I was surfing the net and came across some sustainable furniture. From Design Public..."The newest addition to the Design Public sustainable family: Housefish and their Key Modular Storage! These pieces are made in the USA, crafted out of a maple Veneer over FSC certified birch / alder plywood, have a zero VOC clear finish and the doors are waterjet cut steel with a zero VOC powdercoat finish. The entire piece is crafted out of renewable or recycleable materials. A perfect storage or shelving piece to add to your collection and reduce your carbon guilt."
+Housefish Key Modular Storage [Design Public]
At least in the pacific northwest. The Northwest Multiple Listing Service plans to update their program to include ways to identify sustainable properties. MLS reports will now have check boxes that tell about a home's green features...like whether a home used recycled materials in construction, has energy efficient appliances, or meets certification standards like LEED or Built Green. Actually, it was only a matter of time before the real estate industry responded to customer demand. We will see this change incorporated in MLS services across the country. All it takes is a few tweaks to the system...hopefully these systems will also incorporate ways to search for real estate agents, architects, builders, etc. that have sustainability (LEED) certifications. As the market continues to slow, you will see more people involved in the real estate industry distinguish themselves from others by obtaining certifications like LEED AP. It makes good business sense and is the proper response to customer demand. Thanks Ashley!
No surprise here. A report, from the Cleantech Group, speculates that cleantech investments in China are likely to grow in 2007 by 38%. Venture funding has dramatically increased over the last couple years, which is a likely result of governmental mandates in the energy sector that were passed in 06. According to China's Renewable Energy Law, 10% of the country's energy output needs to be from renewable sources by 2010. Definitely good news for us here in the U.S. Demand for energy products and services abroad can often result in a positive impact on domestic alternative energy markets, which has already been felt. According to Red Herring, 3 Chinese solar companies have gone public on U.S. exchanges so far in 2007. 
Rogey Davey has huge plans for solar power. His company, EnviroMission in Australia, is in the final feasibility stage of a Solar Tower project that would reduce more than 900,000 tons of greenhouse CO2 gases from the environment while generating enough electricity to power around 200,000 homes. EnviroMission holds the proprietary rights to Solar Tower technology based on simple fundamentals of physics--hot air rises. A single 200MW Solar Tower will stand 1000 meters (3,300 feet) in the air... more than double the height of the Empire State Building. 