OAKLAND, Calif. -- The California Ocean Protection Council recommends the state ban foam food containers, charge for single-use bags and implement extended producer responsibility to reduce ocean litter.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In its quarterly ranking of electronics manufacturers' commitments to the environment, Greenpeace found Nokia at the top of the heap yet again, while the NGO highlighted takeback policies and carbon-reduction commitments as the key to truly green electronics.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The electric transportation company Better Place will enter the U.S. market in a bid to make the San Francisco Bay Area the "Electric Vehicle Capital of the U.S." Meanwhile, the Renault-Nissan Alliance has partnered with the state of Oregon to establish a charging infrastructure.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Household product maker Recycline will begin collecting used Brita water filters next year, turning them into toothbrushes, bowls and other items.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM -- The U.K. manufacturer of household appliances has taken the first steps toward making its machinery out of recycled materials.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Startups ranging from a firm that helps data centers operate with greater energy efficiency to a maker of "high performance, consumer friendly diapers" are among the six winners of the 2008 California Clean Tech Open.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Clorox's first quarter profit and sales exceeded expectations, a boost attributed partially to its Green Works and Burt's Bees lines.

GENEVA, -- The International Organization for Standardization has updated its guide to integrating environmental concerns into drafting product standards.

In this exclusive excerpt from his new book, Joel Makower offers a look at just a few of the innovative companies and thinkers that are emerging in the new green economy, changing the way industry creates everything from clothing to housing to solar energy.

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Nike has announced 11 new products, spread among its major sports and fitness categories, developed with its Considered Design principles.

ATLANTA, Ga. -- In its latest sustainability report, the beverage giant notes continued, if incremental, progress on its goals to replenish all the water it uses in production; the report also highlights its goals toward reducing and recycling bottling materials.

GREENWICH, Conn. -- Nestle Waters, the largest bottled water company in North America, says the redesign of its half-liter bottle will cut the company's use of plastic by 140 million pounds and help it avoid 260,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Heating, ventilating and air conditioning wholesalers in California must collect mercury-containing thermostats under a new state law; President Bush recently signed a law banning the export of mercury from the United States.