There are hundreds of restaurants that include organic dishes on their menus, but the choices for a 100% organic restaurant boil down to exactly one, Gusto Organics in New York City. In addition to organic food, Gusto uses renewable energy, biodegradable flatware, composts, and recycles.

Marisa Belger from Todayshow.com recently sat down with Alberto Gonzalez, founder of Gusto Organics, for a brief Q&A about the restaurant and organic food industry.

Interview from MSNBC

San Francisco banned bottled water at city offices months ago and now the debate has gained attention from the US Conference of Mayors and leaders around the world. According to one group, producing bottled water for Americans requires more than 17 million barrels of oil (not including transport), produces 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide, and uses 3 liters of water for every liter bottled.

Some other fun facts:

• American drank 8.8 billion gallons of bottled water in 2007
• Per capita bottled water consumption rose from 20 gallons in 2002 to 29 last year
• Italians drink twice as much water per capita as Americans

Story from Yahoo

For another take on the madness that is high-priced bottled water, check out this story from the Washington Post published June 30, 2008

In a major win for California, Tesla has decided to stay home for the production of the upcoming Model S sedan. The announcement comes as a bit of a surprise, as it was widely reported that New Mexico was the front runner for the new production facility.

As part of the state’s push to attract clean technology companies, sales tax on manufacturing equipment for zero emission vehicles will be waived, saving Tesla millions of dollars.

Press release from the Office of the Governor

I can’t understand why someone would name a resort after the most annoying insect in the world but Richard Branson is planning to do just so. He proclaims the yet-to-be-built resort is going to be the most environmentally-friendly resort in the world and he certainly has the resources to make it happen.

Situated near his famous Necker Island, Mosquito Island is undeveloped at this time but plans call for an ultra-luxury resort where guests retreat to their private villas which are powered by wind and solar.

Story from the San Jose Mercury News

“Reuse” is a key component of keeping waste out of landfills and slowing down the production of new stuff. The official term for the industry that is reusing castoffs to create “new” versions is “Upcycling”. Think of it as a fancy word for turning $5 sweatshirts into $100 sweatshirts.

Story from MSNBC

In less than six months, Smart USA has managed to hand the keys to 10,000 new owners of the fortwo. I’m not sure about other metro areas, but I continue to see Smarts in the Phoenix area on a daily basis and with increasing frequency.

Whether for the relatively now price, style, gas prices, or environmental concerns, Smart has clearly found a nice little niche. Let’s hope the momentum continues.

Press release from Smart (pdf)

Rather than waiting for the feds to take any meaningful action, the California Air Resources Board is moving forward with a bold plan to cut emissions in the golden state. Old world industries are sure to bark in response to the new plan, but the young and nimble have a tremendous opportunity to take advantage of the new laws.

A major portion of the plan relies on cutting emissions from utilities and other large industrial polluters, while other components include requiring more efficient buildings, lower vehicle emissions, and sourcing power from clean sources.

Story from the New York Times

New York City may be putting fruits and veggies on 500 street corners, but Seattle is where the real action is for those pursuing a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. Whether drawn to its liberal politics or for jobs in the tech sector, Seattle vegetarians are part of an ever-expanding community of likeminded folks and a business community that is catering to their dietary demands.

Where else can you find a vegan doughnut shop, vegan grocery store, vegan-friendly bar, and even an ice cream shop?

Story from The Seattle Times

Angling to outmaneuver longtime nemesis BMW, Mercedes is preparing to roll out three diesel SUVs in the coming year and AutoblogGreen was lucky enough to score a drive at the media event in Vermont.

The article goes into great detail about each of the vehicles so I won’t rehash them here, but the most impressive part of the story is the mileage that these oversize kid carriers return. The R320 got 23 mpg, the GL320 turned in 24 mpg, and the mid-size ML320 surprised with 27 mpg on a short 20 mile test drive. On the 70 mile trip to the airport, the ML320 came in at 29.5 MPG! For the sake of comparison, a four cylinder Toyota Camry gets just 21 mpg in city driving and 31 on the highway.

Diesel prices are soaring along with unleaded, but with improved mileage, diesel clearly provides a better value.

Story from AutoblogGreen

In the half dozen or so times that I’ve been to New York City, I’ve always been intrigued by the number of people who purchase food from vendors on the street. It always smells great, but eating a hot dog from random cart seems a bit dicey to me. Evidently the carts (and other factors) are proving to be so popular that NYC is in the midst of an obesity crisis and looking to help make healthy options more readily available.

Beginning later this summer, a new brand of carts is going to be hitting street corners in the lower income neighborhoods of the city. Unlike their popular counterparts, the new version will only stock fruits and veggies.

Good idea of idealistic nonsense?

Story from the Chicago Tribune