We won’t hold Newsday accountable for being nine months late to the Nissan Altima Hybrid bandwagon party. As we mentioned last July, the Altima Hybrid is a joy to drive and delivers a respectable 30 MPG. Pretty darn impressive for a sedan that comfortably seats five.

In the article, author Tom Incantalupo does a bit of math for readers, showing that the premium price demanded by the hybrid version of the Altima can be made up in just three years of driving!

The one concern with the Altima is the current body style, as it’s been around for awhile and a redesign can’t be far off.

Story from Newsday

Not content to watch Nike get all of the attention with their Considered line, Adidas is showcasing its green side with shoes and clothing made using recycled materials and fabrics such as bamboo.

The shoe line is known as Adidas Grun and offers five styles at prices typical of conventional sneakers. The clothing line includes 11 casual items for men and women.

I don’t have much experience with Adidas shoes, but the two pairs that I have owned both had problems. My running shoes caused serious shin issues and required that I take an extended break from running. I assume that it was a shoe issue, as I had never experienced shin problems before buying the shoes and my troubles never returned since going back to non-Adidas running shoes. Additionally, the entire bottom of one of my Adidas golf shoes came off one day at the driving range. Not ideal.

Not to mention that the air pockets in my wife’s Adidas running shoes popped and now emit an annoying squeak with every step.

Anyone else have better luck?

Adidas website

Now that many restaurants have eliminated trans fats, the spotlight is once again on high fructose corn syrup. Loved by the beverage industry, but often associated with type 2 diabetes and obesity, the sugar substitute gets the once over from QSR Magazine and a host of experts.

Those offering their opinions in the article include Rusty Coco from Jason’s Deli; Dr. John White, an expert on the high fructose corn syrup; the creators of the moview King Corn; and a host of other folks.

Story from QSR

Contrary to popular belief, you can actually get clean drinking water out of a faucet, not just a $3 plastic bottle. Forbes.com recently took on the task of finding the cleanest water in the U.S., measuring cloudiness, bacteria, haloacetic acids, and lead. In case you aren’t swayed, remember, Dasani and Aquafina use water from local municipal sources.

Top 10 Spots for Clean Water

1. Des Moines, Iowa (pictured above)
2. Austin, Texas
3. Sioux Falls, South Dakota
4. Miami, Florida
5. Birmingham, Alabama
6. Boise City, Idaho
7. Las Vegas, Nevada
8. Tampa, Florida
9. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
10. Tulsa, Oklahoma

Story from Forbes.com

Starting in May, residents of Washington D.C. will have access to the first subscription bike sharing program in the United States. The concept has proven quite successful in several European cities and planners hope that the program helps reduce congestion, pollution, and parking problems.

Subscribers pay a $40 annual fee which buys access to the bikes in three hour increments. There are ten stations throughout the city and it’s as simple as checking out the bike and returning it by the deadline. If a bike goes missing for 48 hours, the last user is on the hook for a $200 replacement fee.

Story from The New York Times

Though it would be ideal, not every family can squeeze into a Corolla and have a pleasant experience. Whether it’s loading up a couple of car seats, or gear for your hobbies, some people just need more room than the average compact car can deliver. For those folks, Business Week has published a list of the most efficient people haulers. Though some on the list certainly don’t look to be that efficient, there are a few winners, especially if you are ferrying lots of kids.

• Toyota Highlander Hybrid: 27 mpg city / 25 mpg highway
• Kia Rondo: 19 / 26
• Dodge Journey: 19 / 25
• Honda Odyssey: 17 / 25
• Chrysler Town & Country: 17 / 24
• Buick Enclave: 16 / 24
• GMC Acadia: 16 / 24
• Saturn Outlook: 16 / 24
• Toyota Sienna: 17 / 23
• Honda Pilot: 17 / 23
• Hyundai Veracruz: 16 / 23
• Mazda CX-9: 16 / 21
• Volvo XC90: 14 / 20 (how did this make the list?)

Article from Business Week

Convertible weather is quickly approaching and nothing beats a spin through the Napa Valley on a nice spring day. If you find yourself tooling about and need a nice place to stay, Solage Calistoga certainly fits the bill. The property features luxurious accommodations, a Yoga & Movement studio, and a full-service spa.

In addition to being a great place to stay, Solage also does its part to minimize the impact on the surrounding environment. The resort features an extensive recycling program, on-site composting, furnishings and floors made from reclaimed materials, food from local organic farms, and much more.

Solage Calistoga

With the introduction of hybrid cars comes increased complexities and chances are your neighborhood mechanic doesn’t have the skills or experience to deal with these problems. If you happen to live in San Francisco, consider yourself lucky as Luscious Garage is focused exclusively on hybrids.

In addition to the traditional fix-it services, Luscious offers advanced services including plug-in conversions and even customizing your Prius with Japanese aftermarket parts from Sigma.

Luscious Garage

Green Collar Vets is a non-profit organization dedicated to aiding returning veterans with jobs in emerging green industries. While currently focused on opportunities in Texas, the organization plans to go nationwide in 2008.

The website includes information about using the GI Bill to help finance education in new technologies, a job board, and a contact form for veterans to contact the organization.

Green Collar Vets

This post was originally going to be about Itsabelly, a service to help expecting parents prepare for the arrival of their child. However, I hit their blog and found that the owners of the company are releasing a book about going green with children. The book is set for a summer release but can be pre-ordered by sending an email to Itsabelly.

The book will cover the importance of going green, appropriate products for your baby registry, eco-mom tips (none for pops?), and going green on a budget.

Pre-order the book from the Itsabelly blog

While we’re on the topic, Pangaya is offering steep discounts on organic children’s clothing from Laurenceleste.