The Prius model of Toyota has been produced since 1999 but the newest Prius on the market has shown a remarkable results when it comes to environmental efficiency combined with the qualities of a real car. The US Environmental Protection Agency rated the car as the most efficient vehicle when it comes to green travel, and was rated as the fastest and most comfortable hybrid car ever produced for the market to the sadness of gas oil suppliers everywhere!

The efficiency of the car is remarkable whem it comes to fuel usage by the engine -for the UK market the data is quite impressive -the car uses 3.90l of gasoline for 100km. This is really a remarkable achievement comsidering that this is one of the newest vehicles by toyota with overall power of 137hp (considering the fact that the engine is only 98hp while the rest is provided by the electric motor to reach the amount of hp mentioned above). Another thing is the ability of the car technology to adapt to the speed. In orded to reduce the fuel usage by the engine, the car adapts and thus the use of the engine is reduced in higher speeds and the motor works at increased power. This is quite important when it comes to environmental protection since this is how even less fuel is used and at the same time the car does not reduce the performance. Also the aerodynamics of the car are important since they provide slighter movement and thus reduce the required fuel for the work of the engine.

Another remarkable feature in Prius is the construction and the design of the vehicle. For the body of the car and the interior many bioplastics have been used (derived by green mass mainly) instead of petroleum plastics that are products of the oil industry. This increases the efficiency of the car making it even more environmentally friendly.

VW were typically a car producer that has a large share if the car markets around the world. However, they were famous for being diesel lovers - they were not about to develop a hybrid car soon since they are traditionally keen on perfect performance on the cost of a larger fuel demand of their vehicles. Recently, opposite to the expectations, VW announced that two models from the brand would be developed as Hybrids - Taureg and Jetta.

The VW Toureg Hybrid will be going head to head with the likes of Honda’s insight hybrid, and will be equipped with a V6 gas engine and supported by a powerful electric motor. From the manufacturer announced in September last year that they are planning to include innovative technologies and supermodern recharging principles for the batteries (something more that the already known breaking system recharger) that would be installed as well as special installments that would shrink the fuel demand by the engine.

The Jetta hybrid model would be released in 2012 and would be with a stunning design (that has been mainly incorporated in Audi cars) and a body made wholly from lightened steel. Strongly aerodynamic and with advanced hybrid technology, the car is expected to be a total hit on the US market (the second largest market for the car industry).

The plans that VW have announced are completely in contrast with their usual attractions since they were totally against making hybrid models of their best cars. However, the governmental policies that are to take place in several years would aim to reduce as much as possible the carbon emissions. On the other hand VW has the goal of increasing its influence on the car market and achive a steady sales growth over the next years, so in order to achieve that the german giant would have to comply with the newest green policies that are to be issued by the governments in the next couple of years.

Most of the household cleaning products that are sold in the market usually contain harsh chemicals. These chemicals are also discarded along with the waste products after the household cleaning is done. The chemicals pollute the earth and are hazardous to all living creatures, including human beings. Therefore, some natural alternatives like the baking soda, lemon juice and white vinegar which are affordable and widely available should be used instead of the chemical cleaning products. These natural products are as good as the branded chemical names.

Recent studies have found that a person uses about 20 gallons of water if he takes a six minute shower. Therefore taking short showers can reduce the water consumption and also your water bill. A very good idea would be to install an “on” and “off” valve between the shower head and the shower arm. This valve will temporarily shut off the water flow but maintain the temperature. You should also replace all the old equipment in your laundry and kitchen with high efficiency washers and energy saving dryers. Combining both the low emission appliances with some cleaning products such as soaps and detergents made out of natural products is a great way for living a green lifestyle.

Installation of low flow faucet aerators in your bathroom will help to reduce waste water and water consumption as well. Those aerators which are equipped with water sensors lowers energy consumption as less energy is used for heating up the water. You can stock your bathroom with toilet paper and paper towels made out of unbleached paper products or those which are manufactured out of recycled products. You can also replace all the synthetic towels and linens with items that are made out of organic or natural fibers.

Always use energy saving appliances in your home as you can save a considerable amount in your energy consumption and bills. Remember to turn off the lights when you leave the room.

Make less use of paper. Request online credit card bills and make online payments. Use electronic scheduling software. Send emails instead of letters and save all your important documents in your computer. In this way you will save a lot on paper and other office stationary as well.

Currently, less the 2% of the electricity produced, is from the wind energy. However, recently several companies have started to develop projects and designs to build massive giants –huge offshore wind tribunes that will produce electricity for more than 10,000 homes. Norwegian, American and English firm are in a race to built the ultimate wind electricity producer and to dominate over the wind electricity marker.

Norwegians are working seriously on a massive floating wind turbine that would be anchored to the bottom of the sea but will not be stationary –slight movements would follow the natural trembling of the water and the air flow thus allowing the machine to adjust itself according to the wind direction and thus to efficiently use the maximum of wind energy it can get. The giant machine would be producing around 10KW of energy, enough to support from 5000 to 10,000 households and is expected to be put into use in two or three years with two years of testing.

US researches and laboratory unions are making the same effort. They are developing a wind turbine that will produce almost the same amount of energy and would provide for more than 15,000 people. The scientists have been inspired by the massive oil platforms positioned in the sea and their project would ultimately use the constant air flow above the sea. The machine is to be built near the British coast and would be named “Britannia”.

The last project to be discussed is English one that consists of a machine positioned in the sea but stationery –movements will not be used as a method of adjustment. The machine will be over 600ft above the sea waves and will generate from 9 to 10KW. The energy it is about to produce is equal to 2m oil barrels during its lifetime of 25 years.