Green News And Links

Wal-Mart to label products with eco ratings
The retail giant plans to announce on Thursday that it will ask its suppliers to provide environmental information on all products carried in its stores. Wal-Mart Stores will use that information to label each item with an eco rating, designed to measure its environmental friendliness.

ExxonMobil goes green -- and slimy
If creating biofuel algae sounds right up your alley, Synthetic Genomics is totally hiring. They're looking for a genomics director and a senior photosynthesis scientist, which sounds like you might be making ExxonMobil's algae.

Make the Green Leap
"If it says 'earth-safe,' 'cruelty-free,' or 'natural,' you should be skeptical until you read the ingredients," says Diane MacEachern, author of Big Green Purse. "These terms aren't verified, so any company can use them." Look for products that have a label that proves the claim is certified by a third-party organization: Common ones include Energy Star for appliances, the Leaping Bunny for cosmetics and personal-care products, and USDA/Organic for foods. If the product isn't certified, check its ingredients. Products that contain ingredients with recognizable names (instead of hard-to-pronounce chemical compounds) are probably better for the earth than their counterparts, suggests MacEachern.

Britain gives gives green light to four new "eco-towns"
The four sites chosen, all in southern or eastern England, are: Whitehill-Borden in Hampshire, China Clay Community at St Austell in Cornwall, Rackheath in Norfolk and North West Bicester in Oxfordshire.

Elevation Burger - $5 Organic Burger - $5 Million Dollar View
Elevation Burger has received recognition in prestigious publications such as Washingtonian magazine and The Washington Post as “best shake” and “best burger” nominees. Founder Hans Hess received the “Green Business Visionary” award in 2008 from the Washington Business Journal, and the 2009 Green Business Award from Washingtonian Magazine in May of 2009. Elevation Burger was also recently featured in a Wall Street Journal article about Twitter.

Control4 Secures $17.3 Million to Fund Smart Grid Product Initiatives, Drive New Market Development
Control4, a leader in affordable, IP-based home control and entertainment systems, today announced it has secured an additional $17.3 million in equity financing. Best Buy Capital, Mercato Partners and University Venture Fund join current investors Foundation Capital, Frazier Technology Ventures, Thomas Weisel Venture Partners and vSpring Capital, to accelerate Control4’s development in energy management systems and home energy displays for the company’s emerging Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) product initiatives. A portion of the financing will be used to extend Control4’s sales channels.