AP - At least five more state-run power plants are not in compliance with federal clean air regulations and need to install tighter pollution controls, Gov. Jim Doyle’s administration acknowledged Friday.

AP - Promoting Colorado’s renewable energy industry is key to generating jobs and easing dependence on foreign oil — but the U.S. is lagging behind China in its investment in renewables, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Friday.

AP - A federal judge on Friday fined a Hong Kong-based company $10 million after the cargo ship it operated caused a massive oil spill in San Francisco Bay in 2007.

AP - A California instructor disputes student claims that he presented his religious views on homosexuality, abortion and global warming in class as fact.

Warmer ocean temperatures pose a serious threat to corals around the world.  Warmer waters typically kill the brown or green algae that a reef depends on for food, leading to bleaching and death of the reefs, but Penn State scientists have found some algae are not affected by rising temperatures, buying their coral partners some time.

Heat-resistant algae have been found in the Andaman Sea in the Indian Ocean as well as in spots in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.  Scientists aren’t sure if the resilient algae can save corals — the algae may not be able to be imported to coral reefs where it doesn’t naturally occur and there are other things threatening coral, including rising ocean acidification, pollution and bottom-trawling fishing.  Considering all of that, the algae may be just a temporary life-preserver.

But some scientists think warmer waters may encourage the growth of these algae, benefiting the reefs they occupy over the long-term.  Continued research will be needed, but this discovery does offer a glimmer of hope for the world’s coral.

via Dot Earth

AFP - US President Barack Obama on Friday rebuked climate change skeptics who argue that piles of snow dumped on the United States during a frigid winter cast doubt on global warming science.

For the second season of The GreenShows during New York Fashion Week, models strutted down the runway showing off the best in sustainable, recycled and really awesome attire.

This year the events were held at a new yet-to-be inhabited eco-friendly apartment building in New York City’s East Village.

The GreenShows opened with a unique showcase of Gary Harvey’s recycled couture. Newspapers and laundry bags rustled down the runway, along with old sweatshirts and baseball jackets repurposed into gowns.

The collection was designed to challenge people’s perception of secondhand clothing. Gary, who was previously creative director of Levi Strauss and Dockers Europe, believes: “Too many garments end up in landfill sites. They are deemed aesthetically redundant and get discarded at the end of the season when there are often years of wear left.”

So, we say, long live the trench coat! Long live the baseball jacket! Long live whatever else Harvey uses to create his collections! The Daily Green featured 18 recycled dresses by Gary Harvey.

Here’s a look at five of the most interesting.

Photos by Gloria Dawson.

Do you think Gary Harvey is a green hero? Nominate your local hero for a Heart of Green Award, and he or she could win a trip to New York City to be honored alongside celebrities and dignitaries working to make green go mainstream.

More from The Daily Green

• See All 18 Recycled Dresses by Gary Harvey
• 10 Stylish Ways to Wear the Same Little Black Dress
• Amazing Homes Built From Shipping Containers
• One-of-a-Kind Recycled Home Decor
• Photos: 13 Cool Things Made from Recycled Bottles

Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc

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The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Navistar are testing drag-reducing devices that could cut big rig fuel use by 12 percent, or 3.4 billion gallons a year.  The devices would fit into the areas of the truck that produce the most drag, making it more aerodynamic and reducing the energy needed to propel the truck.

At highway speeds, semi-trucks use more than half of the energy from their engine overcoming drag.  With these devices placed at crucial points like the trailer base, underbody and the space between the tractor and trailer, the drag is significantly reduced.  The fuel savings amount to a reduction of 36 million tons of CO2 emissions a year — the same as four 1-GW power plants — and a cost savings of $10 billion a year for the U.S. trucking industry.

The LLNL’s devices, along with other commercially-available ones, are being tested at NASA’s Ames Research Center in the world’s largest wind tunnel where researchers hope to coax even greater fuel efficiency through the large-scale testing.  Trucks could be retrofitted with the devices in as little as three years.

via GreenBiz

AP - The Navy has agreed after months of fighting to fund a study into the health effects of past water pollution at Camp Lejeune on Marines.

Reuters - Google Inc won approval from U.S. energy regulators to act as a power marketer, which will make it easier for the Internet search giant to obtain renewable energy to run its huge data centers.