“In 2004, about 6% of all energy consumed and about 9% of total electricity production was from renewable energy resources,” reports the Energy Information Association. The developed world’s dependence on harmful sources of energy such as fossil fuels is nothing new; the Industrial Revolution spurred this trend. But, as energy prices now rise steadily in today’s withering economy, many small businesses find themselves drowning in the costs of powering their organizations. This won’t be the norm forever, though. One of the most important and exhilarating—and possibly one of the riskiest—ways to help the economy, and aid in reversing the global warming humans and their industries have brought on, is to invest in alternative energy sources. Read the full story

Time examines why wind power remains unpopular despite clear economic and environmental benefits in an article posted online today. According to the story, the United States’ hesitance to warm up to a large-scale wind energy program has no basis in science, but rather economics. Though wind is an abundant and powerful resource, it still costs more than electricity generated from fossil fuels. Washington is doing little to change its policies and wind energy advocates lack an organized, significant political presence. Currently, the U.S. falls behind countries like Germany, Spain, and Japan, who have developed robust wind energy generators in spite of their small size.

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Ireland has long been known as the island with forty shades of green, and in the last twenty years the green movement has begun to live up to that image. During that time a disparate group of ecologists, business people, scientists, politicians and others have been working together to develop sustainable living on the island. Read the full story