BT Has a Green Plan for the Future
Communication giant British Telecom (BT) has announced that it plans to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2020. But the real good news is that they are already on the right track so far, and are making big investments for the future like a $500-million wind farm that could generate enough clean electricity to power 25% of the company by 2016, making it the biggest non power utility investor in wind power in the UK (for now – we hope there will be a lot of competition for that top spot). They also ins…

Smart Meters Lead to Electricity Savings
Smart meters are just, well, smart. They allow real-time pricing (f.ex. off peak electricity is less expensive than during peak demand), something that has a big impact on people’s behavior. It basically rewards virtue: If you pay attention, you can save more, and if you don’t, you’ll pay more.

Texas utility Oncor is working with Swiss smart-meter company Landis+Gyr to roll out 3 million advanced meters by 2012. The bill is expected to be $690 million dollars, and will be first paid by customers …

This week is Carnival of the Green # 130 and it’s being hosted by Green Ladywell. So head on over to the site to check out a round up of green news and events from the past week, submitted by other bloggers and green sites.

To learn more about Carnival of the Green, where it will be and how to host (hurry, only a few dates left that are available 2009!), please click here to link to our previous post….

In WW2 they rationed V8 Juice, among other things; in the UK, the Environmental Audit Committee says that a personal carbon allowance is the best way to cut CO2 without hurting the poor.

If you need fuel for your V8 and go over your allowance, you will have to buy credits from somebody else. 10 litres of gas would use up 23kg of credits; a flight to Rome from London would eat up 900kg. The chair of the Committee, Tim Yeo (of the Conservative party) says “We found that personal carbon trading has real potential to engage the population in the fight against climate change and to achieve significant emissions reductions in a progressive way,’ he said. ‘The idea is a rad…

Green Electric Delivery
Purolator, a Canadian courier company, will be testing Unicell’s Quicksider electric delivery vehicle in Toronto in a pilot program of 5 to 10 electric vans that should start in 2009. But in the meantime, the electric Quicksider was shown at the Green Fleet Expo III in Toronto.

The electric delivery truck is not only better for the environment, it is also better for the driver because it is designed to reduce repetitive motion injuries for the operator. On the green front, it has a top speed of 110 kph (65 mph), and an all-electric range of about 62 miles (100 k…

Finally, a use for all those horrible aviator sunglasses that they can’t give away on Canal Street, they are so over now.

“Iconic and original, inspired by the stars who rarely shun their shades in public, the Celebrity lamp has found a new use for aviator glasses, eyes and light switching their usual sides.”

…

Quebec and Ontario Bypass Federal Government on Climate
Tired of waiting for the federal government to make a big move on the climate front, Canada’s two most populous provinces, Quebec and Ontario, have decided to forge ahead on their own. Today they’re signing an accord that will create a system of carbon cap-and-trade. The two provinces hope that this will eventually be expanded to include all Canadian provinces.

“I just want us to be ahead of this curve,” Quebec’s prime minister told reporters. “I don’t want us to be playing catch-up to a new American government in less than a year from now.”…

Joining a growing number of cities, including New York, Seattle, Chicago, London and Copenhagen, Columbus, Ohio has just unveiled a $167.6 million, 288-page, 20-year plan to make the city more bicycle friendly. An integral part of th…

The pod people insist they have a design patent, but we discovered their scale model in Calgary of all places, designed by Vancouver designer Thomas Rasmussen who says it is really a bird house. …