Archive for Toyota
Welcome back to the Planet Forward blog for another edition of our weekly green news highlights. This week: the fight for food labels saying ‘genetically engineered’ so you know what you’re eating; 5 winners of 2012 Green Car Awards from the Detroit Auto show; and 5 awesome Apps for healthy green eating guaranteed to help your sustainable lifestyle. Just click on the links to learn more.
On January 18, 2012, a new video by Food, Inc. director underscores the need to label genetically engineered food. We have previously reviewed the documentary Food Inc. from filmmaker Robert Kenner and we wanted to learn more about the Just Label It campaign that inspired the video and his participation. The Just Label It campaign “empowers consumers to fight for their right to know what is in their food. The video, “Labels Matter,” is the result of collaboration between the Just Label It campaign and Kenner’s new project, FixFood, a social media platform that aims to empower Americans to take immediate action to create a more sustainable and democratic food system.” The Just Label It campaign has already assembled 500,000 consumer comments demanding the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) label genetically engineered (GE) foods. The video is an awareness campaign hopes to get one million consumers to comment to the FDA by mid-April. Check out the video at the bottom of this post.
Acura NSX Hybrid Concept (Image Credit: Acura)
It’s time for the 5 Detroit Auto Show 2012 Green Car Awards. There are some pretty cool green cars on this list of winners. For example: “The Can’t Miss Award: Toyota Prius C Hybrid - Americans have already taken to the original Prius, a sluggish, not-too-handsome lump of a car, so when Toyota begins offering the smaller, cuter, cheaper model C this spring, things can only get better. The C boasts an awesome 53 mpg, paint options including Habanero (!), Moonglow (!!) and Summer Rain (!!!) and a base price of around $19,000. Home. Run.” Other categories included the ‘It Followed Me Home, Can I Keep It? Award’ (Smart), the ‘Maybe Next Time Award’ (Lincoln), the ‘Even Better As An Electric Award’ (VW) and the ‘Money No Object Award’ (Acura).
5 Phone Apps for Healthy Green Eating. A more sustainable lifestyle includes buying locally sourced organic foods. Now, you can use your smartphone, iPad or iPod Touch to download apps that help you locate and choose fresh produce and local and seasonal fruits and vegetables. Plus, you can learn about food additives and they’ll teach you what to make with your groceries. Recommended apps include: Harvest, Food Additives 2, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch and Locavore.
I don’t see how anyone can disagree with the Just Label It campaign; consumers should know what they are putting in their mouths to feed themselves and their families. Are you going to download some healthy green eating apps? How about those green car award winners? Comment below and stay tuned for more green news.
January 19, 2012
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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
Tags: carbon emissions, Climate Change, CO2, co2 emissions, conserve energy, edible education, energy efficiency, Ford, Ford Hybrid SUV, Ford Hybrids, glaciers, glaciers melting, green news, greenhouse gas, greenhouse gases, Greenland glaciers, hybrid engine, hybrid engines, hybrid SUV, hybrid trucks, Jake Gyllenhaal, LED bulbs, low-flow water fixtures, organic farming, organic foods, recycle, Recycling, recycling facts, reduce waste, renewable energy, sustainability, sustainable bottles, sustainable farming, Sustainable Practice, sustainable practices, Sustainable Solution, sustainable solutions, The Today Show, Toyota, Toyota hybrid SUV, toyota hybridsReduce Emissions with the Top 10 Green Cars of 2011
Posted by: | CommentsWhat are the top green cars for fuel efficiency and performance? Well, the folks at Kelley Blue Book who have provided expert car reviews and advice for over 80 years have compiled a list of the top 10 green cars of 2011. From Ford to Lexus or Toyota to Nissan, there’s a green car on the list offering broad appeal.
An easy way to reduce emissions and your carbon footprint is to make greener choices when deciding on transportation. Yes, you can bike, walk, carpool or take public transport for the greenest options, but when driving your car is a necessity, consider driving green. There are a variety of green cars on the market today that will help reduce consumption and preserve fossil fuels.
A Jeep Grand Cherokee is one of the worst gas guzzlers out there (the Bugatti Veyron is the absolute worst), so if you’ve got your heart set on a Jeep next, then I guess driving greener hasn’t hit your priority list. For those who listen to their environmental conscience, check out this list of the top 10 green cars of 2011 (click on the link to learn more about each vehicle):
10) 2012 Ford Focus | fuel efficiency: 31 mpg (28 city/38 highway)
9) 2012 Fiat 500 | fuel efficiency: 33 mpg (30 city/38 highway)
8) 2011 Hyundai Elantra | fuel efficiency: 33 mpg (29 city, 40 highway)
7) 2011 Volkswagen Golf TDI | fuel efficiency: 34 mpg (30 city/42 highway)
6) 2011 Ford Fusion Hybrid | fuel efficiency: 39 mpg (41 city/36 highway)
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