Enterprise Holdings today announced that it will convert its entire fleet of more than 600 Alamo Rent A Car, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental airport shuttle buses  in 50 North American markets to begin using at least 5 percent biodiesel (B5). The company said it will immediately convert buses in nine markets to 20 percent biodiesel (B20) as a first step toward the company’s goal of converting its entire bus fleet to B20 over the next five years.

Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board; Dr. Richard Sayre, Director of Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels; and Lee Broughton, director of corporate identity and sustainability for Enterprise Holdings. (Photo: National Biodiesel Board)

Enterprise Holdings expects to complete the conversion to all B5 by spring of this year, with at least 50 percent converted to B20 by the end of next year. Buses in nine markets are immediately being converted to run on B20 where the fuel is centrally stored and available: Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Raleigh/Durham, San Antonio and San Diego.

“This investment in biodiesel follows our commitment to our customers and our business to use our fleet to help grow the clean fuel market. By embracing alternative fuels and engine technologies, they have a greater opportunity to become commercially viable,” said Lee Broughton, director of corporate identity and sustainability for Enterprise Holdings. “Biodiesel’s benefits to the environment support our commitment to environmental stewardship, as well as our sustainable approach to managing our business for long-term success.”

In addition to embracing biodiesel and other alternative fuels as they become commercially viable, Enterprise Holdings has spent millions in support of renewable fuels research. In 2007, the company’s owners, the Taylor family, made a $25 million grant to the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis to create the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels. Led by renowned plant researcher Dr. Richard Sayre, top scientists work at the Institute to develop alternatives to finite fossil fuels by finding new ways to create fuel from renewable, reliable plant sources.

The announcement was made at the National Biodiesel Conference in Grapevine, Texas.

Electric vehicle company THINK has released its first U.S. EV-Ready Cities Index. The THINK EV-Ready Cities Index takes into account purchase and usage incentives – such as HOV lane access and infrastructure support, and market fit, including hybrid sales, traffic congestion, EPA air quality zone status, and potential energy sources for vehicle recharging. The index was compiled for THINK by ASG Renaissance, a market research and business services firm located in Dearborn, Mich.

Los Angeles is the most EV-ready U.S. city.

1. Los Angeles
2. San Francisco
3. Chicago (tie)
4. New York (tie)
5. San Diego
6. Portland
7. Sacramento
8. Newark
9. Seattle
10. Atlanta
11. Denver
12. Boston
13. Washington DC
14. Philadelphia
15. Phoenix

THINK is a Norwegian carmaker whose subcompact EV City model is road-ready and being sold in Europe. The company has set its sites on the United States and is building a manufacturing plant in Elkhart, Indiana. It’s also working with AeroEnvironment to develop a fast-charging EV network, which it demonstrated in January at the Washington D.C. car show. The new network would be able to restore 80 percent of the vehicles power with a 15-minute charge. AeroEnvironment Inc. is headquarted in Monrovia, Calif.

Everyone is told to recycle because it is good for the environment, but what if it was also good for you? RecycleBank is a program that financially rewards households for recycling. And the concept is sweeping the  country, with small and large cities signing on. Even cities that already offer recycling, such as Chicago and Los Angeles, are looking at the independent program as a way to raise recycling rates.

When a person uses RecycleBank, their community money by conserving natural resources, and diverting trash from landfills — and they earn points for discounts at stores. The bins are weighed each week, and for every pound of recycling a person collects, he or she receives 2.5 points. The more one recycles, the higher the reward, up to the maximum of 450 points per month.

The average RecycleBank member collects $240 in reward value each year, according to the company. The points can be redeemed at more than 1,500 local and national retailers including:

• Bed Bath & Beyond
• Hobby Lobby
• Olive Garden
• Ruby Tuesday
• Sam’s Club
• Seventh Generation
• Sunglass Hut
• Whole Foods Market
• Zales

Aside from the typical paper, plastic, and aluminum, RecycleBank accepts “e-waste,” which includes laptops, cell phones, iPods and mp3 players. Since these items cannot be thrown into the recycle bin, the company provides shipping labels online so members can mail the products to the appropriate location and still receive points.

“RecycleBank has seen dramatic results across the country. We have doubled, tripled and even quadrupled recycling volumes wherever we launch our program. This creates a quadruple win scenario as residents gain savings and free products through the rewards program. Local main streets see a stimulus as over 50 percent of all rewards redeemed are redeemed locally,” said Lisa Pomerantz, vice president of communications for RecycleBank.

RecycleBank, which was founded in 2004, is growing quickly. It currently operates in 300 cities in 24  states, including major markets such as Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia and Phoenix. Just last summer, RecycleBank took its program international by launching in the United Kingdom in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, as well as Halton Boroughs.

Currently, Chicago is in the middle of a six month pilot program, in which 10,000 houses in Wards 5, 8, and 19 were selected to participate. Chicago expects to redirect approximately600 tons of waste from landfills, as well as producing more than $500,000 in local economic stimulus.

“Chicago is a beautiful place to live, work and raise a family,” said Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley in a statement. “Working with RecycleBank will enable us to meet our recycling goals while giving something back to our residents. During these rough economic times, saving money on groceries, clothing, at the pharmacy, or even on free movie tickets is of significant value.” Results of the pilot will be available once the program is complete this spring.

Beginning in April, RecycleBank will launch a pilot program of 15,000 homes in the West Valley and North Central sections of Los Angeles.

City leaders like the program because it offers a reward to residents for doing what cities want them to do in the first place.

“Partnering with RecycleBank is a great way to protect our environment, invigorate our local economy, keep our community clean, and deliver meaningful, everyday savings to the residents of Westland,” Mayor William Wild of Westland, Mich. said. “Everybody wins.”

RecycleBank has been receiving accolades for its efforts. It was named the 2009 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer and the United Nations Programme 2009 Champion of the Earth.

To date, RecycleBank has saved 4.3 million trees and 288 million gallons of oil, the company estimates. Its formula: For every one ton of paper that has been recycled, 17 trees are saved. For every three pounds of plastic, aluminum and glass that is recycled, one gallon of oil is saved. RecycleBank keeps an ongoing tally of its positive carbon footprint, and each member’s impact also is tracked by total recyclables.

Call RecycleBank to find out if their services are offered in your community, 1(888)727-2978.

Copyright © 2010 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Everyone knows you can’t shop your way to green. A true greenie is always looking for ways to reduce and reuse. That line of thinking generally doesn’t propel you to the mall, at least not often.

But (you knew there was a but…) eco-conscious consumers still have needs. Their motivations are just different. They look to buy lower impact, organic products from like-minded companies and retailers. They want fairly produced goods to create a less-toxic home environment, with healthful food, that supports sustainable practices.

Over the past two years, we’ve noticed that the market is bringing us more and more small, green stores that aim to be a nexus for this movement. Take it back. Some are large, like the home supply Green Depot in New York City. They sell lotsa stuff that can really help you dig in to cut your energy bills and remodel greenly.

Earth Goddess sells eco-goodies at its new store in Allentown, N.J.

Many of these stores, though, are smaller urban hubs that are helping nurture nascent green brands, organic products and alternative ways of life.

Of course, yes, we know, there have always been alternative stores. I have delighted for many years in burrowing through salvage spots, hardware outlets, off-the-track food markets and old-time seed stores that somehow survived the century.

But these new green stores are taking the movement uptown. They’re selling not just raw goods, but eco-stylish clothing, pure spa formulations, health food concoctions and creative, high-concept products that up-cycle  used everyday items. (Some pricey, some a bargain.)

You’re likely to see a sleek salad bowl crafted from a chunk of discarded wood or an artsy organic cotton quilt. At the the Twin Cities Green store in uptown Minneapolis, which we visited a few months ago, we found  everything from pure latex mattresses to a hemp washrags, from soy candles to purses constructed of license plates.

Other stores, such as the Greenheart Shop in Chicago focus on food — serving up raw honey, Fair Trade chocolate and healthful teas — and clothing. The shop, which helps support artisans around the world and human development projects in the U.S., sells gorgeous handbags made from recycled saris and affordable frocks constructed of recycled and organic fabrics.

Still other green purveyors, and there are getting to be many, lean toward selling household goods, rugs made of flip-flop scraps, garden tools and compost.

And leave it to San Francisco, to bring us the leading edge, Green 11: A store that tackles consumer waste. At Green 11, you can refill your existing plastic bottles with organic cleaners, shampoos and personal products.

It’s great to see that the free market does provide. This week, we heard about two more green stores opening, one in Houston and one near Trenton, N.J..

Best wishes to:

• One Green Street, opening at 5160 Buffalo Speedway in Houston. Owners Sherry and David Eichberger will be selling personal products like natural perfumes, clothing made from recycled plastic, pet food and . . .  too much to mention. See their products page. Sherry was inspired to open a store devoted to a cleaner lifestyle after seeing two robust adult men in her neighborhood lose their lives to leukemia, a disease that’s been linked to environmental toxics.

• Earth Goddess, 28 S. Main St.,  in Allentown, N.J.., carries candles, reusable bags, purses made from recycled tires and a large selection of recycled and earth-friendly jewelry.  Rick Lobley tells us they’ll be selling everything from fingerless bamboo gloves to cheese boards made from wine bottles to those purses constructed of recycled soda can tabs.

Copyright © 2010 Green Right Now | Distributed by GRN Network

If you’ve been taking your home green, you know how ideas can feed off each other. Someone gets picky about paper recycling; someone else becomes the food waste arbiter; pretty soon everyone has their eco-role and the household’s carbon footprint is shrinking.

Hotel Triton Lobby (Photo: Markham Johnson)

Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants realized early on that green grows like that.  The hospitality chain, with roots in San Francisco, has a history of putting eco-friendly ideas in place. Even before green hotel or green restaurant designations were developed, Kimpton was experimenting with eco-friendly practices at its San Francisco properties, such as the Hotel Triton, where motion sensors turn off lights and 60 percent of the waste gets recycled.

Non-toxic products, green cleaners, low VOC paints, low-flow faucets – all these turned up in Kimpton Hotels while other hotels were still on the highway of high-consumption. In addition, Kimpton has restored several historic buildings, supporting pedestrian-friendly urban areas. Stay at a Kimpton and you may find yourself ensconced on an eco-friendly mattress, drinking organic coffee and munching on a Clif bar.

Still, as the Kimpton chain grew greener, it had to figure out how to roll out the plan to all of its properties, including those outside of the Bay Area where environmental practices were not as well understood.

By 2005, the luxury hotel group had decided to standardize its green practices, requiring all Kimptons to adhere to an “Earth Care” program. But it didn’t want to impose a rigid top-down program. The solution: Kimpton named “eco-champions” at each of its hotels and encouraged them to form green teams and let ideas bubble up.

“You’ve got to get people on the front lines, who are doing the work, whose job you’re changing, a voice…and they’re right there, they see where the waste is,” said Niki Leondakis , chief operation officer for Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants.

The Kimpton leadership, which currently oversees 48 hotels in cities from New England to California, learned the importance of buy-in earlier. In 2003, when Kimpton decided guests could opt out of having their sheets and towels washed every day, management was surprised that many housekeepers were reluctant to make the change. “The housekeepers couldn’t grasp the idea that they were doing a good job by not changing the towels. They needed training that if the towels were on towel bar, the guest wanted to save water and soap…and it was OK,” Leondakis said.

Today, the staff is more likely to get it, though the hospitality group still treads carefully in determining what clients will tolerate – and remain satisfied customers. That has left several green issues still on the table, such as whether a hotel can reduce plastic water bottles when guests on-the-go seem to expect that perk, or whether guests will accept room amenities in bulk dispensers (foregoing that little souvenir of the trip).

“We were initially, like, ‘We’re going to get rid of bottled water entirely.’ And we’d offer filtered tap water in reusable containers both in the restaurants, and our vision was to create a reusable container almost like a flask that people paid a nominal fee for and then they’d refill it at a water cooler. But the consumer does not seem to be ready for that,” Leondakis said.

Look for the green teams and “eco-champions” to find a solution. So far, the local crews are forging viable new ways on various fronts.

In DC, Chef Robert Weland at the Post Modern Barasserie in D.C. was the driving force behind an herb garden. He not only uses it in his dishes, but gives tours.

In Portland, at the Hotel Monaco, someone decided the facility could get along without those paper-wasting phone books. Now all Kimptons get by without guest room phone books.

Hotel Monaco Chicago (Photo: David Phelps)

In Chicago, the cities’ three Kimpton Hotels, the Monaco, Burnham and Allegro became leaders in the Green Seal green cleaner certification program, prompted by a mayor’s green initiative. Now the three are among just 50 Green Seal certified hotels nationwide.

The 20-year-old program requires the use of green cleaners, energy efficiency and recycling. (For details, see this listing.)

Using green cleaners prevents water pollution, provides for healthier interior air and curbs carbon emissions. The typical silver-ranked Green Seal hotel saves 400 tons of CO2 emissions every year, said Charlotte Teyraud, a spokeswoman for the non-profit Green Seal.

The Chicago hotels also  advocated for a commercial recycling program, that was eventually put into place with the help of city hall, says Nabil Moubayed, manager of the 192-room Hotel Monaco Chicago along the city’s Magnificent Mile:

Now in the “5^th phase” of instituting the Kimpton “Earth Care” program, Moubayed says the Hotel Monaco has found that going green is working on many levels:

• About 60-70 percent of the hotel’s customers use the opt-out linen/towel program, saving money and water.

• The Green Seal-approved cleaners, which the hotel buys in bulk, concentrated form, are saving the hotel about $25,000 a year. The non-toxic cleaners are healthier for staff and guests and biodegradable. (As for that outdated worry about green cleaners not working – Moubayad says surveys burst that myth. “When we look at guest comments. We have the highest score in the company for clean bathrooms and guest rooms.”)

• The hotel recycles about half of its trash, which also saves money because sending out the garbage costs more in trash fees than sending out recyclables, even in this down-market for recyclable material.

Hotel Monaco room overlooking Chicago River

Green ways are catching on among staff, he says. When Monaco’s valet crew discovered that the dry cleaners they were using was discarding hangers after one use, they were aghast. They went to work to find a solution. Now the hangers are reused.

Guests, too, are contracting the green bug. While they remain a diverse group that’s not easily gauged, Moubayed says surveys show that the majority of people stay at Kimpton because of the hotels’ greener rep.

“We’ve seen a pretty high percentage of guests choosing use because we have a strong Green Care program.” he  said. “We don’t want them to feel like everything we doing is in their face. The (guest room) recycling bin for instance is bronze not bright blue. And the low flow shower heads, we don’t’ necessarily want them to notice that, but it  is helping the environment.”

Moubayad had no special sustainability training before coming to the Hotel Monaco, but he has built on what he has learned through Kimpton.

“I found I had a passion for it,” he said. “It’s the right thing to do., not just from the consumer point of view, but as a human, for the future generations. It’s the right thing to do.”

(Another key way that hotels across the US are greening their profile is by building, retrofitting or tailoring operations to meet standards set by the US Green Building Council. For more on these green hotels, see our recent story: A green wave coming, hundreds of hotels finalizing their LEED certification.)

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Though the economy remains weak and the unemployment rate is still high, a new report released by the Chicagoland Green Collar Jobs Initiative cites the job creation potential of green collar jobs in the Chicago region.

The report highlights numerous policy opportunities – including climate legislation, additional resources for environmental programs, and changes to environmental standards – that may help spur the development of new green collar jobs throughout Chicagoland. The specific occupations most likely to experience significant growth are energy efficiency measure installers and auditors, primarily in response to the projected increase in the number of residential retrofits expected to be completed in the coming years.

“Both the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Illinois Capital Bill contain significant investments in environmental programs, including expansion of the Weatherization Assistance Program and Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant, improving building energy efficiency, and developing sustainable transportation,” Paige Finnegan of e-One and a member of the Initiative Steering Committee, said in a statement.

Chicagoland is well positioned to respond to these opportunities by training new workers and providing supplemental training to the existing workforce. The region already has a strong workforce development and training infrastructure, a track record of developing successful industry-specific initiatives, experience in green curriculum development, and an extensive network of workforce development and training providers on which to draw.

Jennifer Keeling, of the Chicago Jobs Council and director of the Initiative, said “the Chicago area has significant experience and resources on which to build. The region has developed successful sector-focused workforce development strategies in the past, and can draw on its extensive network of community-based training providers, community colleges, and other training organizations to respond to these new opportunities. What will be critical is to ensure that the trainings developed in response to these emerging green collar jobs are accessible to a range of job-seekers, including those with low skill levels.”

Though the Chicagoland region already has a strong foundation, to fully realize the potential of the expanding green economy and green collar job opportunities, the Initiative recommends: prioritizing collaboration and partnerships, creating a process for ongoing standardization of curriculum for green training programs, ensuring comprehensive workforce strategies to engage low-skill workers, establishing a standard weatherization process, promoting the development of integrated green workforce and economic development strategies, and establishing minimum common building standards.

GreenTown: The Future of Community is a one day conference that aims to help small, medium or large communities become more sustainable.

Featuring speakers like Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and hosted by Columbia College Chicago and sponsored by the City of Chicago, GreenTown will take place this Thursday in downtown Chicago at the Film Row Cinema. The conference, which is put on by a5 inc. and Seven Generations Ahead, is in its second year and is a carbon neutral event.

The purpose of GreenTown is “to bring together the public and private sector to discuss and determine ways to create sustainable communities. We have mayors and city managers, city council members and public works directors mingling with planners, architects, landscape architects and providers of product and services that can make healthier communities,” said John Harris with a5 inc.

The conference will feature five key environmental aspects, largely based on the climate action plan, including:

• Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
• Transportation
• Adaptation to Climate Change
• Design and Building
• Waste Reduction

This event showcases national and local leaders who are at the forefront in sustainable urbanism, transit-oriented development, brownfield and riverfront re-development, green building, renewable energy, municipal food scrap recycling, zero waste schools, local food systems and more.

The event’s key speakers include:

• Richard M. Daley – mayor of Chicago, Illinois, that began Chicago’s environmental movement in 2006 with increased rooftop gardens, park space, and renewable energy use.
• Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. – named one of TIME magazine’s “Hero’s for the Planet”, currently serves as the Vice Chair and Chief Prosecuting Attorney for Riverkeeper and Chairman of Waterkeeper Alliance
• Bob Dixson – mayor of Greensburg, Kansas, the town that was wiped out by an f5 tornado two years ago that is aiming to be the model green community by sustainably rebuilding.

It is not too late to register. GreenTown Chicago is open to anyone. There are discounts given to companies that have more than one person attending, as well as non-profit organizations, and students.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

By Hosea Sanders and Sylvia Jones

CHICAGO (WLS) — More people are deciding to save energy by installing solar panels — even while the debate continues over whether they are worth the investment. One way to live green while saving money is to conserve energy. If you’ve ever wondered whether solar panels are really the best way to do that, you can find out through an upcoming “solar tour.” >> Read the full story

By Hosea Sanders

CHICAGO (WLS) — You don’t have to change your life to go green. You can always make small adjustments like switching from plastic to paper — or corn. You might be protecting the planet just by having your next meal — and not even know it. >> Read the full story

Green things are starting to shadow us wherever we go, leaping out in unexpected places. Like at the gas station.

Yet this green creep seems so normal. Read our picto-blog and you’ll see what we mean.

This sign, touting how Tom Thumb’s gas stations are now wind-powered, pretty much speaks for itself.

Talk about energy and inspiration. Look at these folks taking control of their neighborhood in Baltimore. They were contributing to the Project Orange Thumb makeover this week of the Oliver area. The project, sponsored by Fiskars and Home Depot, will beautify the neighborhood and provide it with a community veggie garden. How literally green, and smart.

Speaking of neighborhoods, if yours doesn’t smile on exposed laundry lines, try hiding the clothes behind a bush, tastefully hung on a fence. Call it a green outdoor art experience.

And speaking of art, we spotted this très cool bike rack in downtown Chicago. We don’t know where it came from. But we know a bike rack when we see it.

(Photo credits: Oliver park, Fiskars Project Orange Thumb; all others, GreenRightNow)

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

By Hosea Sanders

CHICAGO (WLS) — They say you’re never too young to learn how to take care of the planet. It’s all happening at a child care center in Chicago’s West Loop, where they take the phrase “living green” very seriously. They are making environmentalists out of youngsters who can’t even say the word. In this place, they’re teaching those lessons — almost from birth. >> Read the full story

Eight Midwestern states have agreed to work toward the common goal of developing high speed rail in the Midwest, and hope to access $8 billion in earmarked federal dollars to fund the new services.

Governors from those states — Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin — signed an agreement on Monday, saying they support each other in seeking federal dollars to build a high speed rail network. The hub of the network would be in the Windy City, and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley along with five of the governors attended the Midwest High Speed Rail Summit to solidify the agreement.

Chicago already serves as a hub for Amtrak and many freight lines. The new plan would bring high speed rail into the mix, which advocates say could transform and green transportation in the the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes regions.

(Photo: Midwest High Speed Rail Association)

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has allocated $8 billion for high speed rail. The Midwest group is likely to find competition for that money from California which has passed the initial bonds for a planned high speed rail that would run from Sacramento to San Diego.

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin (D) told the group gathered on Monday that the Midwest wanted to be “in front of the rest of the nation” with it’s high speed proposal, according to news reports.

High speed passenger trains can go 110 mph to over 200 mph, cutting trip times in half or more on Midwestern routes between cities in neighboring states, such as Chicago to Minneapolis; Chicago to St. Louis; Chicago to Detroit. Routes between neighboring cities, like Milwaukee and Madison, could become an easy daily commute.

For more on routes envisioned for a high-speed Midwest network, see the Midwestern High Speed Rail Association website.

The Association of American Railroads, which represents freight trains and Amtrak, announced its support of the Midwest plan on Monday.  In an address to the summit, AAR President and CEO Edward R. Hamberger said the national rail network is “critical to meeting the mobility needs of the 21 century.”

“America’s freight railroads support the goal of increased passenger rail investment,” he said . “It’s good for our economy and the environment when more people and goods move faster by rail.”

Hamberger pointed out that the country’s privately owned freight rail network will provide the initial foundational infrastructure for high speed rail in America and noted that railroads are already greener than other types of transportation or freight shipping.

Railroads account for 43 percent of the freight moved between cities, more than trucks or any other type of transportation, and can move a ton of freight more than 400 miles on a single gallon of fuel, according to the AAR.