Some technical evidence that reveals the very strong fundamentals of this outstanding company, which makes it my #1 pick in the EV auto category as a great safe long-term holding you can likely pass on to your kids someday. Not only is Toyota hitting on all cylinders, they have the key alliances and partnerships in place

The Toyota Prius, the world's most popular hybrid car, emits half as much carbon dioxide as a traditional black cab does. This made it an obvious choice for greentomatocars, an environmentally friendly cab service in London that was launched on 1 March 2006 and was founded by two young ex-City lawyers. Hybrid cars have an electrical engine that takes over from the petrol engine when the car is moving slowly, which eliminates toxic fumes and noise. The company also buys carbon credits to offset unavoidable emissions. Most green services come at a greater cost to consumers. Not so for greentomatocars. In their words: A radical change in consumer behaviour is needed if society is to arrest climate change. greentomatocars believes that such change is only achievable if environmental businesses do not charge a premium for their goods and services. For example, a journey from West London to the West End costs GBP 10-11, which is GBP 4 less than than the fare would be in a regular black cab. greentomatocars currently service West London, starting off with a fleet of five cars, and will expand to the rest of London by the end of the summer. Springwise has written about similar initiatives in Boston, New York and L.A., and is not surprised to see this business idea being copied to other traffic-logged cities across the world. Paris? Hong Kong? Sao Paulo? - Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text -

Great find Don, very inspiring too! London is listening... Cheers, Rich - Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text -

World Land Trust, which was founded in 1989 to preserve the world's most ecologically important and threatened lands, recently created a new way for concerned citizens to help the earth. The foundation now offers carbon offsets by sms/text message. Every time a consumer texts WLT CARBON to number 87050 (within the UK), World Land Trust will offset 140 kilograms of CO2 through its Carbon Balanced Program. The program regenerates rainforest, which not only helps remove CO2 from the atmosphere, but also provides habitat for endangered species. 140 kg of carbon dioxide is equivalent to the emissions produced by 16 restaurant meals, a one-way flight from London to Berlin, or average use of a tumble dryer over 2 months. An offset message costs GBP 1.50 plus standard network charges. Users can create accounts that keep track of their sms donations. Like hybrid taxis or Donny Cards, this concept's strength lies in making it easy for consumers to be good. One for other non-profits to copy and learn from! Website: http://www.carbonbalanced.org - Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text -

<<Springwise has written about similar initiatives in Boston, New York and L.A., and is not surprised to see this business idea being copied to other traffic-logged cities across the world. Paris? Hong Kong? Sao Paulo? That would be a beautiful thing indeed! Seems to me the states, fed, and utility companies can help kickstart the hybrid/PHEV momentum here by starting to order/run fleets of these cars. Larry

Kicking off in Rotterdam's Off_Corso on October 14th is the Sustainable Dance Club. The kick-off party will feature biological beer on tap and fair-trade clothing brand Kuyichi helping clubbers customize their clothes. The end concept will go much further. Enviu, an environmental NGO for young people, is working together with architectural firm Döll to create a truly sustainable nightclub. The club they envision will feature energy-generating dance floors (excellent way to extract kilowatts from energetic clubbers), toilets that flush with rain water, walls that change colour as a reaction to temperature changes, a rooftop garden and other elements that combine to create a sustainable clubbing environment. Working with the Technical University of Delft and the Development Board of Rotterdam, Enviu and Döll aim to build a club that will be fun and profitable, yet will have a low impact on the environment, while raising awareness for social and environmental issues. Some 80 Enviu volunteers (young professionals and students) have developed the concept over the last 8 months. We'll give you an update as soon as those energy-generating dance floors are ready for copying to urban hotspots across the world Website: www.enviu.org Video presentation: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzb3VFi3Sew - Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text -