Global DHL delivered 71 containers from Germany to Venezuela with the kite-powered MS Beluga Skysails cargo vessel last week, according to ENN. Tapping the wind power across the oceans allowed the ship to travel faster or decrease fuel consumption by 20%.
And the successful voyage is just in time to counter the criticism against the shipping industry for green house gas emissions:
(From ENN)The maiden voyage was completed at a time when ship-related greenhouse gas emissions are under fire from several fronts. Earlier this week, a report commissioned by the U.N. International Maritime Organization surfaced, finding that ship-related emissions, at 3.5 percent …read more

The European Commission is set to set to release the new rules on Emissions Trading System (ETS) – part of a post-2012 climate change policy package – next week and have preempted the publication with acknowledgment that the plan will hit the competitiveness of heavy industries.
An article in the EU Observer noted that new changes in greenhouse gas emissions rules will most affect Europe’s aluminum makers. Other industries such as chemical, steel and cement would also be impacted causing a need to raise prices between 5 and 48 percent. The changes would give the US and China a competitive edge …read more

Attention shoppers, do you know where your light bulbs have been? UK supermarket giant Tesco has teamed up with the Carbon Trust to ‘map’ the carbon footprint of products that shoppers commonly purchase in its stores. The idea is driven by a rising consumer demand that is placing climate issues a priority in product choices.
Consumers are concerned with the embodied energy of the products they purchase. Organic and locally produced are two keys to reducing a product’s carbon footprint, both through sustainable farming and manufacturing and reduced emissions from shorter transportation.
The Tesco Carbon Footprint map is geared towards helping the …read more