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By collaborating with friends, neighbours or work associates within a local area, a solar buyers group wields increased buying power. Through bulk ordering, members of a solar buyers group can have a residential grid connect system installed at well below market prices.

The NSW Liberals/Nationals announced today that if in power, would commit to a renewable energy buyback scheme, also known as a feed in tariff. New South Wales is the only remaining state in Australia not to have any sort of tariff program and with this announcement, the Liberal/National coalition has exerted great pressure on the current government to support and commit to implement the scheme during tomorrow's Council of Australian Government meeting.

Solar panels are valuable and unfortunately the more unscrupulous in our society are realizing that too. This article offers some advice on anti-theft strategies for securing solar panels.

According to a report published by Greenpeace and the European Photovoltaic Industry Association early this month, solar power could provide much of the energy needs for up to two-thirds of the world’s population as soon as 2030, meanwhile stimulating a massive growth in jobs in the clean tech sector.

Neighbourhoods and community organisations are rallying together to cut the cost of buying and installing solar panels, utilizing the bulk purchasing power of solar buyers groups.

Wisconsin’s Governor Jim Doyle's Task Force on Global Warming has called for implementation of Advanced Renewable Tariffs to encourage the development of the state's renewable energy resources; such as solar or wind power.

Totally recyclable waterproof paper and cardboard containers can be made using a new coating developed from sugarcane, say Australian researchers. Organic chemist, Dr Les Edye, and colleagues from the CRC for Sugarcane Innovation through Biotechnology in Brisbane, say the coating could replace wax and plastic coatings currently used on fruit boxes and food and drink containers.

A viability study is currently being undertaken for a 250MW solar thermal power plant to be built in Australia. Comprising of over 600,000 mirrors and occupying 640 hectares of land, the plant could generate enough electricity to power over 300,000 homes

Did you know that in some USA states, it is illegal to catch rain water; even just a measly rain barrel full? The reason being - someone else has rights to it!

Fresh, clean drinking water is scarce in many places and the situation is getting worse. Yet 8 out 10 of us live within 20 miles of the sea. Reverse osmosis desalination is costly and energy intensive, but Australian Sir Charles Madden has an alternative - wind powered vapor compression desalination.

A mains grid connected solar power system is one of the most economical ways for you to generate green electricity for your home if you live in a premises already with mains power supply. This article outlines how grid connect works, the benefits, costs and equipment.

Scientists say they have found the first confirmation that insects have developed resistance to transgenic crops that have been modified to resist pests. They found evidence of genetic mutation among bollworms (Helicoverpa zea) in a dozen GM cotton fields sown in Mississippi and Arkansas

researchers have unveiled a new accessory for your knees that puts the trendy timepiece to shame. Generating more than 1000 times more energy, the "Biomechanical Energy Harvester" may provide a green way to power the portable devices of the future.

The issue of population control is always a thorny one. An Australian professor has suggested in a recent issue of Medical Journal of Australia that every couple with more than two children should be taxed to pay for enough trees to offset the carbon emissions generated over each child's lifetime.

Mmm... chocolate. IgnaFire Chocolates, a new company in Austin, Texas, now provides healthy chocolates in environmentally-friendly packaging.  The strong flavored dark chocolates made from stone-ground cacao beans with no cacao butter removed or added and dissolvable potato paper packaging, makes for a tasty and earth-friendly treat!

Clean water from our taps is something that many of us take for granted. In some parts of the world, the collection of water, is a daily task that requires a great deal of effort and resources - and often the water still isn’t fit to drink. The award winning Aquaduct bike seeks to improve water transportation and safety for people faced with such challenges.

Americans are already subject to GM (genetically modified) foods invading their diet and often consume them without even knowing it. It's now been revealed that another form of Frankenfood may be hitting US consumer's plates - meat from cloned animals.

A post on EcoSpace.cc a few days back on the Svalbard Global Seed Vault (also known as the Doomsday Seed Vault) generated some feedback about allowing seeds of Genetically Modified Organisms to be collected for storage in case of disaster. The topic of GMO crops is certainly a hotly debated one - what are your thoughts?

The European Union has admitted it failed to foresee environmental and other problems that would be triggered by its policy to encourage motorists to drive vehicles which run on fuel from plants; particularly food crops

Battery cage systems have been a key target of those who campaign against cruelty in farming. The UK government has confirmed it is to press ahead with the implementation of an EU regulation outlawing the production of battery-farmed eggs by 2012, despite pressure from farmers.

Building on the success of the locavore movement’s 100 mile diet, a family operated homesteading project that manages to grow an incredible 6000 pounds of food on a tenth of an acre a year is upping the ante by launching a new challenge - the 100 foot diet. The aim is to give new life to the concept of Victory gardens that provided so much food and were so common in many countries during the war years.

Have school aged children who bus it to school? Clean School Bus USA’s National Idle-Reduction Campaign seeks to promote bus idle-reduction as an easy way to save money by saving fuel, reducing wear and tear on engines, protecting drivers’ health and the health of children, and improving air quality

Hawaii became the first in the nation to approve the use of the Xerolet Eco-System - an Alternative Onsite Wastewater Treatment System (AOWTS). The Xerolet has no need for a sewer connection, holding tank or septic system. Instead, this exciting new technology uses waste water from a variety of sources in the home to minimize water usage.

Three German cities, including the capital Berlin, began implementing a new air pollution system that bans the dirtiest vehicles from their centres.  Drivers in Berlin, Cologne and Hanover are now required to display a coloured badge showing the level of pollution caused by their vehicle, with a scale of red, yellow and green.

The fascinating blog of a man who saved his trash for an entire year in order that he could "see, feel and understand more clearly."

British people are now convinced about the dangers of global warming but are either baffled about how to stop it or are ignoring the issue. Analysts say few people are taking action to deal with the threat of climate change, although over the past 12 months the vast majority have come to accept that it poses a real threat to the world.

A new material, nano flakes, may revolutionise the transformation of solar energy to electricity. If so, even ordinary households can benefit from solar electricity and save money in the future.

The Government Accountability Office has discovered that the White House Office of Management and Business pressured the Environmental Protection Agency to significantly weaken requirements that companies disclose releases of toxic chemicals

75% of Americans plan to be more environmentally responsible in 2008 by cutting back on household energy usage or recycling more according to a recent survey, which also found that 3 in 10 Americans admit to feeling guilty about not living a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. What about you? Do you have some green new year’s resolutions lined up?

Want to drive a cheap car that gets eye-popping mileage? In 1987 you could - and it wasn't even a hybrid. The Honday CRX HF got an Environmental Protection Agency-estimated 57 mpg gallon in highway driving. Today, the most fuel-efficient non-hybrid Civic you can buy gets an EPA-estimated 34 mpg on the highway. Find out what happened in this article.