There is always a variety of green stories in the news and this week is no exception.  This edition of green news of the week features:  Toys R Us green building plans, Jake Gyllenhaal promotes sustainable solutions, 25 Recycling facts not everyone knows, Greenland glaciers melting at a record pace,  CO2 emissions in the US have increased by almost 4 percent, and Ford and Toyota are working together on hybrid engines for SUVs and trucks.  If you see a headline and want to learn more, just click on it to read the full article.

Toys R Us Embeds Green Building Elements in Store Expansion Plans
Green building development, recycling, renewable energy and sustainability plays a key role in Toys R Us plans for 21 new stores and 23 existing stores being renovated.  “According to Toys R Us, the new and renovated stores all have sophisticated energy management systems; outdoor signs with LED bulbs that last at least 2 1/2 times as long as the fluorescent bulbs they replace; low-flow plumbing and water fixtures that are expected to save about 34,000 gallons a year at each superstore; high-efficiency automatic hand dryers that use 80 percent less energy than standard devices and a cardboard baler that supports the company’s recycling program.”

Jake Gyllenhaal Helps Inner-City Kids Learn About Sustainable Farming and Healthy Eating
Jake Gyllenhaal gets his hands dirty teaching kids about sustainable farming and healthy eating.  Jake is endorsing an ‘edible education’ by teaching kids to grow and cook their own food just like his family did when he was growing up.  Watch the video with Gyllenhaal on The Today Show  over at ecorazzi.com

25 Interesting Facts You May Not Know About Recycling
Recycling should be a common practice in any green lifestyle, but it’s important to recognize the environmental impact of the decisions we make.  This list of 25 recycling facts is often surprising, always informative and underscores why recycling is essential for the long-term health and sustainability of our planet.

Greenland glaciers show record losses
Increased service temperatures have caused significant losses for Greenland’s glaciers in 2010 and 2011, according to an announcement from researchers this week. “Our fieldwork results are a key indication of the rapid changes now being seen in and around Greenland, which are evident not just on this glacier but also on many surrounding small glaciers,” study researcher Edward Hanna said in a statement. “It’s clear that this is now a very dynamic environment in terms of its response and mass wastage to ongoing climate change.”

U.S. Carbon Emissions Up Nearly 4 Percent
Here’s some shocking green news on CO2 emissions considering all the global green progress, I found this quite disappointing. “U.S. carbon emissions rose by 3.9 percent in 2010, which is the greatest increase since 1988, according to an annual report from the Energy Information Administration.”

Ford, Toyota to work together on hybrid trucks
Ford and Toyota announced Monday they will collaborate on a gas-electric hybrid engine for pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. “Those kinds of models are indispensable to American customers. And providing them with our hybrid technology will help conserve energy and reduce output of greenhouse gas here in the United States. That was our thinking in considering the collaboration,” said Takeshi Uchiyamada, Toyota’s executive vice president for research and development.

And that’s a few of the highlights from this past week in green news.

August 25, 2011