Part of Alaska Air Group’s “Greener Skies” project at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac), the flight test was focused on using satellite-based guidance technology (Required Navigation Performance, or RNP) to fly more efficient landing procedures that will reduce environmental impacts.

The airline, in cooperation with the Port of Seattle, Boeing and other airlines serving Sea-Tac, is seeking Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for the procedures, which could ultimately be used by all properly equipped carriers at Sea-Tac.

Representatives from Alaska, Boeing, the FAA and the Port of Seattle observed the level of flight path precision and fuel consumption on eight landing approaches in a Boeing 737-700. With a landing weight similar to a typical passenger flight, the shorter and more efficient approaches reduced carbon emissions and saved 400 pounds of fuel per approach.

Alaska Airlines estimates the new procedures at Sea-Tac will cut fuel consumption by 2.1 million gallons annually and reduce carbon emissions by 22,000 metric tons, the equivalent of taking 4,100 cars off the road every year.

They will also reduce overflight noise for an estimated 750,000 people living below the affected flight corridor.

“Sea-Tac is the ideal location to pursue this cutting-edge project,” said Ben Minicucci, Alaska’s chief operating officer. “Seattle has the highest percentage of advanced RNP-equipped planes in the nation, and — working with the FAA — Alaska Airlines, Boeing and the Port of Seattle are committed to making ‘Greener Skies’ a reality as soon as possible. Ultimately this project could serve as a blueprint for next-generation aviation technology throughout the country.”

Typically, commercial aircraft follow a lengthy approach pattern and series of stair-step descents before landing. Using RNP technology and a continuous descent, also called an optimized profile descent (OPD), aircraft can descend from cruise altitude to an airport runway along a shorter, more direct flight path at low power.

Planning and testing of the procedures will continue through the remainder of the year and will be integrated into Alaska Airlines and sister carrier Horizon Air’s commercial operations at Sea-Tac pending FAA approval.

For more info, visit http://www.alaskaair.com.

A new study released today shows a quarter of us spend between two and three days packing our bags for our holiday, but once there only 16% of us actually use and wear everything we’ve packed.

In fact, a third of us are not using a quarter of what we take away.

This means not only do we struggle to lug around ridiculously heavy suit cases but our overstuffed luggage is now becoming a contributor to the pollution of the planet.

In an effort to cope with so much unnecessary weight, airplanes are using more fuel and therefore creating more carbon waste.

And the impact is clear. If those who don’t utilize their luggage reduced their items by that 25% it would save 7,537 tons of carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere each year.

This equates to taking a staggering 2,216 family cars off the road.

So just how do you pack light but pack well, ensuring you look after your back as well as your holidaymaking carbon footprint?

Television stylist and fashion guru Brix Smith-Start is supporting Thomson’s Holidays Forever packing campaign and says: “Everyone wants to look fabulous when they are on holiday, yet too many of us don’t think about what outfits we’ll actually want to wear and so we end up with clothes that won’t see the light of day once we are away.

“As the coming weekends will be some of the busiest weekends for travelling overseas, I’m providing travellers with some top tips on how to make their luggage more green and advising how holiday makers can bring fewer items, but still look great.”

Brix’s top tips for packing

Check the weather before you travel

If the weather forecast is dry and sunny throughout the time you are away then you are unlikely to need more then one warm jumper and one pair of jeans. Jeans and jumpers are heavy clothes so wear them on the flight. Bring an umbrella just in case, but leave your rain coat at home!

Think about the kind of holiday you are going to have

If you love active adventure then by all means bring your hiking boots and heavy duty combat trousers to protect your legs from scrapes. However if you are just going to lie by the beach and possibly do some sightseeing then leave your boots behind, unpack your gym kit and just bring a pair of plimsolls or shoes that you’ll be comfortable walking around in.

Plan what shoes you’ll wear

Shoes weigh a lot, and yet over 10% of those asked packed five or more pairs! On holiday you don’t need to match your shoes with every dress instead bring a pair of sparkly flat flip flops or sandals, and a pair of wedges or neutral high heel sandals, which will go with everything. You then just need a pair of flip flops for the beach and some plimsolls for walking.

Bring a couple of statement items

A fabulous maxi-dress, an original kaftan or a statement necklace will be all you need to get you from looking chic during the day to looking glamorous at night. Kaftans and maxi-dresses are so easy to dress up or down and a bright print will make you really stand out and feel confident while you are away.

Don’t bring a towel

Towels are heavy, get smelly when damp and take up a lot of room in your case. A lot of beach hotels provide beach towels and if yours doesn’t you can easily pick up a cheap one once you are away or just use your sarong.

Get a great sarong

A good quality sarong can be used as a beach dress, a cover up, a sun protector for babies, a bag, a head scarf or as I said before instead of a beach towel. Get one that you love so that you’ll get the best use out of it.

Bring accessories that will work hard

Strings of beads that can be worn as bracelets or necklaces, chunky earrings and necklaces that can smarten up a beach dress and flower corsages that can jazz up a plain boob tube or can be pinned to your sun hat – accessories should be the key to your summer wardrobe. They are small and will ensure that your outfits can look different each time you wear them.

Cut down on toiletries

Do you need hair spray, mousse, serum, gel, body lotion, body oil, after sun etc?  – probably not. In fact if you are anything like me your toiletries bag will be the heaviest thing in your suitcase. Try and cut down by bringing mini versions of your products and deciding what you actually need to get you through the day. Remember you’ll probably spend less time getting ready at night as it will be too hot for blow dries and straightening sessions. Also if you are going away with the girls, choose who will bring what. You don’t need four bottles of shampoo between four of you!

White pants

White shorts, white three quarter length trousers, white jeans, white linen trousers any of the above will work well on holiday as with the right top they look so glamorous. Find a pair that make you look great and wear them with everything.

Bring fun jewelry on holiday

Holidays are not the place for diamonds and pearls. If you lost something valuable when you were away you’d be devastated and it is more likely to happen when you are moving around. Instead bring fun, bright, cheap jewellery that will dress up your outfits and look fabulous!

For more information visit www.holidaysforever.co.uk

Whilst air travel remains the most common way of getting to mainland Europe, increasing environmental awareness, improved high-speed rail networks and the superior comfort of train travel is luring many down from the skies and back onto rails. “Inghams and Inntravel have introduced even more train travel destinations due to the popularity of rail travel” says Keith Francis, Product Director at Inghams.

With climate change now a leading issue, rail is enabling people to travel without the carbon guilt trip that comes with flying. Certainly, when it comes to the CO2 footprint, trains tread far lighter than planes. Though calculating carbon output is not yet an exact science, it’s estimated that by taking a train instead of a plane from London to Paris, carbon dioxide emissions are reduced by as much as 90%.

But it’s not just the environment that benefits from rail travel. Trains come with many other perks that are not found on planes. The absence of invasive security checks, long waits in departure lounges or restrictive baggage allowances all help trains to outshine their airborne rivals.

Then there’s the view; rather than looking at the headrest in front, train passengers can enjoy watching the landscape unfold as they travel, allowing them to really connect with places they pass through.  Spacious legroom, a restaurant car and a large table are other little luxuries you won’t find on aircraft and are especially appreciated by families with young children who have the space to move around and sit together.

It’s not difficult to see why many people are opting for trains over planes.  As Keith Francis puts it, “Onboard, the journey begins and you can sit back and enjoy the spectacular scenery, providing a relaxing way to start your holiday. Not only is it environmentally friendly but it is also stress free”. Lakes and mountains holidays in Switzerland, France, Austria and Italy are all easily reachable by rail from the UK and for a small fee it’s possible to upgrade from plane to train travel for Inghams’ summer tours in Switzerland. The journey begins at St Pancras station where passengers board the Eurostar to Paris, before catching the TGV to Lausanne, Geneva or Basel, then joining the ever-efficient Swiss rail network to reach their final destination. Typically, trains depart London at 08:00 and arrive in resort between 17:00 and 21:00 the same day.

So what are the down sides? It’s fair to say that rail travel is normally more expensive than air travel, and of course, it does take longer. But in an era where air travel has lost its glamour and has simply become a means to an end, train travel, and especially luxury class train travel, brings back the pleasure of the journey itself, meaning  that the holiday begins the moment you step aboard the carriage.

Fast forward some months and transport yourself across the globe to Cape Town, South Africa, where the 2010 World Cup is pursuing similar goals – a worthy effort to be flaunted upon the world stage – via a partnership between the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA).

The partnership manages three major “greening” projects: renewable energy interventions in six World Cup host cities, an awareness-raising drive on green tourism both funded by GEF, and a UNEP program to offset the carbon emissions of  World Cup teams.

The greening project, entitled “Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Major Sporting Events, FIFA 2010 and the Green Goal”, aims to leave a lasting legacy that will be continued by the city municipalities post the tournament to save energy consumption by adopting renewable energy and energy efficiency practices as illustrated by solar retro-fits. This project forms part of the South African government’s National Greening Framework.

“Events like the World Cup present a unique opportunity to showcase environmentally sound technologies and practices,” said Monique Barbut, CEO and Chairperson of the GEF. “Our work with South Africa and UNEP to boost the level of renewable power generated in the six cities supporting the games will have a lasting local and global environmental impact long after the last whistle blows.”

Supported by US$1 million in GEF funding, one major project is the greening of public street lights, traffic lights and billboards around the stadiums of six host cities – City of Tshwane (Pretoria), Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality (Port Elizabeth), Polokwane Local Municipality, Rustenburg Local Municipality and Manguang Local Municipality (Bloemfontein). Twelve billboards – two in each city – will switch to solar power, along with 60 traffic lights and 78 streetlights across the six host cities.

“Whilst we welcome the world, South Africa’s hosting of the World Cup must leave a legacy for the people of South Africa,” said Buyelwa Sonjica, South African Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs. “As the environment sector, we want part of the legacy to be a green legacy. In this regard, we have initiated several programmes as part of this green legacy which should benefit South Africans from all walks of life, now, and continue beyond the moment when visitors leave our shores.”

“We are proud to work with GEF and the government of South Africa, the host of this year’s World Cup, to assist in greening one of the greatest sporting events on Earth,” said Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director. “The aim is to demonstrate that all sectors of society including major sporting events can catalyze a transition to a low carbon, resource efficient Green Economy. And in doing so make the players, officials and millions of fans around the world inspired to be part of a winning sustainability team.”

Teams offset their footprints off the field

So far, eleven teams have announced plans to offset the emissions caused by their participation in the event – including travel to and from Cape Town. The teams, whose offset is sponsored by PUMA, are: Algeria, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Uruguay, Italy and Switzerland. Meanwhile, Chile, England, Republic of Korea and Serbia have also committed to offsetting their emissions.

The teams’ carbon footprint includes international flights to and from South Africa, domestic flights and coaches to and from group matches for teams and officials, and accommodation in hotels – a total of approximately 6,050 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

Getting there “green”

Aside from the actual teams, spectators are going green as well. “The Green Passport” project aims to encourage visitors to make responsible travel choices whilst visiting South Africa for the FIFA 2010 World Cup.

The ‘Passport’ – a 32-page booklet packed with greening tips and information on responsible tourism in each host city – is being distributed to 100,000 World Cup spectators.

According to the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) in South Africa, five carbon offset projects that assist towards offsetting travelers’ emissions include: solar cookers, soil composting, LED energy efficient lighting, wind energy and domestic fire lighting.

The identified offset projects are attached to a carbon calculator, which will enable travelers to calculate and offset their emissions against an offset project of his/her choice.

China is renowned for being a leader in greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide and methane, which pollute the atmosphere because they capture heat. These emissions are produced by factories, airplanes, motor vehicles, industrial processes, events, and products, which in the process of being made or used, currently rely on a carbon intensive energy supply from fuels such as coal and oil. A carbon offset is a carbon credit that is a financial tool used for funding projects, like clean technology wind and solar projects, which displace the need to use carbon intensive fuels.

With this new partnership, China travelers can now balance the unavoidable carbon emissions produced by their travels by financially supporting clean-energy generation or village community projects. Options include paying an additional $20 – $50 per person to support projects in China of their choice, such as a wind farm or a small hydropower plant.

For example, on WildChina’s classic 13-day Chinese Treasures: Beijing, Xi’an, Yunnan & Shanghai itinerary, travelers have the option to pay an additional $20 – $50 per person to support projects in China of their choice, such as a wind farm or a small hydropower plant.

WildChina’s collaboration with Climate Action, which began in March of 2010, is the latest addition to its responsible business practices, which include work with nonprofit and educational groups and ongoing support of local communities to which its clients travel. To offset the carbon emissions from annual electricity use in WildChina’s Beijing office—calculated independently by Climate Action to equal 27 tons of carbon— WildChina has purchased the equivalent in offets, financially supporting the Sichuan-based Pingwu Renjiaba small-hydro energy project.

WildChina is the first tour operator to collaborate with Climate Action, joining UK-based The Climate Group, a leading NGO in the climate space, as a Climate Action partner. In doing so, WildChina will continue to set the standard for travel operators in Asia and lead the movement for responsible, sustainable trips and business practices within China’s travel industry.

Powered by a new partnership with Zerofootprint, a leading organization in the global fight against climate change, the bilingual Voluntary Carbon Offset program offers travelers the choice of two new ISO-14064 certified carbon offsets projects – including an Ontario-based landfill gas recovery project and a tire recycling program in Quebec.

These two new projects provide additional options for customers to neutralize their carbon footprint when traveling with Air Canada, in addition to the existing Forest Restoration project in British Columbia, working to create a forest that will continue to be healthy beyond the lifespan of the current generation of trees.

“At Air Canada, we are committed to finding and implementing innovative ways to protect the environment, and we have implemented a number of programs, from on-board recycling to more fuel-efficient aircraft,” said Guylaine Lavoie, Director Marketing Innovations at Air Canada. “In collaboration with Zerofootprint, we launched the Voluntary Carbon Offset Program, and we are pleased to expand the program with additional offset projects to provide more choices for our passengers striving to mitigate the environmental footprint of their travel.”

Customers purchasing certified offsets through this program will see their funds go toward projects that result in measurable, verified reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Funds are directed toward certified, fully transparent and independently audited projects.

“Offsetting is an interim measure that individuals can use to mitigate activities that contribute to climate change, but that are sometimes difficult to avoid” said Ron Dembo, CEO and founder of Zerofootprint. “At Zerofootprint we advise individuals and organizations to measure environmental impact, reduce their footprint as much as possible, and finally to take advantage of carbon offset programs. Offsets with real, tangible, audited benefits are an important mechanism for neutralizing environmental impact.”

The Voluntary Carbon Offset program first launched in 2007, and since then passengers have offset 15,554 tons of CO2 emissions, which is equivalent to almost taking 4,000 cars off the road.

“Putting a serious price on carbon will both get us closer to the serious energy reductions we need to make but also accelerate the domestic development and adoption of these technologies,” he explained.

Reicher suggests that exposing the hidden costs of dirty fuels will set off a rush of investment in new energy innovations. He says carbon pricing is an “essential signal we have to get to.” Right now, “money is sitting there to make significant investments,” he says, but the cash flow is sidelined because the incentives aren’t there.

The bigger picture

“In general terms,” said Reicher, “a carbon price will do a lot to advance the competitiveness of these technologies that offer serious climate reductions, help for our energy security, increase our domestic fuels, and can create all sorts of jobs.”

As Reicher puts its, if a company has to actually dish out cash to cover the price of carbon emissions, said company would be forced to change toward cleaner energy as well as less energy consumption altogether. Then, it would make good business sense for companies to invest in new technology.

And similar ideas would follow us home, too. With accurate carbon pricing, households would actually save money by reducing their electricity loads, while the demand for cheap, energy efficient technology would skyrocket – again, as a method of helping our wallets.

Google is particularly interested in this low hanging fruit of energy efficiency which Reicher says “grows back” as we switch from incandescent to compact fluorescents and now to LED. At each step we save more energy and promote more innovation, making the area particularly ripe for investment dollars.

When Google says “Jump”….

So, what’s in it for the web giant? A whole lot, actually. Google already has products on the market that help consumers save electricity, such as Google Power Meter – an online tool that helps you monitor and reduce your energy consumption while offering tips on the cheapest and easiest ways you can reduce energy.

“Putting a serious price of carbon will both get us closer to the serious energy reductions we need to make but also accelerate the domestic development and adoption of these technologies,” added Reicher.

With government support and incentive via carbon pricing, private investment and competitive innovation will allow green development the opportunity to flourish within a mainstream market.

Customer Involvement

In recognition of Earth Day 2010, New York-based JetBlue Airways renewed its One Thing That’s Green campaign to encourage customers, crew members and communities across its network to join in committing to the planet via a massive tree-planting initiative throughout NYC.

For its part, the low-cost carrier is donating one tree for each if its 12,000 crew members through its carbon offset partner Carbonfund.org.

“Just one small change in your daily routine can make a huge impact on the environment,” said JetBlue’s Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Gina Rauscher. “By taking action and social responsibility, together we can help make a difference in preserving our planet by reducing our impact, volunteering our services and educating ourselves and others on environmentally-friendly practices.”

The campaign is part of the company’s Jetting to Green initiative -  a program that launched in 2008 to encourage environmentally practices through education and volunteerism. Last year alone, over 64,000 people participated in Jetting to Green. The company is aiming to get at least 100,000 involved this year.

Corporate Green Teams

In 2008 and 2009, JetBlue again was voted “Most Eco-Friendly Airline” by Zagat’s Airline Survey, and was also ranked highest in customer satisfaction among North American low-cost carriers in 2009 by J.D. Power and Associates – two prestigious accolades thanks largely to the company’s newly-established JetBlue Green Team.

The Team is comprised of senior leadership from each major operating group throughout the airline and is tasked with developing green metrics for 2010 and beyond. Its mission is to explore, among other things, building greener operations and environmentally-friendly business opportunities – from new fuel technologies and recycling initiatives to new green products. Current practices include aircraft fuel saving initiatives, EcoPower engine wash processes and electric utility maintenance trucks.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink

Another airline sensitive to the importance of protecting and preserving the environment is Continental Airlines. Between 2006 and 2009, the airline collected more than 16.6 million pounds of recyclable materials from its hub airports and operated the first demonstration flight by a U.S. carrier using biofuel.

“At Continental, we take environmental responsibility seriously, and we have for more than ten years,” said Leah Raney, Continental’s managing director of global environmental affairs. “Continental has comprehensive programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; promote recycling inflight and at its facilities; support alternative fuel development; construct facilities responsibly; and offer customers a thoughtful carbon offsetting option. We’re celebrating our accomplishments on Earth Day, but our commitment really extends to every day of the year, and to every facet of our operation.”

Continental operates one of the most fuel-efficient fleets of any major U.S. airline, and, since 1997, the airline has reduced greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption by 38 percent per revenue passenger mile.

Every year since 1997, Continental has flown more people, more miles, to more locations. At the same time, the airline has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by four million metric tons by modernizing its fleet.

“The No. 1 way that an airline can substantively reduce its impact on the environment is by lowering greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft by reducing the amount of fuel we burn,” Raney said.

Continental’s fuel efficiency improvements are due in large part to an investment of more than $13 billion during the past 12 years to acquire 300 fuel-efficient aircraft and related equipment. All Continental aircraft are twin-engine aircraft, which burn less fuel and emit less carbon dioxide (CO2) than comparable three- and four-engine aircraft.

In addition to flying fuel-efficient aircraft types, Continental has equipped its fleet with fuel-saving modifications to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Investing in the future

Going forward, Continental has committed to invest in additional new, fuel-efficient aircraft and ground equipment worth more than $10 billion, with even cleaner technology, through 2016.

To that end, the airline has committed to the development of alternative fuels as part of a national energy policy that will promote energy sources other than crude oil, freeing up crude oil for those solely dependent on it until technology evolves.

Sounds like a worthwhile effort, doesn’t it? These statistics are the latest findings of Hilton Worldwide’s LightStay program – a proprietary system developed to calculate and analyze environmental impact – after a one-year limited rollout to 1300 Hilton properties.

LightStay helped Hilton Worldwide properties using the system reduce energy use by 5%, carbon output by 6%, waste output by 10% and water use by 2.4% in 2009 versus 2008. These results have been independently audited and are adjusted for any differences in occupancy levels and major weather events year over year.

Making the effort even more attractive to hotel owners are the big savings involved – in 2009 alone, participating properties reported savings of more than $29 million in utility costs.

“Hilton Worldwide and its brands touch hundreds of communities and millions of people around the globe,” said Hilton Worldwide’s president and CEO Christopher Nassetta. “That’s why operating in a responsible and sustainable manner is a priority for our company and a central part of how we do business. Through our focus on sustainability, we look to mitigate our impact on the environment and in the communities in which we operate, create economic value for our owners and, ultimately, provide a better experience for our guests.”

LightStay takes into account energy and water use and waste and carbon outputs associated with building operations and services provided at Hilton Worldwide properties. As part of this, the system measures indicators across 200 operational practices including housekeeping, paper product use, food waste, chemical storage, air quality and transportation.

“The insights we gained from the LightStay system prompted our property to launch a waste decomposition program that eliminates as much as a thousand pounds of garbage a day,” said Mark Lauer, general manager, Hilton New York. “The data also inspired us to donate leftover food to a local charity, putting more than 5,000 pounds of food that would otherwise be wasted to good use.”

LightStay also includes a “meeting impact calculator” that measures the environmental impact of any meeting or conference held at a Hilton Worldwide property. This enables meeting planners and corporate travel managers to consider the environmental impact of hotel stays and meetings when making purchasing decisions.

In addition, it provides corporate customers with the opportunity to include meeting impact data in their own sustainability reporting.

Going global

“LightStay is an integral part of our effort to operationalize sustainability at Hilton Worldwide,” explained Paul Brown, president of Global Brands & Commercial Services, Hilton Worldwide. “The system goes a long way in helping us to quantify our impact at the property level and companywide. We’re excited about our first year results and look forward to using LightStay to continuously improve hotel performance across our global portfolio.”

By the end of 2011, all 3,500 properties within Hilton Worldwide’s global portfolio of brands will use LightStay, making the company the first major multi-brand company in the hospitality industry to require property-level measurement of sustainability. Consequently, measurement of sustainability performance will become a brand standard, on the same level as service, and evaluated accordingly as part of regular, property-level reviews.

To confirm the effective implementation and validity of LightStay, Hilton Worldwide commissioned KEMA-Registered Quality, Inc.—a management systems design company—to perform a series of third-party audits of LightStay.

“Our extensive audit of LightStay revealed that it is truly a best-in-class system for measuring and analyzing sustainability performance data at hotel properties,” said Steve Dunning, at KEMA-Registered Quality, Inc. “LightStay is rigorous but user-friendly, helping hotels to track and manage sustainability performance at a whole new level.”

The trans-Atlantic Boeing 767-300 flight from Paris to Miami yesterday morning made American the first U.S. airline to test next-generation technology and procedures that will significantly reduce carbon emissions and save fuel on trans-Atlantic routes as outlined in the Atlantic Interoperability Initiative to Reduce Emissions (AIRE).

AIRE, a joint initiative among the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the European Commission (EC), and several international airlines, is designed to speed up application of new technologies and operational procedures, which have a direct impact on reducing carbon emissions and noise pollution as well as conserving fuel.

Part of the AIRE project includes gate-to-gate flight demonstrations to test the benefits of technologies that will be used with the FAA’s NextGen and the EC’s Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) air traffic management systems.

“It is critical that the aviation industry work with our Air Traffic Control partners to demonstrate the benefits of NextGen technology today,” said Bob Reding, American’s Executive Vice President – Operations. “By implementing this technology as quickly as possible, we can make real and meaningful strides to reduce our impact on the environment, increase system capacity and reduce air traffic delays.”

Putting tomorrow’s technology to the test

The flight was conducted using several fuel conservation measures, including single-engine taxi on departure and arrival, continuous climb-out and descent, optimized routing over water, and a “tailored arrival.”

Among those procedures are several key elements of Fuel Smart, American’s existing fuel conservation program. In 2010, American aims to increase its annual fuel savings rate to 120 million gallons, which will also reduce carbon emissions by 2.5 billion pounds.

Post-flight data analysis by the FAA, EC and American will determine the carbon and fuel savings gained on the demonstration flight. The FAA and American have conducted trials in Miami since last year to determine the best way to use the next-generation technology.

“Utilizing NextGen technology is also a crucial part of American’s overall environmental and fuel savings efforts,” added Reding, “which have already yielded annual fuel savings of more than 110 million gallons and a reduction of 2.2 billion pounds of carbon emissions

A longtime leader in air travel efficiency, American Airlines pioneered the routine use of two-engine aircraft on trans-oceanic flights, which fundamentally changed air operations. Up to that point, almost all international flights were flown by three- and four-engine aircraft.

American’s efforts to open up the Atlantic to two-engine aircraft heavily influenced Boeing and Airbus to build two-engine aircraft for international flights, resulting in a significant reduction in carbon emissions and greater fuel efficiency across the industry.

The “Low Carbon World” website was designed to serve as a web-based communications platform tol assist knowledge transfer and simplify access to information and tools that can be difficult to trace.

www.LowCarbonEconomy.com will list every country’s carbon policies, commitments, historical performance, future projections and opportunities, as well as country-specific marketplaces, networks, associations and standards which are relevant to government departments and investment agencies.

“Everyone agrees that the transition to a low carbon economy is an environmental and economic imperative, and will require increased collaboration globally – particularly between public and private sectors. Until now, access to the necessary low carbon information has been extremely restricted and very time consuming. With this project we have changed that and we look forward to continuing to work with UNEP and other major partners over the coming months and years,”said Toddington Harper, TLCE’s Managing Director.

Annual global greenhouse gas emissions should not exceed 40 to 48.3 Gigatons (Gt) of equivalent C02 in 2020, if a rise in global temperatures is to be curbed at 2 degrees C or less, whilst between 2020 and 2050, global emissions ideally need to fall by between 48 per cent and 72 per cent.

“The solutions for the transition to a low carbon economy already exist, and it is a question of removing barriers for rapid and mass uptake. These barriers include technical, financial and informational aspects. I look forward to seeing this project develop further”,said Achim Steiner UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of UNEP.

The Climate Neutral Network (CN Net) celebrated its second anniversary at UNEP’s 11th Special Session of the Governing Council in Bali, Indonesia by hosting a side event titled “High hopes, low carbon – making it work!” The side event showcased work and success stories undertaken between CN Net and The Low Carbon Economy Ltd (TLCE) over the past 12-months.

The home page for the ‘Low Carbon World’ initiative is available on http://www.lowcarboneconomy.com/Low_Carbon_World/Data/Home and will soon also be available on UNEP’s Climate Neutral website www.unep.org/climateneutral.

According to the Nobel Laureate and veteran climate campaigner whose name has become synonymous with global warming, Mr. Gore suggests that the targets to be outlined at COP15 are not nearly enough to combat the gloom and doom of climate change facing the planet today.

“Even if a deal is reached at the UN climate change talks in Copenhagen…it will only be the first step towards the far more radical cuts that are needed in global carbon emissions,” said Gore.

According to Gore, world leaders need to enact far more drastic measures in order to avoid the worst ramifications of global warming.

“Even a final treaty will have to set the stage for other tougher reductions at a later date,” he said. “We have already overshot the safe levels of CO2 in the atmosphere.”

At present, the set goal for the summit is to stabilize CO2 emissions at or below 450 parts per million. This reduction is supposed to be enough of a change to prevent a rise in average global temps of 2 degrees Celsius. Gore, however, suggests that his goal is not sufficient to get the job done, and that a much surer bet would be a reduction to 350 parts per million.

“Are we doing enough?” he asked. “The answer is obviously no — 450 is not the right target. But it is presently seen as beyond the capacity of governments around the world. We are stretching the capacity of governments even to hit a 450 target.”

“We are gambling with the future of human civilisation in accepting odds that by any definition make our present course reckless . . . But it’s still the most likely path to success.”

Pressuring Obama

Gore, an advocate for President Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign, is challenging the President to include more stringent cuts in carbon emissions than the current ofering of a 17% reduction by 2020.

With the US being the planet’s second-largest carbon polluter, Gore states that country’s reduction figure is “weaker than it should be”. However, he suggests that the real roadblock for Obama is getting tough carbon regulation through the House of Representatives.

“I’m glad that he is putting reduction targets on the table. I wish that they were stronger but I recognise the difficulties he faces in the Senate.”

Playing the carbon markets

Gore supports an international carbon taxation system as a means to cut fossil-fuel emissions, yet is cautious that current political struggles will get in the way for a meaningful resolution.

With perhaps years to go until such a system can be put into place, the former Vice President suggests, for the interim, a carbon emissions trading system as a more realistic “first step”.  He has been criticized for this viewpoint by many on both sides of the aisle who do not view carbon markets as a solution to climate change.

“The correct policy response will include both of these powerful tools,” he added. “But the degree of political difficulty associated with a carbon tax is a degree of difficulty much higher than the cap and trade approach.”

First, the obvious: generally, lying is bad. And anyone who lies in the pursuit of monetary or political gain in the face of a global debate should be called out on the spot and, if necessary, stripped of any power over process they may possess.

The Climate Research Unit (CRU) scientists whose emails were “leaked” online made a huge mistake: being stupid. Regardless of the intent, no one, on either side of the aisle, will take them on their word again. The global warming feud is bitter and cold (that pun was slightly intended), and the actions of said scientists are entirely unacceptable. Immense pressure from an entire politically-driven industry intent on crushing their every effort is no excuse for bending the facts, or hiding them completely.

Although I am typically the antagonist against any and all climate change deniers and/or skeptics – as they are generally either a mislead or misleading bunch devoted to greed and political gain – taken on the surface, said skeptics do have a point as well as a valid argument with regard to the statements made in these leaked emails.

Over 1,000 emails and 2,000 other documents were hacked from the CRU and then posted on a Russian file-sharing server late Thursday, referencing in some cases the concealment of data arguing against global warming claims. Once leaked, the university did not help the matter, offering no response or rebuttal beyond simply implying “Hey, you’re not allowed to read those!” while critics lambasted them.

While whether or not the statements within the stolen emails were taken out of context is debatable, undeniable is the fact that their very presence has raised questions over whether or not the argument for global warming is valid.

“This is horrible,” said Pat Michaels, a climate scientist at the Cato Institute in Washington who is mentioned negatively in the emails. “This is what everyone feared. Over the years, it has become increasingly difficult for anyone who does not view global warming as an end-of-the-world issue to publish papers. This isn’t questionable practice, this is unethical.”

With less than a month to go until the climate-change summit in Copenhagen, this is not good for climate change activists.

“Climate Gate” – Confusing the real issue

Let’s forget, for a moment, the fact that these emails were obtained in a highly illegal manner. Although I typically do not make a habit of aligning myself with The Right, I believe that the notion supported by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. – that the leaked e-mails are “theft” and “crime” that should be investigated regardless of the emails’ contents – is entirely missing the point.

“You call it Climate-gate. I call it E-mail-theft-gate,” said Senator Boxer. She claims that a criminal conspiracy might even be at play.

Senator Boxer is simply arguing the wrong point. Yes, it is unethical to steal emails. But, it is also unethical and even criminal to actively attempt to mislead the public on such an important topic – one that could change the course of human history and survival over the next few decades.

While the hacked emails have the ability to weaken global resolve to curb greenhouse-gas emissions, they offer no real and tangible arguments for either side. We now need to take the higher road and put forth the right argument: the content of these emails, regardless of how they were obtained, needs to be looked at in a comprehensive and responsible manner.

The emails are greatly exaggerated beyond all recognition. The claims which climate change deniers have consistently made throughout their campaigns are simply not supported by any findings in the exposed correspondence.

Yet, words can hurt.

I personally find it ironically sad that the scientific and environmental response has been utter denial and finger-pointing. The emails help fuel the fact-less propaganda surrounding climate change denial, while they instantly revoke the credibility and expertise of those involved.  The only real way to move passed this in a positive direction toward truth is for people to regain a firm grasp on reality.

“I simply can’t believe that there is a kind of mafia that is trying to inhibit critical papers from being published,” said Mojib Latif, a climate researcher at Germany’s Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences. Mr. Latif firmly believes that global warming is, in fact, man-made, and relates current cooling to temporary natural trends.

According to the Copenhagen Diagnosis report – a collection of over 200 scientific papers BEYOND that of the hacked emails -  climate change has rapidly accelerated beyond all previous predictions and humans are to blame. The report shows that global warming emissions in 2008 were nearly 40 percent higher than those in 1990, while sea level rise is 80 percent above past previous predictions.

No real, substantial data supporting global warming has been disproven or dismantled by these stolen emails. Only a few sentences out of context spun completely out of control are doing the damage – and it is PR damage at best.

Finding facts in fiction

The majority of climate scientists today argue that the earth’s temperature is in fact rising, with nearly all in agreement that human activity is the prime suspect.

Climate change skeptics and deniers are leaping onto this “email scandal” with torches and pitch forks in hand, without stopping to understand that not only has their very context been cherry-picked for their own argument’s sake, but that a small handful of scientists sending emails back and forth does not dismantle an entire scientific institution; that climate change is real, it is caused by human activity, and the need to counteract its impacts is beyond crucial.

Yes, the world’s temperature was decreasing, as unbiased studies have shown; over the last 2,000 years, temperatures were steadily going down, mostly due to decreased solar insulation associated with the earth’s orbit.

HOWEVER, just under 200 years ago, the temperature -  scientifically measured by ice cores, tree rings and lake sediments – began a sharp increase and has been steadily rising ever since. This time frame coincides with, obviously, the birth of the industrial revolution; a.k.a. human activity.

These evidences are of course based on science that right-wing climate change deniers simply refuse to believe in, citing faith and man-made notions of world dominion as proof.

Take a look around

But let’s not make any mistakes here: climate change deniers and skeptics have lied and obscured real “data” for years, catalyzing the cause for climate change “rationalists” and believers to adhere to high scientific standards.

Fossil fuel industries have employed “experts” to lie, cheat and manipulate on their behalf – atrocities far greater than anything contained in these emails. And despite years of outright deceit and fraud on their part, it is now the climate scientists who look bad.

Now, because of this one-time “scandal”, the side of truth in the climate change debate needs to work that much harder in order to distinguish itself above the opposition.

In questioning motivations, let’s examine those of the climate change skeptics and deniers; and take a hard look at the oil and gas and coal industries. Each has billions of dollars at stake, and a deep and vested interest in maintaining the status quo; spending millions on lobbying, advertising and funding slanted research to distort the truth and keep as many skeptics ont heir side as possible.

I mean, who are their “superstars”? How about Steve Milloy, Fox News’ “Fair and Balanced” anchor and host of Junk Science who spends most of his time arguing against the medical effects of secondhand smoke and claiming that climate change is fake, all while being a paid advocate and funds-recipient from both Philip Morris and ExxonMobil.

How about resident science “expert” and climate change denier Professor Pat Michaels of the Cato Institute, who has recently been exposed as accepting at least $100,000 by companies involved in coal-fired power production. Michaels himself withdrew as an “expert witness from a court case about climate change” after this funding went public.

And there is Sarah Palin. Ah, Sarah, how you entertain us! Palin, a very public advocate for oil drilling and former Governor of Alaska (a heavily-dependent oil economy), stated during the 2008 campaign: “I’m not one though who would attribute it [climate change] to being manmade.” She then went on to sign executive orders to commence Arctic Sea oil drilling, an up-til-now untapped reserve covered by ice, due to the rapid depletion of ice in the Arctic Sea.

The lost goes on and on, and so do the erroneous claims. Daily Mail columnist Melanie Philips claims that believing in global warming is just plain anti-American, stating that “the theory that global warming is all the fault of mankind is a massive scam based on flawed computer modelling, bad science and an anti-western ideology…” and that “carbon dioxide forms a relatively small proportion of the atmosphere, most of which consists of water vapor.”

Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe, who receives more campaign money from fossil fuel companies than any other Senator in the Republican Party, has compared environmentalists to the Third Reich and the US Environmental Protection Agency to the Gestapo. He maintains that climate change is all a big hoax.

And these, ladies and gentleman of the planet, are who we actually become comparable to when such a thing as data manipulation or outright lying takes place – even on the side of the good guys – regardless of cause or reason. Let’s not lose sight of the real goals at hand and stick to the highest of principles, and maybe we will actually get somewhere. Perhaps if done right, we will finally earn the right to call Earth “home”.

Good business sense

According the Southwest, environmental decisions and business practices can only benefit the business.

“Southwest is committed to continuing to lead the industry in emissions reductions through fuel efficiency,” said Gary Kelly, Southwest’s Chairman, President, and CEO. “Efficiency in fuel consumption benefits our Company as well as the environment, and this has been part of our business model since the beginning. As we look to the future, we know climate change remains of vital importance to our industry, our Company, and our Customers, so Southwest works hard every day in every area to be a responsible steward of the environment.”

All of the elements being tested on this Green Plane, when combined, will equate to a weight savings of almost five pounds per seat, thus saving fuel and reducing emissions, along with adding recyclable elements to the cabin interior and reducing waste.

“Southwest is proud to lead the aviation industry in environmental stewardship and honored to be working with these eco-friendly vendors and our partners at Boeing,” Kelly continued. “We are excited to test their forward-thinking products and expect these green products to not only help the environment, but also create a fuel and materials cost saving for Southwest.”

The new plane’s “green” elements include:

• InterfaceFLOR Carpet – a 100% recyclable and carbon neutral carpet that reduces labor and material costs because it is installed in sections, thus eliminating the need for total replacement of areas such as aisles, where Southwest currently uses one single piece of carpet.
• Seat covers – two new products that will be tested on the aircraft seats, offering more than twice the durability than the current leather seats as well as a weight savings of almost two pounds per seat. On one side of the aisle, e-Leather is an eco-friendly, lightweight and scuff resistant man-made alternative to traditional leather. It is made from recycled materials that have been discarded by the leather industry. It is then upgraded utilizing eco-friendly technology, resulting in composition leather, a man-made material. On the other side of the aisle, IZIT Leather, a new breed of premium leather alternative, is an evolutionary step beyond calf skin that offers a lightweight product that is both economical and durable, but with the genuine appearance and touch of luxurious leather.
• Life Vest Pouch – more environmentally friendly because it offers a weight savings of one pound per passenger, replacing the current metal container with lighter durable canvas. The smaller pouch also creates more room under the seat for carry-on items and offers productivity improvements due to design change.
• Foam Fill – A lighter weight fill from Garnier PURtec in the back of the seats that reduces weight while providing increased Customer comfort.
• Passenger Seat Rub Strips – switching from plastic to aluminum will help with durability, which reduces waste, as well as being recyclable.

In addition to the green plane, Southwest also announced the Nov. 1 kickoff of a more robust onboard recycling program, which is a co-mingled system that will allow the airline to capture more recyclable material and divert it from the waste stream. This 18-month process involved team work from all areas of the Company to implement the program on the ground at its Provisioning Bases and re-working of waste collection procedures in the cabin.

“The initiative by the Southwest Airlines Green Team, Facilities Maintenance, Inflight Department, and Provisioning Department was a truly heroic effort; when you serve nearly 68 cities there are often 68 different ways to implement a program,” Kelly says. “We appreciate the hard work of our recycling vendor, Republic Services, and we are excited to take a very effective recycling program and make it even better.”

However, this week, popular sustainably-minded travel portal responsibletravel.com has taken a formal stand against carbon offsetting, calling the very idea of offsets “dangerously distracting.”

The website was one of the very first travel organizations to actually introduce carbon offsetting to the masses in early 2002. Now, it is one of the first to speak out against them – citing the travel industry’s need to reduce rather than offset carbon emissions.

“We have thought long and hard about how we can continue to offer our customers the leading advice they expect from a responsible tourism business when it comes to the fast growing impact of flying on the environment,” said Justin Francis, MD, responsibletravel.com. “We believe that the travel industry’s priority must be to reduce carbon emissions, rather than to offset.”

In a recent report by Friends of the Earth, carbon offsetting was deemed a “dangerous distraction” – a deterrent for tourists from the need to actually reduce their carbon footprint, creating a sort of guilt-free illusion of environmentally friendly travel.

Francis agrees with this report, and continues to say that “Too often offsets are being used by the tourism industry in developed countries to justify growth plans on the basis that money will be donated to projects in developing countries. Global reduction targets will not be met this way.”

In its place, responsibletravel.com is working with Friends of the Earth to put in place a clear, alternativeset of advice and guidelines to enable travelers to “carbon cautious.” for travellers offering

“Ultimately we need to reduce our carbon emissions,” continued Francis. “We can do this by flying less – travelling by train or taking holidays closer to home for example, and by making carbon reductions in other areas of our lifestyles too, alongside travel.

“There is no hiding the fact that tourists will continue to want to visit destinations requiring a flight, and that tourism contributes to livelihoods, local economic development and the conservation of the world’s cultural and natural heritage. We will continue to offer a more responsible choice of overseas holiday so that when tourists do fly they can ‘make their holiday count’ by choosing a more responsible holiday.”

Responsibletravel.com has also teamed up with leading responsible tourism academic Professor Harold Goodwin, Director International Center for Responsible Tourism on his FlySmart Campaign for Responsible Aviation: www.flysmart.org . The campaign supports a Carbon Friendly Flight Search functionality, enabling travelers to search and compare the cheapest and most environmentally friendly fares available around the world.

For more information visit www.flysmart.org and www.responsibletravel.com/carboncaution.

“Our proprietary carbon emissions calculations provide unmatched accuracy and completeness and are setting the industry standard for measuring airline carbon emissions,” said Shane Hammond, President and CEO, TRX. “As we continue to partner with organizations like Offset Alliance, we further our goals of positively impacting the environment through the deployment of our carbon emissions calculations and technology.”

TRX, Inc. is a technology company that develops and hosts travel software applications. Since launching its Carbon Emissions Calculator, several carbon reduction/offsetting organizations and other green-minded institutions have subscribed to the service including: Nootrol, Carbon Salon and Piece of Green.

The Offset Alliance is the newest to the line-up; a non-partisan organization that assists individuals and businesses achieve carbon reduction goals.

“We surveyed the marketplace and found TRX has by far the most thorough carbon emissions calculations for air travel,” said Daniel Greenson, President and CEO, Offset Alliance. “For Offset Alliance, this means we can tap into a new market we hadn’t previously explored – the travel market. The bottom line is by partnering with TRX, we are able to offset more CO2. The calculations are precise, and they provide the customer with truly meaningful results. We are confident that the decision to work with TRX will really help our business.”

In early 2009, TRX released its carbon emissions developer toolkit. Powered by the company’s open web services platform, the toolkit provides third-party solution developers with direct access to the robust set of calculations required to accurately assess the carbon footprint of air travel by corporations and individuals.

The developer toolkit was made available via a free entry level package, enabling clients to begin using the services with little to no upfront investment.

Recently, the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI – an independent, international research institute specializing in sustainable development and environment issues) identified TRX’s carbon emissions calculation methodology as being one of the best currently available in the market today, citing transparency and overall comprehension as key factors.

Also, TRX received the “Best Technology in 2008/2009″ ICARUS Award for Airline Carbon Emission measurement technology from the Institute of Travel and Meetings (ITM). ITM is the leading professional body for buyers, managers and suppliers of business travel in the UK and Ireland with over 1,000 members from large corporations, government departments and NGOs, SMEs and travel suppliers.

For more information, visit www.TRX.com.

“We are proud to take part in this innovative, collective endeavour that over time, will further reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve local air quality through the use of greener fuels,” said Glenn Tilton, ATA Board Chairman and UAL Corporation Chairman, President and CEO. “This transaction promises to be the first of many such green fuel purchase agreements by the commercial aviation industry. It exemplifies the ongoing commitment of airlines and energy suppliers to diversify our fuel sources while contributing to a cleaner environment and adding new jobs to the economy.”

The agreement was signed with synthetic fuel specialist Rentech and Aircraft Service International Group (ASIG), a global provider to airlines and airports of ground, fuel, cargo and airport facility services. The renewable fuel, called RenDiesel, will be produced at the commercial-scale facility that Rentech is developing in Rialto, California, primarily from woody green waste such as grass clippings.

The fuel is expected to have a low carbon footprint and minimal particulate and other emissions, while meeting or exceeding all applicable fuel standards.

The airlines declined to reveal further details of the contract such as the price per gallon they were expecting to pay for the synthetic fuel and whether it would be cheaper or more expensive than the conventional fuel it was replacing.

“This collaborative effort is yet another environmentally friendly initiative that we and the airlines are pursuing at Los Angeles-area airports,” said Gina Marie Lindsey, Executive Director of Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA). “It shows what we can accomplish by working together towards a common and necessary goal.”

“The low-emissions profile and near-zero carbon footprint of our renewable RenDiesel will guarantee that the LAX ground service vehicles using this fuel will be among the cleanest and greenest of their kind,” said D. Hunt Ramsbottom, Rentech’s President and CEO. “We expect this agreement to serve as a model for future supply relationships at other airports and for other fuels, including Rentech’s synthetic jet fuel, which was recently approved for commercial airline use.”

In a BNET article last month, Ramsbottom stated that meeting California’s own renewable targets would require the blending in of 75,000 to 100,000 barrels a day of renewable fuel. “It will be a big market,” he said. “We will need to do 100 Rialto-sized plants to have one percent of the market for biomass. And keep in mind that a single [major] domestic airline uses 2.5 billion gallons of jet fuel per year. The challenge is getting to scale.”

Carbonfund.org, a leading nonprofit carbon offset and climate solutions organization, is offering offsets from the project to businesses and individuals at the organization’s website, www.carbonfund.org/climateleaders.

The project, located near Plattsburgh, NY, is a landfill methane collection and destruction system. Recent improvements to the project have added a gas-to-energy plant producing approximately 5 megawatts of clean energy that can supply the electricity needs of 5,000 households. Casella, a charter member of the EPA Climate Leaders program and the only solid waste and resource management company in the program, developed the project.

“We are excited to support the first-ever EPA Climate Leaders approved carbon offset project,” said Eric Carlson, president of Carbonfund.org. “Climate change affects every one of us, and we all must be part of the solution. Projects like Clinton County are reducing emissions today and hastening our transition to a low-carbon future.”

The Clinton County Landfill Methane Project is located at a 70-acre facility permitted to accept 175,000 tons of solid waste per year. At the site, decomposing organic material such as paper and food produce landfill gas, a portion of which is methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is about 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide. By combusting the gas, the project keeps the methane out of the atmosphere, thereby dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The offsets currently available through Carbonfund.org represent methane destruction that occurred between January and September 2008. It is estimated that over 100,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions were avoided in the period, equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions from over 18,300 passenger vehicles.

The EPA Climate Leaders program is a partnership between industry and government that works with companies to develop climate change strategies. Partner companies commit to reducing their impact on the global environment by completing a corporate-wide inventory of their greenhouse gas emissions based on a quality management system, setting reduction goals, and annually reporting progress on emissions reductions to EPA.

To learn more about the project, check out www.carbonfund.org/climateleaders.

Twenty six, 72-inch Lincoln Town cars will run on 100% CNG and will provide exclusive service to CityCenter’s ARIA Resort & Casino and Vdara Hotel. The vehicles are being developed by Krystal Enterprises, the world’s largest manufacturer of stretch limousines, in collaboration with Clean Energy Fuels, BAF Technologies and Ford engineers.

Compressed natural gas was selected for the limo fleet because of the abundant U.S. natural gas reserves; it also is one of the cleanest burning alternative fuels available and is generally less expensive than either gasoline or diesel with greater price stability.

“Commissioning the first CNG stretch-limo fleet is a demonstration of CityCenter’s commitment to environmental responsibility, while never sacrificing guest experience,” said Bill McBeath, president and COO of ARIA Resort & Casino. “Just as with every element of CityCenter’s design and construction, we’re determined to employ the most innovative solutions possible to grow responsibly, while continuing to raise the bar on service, comfort and experience.”

Compared with vehicles fueled with conventional diesel and gasoline, natural gas vehicles produce significantly lower amounts of harmful emissions such as nitrogen oxides (35-60 percent less), particulate matter (90-97 percent less), carcinogenic and toxic pollutants such as carbon monoxide (90-97 percent less) as well as the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (25 percent less). Source: U.S. Department of Energy

“As the leader in stretch-limo development, Krystal Enterprises worked closely with CityCenter and BAF Technologies to ensure this custom fleet provided the highest level of CNG practices without compromising the quality experience CityCenter guests will expect,” said Ed Grech, president and CEO of Krystal Enterprises.

Every element of CityCenter has been masterfully woven together with the greatest of consideration for our environment and future. Charting a new course for responsible growth in Las Vegas, MGM MIRAGE is pursuing the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) certification at CityCenter. The 18-million-square-foot, multi-use project will incorporate a variety of elements – from the use of reclaimed water to on-site power generation and sustainable materials selection to indoor environmental quality – to make it one of the world’s largest environmentally sustainable urban communities.

In addition to CityCenter’s CNG limo fleet, guests will be greeted with preferred parking for green cars and carpoolers, and will be offered bicycle valet service; residents will have bicycle storage, rideshare options and dedicated carpool pickup lanes; and employees will be presented with a full range of transit, bicycle, green car and carpool options.

Similarly, the concluding documents issued at the June U.N. climate change talks at Bonn discuss ways of preventing global deforestation.

With the U.S. joining the developing world to dramatically reduce carbon emissions, there is an urgent need for the public to be made more aware of the destruction of the world’s remaining forests as a major factor leading to global warming.

“Even if the U.S. makes an 80% reduction from current emission levels by 2050,” says Brett Jenks, CEO of the global environmental organization Rare, “this won’t amount to a global warming solution, because the developing world has to act as well.”

Collaborating with local peoples in distant forests needs to be on the public’s radar, too.

Rare is currently running 11 “Pride” campaigns in Indonesia to address forest conservation, including at Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, home to about 100 ex-captive orangutans. These campaigns focus on inspiring local communities to change their behavior to reduce forest clearing. Plus, a “carbon offset” project is currently under discussion for 62,000 acres of forest land adjacent to the Reserve, spearheaded by Rare and the Clinton Climate Initiative-Forestry Program in Southeast Asia.

Global deforestation and climate change, and what can be done about it

• Almost 20% of all global CO2 emissions are caused by deforestation.
• 25% of all emissions reductions called for by 2050 could be achieved by conserving and restoring tropical forests.
• People who are cutting down trees send as much carbon into the atmosphere as do all the activities of the entire U.S.
• At present rates, about 5 1/4 million acres of forest are being destroyed every year.
• 1.6 billion people in the developing tropics depend on the world’s forests for their income, food and fuel.
• 2 trillion dollars per year is the estimated cost to the global economy of burning and clearing forests.
• Today’s conservationists must redefine the adversarial relationship between tropical forest conservation and the world’s economy.
• People living in or near protected forest must be brought into a conservation plan that helps them to be more effective stewards of the land.
• The “cavalry on the horizon” takes the form of the emerging carbon market.
• The world’s treaty makers will create a commodity called “forest carbon.” Local peoples won’t have to liquidate forest resources just to survive.
• The developed world will learn to reward people to leave forests stand, knowing that security in the developed North means development in the tropical South, and that our fates are indelibly intertwined.

For more information, visit www.rareconservation.org.