This post was written by Sahra Bean
Nokia has announced the launch of its ‘Take Back’ campaign to be effective from January 01 which is aimed at creating awareness on the issue of recycling of old mobile phones. As part of the initiative, Nokia will ask mobile consumers to dispose off their handsets and accessories irrespective of the brands at Nokia Priority dealer shops as well as Nokia Care Centres. Nokia said that it will plant a tree for every handset disposed at its centres and also give a surprise gift.
Innergie has announced that it has teamed up with Green Plug on the first implementation of Green Plug’s open systems intelligent power interface. At 2009 International CES, in Las Vegas Jan. 8-11, Innergie and Green Plug will demonstrate the Greentalk-enabled mCube90G powering a variety of consumer electronic devices, each with unique power requirements. The Innergie mCube90G features an innovative two-piece design, in which the smaller Auto/Air adapter can be detached, enabling use of an even more compact adapter when getting power from DC power sources, such as automobiles and airplanes.
Office Depot has opened its first “Green” store, located in Austin, TX. Office Depot’s “Green” store has been pre-certified for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards by the USGBC. The store will use less water and energy during its daily operations and increase recycling efforts to diminish the size of its “overall environmental footprint”.
GE Water & Process Technologies has released a white paper, Addressing Water Scarcity Through Recycling and Reuse: A Menu for Policymakers, outlining the policies and best practices currently being used to increase and implement successful water conservation programs in water scarce regions of the world. GE also announced its own commitment to reduce its own fresh water use by 20% by 2012. The new initiative is one of the world’s most aggressive corporate water target to date and is expected to free up 7.4 million cubic meters (2 billion U.S. gallons) of fresh water annually. This is enough water to fill over 3,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. A great quote from the piece:
HP has introduced improvements to the HP Eco Solutions program with the launch of the new HP Eco Printing assessment service and new capabilities added to the HP Carbon Footprint Calculator, aimed at helping enterprises better understand the impact of their printing on the environment. HP also showcased customers who have achieved environmental benefits, including cost and energy savings, through HP Managed Print Services. Through the new HP Eco Printing Assessment, enterprises can better understand the impact of printing on the environment.
Hewlett Packard Inc. has agreed to license its transparent transistor technology to solar panel start-up maker Xtreme Energetics (XE), stepping up its push into the green technology space. The company has also unveiled new plans to reduce the environmental impact of IT. The transparent transistor technology, co-developed with Oregon State University, will enable XE to build low-profile panels which are not required to mechanically track the sun. The transparent transistors have been developed to improve the overall efficiency of the panels by allowing more light to penetrate the solar cells. Promising energy yields at twice the efficiency and half the cost of traditional solar panels, the technology comprises thin-film transparent transistors, which would allow for higher mobility, better chemical stability and easier manufacture than panels using silicon.
American Green Group Inc. has begun aggressive efforts to acquire green business opportunities. The company has contacted several parties both directly and through various mergers and acquisition companies to identify and begin the initial negotiations. John Cangiano, President of American Green said
IBM Inc. has built its largest data center in Boulder using the green technology. Almost all of the original shell of the building was reused along with original material components. Vice President of IBM Global Server Systems, Larry Longseth, said that the building will save about 40 percent in energy with some partial alternative power.
Ford Tamer, a venture capitalist and operating partner at Khosla Ventures, reveals that the number of renewal-energy plans approaching him for investment in them is increasing. Started by the co-founder of Sun Microsystems, Khosla Ventures has very quickly emerged as one of the leading venture capital firms making investments in green technology. It has already invested into more than 70 companies by now. Tamer is looking forward to solar energy, IT services and electrical efficiency. Recently, the firm has put money into 9 such projects. 
Cleveland is ramping up investment in building and rehabbing energy- efficient homes with the goal of reducing energy costs for residents, especially senior citizens and low-income families. Ten projects, some of which are public housing, will get $4.6 million in grants. The money will also enable some vacant houses to be renovated for sale, using green-building technology such as natural and high-efficiency lighting, recycled materials and appliances and systems that use less water and energy to run.