In part 4 of our 5 part ‘best of 2011’ series this week, we look back at the weekly green news we highlighted from other green blog sites to establish our top 3 from Planet Forward blog readers.  To recap this week, our ‘best of 2011’ series has included our 3 most popular Meatless Monday vegetarian recipes; the 3 top corporate social responsibility initiatives; and our 3 most popular green posts.  Our weekly green news segment touches on several different articles covering various environmental issues, sourced from other reliable green blog websites.  When we took a look at the year in review, green news subjects included green chefs, coffee-powered cars, the Greenpeace Green electronics guide, organic food and recycled homes, to name a few.  Let’s see where these topics ranked:

EcoARK built from 1.5 million plastic bottles

In 1st place 10 Green Chefs, Coffee-powered cars, Health and Climate, Recycled Structures and Boeing.  A wide range of topics I know.  10 Green chefs included a list of chefs serving up wholesome food whether it be vegetarian, vegan and/or sustainable. We found the concept of a coffee-powered car intriguing, and it took us all the way to England, where coffee grounds were used to power a modified Rover SD1.  This edition also featured Health and Climate Change: 7 Ways You Are Being Harmed.  Then we explored 5 amazing structures made from recycled plastic bottles which included the astounding EcoARK (see photo), which is located in Taipei and is built out of 1.5 million recycled plastic bottles.   And finally, Boeing 787 declared its 787 Dreamliner will use 20 percent less fuel and produce 20 percent fewer emissions than similarly sized planes. 
 
In 2nd place, the Greenpeace Green Electronics Guide, Home Depot Holiday Light Exchange and Buying Organic Foods weekly green news roundup.  Greenpeace released the seventeenth edition of the Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics which rated companies on a scale of 1 to 10 and placed them in either a green, yellow or red zone contingent on their performance. Electronics providers were evaluated based on policies and practices to reduce their impact on the climate, produce greener products and make their operations more sustainable.  This edition also included Home Depot’s Holiday light exchange program, which offered customers the opportunity to exchange their old holiday lights for a 30% discount off new, eco-friendly LED lights.  And last but not least, we incorporated a report from the Organic Trade Association which indicated that 78% of American families are now buying organic foods.

3rd place showcased recycled 747 Jets, recycled homes and recycled art which brought the concept of upcycling to a whole new level.  Architect David Hertz actually used recycled materials of a 747 jet from a California scrap dealer to make a beautiful home for organic gardening and green enthusiast, Francie Rehwald.  Then we covered The Daily Green’s list of ‘Amazing Homes and Offices Built from Shipping Containers’.  Shipping containers are commonly used for importing and exporting goods, but they can be recycled and upcycled into fantastic homes, offices or classrooms.  Make sure you check out the truly remarkable Container City™, which includes a series of eco-friendly, condo-like homes housed in upcycled shipping containers.  If you want something more private, you can’t go wrong with Ecopods, individual homes also constructed from steel shipping containers.  And finally, we discovered some pretty amazing upcycled art with 10 stunning animal sculptures made from recycled materials.

And that concludes part 4 of our ‘best of 2011’ green news weekly blogs.  Tune in tomorrow for our final instalment in our ‘best of 2011’ series which will include our top 3 eco-friendly crafts.
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