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The Headlines:
Dozens of solar companies donate to Haiti
Ray LaHood defends his pro-bicycling remarks
Electric motorcycles in the works
Who’s on the efficiency honor roll?
And 3,000 companies apparently unite for climate action

The Details:

Dozens of solar companies donate to Haiti

The New York Times recently reported on a heart-warming story. Haiti is in trouble, especially since the earthquake that devestated Port-au-Prince.

But with the sadness of destruction comes the opportunity to rebuild, and dozens of solar companies, including solar flashlight makers and sun-powered oven manufacturers, are donating thousands of dollars worth of solar items to Haiti.

Haiti’s ambassador to the United States noted that “The traffic lights were working. And they were working because they had solar panels,” he said. “Right then and there, I said, ‘Haiti has to go green.’”

Not to be outdone by private companies, the U.S. federal government recently pledged $1.15 billion to rebuild Haiti, with a special focus on infrastructure development through clean-energy sources.

Ray LaHood defends his pro-bicycling remarks

Ray LaHood has become quite the controversial figure, taking the relatively meek office of Transportation Secretary and making it a true contender for the President’s and the media’s attention.

He recently said he plans to give bicycling the same importance and priority as automobiles in terms of federal funding and transportation planning. His policy statement from the Department of Transportation asks states and private transportation companies to treat “walking and bicycling as equals with other transportation modes.” It recommends, among other things, including biking and walking lanes on bridges and clearing snow from bike paths.

This new bike-friendly outlook is part of the Obama administration’s “livability initiative”, which regards the creation of alternatives to driving – buses, streetcars, trolleys and trains, as well as biking and walking – as central to solving the nation’s transportation woes.

But the National Association of Manufacturers and Representative Steve LaTourette, R-Ohio have blasted the new policy. LaTourette even suggested LaHood could be on drugs! The beef seems to be that trucks can carry large amounts of cargo, while walking or riding a bike doesn’t have the same benefits, ergo it doesn’t deserve as much funding (or attention).

Electric motorcycles in the works

Yamaha is trying to raise $812 million to go towards developing low-cost, all-electric motorcycles.

A lot of hybrid and electric cars have been rolling off the production lines recently, but motorcycles have yet to really take off.

But with Yamaha’s reputation as a leading motorcycle developer, we may soon see more badass bikers taking to the open road in 100% electric motorcycles.

Who’s on the efficiency honor roll?

The New York Times has been making a fuss about a 2007 report it recently discovered from Forbes magazine. Forbes ranked states according to the following categories: carbon footprint, air quality, water quality, hazardous waste management, policy initiatives and overall energy consumption.

So, who is on the efficiency honor roll? With the exception of Hawaii and Arizona, the top ten states were all Northern States.

1. Vermont

2. Oregon

3. Washington

4. Hawaii

5. Maryland

6. Connecticut

7. New Jersey

8. Rhode Island

9. New York

10. Arizona

The first state considered part of “the South” to make the list was Florida, which came in at number 20.

Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and West Virginia made up seven of the bottom eight on the list.

3,000 companies apparently unite for climate action

It could be considered the “We Are the World” of advertising campaigns. American Businesses for Clean Energy (ABCE), the US Climate Action Partnership (USCAP) and other businesses have created a new national advertising campaign to push for swift action on climate action legislation.

Around 3,000 different companies, ranging from local and small businesses to giant corporations including GE, GM, Google, Nike, Bank of America, Pepsico, and Shell, have decided to affiliate themselves with ClimateAd.org.

In a “message from the above organizations”, the site says, “We believe it’s time for Democrats and Republicans to unite behind bi-partisan, national energy and climate legislation that increases our security and limits emissions, as it preserves and creates jobs.”

The site adds, “It’s a question of American leadership.” So, American government, if you don’t pass climate action legislation, these companies will?