Daily Green Wrap-up 23.October, 2012

Something interesting happened after A123 Systems filed for bankruptcy last week: the plug-in vehicle industry circled the wagons. AutoblogGreen received press releases and statements from a variety of electric vehicle (EV) players that, when taken as a whole, seem to indicate this particular bankruptcy filing hit a little closer to home than when, say, Think exited stage right.
One of the biggest issues on a state ballot this fall is California’s Proposition 37, which would require clear labels on foods made with genetically modified organisms (GMOs). GMOs are plant or meat products that have had their DNA altered in a laboratory by genes from other plants, animals, viruses or bacteria. GMOs were introduced to foods in the early 1990s, only 18 years ago.
In Pakistan’s Punjab province a novel incentive scheme has been created for students moving from the 9th to the 10th class: Students scoring above 50% in the 9th class exams will be given a solar panel with sufficient power to run one fan and one light.
  • GreenJoyment (Jonathan): It’s really neat that the government is supporting the idea of students doing well by encouraging their parents to make their homes energy independent.  This could reduce a lot of stress on the national energy grid.
Ikea Group, the world’s biggest furniture retailer, plans to double its investment in solar and wind installations and improve efficiency in its operations by 20 percent as part of its larger ambition to become energy independent by 2020.
  • GreenJoyment (Ally): Really, guys? As if I needed another reason to love IKEA! It’s so important that consumers buy from companies that make an effort toward sustainability. It’s one thing to support legislation dealing with energy efficiency at the ballot box, but it’s just as effective (if not more) to “vote yes to sustainability” using the almighty dollar!
Diatoms are tiny marine life forms that have been around since the time of the dinosaurs. Now a team from Oregon State University believes that they could be used to make biofuel production from algae truly cost-effective, as they can simultaneously produce other valuable products such as semiconductors, biomedical products and even health foods.
Tracking and reducing home energy consumption is all the rage. As individuals look for ways to use energy more wisely, manufacturers have discovered a market for new technologies that can make conserving energy easy and maybe even a little bit fun.

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