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Going green is catching on with some businesses in the Tar Heel State. In the Triangle, a new pilot program has been launched called Green Plus. It teaches small business owners how to become environmentally friendly and save money.

“Can U.S. Go ‘Green’ Even When Oil Prices Drop?” For NPR by Linton Weeks

“The right way to think about a price on carbon emissions is not to make life miserable for consumers or prevent them from using energy the way they want to. The right way is

99 year old Smith’s Dairy takes environmental measures that boost its bottom line

 
 (From The Plain Dealer, Oct. 19, 2008 – Orrville, Ohio) “… launching a major environmental initiative in  these times actually makes a lot of practical business sense, Schmid believes. “We’re saving money by  paring down on our delivery routes and having our trucks spend less time parked but running their  engines, and minimizing waste in [...]

Idaho: Green manufacturing companies, big and small

From the New York Times: “IDAHO may be best known for its potatoes — it produces, after all, a third of all the potatoes in the United States. But its economy is increasingly being driven by technology and green manufacturing companies, big and small.”

From WIRED: Army Looks to Build World’s Strongest Solar Array

 ”The U.S. military has been making all sorts of bold declarations in recent years about the  need to wean itself from fossil fuels. It is “imperative” that the Department of Defense  ”apply new energy technologies that address alternative supply sources and efficient  consumption across all aspects of military operations,” thundered one Pentagon report.”

“Solar Goes for Gardens to Gigabucks,” from Wired Magazine

“…a converted hard-drive factory with a shiny new façade has begun churning out unconventional solar tubes that could change the economics of solar power.
The highly-automated factory belongs to Solyndra, a three-year-old company that’s received $600 million in venture capital and $1.2 billion in orders for its new modules, which look like curtain rods. Those big [...]

Bike commuter tax break picks up steam

(from CBS News, October 6, 2008):  “Currently, employers may offer a commuting tax-exemption benefit totaling $180 for qualified parking plans or $100 for transit and van-pool expenses. The Bike Commuter Act, co-sponsored by Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., would extend those benefits to workers who commute by bicycle.
With gas prices now at $2 per gallon or [...]

Cleveland law firm Calfee Halter & Griswold innovates family-friendly policies

(October 6, 2008, from the Plain Dealer): “Imagine being able to order your family’s dinner from your work computer in the morning and get it delivered to your office just before you leave for the day. Or bringing your grocery list, your dry cleaning or that pair of shoes with the worn heels to the [...]

“Capitalism to the Rescue,” by Jon Gertner

“In many parts of Silicon Valley, it seemed misguided to regard the U.S. economy as reliant solely on Wall Street. The future still depended on entrepreneurs and innovations and green-tech businesses getting “traction,” as the V.C.’s at Kleiner liked to say. Kleiner was not the only venture firm that had suddenly seen the future and decided [...]

“This Old Recyclable House”: The economics and business of reusing rather than simply demolishing old homes

  This piece in the Sunday, September 28 New York Times is an in-depth and realistic about the challenges of environmental reuse of aging housing stock – a major issue in America’s cities today, especially in light of the sub-prime mortgage crisis.