Ariel Schwartz

I've become so jaded from hearing the phrase "clean coal" bandied about that Laurus Energy's claim that it actually has developed a source of clean coal leaves me a little skeptical. The company, which recently received $9 million from a venture firm, wants to generate power using underground coal gasification.

The process works by digging a deep production well and putting an industrialized cigar lighter inside of it. This in turn ignites the coal, which turns into synthetic gas and is taken to the surface through another well. The synthetic gas is separated out— CO2 is injected into other wells to take crude oil out of the ground, while hydrogen, methane, and hydrocarbons...

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A poll of Nevadans conducted by Public Opinion Strategies has shown that residents of the state strongly favor renewable energy.

According to the 600 person poll, 85 percent of Nevada Republicans, 89 percent of Democrats, and 94 percent of Independents think renewable energy is a sound investment that will create new jobs.

The poll results led Dave Archer, the chief executive officer of the Nevada Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, to proclaim that Nevada could become the renewable energy capital of the world.

Archer points out that the state is already developing solar, geothermal, and algae-based biofuels. With ample space and natural...

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Together, a consumer engagement campaign that fights climate change, announced yesterday the launch of the "Togetherizer", an online tool that quantifies CO2 savings from consumers and organizations that have adopted solutions suggested by Together.

Togetherizer's first round of calculations only include products and services from Dell, Lenovo, and Target, but other companies will be included as the campaign expands.

Since its launch earlier this year, Together has helped avoid 1,370,290 tons of CO2 emissions through solutions that help consumers save money while lowering their carbon footprints. Together has saved over $170 million in energy costs.

Partners in...

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Golf courses: centers of work, play, and...carbon sequestration? Golf courses covered in turfgrass sequester carbon more quickly than any other urban landscape, and one enterprising company wants to take advantage of that fact.

The Golfpreserves project plans to package sequestered carbon from golf courses participating in their program and sell the resulting carbon credits.

Revenue from credit sales will go back into greening the golf industry through environmentally improved turfgrass, irrigation, and pesticide use. 

In addition to making golf more sustainable, the Golfpreserves program could also make the game more attractive to  consumers. ...

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After numerous stalled talks, European carmakers have agreed to cut greenhouse gases by 18 percent from new vehicles in the next six years.

While British lawmakers insist that the compromise is best for both the environment and the car industry, environmentalists and automakers think otherwise. 

The German automobile federation VDA claims the compromise ignores the car sector's financial crisis, while environmental advocates believe that it caters to the auto industry.

As a result of the agreement, CO2 emissions from new cars have to be cut to 130 grams per km. By 2020, emissions have to be cut to 95 grams per km. 

Automakers that violate the new law will be...

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United Airlines recently demonstrated that carbon emissions and fuel usage can be drastically reduced by using simple fuel saving measures. During a flight from Sydney, Australia to San Francisco, California, the airline reduced CO2 emissions by 33,000 pounds and saved 1,600 gallons of fuel.

United Flight 570 departed from normal procedure by performing a smooth, continuous descent into landing, using up-to-the-minute fuel data, flying in normally restricted airspace, and getting priority takeoff clearance.

The flight was part of the ASPIRE (Asia and South Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions) program — a partnership between the Federal Aviation Administration,...

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