Ethonomics

Geologist Fred Barrett, 46, focuses exclusively on releasing hard-to-extract natural gas from the Rocky Mountains.

Andrew Perlman, 32, wants to turn America's coal into what he calls Bluegas--99.5% methane. His company, backed by venture firm Kleiner Perkins, has a demonstration plant in Des Plaines, Illinois, and hopes to offer a commercial product by 2011.

Don Paul, 61, a former research geophysicist who manages Chevron's R&D partnerships, has teamed up with Los Alamos scientists to use chemistry to convert oil shale into synthetic crude oil.

Bishop Kenneth Spears, 45, exhorted his 4,400-member church to seize the benefits of sitting on top of the Barnett Shale, one of the nation's biggest deposits of natural gas.

"When the energy companies started knocking on doors, talking about buying mineral rights, many residents were afraid that they would lose their homes if they signed any papers. It's not every day that the oil and gas industry starts waving checks at blacks in Texas.

Bill Thornton, 52, leads the field operations for MegaWest, an early-stage startup hunting for heavy oil in the United States, particularly in Kansas, Kentucky, and Missouri.

LEED certification for new construction is based on specific actions in six categories. Each action earns a point. Here's a sampling.

In an effort to keep the public from being duped by ads that might be little more than greenwash, the Norwegian government is putting a ban on car manufacturers from describing their cars as "green" or "environmentally-friendly" in their advertisements. Unless they can prove that claim without a doubt, which is close to impossible.

When it comes to the environment, we are constantly told that every little bit counts. But it's often hard to see what impact an individual recycling an empty soda can or turning down the thermostat a few degrees in winter really has in the long run. When large corporations set their sights on going green, on the other hand, the difference is a lot more tangible.

Apparently it has become all the rage in Colorado (and probably other places, too) for individuals to purchase little cards that claim to offset the bearer's monthly power consumption derived from fossil fuels with the good clean energy of wind power. It's just like planting 13 trees, or not driving 1,200 miles in your car! And it only costs $15 a month!

Once the youngest president of the Sierra Club, Adam Werbach used to call Wal-Mart toxic. Now the company is his biggest client. Does the path to a greener future run through Bentonville?