Amsterdam: A new study calculates that by 2050, groundwater pumping will cause a global sea level rise of about 0.8 mm per year.

Berlin: Sensors, transmitters and GPS modules need only a few mill watts of power to operate, which could also be met by vibrations produced by moving objects, thanks to a new technology "energy harvesting".

Beijing: China has decided to promote construction of energy-efficient buildings in the country and will ensure that such buildings account for 30% of the new construction projects by 2020.

Gandhinagar: International Financial Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank, will support Gujarat to replicate a rooftop solar project in five cities. The solar project, first completed last month in Gandhinagar, will improve access to power and reduce air pollution.

London: A 41-year-old former banker in Britain has come up with a pioneering scheme where he aims to collect four tonnes of dog waste every day across just one county and then process the faeces to light street lamps.

Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation is planning to encourage the concept of Green buildings. It will offer tax incentives for setting up of rooftop solar installations for heating and power back up and water harvesting facilities.

Mumbai: For the second time in Asia, a "lake-tapping" project to generate additional electricity was carried out in the reservoir of Maharashtra's biggest Koyna Dam Wednesday April 25, 2012, a top official said. The state aims to be totally free of outages by 2012.

Bern: The world's largest solar-powered plane, Swiss-made Solar Impulse, will take its first-ever cross-continent flight in May or June.

New Delhi: With poachers posing a massive threat to tigers in India, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has launched a pilot project in Uttarakhand's Corbett National Park for round-the-clock surveillance of the park using high definition cameras.

London: Orangutans are turning out to be smart designers, going by the sophisticated way they build their nests, says a scientific study.

Beijing: A solar photovoltaic power generation base is being built in the second largest city in Tibet to ease winter power shortage by harnessing the ample amount of sunshine received by the area.

Vancouver: A group of fashion designers in Canada have shown that eye-catching creations can be made using discarded candy wrappers or yarn made from old plastic bottles.

Thiruvananthapuram: In what is being billed as a pioneering initiative, all 52 jails in Kerala will now go green with the state government undertaking a Rs 25.50 crore solar power project.

A little known data point about Tamil Nadu is that the state has applications from wind power developers for putting up wind projects totalling over 10,000 MW. Clearly, the developers believe that the problems relating to the inadequacy of evacuation infrastructure to be temporary. And it is. The Tamil Nadu government is putting up two 400 kV lines connecting the wind-rich southern districts to the consumption centres around Chennai and Coimbatore.

Till solar plant costs come down further, lighting of villages may have to be funded by subsidies. But funds are no constraint. And solar power is a better option than reaching copper wires to villages.

Allahabad: Amid growing emphasis on adopting alternative and environmental-friendly means to meet energy demands, the first solar power unit of Uttar Pradesh has started functioning on the outskirts of the city.

New Delhi: India's first bird monitoring system for common birds was launched by Mumbai-based Nature Forever Society (NFS), an organisation working for the protection of common sparrows and other common fauna.

Ahmadabad: Solar Stills, a low-tech way to distill sea water, powered by the heat from the sun with improvised water output efficiency, will soon be made available to the industry for commercial utilisation, a top CSMCRI official said.

Manali: It will not only provide all-weather connectivity but also protect from calamities. The engineering marvel that is the Rohtang tunnel, being built under the 3,978 m Rohtang Pass in the Himalayas, will literally divert avalanches using snow galleries.

The problem with plastic is that it is non-biodegradable and its disposal is a major ecological hazard. Recycling provides a partial solution. Earth Soul India, a company specialising in bio-plastics, is planning to manufacture composter machines that can convert waste into energy.

Washington: Environmentally conscious car owners will now have a new choice when it comes to their four wheels: eco-friendly tyres.

Though electric cars are heralded as an environment friendly solution in major cities, a study says their pollution levels are worse than petrol-powered vehicles.

A sustainable bio-degradable alternative to plastic packaging has been developed by Gurgaon-based Roidec India Chemicals Pvt Ltd, the company said Tuesday.

The world’s largest solar-powered boat, MS Turano PlanetSolar, today set sail from Singapore to Mumbai as part of its 18-month journey around the world.

Every year, a billion tyres are discarded worldwide following wear and tear, with the bulk going into landfills and placing a burden on the environment. But now, researchers have found a way to reuse them -- by creating rubber products.

Dubai: All parks in Dubai will soon use solar-powered lights in a bid to reduce consumption of electricity and use more natural resources, a top official has said.

London: A green process can clean up the most hazardous chemicals used in textile dyes, which are dumped into rivers and agricultural land, claims new research.

A host of companies are showing keen interest for environment-friendly construction in India, pushing analysts to project the market size for "green buildings" to grow three-fold from $10 billion to $30 billion in the next four years.

London: Researchers from the University of Cambridge, including an Indian origin scholar, have developed a new method for recycling lead acid batteries which has the potential to transform the battery recycling industry.

WASHINGTON: Believe it or not, a scientist in UK has built a microwave which he claims can turn orange peel into oil.

London: British babies use around three billion disposable diapers every year. Now a new recycling plant has opened in the country where these nappies would be turned into roof tiles and construction tubes.

Thiruvananthapuram: Billed as a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Poovar Island Resort near Kovalam in Kerala is set to launch four solar-powered boats for its guests.

Thiruvananthapuram: The Oommen Chandy government in Kerala has decided to give a portion of multinational Suzlon's profits to the adivasis of Palakkad district on whose lands the wind power company erected windmills.

New Delhi: The Indian parliament made a green beginning Tuesday with Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar inaugurating a solar energy system in parliament. The Lok Sabha Secretariat is also to become paperless.

Srikakulam (Andhra Pradesh): Development versus environment and livelihood? The tussle is on in the lush green fields of coastal Andhra Pradesh's Srikakulam district, bordering Orissa.

Madrid: An Aeromexico Boeing 777 arrived in the Spanish capital Tuesday, marking the first trans-Atlantic commercial flight powered in part by biofuel.

New Delhi: In an effort to more effectively send out its message on using environment-friendly resources for lighting, The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI) Monday launched its mascot, Laltini.

Freiburg (Germany): The story of Freiburg, better known as the environmental capital of Germany, goes back to the early 1980s when local people stalled the installation of a nuclear power plant in the city and forced the authorities to switch to renewable sources of energy.

Bangalore: The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission launched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last year has positioned India "to become a global leader in the growth of concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies," according to a new report.

New Delhi: Two Indian companies specializing in alternative energy sources for rural electrification have won this year's prestigious Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy in London.

New Delhi: India urgently needs a roadmap for introducing cleaner fuels to reduce vehicular emissions, the major source of air pollution, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) director general R.K. Pachauri said Wednesday.

New Delhi: Delhiites will soon have an opportunity play a pivotal role in saving the environment by installing solar power plants on the rooftops of their houses and even earning by selling electricity to power distribution companies (DISCOMS).

New Delhi: India's first waste-to-energy plant, touted as an answer to the waste and electricity woes of the capital, will start operations from July.

Chandigarh: The Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) has been selected to install a solar power plant at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in the national capital, an official said here Friday.

Ever since the beginning of the industrial revolution, pollution has been synonymous with industry. And with the increasing effects of emissions on the environment and climate, companies, world over, have been under immense pressure to cut down on the pollution they create. Many corporate houses in India have taken steps to reduce their carbon footprint by bringing fundamental changes in their functioning. Be it by moving into a certified green building or taking special steps for energy and water conservation, corporate India is on the fast track to going truly green.

Abu Dhabi: Renewable energy sources like wind and solar power could provide up to 80 percent of the global energy needs by 2050, an intergovernmental panel report on climate has said.

Bangalore: To become eco-friendly, the university plans to ban public motor bikes on the campus

Jaipur: As Rajasthan experiments with solar energy, the famous bird sanctuary at Bharatpur and the dargah of Hazrat Moinuddin Chisti at Ajmer are at the forefront of the state’s plans to turn ‘unconventional’

London: Reddening, a rivulet of sweat running across her cheek, Amy McCullough hunched over the stationary bike, pumped her legs like crazy and began producing serious power — enough watts to run a flat-panel TV and a ceiling fan.

Bangalore: All government buildings in Bangalore will have to install rain harvesting mechanism by May-end, a week ahead of the likely beginning of monsoon, the Karnataka government has announced.

Bangalore: After months of appeals, campaigns and warnings failed to impress residents of this tech hub to harvest rain water, a deadline has now been set with a threat to make them fall in line.

Ever heard of bottled cooking gas, green diesel or bio-CNG? And that too produced from waste generated in the city?

New Delhi: As the World Water day is celebrated on March 22, the focus will again be on an issue that currently affects over one-fifth of humanity -- lack of water.

New York: Global media conglomerate News Corp has saved millions of dollars by improving energy efficiency in its daily operations across businesses, its chief Rupert Murdoch has said.

Mexico City: Scientists in Mexico are developing a new type of cement that will reduce carbon-dioxide emission by up to 80 percent while the amount of energy consumed in the production process will be lowered by as much as 50 percent.

Pune: Use of diesel generators in cellphone towers leads to a staggering five million tonnes of annual carbon emissions in India and there is a need to replace them with solar panels, says a new study.

New Delhi: Energy needs around the world could be met more cleanly, renewably and economically by the year 2050, a report by the World Wide Fund (WWF) said Thursday.

Garbage in open dumpsites on the streets of Indian cities is a common sight and a huge health hazard. The solution has not only to do with “solid waste management” but a lot to do with residents understanding the value of keeping public places clean and its link with health. Hygiene, like charity, begins at home.

India’s success in the 21st century is going to be defined by manner in which we address the revival of existing cities and the way we plan our new cities.According to the ‘United Nations World Urbanization Prospects’, the next few decades alone will see 600 million Indians moving into urban areas.

Bangalore: An eco-friendly technology to dispose of dead bodies as an alternative to cremation and burial is making a debut in Europe. The unusual "corpse compost method" turns bodies into soil. And people who care about improving the environment can also turn to using No-Mix toilets that collect urine and faeces separately.

Washington: India could attract as much as $169 billion in clean power project investments in the next decade, says a report. According to a report released today by The Pew Charitable Trusts, the annual clean energy investment in India is forecast to grow by as much as 763 percent over the next 10 years.

Washington: Inspired by the sonar capabilities of dolphins, scientists have developed a new underwater device that can outperform standard sonar and detect objects through bubble clouds.

New Delhi: Environmentalists welcomed Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh's remarks that it was criminal to drive big diesel cars, saying these were a threat to energy security, climate and public health.

Chandigarh: Owners of big houses and offices in Chandigarh should get set for some serious rainwater harvesting. The city administration is big on the idea to solve the water scarcity problem and is moving way before the next summer in 2011.

New Delhi: The green slimy algae can play a major role in reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and cleaning industry-polluted air.

London: A peg of scotch whisky can reduce carbon emission too as scientists in Scotland have developed a biofuel from the by-products of whisky which can be used to power cars.

Clean technologies are being used to construct ’Green’ buildings. In this section we list some building that have been recognized for their environmental efforts…

New Delhi/ Lucknow: Environmentally cleaner fuel for domestic kitchens would be available to consumers in Lucknow around Diwali time.

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir will generate 20,000 megwatts (MW) from solar energy by 2020, mostly in Ladakh region of the state, union New and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah said Monday.

New Delhi: To encourage public transportation and go the green way, the urban development ministry Wednesday launched the Sustainable Urban Transport Project (SUTP) which will be first implemented in five Indian cities.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) engaged in poultry farming in Haryana will soon use poultry litter to generate power for the state power grid.

Washington: An Indian innovator who plans to promote cheap toilet technology in 50 developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East region says his technologies could also help developed nations reduce global warming.

Greenpeace has ranked the leading manufacturers of electronic products according to their policies on toxic chemicals, recycling and climate change. So now when you decide to buy a new phone or an LCD TV opt for these 'green' concious company products!

Dhaka: In an effort to reduce carbon emission, Bangladesh is looking at smokeless brick making technology to replace the over 150-year-old traditional method in the country.

New Delhi: It's one of the greenest sporting arenas in the world. The Thyagaraj Stadium for the Delhi Commonwealth Games boasts of it all, from glass glazing for insulation to energy saving light fixtures to water conserving plumbing.

Agartala: In a bid to make Agartala a solar city, the Tripura government has decided to make solar energy tapping provision mandatory in buildings.

Boston: Fueled by leftover chocolate and with components made from carrots, potato starch and flax, the world's first sustainable Formula 3 racing car has a top speed of 135 miles per hour and can go from zero to 60 in 2.5 seconds.

Geneva: Fiat will this year equip its trademark 500 model with a new, superclean fuel engine as it steps up emission reductions to remain among Europe's most eco-friendly car producers, its brand head said on Tuesday.

Dubai: Dubai will host an international exhibition on eco-friendly technologies in the energy sector March 9-11, WAM news agency reported.

Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) is not just the first Indian airport to be listed in the world's top five, it is also the first airport in Asia to get a Green building certificate.

Chandigarh: The administration here will soon launch a Bachat Lamp Yojana (Save Lamp Plan, BLY) to reduce domestic energy consumption, an official said Wednesday.

A look at some major renewable energy initiatives across the world -- from the Swiss Alps to villages in India.

Washington: Research has found a 'green' way of disposing toxic plastic waste. Plastic used in screwdriver handles, eyeglass lenses, DVDs, and CDs, among other things, can be pretreated to dispose it off in an environment-friendly way, a new study shows.

Shimla: Buoyed by the successful use of plastic waste to build three stretches of road, the Himachal Pradesh government will now use all the plastic waste it collected during a drive last month for road surfacing.

Patna: A German government agency is going to help Bihar build 'green' buildings and win carbon credits in the process, which it can sell in developed countries.

New York: Electric and hybrid cars could become a realistic alternative to vehicles fitted with a combustion engine in megacities during the coming five years, according to a study conducted by McKinsey & Company, a global management consultancy firm.

New Delhi: The national authority for Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects has so far approved 1,467 projects, which, if approved by its international counterpart, can net India $6.15 billion by 2012, an official spokesperson said here Tuesday.

London: The best way to cut down emissions of poisonous gases in the short term is to make smaller petrol and diesel cars.

Toronto: Canadian researchers are on the threshold of pioneering a new technology that will revolutionise purification of drinking water and sewage, they say.

While Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday announced the National Solar Mission, the Delhi government is eyeing World Bank help to produce solar energy.

Hyderabad: Natural gas will be available to the common man in two years across the country, Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) chairman L. Mansingh said here Tuesday.

Chandigarh: Plying of non-LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) auto rickshaws will not be permitted on Chandigarh roads after March 31 next year, officials said here Tuesday.

New Delhi: In an effort to boost the city's green tag, BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL) Monday launched an initiative in which free charging facility will be provided for the electric car REVA.

New York: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg plans to build a gigantic wind park off the coast of the city, according to a report in The New York Times Monday.

Kolkata: On a day world leaders began discussing climate changes in Copenhagen, the Governor's House here became the country's first Raj Bhavan to launch a solar power project for supplying energy to the building.

Washington: A new generation of 'green' tyres that will boost fuel efficiency without affecting safety or durability is in the pipeline.

Kolkata: The green building concept is swiftly catching up in the country partly because of government sops and partly because of the marketing strategy of real estate developers to get customers -- and everyone is now busy linking it to climate change.