• China Continues Focus on Solar Power: By the end of this year, China will have 2 gigawatts of solar capacity, and by 2015 solar energy will reach price parity with coal-generated electricity, Reuters reports. The country, which has long been the largest manufacturer of solar technology, has lately stepped up its efforts to plug it in domestically as well as exporting it abroad.

• Fleet Owners, Shippers, Manufacturers Support New Truck Fuel Rules: Despite the predictable complaining that the White House's new fuel economy rules for heavy trucks will kill the economy, the owners and main users of those trucks are applauding the rules. The Heavy Duty Fuel Efficiency Leadership Group, an industry group whose members include Con-Way, Cummins, Eaton, FedEx and Waste Management, last week applauded the adoption of the new rules. And Alcoa today is practically salivating over the role light-weight materials (such as, say, aluminum) can play in improving fuel efficiency for big vehicles. UPS earlier this year also showcased its plastic truck prototypes as another light-weight material for improving fuel efficiency.

• BD Medical Shows Off Green(er) Syringe: BD Medical, a division of Becton, Dickinson and Company, is today announcing a new line of syringes that will be made with 100 percent renewable energy and are designed to reduce waste. The announcement is a little light on details, so we'll follow up when we learn more. But the healthcare industry is ripe for this kind of initiative: In the interest of sterility, hospitals generate huge amounts of waste, although a number of leading organizations are working to boost recycling and cut waste in the industry.

• Plastic Disclosure Project Brings Another Footprint to the Fore: When you're speaking of waste, plastic is one of the biggest culprits. And although companies are regularly filling out surveys tracking their carbon and water footprints, a Hong Kong-based group is rolling out a Plastic Disclosure Project. The goal is to get companies thinking about, and measuring, how much plastic they use, and how much they can recycle.

• Green Diapers Could Be Good S**t: As the parent of a toddler, I know all too well how much waste diapers cause. And although I mostly use cloth diapers, there are environmental impacts associated with any of your baby-waste-disposal options. R&D company Battelle last week announced that it has come up with a soy-based method to eliminate as much as a third of the petroleum needed to make conventional disposable diapers. If the company can make the technology cost-competitive, it could be yet another option to try and make a dent in the eco-impacts of conventional diapers.

_{Photo CC-licensed by Timitrius.}