Informing the world about all things “green” is not an easy task, fortunately there are several fantastic resources out there in cyberspace that we enjoy. This is just a sampling of the green websites that we follow. Please share with us your favorites because together we can make a difference.

Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis announced a new series of grant competitions that promote green jobs. These programs will use federal stimulus money to help energy efficiency and renewable energy industries at the state and local levels, nationwide.

The United States has the highest emissions of greenhouse gases per capita in the world, according to a survey of the G8 countries’ efforts on clean energy and reducing pollution by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and German-based financial services company Allianz SE.

As of July 1, California will require ships to use cleaner fuels, following a ruling by U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, denying a legal challenge by the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA). U.S. Judge Morrison C. England Jr.

On June 29, on the heels of the passage of the American Clean Energy and Security Act, President Barack Obama and Energy Secretary Steven Chu, announced major energy efficiency initiatives that will save consumers billions of dollars every year.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced June 30 that it has granted the State of California’s waiver request regarding standards for greenhouse gas emissions for new vehicles.

In a world where being green is becoming the cool thing to do, even search engines are trying to find a way to join the cause. Yesterday, Yahoo! announced its intentions to build one of the greenest data centers in the world in Lockport, N.Y.

Thanks to a variety of inexpensive, trendy and accessible reusable totes, cutting down on plastic shopping bags has never been easier, or timely, for that matter. As cities across the U.S. consider legislation to add a tax on shopping bags and some retailers choose to do so of their own volition, now is the time to pick up a few reusable totes.

The American Pyrotechnics Association, estimates that 18,000 fireworks shows will occur across the U.S. this Fourth of July. This does not include backyard fireworks which have seen a tremendous growth in sales. Since 2000, the sales of backyard fireworks have doubled resulting in over 238 million pounds of fireworks being fired off each year.

In your quest to be energy- and environmentally- conscious, can you rely on manufacturers’ claims or product labels to be accurate? Should a manufacturer turn a profit on a dishwasher, washing machine or refrigerator that uses twice as much energy as it claims? Can you trust a label that says “no phthalates,” “non-toxic,” “natural” or “green?”