The automotive world is adding a splash of Miami Vice to the ecomobile: Saab this week unveiled a concept car powered by 100-percent ethanol that gets 400 horsepower and has wing-like doors that open skyward – think Lamborghini circa 1985. Yes, folks, it looks cool. And if it could actually find its way to an ethanol station, it might actually BE cool from an environmental standpoint. Unfortunately, only about 600 out of the 170,000 fueling station in America offer ethanol-blend fuels.
But a flurry of new legislative proposals are working their way through Congress that aim to expand the availability of ethanol in the United States, according to a recent Grist.org article. Keep in mind that there are still many enviros who doubt the environmental benefits of corn-derived ethanol – citing legitimate concerns about the significant amount of fossil fuel inputs that are required to grow and harvest the corn.
But more and more enviros are expressing support for ethanol: “There is no longer any question that biofuels can deliver major net savings in energy and emissions,” says green energy expert Nathanael Greene in a Natural Resources Defense Council press release. “The corn-based ethanol in wide use in many parts of the country is delivering good results already.”
A new study commissioned by NRDC shows that even corn-based ethanol could reduce fossil-fuel demands. The savings are negligible, however, compared to those you could get from cellulosic ethanol, which is not derived from corn but rather from more eco-friendly materials such as woodchips and fast-growing grasses.
Photo credit: MSNBC.com, Olaf Gallas / AP

Interests: Horseback riding, watching the silence of the snow, obviously anything creative, cooking
Inspiration: Like most of you, when I heard of recycling to save the earth, I naturally assumed I needed to separate my plastics, newspapers and glass. I was helping. That was all I needed to do. Then one day, I was searching around for something fun, some art, and I came across this abstract piece. It was gorgeous - it looked like a naturally formed wave of icy white water bursting into the air. When I looked closer at it, I saw that it was made from recycled plastic caps. I was in shock. What kind of imagination and talent does that take to look at a plastic cap and see more to it then what it actually is? How can someone be so ingenious that they can take something that we normally throw away and create such a piece of beauty with it? This is the thought process that I could not stop pondering and it took over my mind, body and soul and soon enough became my muse.
I began Earth's Journey for this reason. I wanted to show the world that there was more to saving the earth than just recycling. There is beauty in things we can't even imagine, and so many ways to help our planet flourish. There are products out there that we all could use to completely decorate, furnish and run a home... all environmentally safe. You can buy organic bedding, non-toxic cleaning detergents, solar power, or make a change in a small way by using energy-efficient light bulbs. But the best part of recycling and being eco-friendly is the beauty that you'll find here, with all of our different artisans. As you can see I'm very passionate about this type of artistic creativity, and I hope you will be too.
I invite you to sit back, relax and ... Be Inspired by Green!