The Hummer. It is unmistakable on the roadway, and it is probably the closest a civilian will ever get to driving a tank. That’s not surprising, since the Hummer is essentially a military vehicle that was re-purposed for civilian use. It looks a lot like the army’s Humvee because it essentially has the same chassis. The Hummer is heavy, can cross extremely rough terrain, (more…)

The Unstoppable…Solar Lobby?! A skirmish this week in Arizona revealed that the solar industry, while still adolescent, is developing some political brawn. A bill in the state legislature proposed expanding the definition of “renewable” to include nuclear power, a move that would have allowed the state’s lone nuclear plant to fulfill Arizona’s mandate to receive 15% of its electricity from renewables. Solar companies howled, including Suntech Power Holdings, which threatened to cancel its first U.S. factory in Arizona. Days later, the proposal was retired.

Wal-mart to Suppliers: Go Green or Else Wal-mart announced a goal of cutting 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from its supply chain by the end of 2015. By using its unparalleled purchasing leverage, Walmart intends to force greener behavior on the part of its vendors, like it or not. (more…)