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Money likes green technology. According to the latest data from Thomson Reuters, American greentech startups landed four of the five top grossing venture capital rounds of 2010. But for Twitter, eco-tech companies would have cleaned up the top five spots. The top spot was taken by Better Place, an electric car charging startup which took in $350 million in May. That investment beat last......read more
President Obama pledged last week to pull back oil and gas subsidies in order to direct more dollars toward renewable energy. But can he pull it off? This will be Obama's third attempt at eliminating the subsidies; previous efforts have fallen victim to partisan politics in Congress and the overwhelming influence of fossil fuel lobbyists. So who exactly are these lobbyists?A simultaneously......read more
Sneaker shoppers will be taking home their next pair of PUMAs in something sustainable. The apparel company's new eco-conscious packaging and distribution system, which was unveiled on SHFT last year, will start hitting stores soon. Designed by Yves Behar's fuseproject studio, the so-called "Clever Little Bag" is part of PUMA's footprint reduction strategy. It's claimed that the packaging......read more
With many European and Asian countries pushing forward with policies that promote the development of green tech, the U.S. continues to lag behind, stuck in the mire of partisan politics and climate change skepticism. The result is that U.S. businesses are missing out on a booming, $5 trillion industry. Writing in the New York Times, Elizabeth Rosenthal tracks the case of the Mark Group, a......read more
A GE bigwig is calling the political battle between economy and environment "nonsense." At a clean energy investment conference last week, Mark Vachon, Vice President of GE's Ecomagination program, said "environmental performance" is a key driver for business. "There’s this theory that you have to pick one: economics or environmental performance. That’s......read more
With most industries in California cratering under the weight of an intractable recession, green businesses have proven to be most resilient, according to a new report. The nonprofit Next 10, which is focused on improving California's future, found that the overall state economy shrunk by 7 percent from 2009 to 2010. During the same span, the "core green economy" -- made up of......read more
Solyndra be damned. The well-publicized failure of the solar energy company is but one black mark on an industry that is actually booming. According to the 2012 edition of Clean Edge's Clean Energy Trends report, things look very bright indeed. At Co.Exist, writer Ariel Schwartz sums up the findings: 2011 was the largest year for global wind power installations ever. Wind power is projected......read more
With the rising cost of energy and the depletion of resources traditionally used to power our lives, homeowners all over the nation are searching for alternate sources of energy. Of primary interest are solar panels, which provide free, renewable power by capturing energy from the sun. The problem? The upfront investment -- typically over $30,000 -- exceeds most homeowners' budgets. Enter solar......read more
The big dude with the tattoos and a bad case of five o’clock shadow served up a plate of roasted kabocha squash, organic brussels sprouts, and free-range chicken breast. None of this would have been worth noting had the dish been just another locavore delicacy, prepared by just another hipster chef, during just another lunch hour here among the food-obsessed in Palo Alto,......read more
Most mornings, Danny Kennedy hops on a bike with orange saddlebags and rides half an hour from his home to Oakland’s Jack London Square. He makes for quite a picture cruising down Telegraph Avenue, decked out as he often is in an orange helmet, orange jacket and orange leather Adidas shoes. When he arrives at his office, he often makes his rounds on an orange indoor bike. (He’s not......read more
