In July, the Department of Energy announced a $300 rebate program under the Recovery Act to encourage consumers to buy new ENERGY STAR-rated home appliances.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has allocated $6.2 million, including $4.6 million of Recovery Act funds, for researching and developing next generation energy-efficient lighting.

A major rubber recycling company is set to buy one of the world’s biggest tire landfills, located in Colorado, where more than 30 million used tires sit awaiting new life.

As part of an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice, Ohio Edison Co. will repower one of its coal-based power plants to operate primarily on biomass fuels. The transformation will reduce the plant’s greenhouse gas emissions by 1.3 million tons per year.

As the health care debate rages on in town hall meetings and on Capitol Hill, a private sector company, LED Saving Solutions, is focusing on cost containment by offering $100 million in LED lighting retrofits at zero out-of-pocket expense to over 100 hospitals and major hospital groups across the United States.

In an effort to cut costs without sparing quality or customer satisfaction, Braxton’s Animal Works, a 70-year old pet supply store, is switching out interior lighting in its Wayne, Pa., store with new light emitting diode (LED) lights.

Navistar International Corp., a U.S. manufacturer of commercial trucks, has just been granted $39 million from the Department of Energy and has plans to team up with Modec Ltd., a British maker of electric vehicles, to make zero-emission, all-electric delivery vehicles for 2010.

As convenient as the trash or recycling bin is under the desk at the office, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making a point of enforcing the proper disposal of mercury-containing office light bulbs and lead-laden computer monitors in buildings owned or operated by the City of New York.

During intermediate climate talks in Bonn, Germany, last week the head of the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat Yvo de Boer said the price of dealing with climate change is enormous — $300 billion, he said.

When the Chevrolet Volt hits showrooms late next year, it could blow away the competition. The hybrid engine runs on electricity and gas and can get up to 230 miles to the gallon during city driving. That figure has yet to be tested by federal regulators, but anywhere close to that number would be a record for an American car.