The crisp images shown on flat-screen televisions come at a cost: major strain on the power grid. Beginning in 2011, California regulators will try to ease that strain by requiring flat-screen TV retailers to sell only energy-efficient models.

No one can deny that McDonald's food service is fast, but up until now it hasn't been very energy efficient. The company's 32,000 stores spend $1.5 billion each year on cooking, lighting, heating and cooling.

A variety of industries have been racing to eliminate toxic substances from their products, and the t-shirt screen printing business is no exception. California entrepreneurs Peter Imai and David Whitaker have taken advantage of this trend by creating Ecoprintworks.com, a site that sells toxin-free t-shirts.

There are scores of different terms for something that many of us refer to as sustainability: corporate responsibility, sustainable development, corporate citizenship, environmental sustainability, corporate sustainability and green business. And there are hundreds of different definitions for the terms. Robert Pojasek offers guidance on defining sustainability — and making it operational — in the corporate world.

The airline conducted a two-hour flight using conventional jet fuel mixed with fuel based on the jatropha plant.

State-funded grants and loans for recycling and pollution prevention projects have been put on hold in Indiana, and New York could face a large reduction in its Environmental Protection Fund.

Environmental and energy groups, including the association that represents almost 70 percent of the country's utilities, made their pitch to Congress before year's end as talks accelerated about the stimulus package being crafted by the incoming administration.

IBM's recent campaign goes well beyond mere image -- and beyond green -- to envision a "smarter" world in which problems as wide-ranging as health care costs, energy and resource shortages, climate change, and traffic congestion can be addressed by systems thinking, technological innovation, and computing power.

Of the 35,000 dry cleaners in the United States, only 35 use toxin-free carbon dioxide cleaning methods. A Seattle startup called Blue Sky Cleaners is aiming to grow that number.

In a year when the economy was all the business world could talk about, our readers dug in deep to stories about creating change, overhauling the ways business gets done, and yes, how going green can save big money.

Major developments on the green building front in 2008 hold the promise of even greater momentum in 2009. We take a year-end look at five general areas: the resilience of green building, the hot pursuit of energy efficiency and incentives, increased focus on the built environment, legal landscape and the path ahead.

Toshiba has big plans for its rapid charge SciB (Super Charge ion Battery) battery in the new year. Due to an anticipated surge in demand for automotive and industrial applications, the company is constructing a second SCiB production facility in the fall of 2009.

States, cities and the business community moved to fill the void created by a perceived lack at federal leadership in battling climate change in 2008. We saw big promises and goals as companies sought to make their operations leaner, take advantage of the opportunities created by climate change, and begin moving to reduce associated risks. Meanwhile, nongovernmental organizations stepped up to help businesses find their footing while reminding us how far we have to go.

New Yorkers who only skim their electric bills probably don't notice that it contains a charge for something called SBC/RPS. And why would they? The Systems Benefits Charge only averages out to $1.08 per month for most New York City residents.

New York's Times Square ushers in the New Year with a bigger, brighter and greener light ball this evening and billboards that are to be powered by wind energy, starting with the giant Coca-Cola sign at 47th and Broadway.