Scotland is introducing a new recycling program targeting materials that cause the most environmental damage — including food waste, plastics, and textiles — rather than simply focusing on weight.

Beginning in 2013, local communities and households will be asked to increase recycling of waste materials that have “high (more…)

Richard Bruton TD, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, announced recently that An tSlí Ghlas – The Green Way, Ireland’s first Green Economic Zone, has been accepted as the Irish representative of the Global Cleantech Cluster Association(GCCA).

Membership in GCCA will provide Irish (more…)

In response to the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster in Japan, Germany has announced plans to go nuclear-free without increasing its reliance on fossil fuels. By ramping up investments in renewables, the German government plans to fight climate change while simultaneously avoiding the risks inherent in nuclear energy. If the plan is (more…)

Scheduled for a 2012 release date, the V60 is the first diesel plug-in hybrid electric vehicle in the world.

According to Technologic Vehicles, the V60 features three driving modes: Pure (electric only), Hybrid (default mode) and Power, when the engines act together.

It also features a four-wheel drive mode: at (more…)

France is undoubtedly one of the largest, most influential economies across the globe. As such, they have taken a big approach to become one of the main cleantech sector players. In 2009 alone, cleantech companies throughout France raised over $150 million. The French Parliament is making a number (more…)

The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) recently launched by the UK government has been met with mixed reactions.

The £860bn pound scheme is expected to increase green capital investment by £4.5bn by 2020 and will stimulate a new market in renewable heat. The number of industrial, commercial and public sector (more…)

Earlier this month, Britain’s Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne urged business leaders to change the way they market green products in an effort to move promotional focus away from ethics and responsibilities and market them as the “fun” and “smart” choice.

At the launch of a new report (more…)

Tougher targets and measures to cut carbon emissions will not be adopted by the European Commission, even though it will be more cost efficient in the long term.

The European Commission is expected to release its plans in a road map on climate change and energy policy. The European Union is currently expected to meet two of (more…)

In the last 15 years, Munich, the Bavarian capital of Germany, has managed to decrease its total residual waste volume, to 500,000 tons from 1.2 million tons. The goal of the city is to supply all private households with 100 percent renewable energy by the year 2015. Munich has been named Germany’s “Energy Saving Municipality” and the steps that it has taken (more…)

The Andalucia region of Spain has developed many solar firsts: the world’s first commercial solar power tower (PS10), the largest (PS20), as well as the world’s first solar power plant that generates solar electricity past midnight.  Andalucia will soon add another first to that shiny list: the world’s first commercial baseload solar power plant. (more…)