Our government is finally getting serious regarding energy efficiency. Surprised? Washington will pay up to $1500.00 in rebates for qualified Energy Star efficient appliances and home improvement projects.

Following the lead about just about every other company in the world, where introducing a product is of paramount importance, Clayton Homes this week introduced its ihouse (or ihome), which it says is at least 30% more energy- efficient than a traditional home.

Continuing to go Green, WAC has introduced LEDme (TM) Light Bars to its extensive line of undercabinet lighting. WAC Lighting, a leading manufacturer and designer of track, recessed, undercabinet, monorail and decorative lighting, develops nearly all of its responsible products in the family owned, ISO 9001-certified manufacturing campus with in-house UL approved testing labs.

I doubt that most Americans have a clue what the leading Green organizations like Friends of the Earth and the Sierra Club have as their agenda for 2009. They have already made it known their members, so I will share it with you.

At a gathering of international customers at its Pulse 2008 conference here, IBM (NYSE: IBM) today introduced a comprehensive strategy and a broad set of new capabilities to help businesses achieve their green goals.

Three million of them were built; they stimulated a boom in employment and turned a nation of shop keepers into a nation of home owners.

.S. Department of Energy ( DOE ) Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Alexander Karsner today announced the competitive selection of three venture capital firms to participate in DOE’s newly established Entrepreneur in Residence ( EIR ) pilot program, which aims to accelerate deployment and commercialization of advanced clean energy technologies from three DOE National Laboratories into the global marketplace.

A discovery by scientists at the Carnegie Institution has opened the door to a new generation of piezoelectric materials that can convert mechanical strain into electricity and vice versa, potentially cutting costs and boosting performance in myriad applications ranging from medical diagnostics to green energy technologies.

Intel Corporation said it will purchase more than 1.3 billion kilowatt hours a year of renewable energy certificates as part of a multi-faceted approach to reduce its impact on the environment, making Intel the single-largest corporate purchaser of green power in the United States, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Nokia has joined the WWF Climate Savers program with a pledge to build on its strong environmental record by improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon dioxide emissions across its business.

The first of six properties designed to show case state-of-the-art energy efficient housing will be officially opened on Wednesday January 30 2008 at The University of Nottingham.

The wisest energy strategy for the United States, and indeed other countries facing similar challenges, is to move away from their reliance on large-scale centralized coal and nuclear plants, and instead, invest in renewable energy systems and small scale decentralized generation technologies.