Green Day: April 4, 2008

General Motors expects to have 1,000 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in operation in the state of California between 2012 and 2014. [Automotive World (sub. req.)]

Cotton-industry greenwashing or earnest effort? Next week Earnest Sewn and the National Jean Company will host a fashion show in New York where the donation of an old pair of jeans is required for admittance: "Donated jeans will go to the ‘Cotton. From green to blue’ project run by Cotton Inc., which is an environmentally aware initiative where denim is recycled into ‘UltraTouch’ natural cotton fibre insulation and is donated for rebuilding houses in the hurricane-affected Gulf Coast region." [ecotextile.com]

The new Yankees and Mets stadiums will not follow the lead of Fenway Park, which installed "BigBelly" trash compactors to replace regular trash bins. The manufacturers of the bins claim that because the receptacles compact the trash, the number of pickups required is reduced (and as we know, it's as much the diesel fuel expended in New York's waste-management system as the solid waste itself that creates environmental issues). [nydailynews.com]

The Columbia Spectator finds evidence that cash-strapped students pay premiums to purchase local and organic produce. [columbiaspectator.com]

A jury at the New York Auto Show voted the BMW 118d the "Green Car of the Year." It gets 62.8 miles per gallon with CO2 emissions of 119g/km. [wicklowpeople.com]

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell has called on the New York City D.E.P. to release water from its Catskill reservoirs; Delaware Valley residents have long contended that New York's lack of reservoir void space contributes to flooding in the Delaware Valley. [recordonline.com]

New York Sun columnist Alicia Colon, a frequent antagonist of the Green movement, doesn't like congestion pricing. Also: "Is there really such a thing as a carbon footprint? Is it anywhere near Area 51? Want to buy a bridge?" [nysun.com]