Alaska and United Make For Greener Friendly Skies

This Eskimo has reason to smile.

As one of the worst storms in the last 40 years heads for the Alaska coast, Alaska Airlines prepares to storm the future by launching the first of 75 scheduled biofuels-powered flights.

The first will depart from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEATAC) heading for Washington Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC.

The second will head from SEATAC to Portland, OR. Both will be powered by a blend of jet fuel and 20 percent biofuel derived from used cooking oil.

Using social media to promote this flight, Alaska will host a Twitter-based discussion onboard the first flight, which the airline is calling "#FlyGreen Chat," to talk about the future of aviation, sustainability, and environmental awareness.

United Continental made history on Monday when the first commercial biofuels-powered flight completed a trip from Houston to Chicago's O'Hare Airport.

United announced Monday that it signed a letter of intent with Solazyme Inc., which provided the biofuel for Monday's Continental flight, to buy 20 million gallons of algae-derived biofuel annually.

Solazyme is one of the US Navy's partners supplying jet and other fuels for its fleets in the air and water, as I wrote about in The Energy Collective in September.

You can learn more about Alaska Airlines Greener Skies Initiative and its biofuels program at Greener Skies Initiative and join the conversation on Twitter by following #FlyGreen.

The Trouble With Air-Conditioners | The Energy Collective

Image by takomabibelot via Flickr
Con Edison has been promoting green initiatives for some time now, but certain problems impede their progress: dense urban environments are ill-suited to the promise of smart meter technologies, consumer behaviors are hard to change, and there are those pesky window air conditioners.

Yes, window air conditioners.

Read my post in The Energy Collective

Green Skeptic Friday LinkFest - 03/11/11

I awoke this morning, as many did, to the news of a devastating earthquake in Japan and the ensuing tsunami.

Once again we are reminded of the power of Nature and the fragility of human existence. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected in Japan and elsewhere.

The New York Times and BBC appeared to have the best coverage (thanks to Heidi N. Moore for the links):

Huge Quake and Tsunami Hit Japan

Tsunami hits Japan after massive quake

Video of the Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan

Here are links for this week:

Brad Johnson, of The Wonk Room, reports on Rep. Ed Markey's Sardonic comments during this week's climate hearings in Washington: Markey Asks if GOP Will Repeal Gravity

Meanwhile, Nick Blake, writing in OnEarth magazine asks, "Are We Hard-wired for Extinction?"

My colleague from The Energy Collective advisory board Marc Gunther ponders Can Clean Energy Drive U.S. Economic Recovery?

Our friend Molly Davis of Rainmaker Communications has her film producing premiere at SXSW and got some props in the New York Times: "Something Ventured, A Love Story About Capitalism."  Here's a link to the film's web site: Something Ventured.

Craig Newmark has launched a new venture to connect people to non-profit organizations:  Craigslist Founder Starts Craigconnects To Make World A Better Place.

David Brooks has sparked a lively debate about the failures of contemporary society, which he sees as rooted "a single failure: reliance on an overly simplistic view of human nature," The New Humanism.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan.