Dana Childs's blog

Okay.

We're not IT experts, but just how inherently green is network-over-powerline technology?

Echelon Corporation of Silicon Valley yesterday proclaimed a customer win with the McDonald's food chain. Which is a great, high profile announcement for Echelon—kudos to them.

McDonald's intends to use Echelon's networking technology to allow various pieces of kitchen equipment in its restaurants to exchange data between themselves, the store's systems and head office over existing power lines, which will allow the chain to install the equipment without tearing out walls. Nice.

One can understand how this data could include improved business processes and reduce maintenance costs.

Maybe the "G" in G-man will someday stand for green?

A North Carolina-based developer has been awarded a contract to build a LEED-certified field office for the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Jackson, Mississippi.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE: HIW) is to build a $31.7 million 110,000 square foot, three-story Class A office building and annex.

Construction is to commence in the third quarter of this year and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2009.

In May, a contract was awarded to Chicago-based Higgins Development Partners to build an FBI field office in Detroit. The company is seeking LEED silver certification for that building.

Yes, anoints.

So proclaimeth the headline from the company's PR firm.

Today, entertainer Willie Nelson is helping Oregon's first commercial biodiesel plant celebrate its two-year anniversary by headlining a press conference and ground-breaking of an expansion of the plant.

The plant is to grow from one million gallons a year to five, albeit a fraction of the size of conventional biodiesel plants.

This one's a little different, though. In best hippie fashion, Pacific Biodiesel's Salem, Oregon plant has been converting recycled cooking oil from restaurants and food processors in Oregon and Washington, such as Burgerville and Kettle Foods. It's now starting to use canola oil grown elsewhere in Oregon.

Italian designer Ermenegildo Zegna has shown a high-end solar jacket at a fashion show.

The forthcoming Solar JKT from Zegna Sport is "the first premium segment" [read: morbidly expensive] outerwear product in the world that can recharge a cell phone, iPod or other device using solar power, the company claimed.

It's certainly not the first solar jacket. Just the first from a brand-name designer.

No, not that kind of stripper.

Solucorp Industries (OTC: SLUP) today announced that it has received a U.S. patent for its heavy metal remediating paint stripper.

Lead Out uses Solucorp’s EPA Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) program proven Molecular Bonding System (MBS) reagents to permanently remediate heavy metal contaminants such as lead, chromium, cadmium, or zinc that may be found in certain types of paints.

The Lead Out paint stripper is an environmentally friendly, soy-based product, the company claims.

Gotcha.

Sustainable Power (PINKSHEETS: SSTP) in Natchez, Mississippi, a division of controversial alternative fuel company U.S. Sustainable Energy (PINKSHEETS: USSE), is trying to turn dried distillers' grains (DDGs) and old cars into fuel.

DDGs are widely recognized as a relative benign organic byproduct of the conventional ethanol manufacturing process.

It couldn't happen a moment too soon.

Because I always thought they made bagels.

Biofuel pinksheet darling Originally New York, Inc. (ONYI) announced today it's changing its name to "Greenbelt Resources Corporation."

Chairman and CEO Bob Johnson said the name "reflects our company image of being located in the heartland 'Greenbelt' of America." [ed.: the company's image? So they're not actually located in Eagle Grove, Iowa? They're just trying to project that image?]

Trying to build your own regional wireless Internet mesh, Google-style? Need repeaters, but don't have readily available power?

Consider new kit from Meraki Networks of Mountain View.

You, too, can now bathe yourself and your neighbors in even more EM radiation, no power required.

Meraki has now introduced the "Meraki Solar accessory" for its Meraki Outdoor Wi-Fi repeater.

An investigation is underway into a fuel tank failure in a natural gas-powered shuttle van in Los Angeles.

This past Saturday, the van's fuel tank apparently ruptured while being fueled at a station in Carson, California owned by the Los Angeles County Department of Sanitation and operated by Clean Energy Fuels.

The tank rupture and resulting rapid decompression of the contents of the tank killed the van driver, who was standing behind the vehicle.

A company out of Illinois today announced a fuel additive that it claims can add up to 50 miles range to an average tank of gas.

MILESPLUS Petroleum Enhancer™ claims to be an organic surfactant/dispersant that has been "proven for 20 years in trucking and shipping industries."

It claims to improve vehicle performance by cleaning engine components and reducing fuel viscosity to improve fuel economy and enhance MPG.

"Consumers have reported up to 50 more miles per tank of fuel in cars, SUVs and diesel trucks and up to 100 more miles in RVs."