Getting Green Off The Grid

How long before most major corporations are providing their own power?
Toyota’s lessons learned on solar power

Toyota installed a 536-kilowatt system in 2003. The solar power provides 20% of the power needs of Toyota’s south campus complex, a 624,000-square-foot building that’s part of the company’s national headquarters in Torrance, Calif. On some sunny weekends, the system, […]

Just a little bit helps.
» Take your spare room off-gridSolar panels, wind turbines, renewable energy, water - life off-grid

I love the last line: “t’s not exactly a rapid-response vehicle, then, but it will be used by supervisors”. Ain’t that the truth. More on it here.

Fuel cell truck fights fires - 4Car News from Channel 4

DaimlerChrysler has made a zero-emissions F-Cell fuel cell truck for the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District […]

The Built Green (Canada) site is here. The Seattle version is here.
Going green to Save Some Green

Geothermal energy, once the dream of off-the-grid environmental enthusiasts, has become the new chic among CEOs, doctors and developers — people with the means to afford expensive geothermal systems in private homes.
“I have a client who put a […]

Anyone can have an algae tank in their back yard. Swimming pools come to mind.
Las Cruces Sun-News - Biofuel bonanza may lie in algae tanks

The NMSU science center is serving as the location of research led by the Center of Excellence for Hazardous Materials Management, based in Carlsbad. The research is focused on […]

Story about the Hopewell Project.
Solar power eliminates utility bills in U.S. home - Yahoo! News

Michael Strizki heats and cools his house year-round and runs a full range of appliances including such power-guzzlers as a hot tub and a wide-screen TV without paying a penny in utility bills.
His conventional-looking family home in the pinewoods of western […]

Could you imagine every Staples store being solar powered? That would be huge!
SDCExec.com - Article - Staples Moves Forward on Green Supply Chain with Debut of Solar Power at DC

Office supplies giant Staples on Tuesday took a major step forward in its efforts to move toward “green power” as it joined with the Connecticut […]

I’m waiting for CR to come put with buying guides for a lot of “off the grid” items.
ConsumerReports.org - Buyer’s guide to pellet- and wood-burning stoves 1/07

Rising energy costs have prodded Americans to buy not only more fuel-efficient cars, but also wood pellets, which generally are made from sawdust and wood shavings, as fuel to […]

I wish there was one of these workshops in my area.
Biodiesel Homebrew Workshop

For those interested in learning how to make biodiesel from used restaurant oil. You will learn the chemistry and tricks of making quality biodiesel by making small batches and experimenting with different vegetable oils, catalysts, and pH indicators. We will also cover washing, […]

This is taking the “off grid” concept to the extreme.
Adirondack Base Camp » » Adirondack Bushman Captured After 20 years in the Woods

The man police believe endured the elements of the Adirondacks in a pine-branch shelter was Alan G. Como, 56, whose last known address was in Massachusetts, police said. He told police […]