stand on real innovation instead of the backs of taxpayers." Thus, technological advancement and significant investment may assure green future for us.

According to the latest report on Emissions released by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), increase in energy consumption and warm temperatures have led to higher Greenhouse Gas emissions in the US. Gas emissions grew by 3.3 percent in 2010 and amounted to 6.866 billion tones in the period of one year between 2009 and 2010. Greenhouse Gas emissions from burning fossil fuels, which had shown a declining trend in 2008 and 2009, also increased by 3.6 percent in 2010. On the whole, the US Greenhouse Gas emissions rose by 11 percent from 1990 to 2010 leaving behind warning signals.

The report further mentioned that the energy consumption mainly increased because of the higher energy demands resulting from the economy recovery and manufacturing output expansion. Another reason for higher energy consumption was stated to be warmer climate conditions in the US. The warm weathers led to increased usage of air conditioners and other relief measures commanding higher energy consumption in 2010.

The US aims to reduce their domestic Greenhouse Gas emissions by an amount which is 17 percent below the 2005 emissions, by the end of 2020. The US Government indeed needs to take significant measures to implement carbon capping legislation and control energy consumption to achieve the stated targets.

If the time has come to replace your existing flooring, it's also a great opportunity to consider the rapidly growing selection of eco-friendly carpet options available on the market today. Professional carpet installers, like Empire Today, can help you select and install such environmentally friendly carpet flooring. Choosing eco friendly carpeting options can help to reduce levels of indoor air pollution which can be much higher in homes with traditional carpeting. It can take years for the volatile organic compounds released from traditional carpets to dissipate, and some of these are known carcinogens including benzene and formaldehyde.

Eco friendly carpeting options today are durable, sustainable and stylish, and many are also less costly than conventional carpeting options. You should look for carpeting options which are made out of natural fibers and have not been treated with chemicals. It is also important to look for natural fiber backing on your carpet and ensure that the carpet is installed using non toxic adhesives. Some carpet companies, like Empire Today, have recognized the importance of green practices as they offer a range of eco friendly flooring as well as a carpet recycling program.

Global Energy Development is an international energy development company hat focuses on exploration and production in Latin America. The company has swung to a profit in the first half of 2011 thanks to higher oil prices and an increase in production. The company posted pre tax profits of 2.64 million pounds during this period as compared to a loss of 1.33 million pounds in the first half of last year.

Revenues increased to over 17 million pounds, up from 11 million pounds last year. Average gross production was up 15% to over 240,00 barrels in the first half of 2010, and average net profit per barrel rose to $61. According to executives at the company, the volatility in publicly traded oil markets can have a large impact on the operations of the company. They see the recent declines in oil price as a concern, although they believe that in the long run oil prices will rise based on strong fundamentals.

Inasmuch as recycling is a complement to alternative energy efforts, I'm encouraged to see businesses stepping up to the plate in terms of recycling programs. I think it's really empowering for our self-sufficiency as a country to use our resources with greater care, based on what we know now. Previous generations often seemed to see our resources as unlimited. Today, responsible companies aren't taking our resources for granted. They're implementing recycling programs, like what I found out about Empire Today Recycling, for example, when I was helping a friend look for carpeting. Once my friend saw this aspect of the company, he decided to definitely only buy from a business that's serious about recycling. I understood how he felt…it's that important. So I'd urge everyone to look for such a program in a company you buy from, whether it's Empire Today or any other type of business you patronize. Use your power as a consumer to support businesses who are doing right by our country's use of energy and resources. That's a picture that we all need to see…in high resolution! As consumers, we owe our utmost resolve not only to ourselves but to future generations in supporting business recycling. So ask about a company's recycling program; if they've got one, great, if not, you just might help raise awareness simply by having asked the question!

Investment dollars continue to pour into clean-tech ventures as world energy demand dictates a serious look at alternative energy sources like solar, wind and electric cars. With numerous IPOs on the docket in this space, it is still hard to value the potential market for clean technologies.

Some venture capitalists estimate that it could be hundreds of billions when you add up the various sectors, including wind and solar. These estimates are concrete enough to drive $5 billion worth of VC investment into domestic clean-tech startups last year alone, which is an increase of 40% over 2009 levels. While some may consider it to be a bubble, the numbers suggest that much of this investment represents long-term interest in the sector. There has also been an increase in the average size of deals and a bias towards later-stage deals.

An international team of scientists have given a preview of a report that will be released at the end of this month. It indicates that up to 77% of the global energy supply could be met by renewables by mid-century. This optimistic projection is the most positive of four scenarios that the scientists analyzed int the report, but it is already raising questions on some of the renewables that that have been included in these scenarios.

The key takeaway is that there can be no appreciable rise in renewable energy in the global market without the right enabling of public policies. Included among the renewable energy sources in the report is bioenergy, which includes forest, agricultural and livestock residues and so-called second generation biofuels. Other technologies that were cited include wind energy, direct solar power, hydropower, geothermal energy and ocean tidal energy.

Some shipping and logistics companies have embraced the concept of corporate social responsibility as a way to build their brand image and improve their operations. For shipping companies, corporate social responsibility often starts with a focus on their environmental impact and how to reduce negative effects on the local environment, such as reducing their consumption of oil and energy.

Just like an individual person, a company also needs the right conditions in which to flourish. In comparing a company to a human being, it also implies that a corporation should have a conscience. Some shipping companies find ways to contribute to the local communities in which they operate as part of their corporate social responsibility programs as well. They can help to find solutions to problems like unemployment and childhood diseases in cooperation with nonprofits, with a focus on prevention.

Entrepreneur Perry Mandera provides a good example of corporate social responsibility throughout most of his career. Even as recently as this year, he was selected as an honoree for making a difference in state youth crime prevention. Mandera received the Illinois State Crime Commission (ISCC) Citizen of the Year Award for his donations to many charitable organizations, many of them having to do with children.

Through his charitable foundation, Custom Care Charities, Mr. Mandera helped to provide relief to Hurricane Katrina victims with food and supply donations literally shipped in by the truckload. Perry also provided transportation services for the recent ISCC/PAL's "Clothes for Kids" program. His full service transportation company also employs hundreds of people in his local community and serves clients which range from small businesses to large corporations.

Perry Mandera built his reputation as a successful entrepreneur and also as a community leader through his charitable work. Mandera has donated large amounts of money to various charities over the years, including the Walter and Connie Payton Foundation and the Y-Me National Breast Cancer Organization. He is also actively involved with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, along with many other children's charities.

Mandera is a huge sports fan who enjoys coaching youth sports as well. He has coached basketball, baseball and football teams alike, as well as provided support for boxers who competed in the Olympics. One of his more recent projects was to establish a charitable organization to focus on his passion of helping young people in the Chicago area.

The school district in Petaluma, California has switched over to a solar power system using Sharp's 235 watt solar modules, that was designed and implemented by Cupertino Electric, Inc. The system is comprised of two arrays mounted on canopies at two city high school campuses, and it is projected to reduce the district's annual energy supply costs while offsetting greenhouse gas emissions in the process.

The system will help the school district to educate its students about renewable energy, and also serve as an example for other organizations looking to make the shift to more energy efficient technologies. It will enable the school district to put the money it saves on its energy bills back into the classroom, at a time when education budgets in the state are especially tight.