'Green roofs' growing more popular (CNN)

NEW YORK (AP) -- An architectural organization has unveiled a new "green" roof for its own building to showcase a trend toward environmentally-friendly technology.

The leafy rooftop of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)building in downtown Washington is a model of the techniques used increasingly to cool temperatures, filter air, and lessen the burden on sewers by absorbing rainwater.

METROLINK is cheap, ridership increases by 2,700 daily riders

With higher gasoline prices, rail is cheaper, Metrolink says.
Commuting: Ridership on the system increases by about 2,700 daily riders since last week. (by Phil Pitchford, The Press-Enterprise)

Freedom from freeway traffic, not necessarily ticket price, has always been the best selling point for Metrolink. Rather than sitting in gridlock, train riders can read, work on a laptop computer or take a nap.

But, emboldened by high prices for gasoline, Metrolink is starting to make an economic argument for taking the train. With the average price of a gallon of self-service regular now at an all-time high across Southern California, taking the train is cheaper on a per-mile basis, they say.
"For the first time, we are really seeing a head-to-head benefit even without the additional factors of insurance and vehicle upkeep," Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell said.

Commuters apparently have reached that conclusion on their own. Ridership across the system has increased by about 2,700 daily riders since last week, Tyrrell said.

China Building Green City on Island Near Shanghai

While the Chinese government has never been known for its environmental consideration, a new city springing up there on an island in the mouth of the Yangtze River may start to change all of that. Bulldozers have already broken ground on Chongming, where China is constructing an earth-friendly city from scratch catering to the overflowing masses from nearby Shanghai as well as those displaced by the massive and ongoing Three Gorges dam project.

For the MSNBC story, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12314959/

The Chinese government promises a model city that protects the environment, complete with sustainable construction methods, protection of wetlands and all electric vehicles.

Currently, China has 16 of the world's 20 most polluted cities; and, the #1 cause of death in China is respiratory illness. What's more, American cities, notably Honolulu, Portland and Seattle are recording pollution emanating in China.

What plays out in China affects us all on this tiny spinning blue rock...

US biodiesel prod. = Iraqi import to US

If the United States someday replaced just 5 percent of its on-road diesel fuel with biodiesel, it would equal the amount of diesel fuel made from imported Iraqi oil annually. This was one statistic that Joe Jobe, chief executive officer of the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), shared with Congress today as he emphasized specific policy initiatives foundational to the growth of the biodiesel industry.

For the full news release:
http://nbb.grassroots.com/FY06NewsReleases/JobeSenate/

Read Jobe's testimony:
http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/PR_supporting_docs/4-26-06_SenAg_Comm_Testimony_final.pdf