$200 Million in DOE grants for biofuel

Hoping to reduce emissions and ultimately increase its energy supply security and wean the country off dependence on energy imports, the Department of Energy (DOE) will award as much as $200 million in grants to 5-12 projects over the next six years for advanced biofuel refineries. The new national renewable-fuels mandate requires US production of 36 billion gallons of biofuels by 2022 - 21 billion, including advanced fuels such as cellulosic ethanols, bio-butanol, and “green gasoline.” Additional government support is expected under President-elect Barack Obama’s nominee for energy secretary, Steven Chu - a strong proponent of cellulosic ethanol.

Hotel Goes Green With 100% Wind Energy

In a Green Power Partnership with the EPA, the Legacy Hotel & Meeting Centre is proud to be powered 100% by wind energy - bringing their carbon footprint to zero for energy consumption. Hotel guests can further offset the carbon footprint of their stay supporting the hotel’s new Turn On™ program by purchasing an eco-friendly t-shirt logoed with the hotel’s campaign slogan “I Got Turned On At The Legacy!” and by signing up to have their entire room energy turned off during their absence and turned back on 30 minutes prior to their return. The hotel converted its cleaning products and detergents to organic, biodegradable solutions, and offers recycling baskets in each of its 162 guest rooms.

"We are proud of our commitment to both traditional hospitality and contemporary environmental responsibility," says Eric Siegel, ExecutiveVice President of Cohen Companies, the owner group of The Legacy Hotel & Meeting Centre. "We are introducing our 100% recycling policy and hope that our guests will join our efforts to greening their stay."

2 Million Jobs in 2 Years, if Congress Opts for Green Stimulus

Dollar for Dollar, Investing in Green Yields More Jobs Than Either Oil Subsidies or Tax Rebates: Report September 9, 2008 by Dan Shapley
Congress can spend less money than it did on the last economic stimulus package, create more jobs and help stave off catastrophe via climate change. That's the gist of an authoritative new report from U-Mass Amherst and the Center for American Progress.
Green Recovery outlines how to spend $100 billion over two years to create nearly 2 million new jobs. Invest the same money in the oil industry, and you get just 542,00 jobs (and a commitment to more fossil fuel pollution). Invest the same money in tax rebates and you get 1.7 million jobs (and a whole lot more consumption).

The report recommends investing in four priority infrastructure projects:

• Retrofitting Buildings
• Mass Transit and Freight Rail
• Smart Grids
• Renewable Energy

Because the jobs created by these types of investments — everything from construction and steel workers to civil engineers and chemists — would be distributed wherever there are homes, public buildings, public transportation, and wherever there is wind and sun, the program could create jobs across the entire U.S.
Enough jobs, its authors say, to drive down unemployment from the five-year high of 6.1% to 4.4%!
Read more at: http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/blogs/shapley/green-collar-stimulus-47090905