Put some poop on the burner
In the alternative alternative energy category, San Francisco is looking into using dog feces for methane power. Apparently 4 percent of their landfill material is dog poop — which is nearly as much as disposable diapers. That’s a lot of poop going to waste, so to speak. Personally though, as the father of a two-year-old, it would be nice if the city focused on the baby poop problem next. I think I’d enjoy changing a diaper more if it was helping with the gas bill…

Supermax Green ™
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper (D) announced plans Feb. 15 to build a 2-megawatt solar plant to power the Denver County Jail northeast of the city. There’s more on this at the Denver Rocky Mountain News. Part of the reason the project is attractive is thanks to subsidies available under Amendment 37, Colorado’s renewable energy law.

Making Ethanol is Thirsty Work
In his state of the union address on Jan. 6, President Bush called for increased use of ethanol as a substitute for gasoline. But a news story from North Dakota shows that green fuel comes with its own kinds of costs. In that state, seven existing and proposed ethanol plants could use up to 1.1 billion gallons of water a year, and could be squeezed hard by drought in the state.