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UPS reached an agreement to purchase 46 million gallons of renewable diesel for its vehicle fleet over the next 3 years, in partnership with Neste, Renewable Energy Group, and Solazyme. The company plans to replace more than 12% of its purchased gasoline with alternative fuels by the end of 2017.

The Obama administration is aiming to start changing that. Last week, the President - fresh off of announcing a $4 billion renewable energy fund with private investment partners - has unveiled a set of initiatives to bring increased access to solar energy and solar jobs.   The "Increase Solar Access for All Americans" plan involves private sector investment of $520 million and partnerships with Citigroup, GRID Alternatives, SunEdison and half a dozen other companies as well as several states and cities.

Sprint will test a new kind of paper made from 80 percent wheat-straw waste for its customer mailings as a sustainable paper alternative.

Sprint will test a new kind of paper made from 80 percent wheat-straw waste for its customer mailings as a sustainable paper alternative.

Ok, THIS is cool! Ecosia works in much the same way as its major competitors (Google, Bing, etc.), but rather than keep any income from advertising and sponsored links, the site donates around 80 percent to charities involved in the replanting of trees in Brazilian rainforests, such as the Nature Conservancy.

The American Chemical Society's Green Chemistry Institute launched the Hydraulic Fracturing Roundtable, a consortium for businesses to explore sound chemical use in operations and sustainable alternatives to materials commonly used in natural gas exploration. Founding member companies include Apache, Dow Chemical, Marathon Oil, Nalco Holding, Rockwater Energy Solutions, and Trican Well Svc. Companies may sign on as founding members until December 31.

A $10-per-barrel tax on oil companies will be part of the Obama administration's budget proposal for fiscal 2017. Proceeds would fund alternative transportation and infrastructure. Congress is not expected to include the measure in spending legislation. The proposal is significant, however, because it reflects Obama's increased focus on climate change.

Sustainable food startup Impossible Foods received $108 million in series D financing, which expands its total funding to $183 million. The company is developing meat and dairy alternatives from plant ingredients.

Wells Fargo plans to put $200 billion toward investment in, and finance of, companies and projects involved with clean technologies, renewable energy, green bonds and alternative transportation, by 2030. The funds will also go toward companies and projects focused on sustainable agriculture, recycling, conservation and other environmental activities, as part of a company-wide effort to support - and be part of - the transition to a low-carbon economy

Using forests to fuel power plants in Southeast US and Europe

Carnegie has been on a seven-year journey to create the world's first bio-based interior textile that doesn't compromise performance, value or aesthetics.

Europe's construction industry has a crucial role in cutting carbon emissions and energy consumption. But getting companies to ditch traditional building materials for greener, bio-based alternatives remains an uphill struggle. They are more costly and questions remain over safety, reliability and durability The concept of building with bio materials is nothing new - mud and grass has been used in some countries for centuries.

It's good we're on our way to accepting bugs as a real option for protein, because our current diet is astonishingly resource-hungry. Livestock production takes more than 30% of the ice-free land of this planet, consumes 8% of our potable water, and is responsible for nearly 15% of the total man-made greenhouse gases put into the atmosphere every year. And demand for meat is projected to grow 60% by 2050. insects offer much more than protein. He thinks they can become bio-processing units working in fully automated, remotely controlled smart factories producing high-quality proteins, fats for the pharmaceutical industry, and biofuels-all using different kinds of waste as raw materials.