New results released today from a national survey, one of four annual surveys conducted by the Shelton Group, show most Americans are trying to buy more green products, but many don't have enough knowledge to make meaningful choices.

When asked, "Which is the best product description to read on a label?" Americans chose "natural" over "organic."

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Check out Chain Leader's March issue for more ways that restaurant chains are saving energy and other resources, buying locally and promoting their green efforts.

With the motto “REthink, REplenish, REcommit”, the first-ever Going Green Film Festival launches its official call for entries on July 15. The festival’s first place prizes include Hybrid electric bicycles, a tree planted in their names in Central America, Africa or Asia, as well as film and screenwriting software.

The Going Green Film Festival is the very first festival of it’s kind to focus solely on “green” filmmaking.

“More than ever, it is critical for the film industry—whether big budget or independent—to contribute towards environmental preservation,” says Festival Founder Patrice Williams. “We’ve launched the industry’s first all-green film festival to reward filmmakers who are promoting ways of producing film using alternative materials and environmentally-friendly practices, both in the office and on set.”

The Foundation for a Green Future, Inc. today announced that the second annual edition of Boston GreenFest 2009 will take place on Boston City Hall Plaza, Thursday, August 20, Friday, August 21 and Saturday, August 22.

Boston GreenFest 2009 will bring together community groups, corporations, small businesses, nonprofits, government agencies and citizens to share new technologies and ideas that can immediately change our daily lives and help bring about a more sustainable future.

Boston GreenFest 2009, the Foundation for a Green Future, Inc., and local volunteers will seek to connect with a broad audience from across all Boston neighborhoods to bring an inspiring message of action and change. Together we will work toward sustainability through art, music, fashion, discussions and interactive exhibits. By engaging participants, young and old, we will search for new ideas to reduce our impact on our planet.

The Green movement has affected the music industry and has created a new following among the hip hop generation. "As hip hop gets back to the basics, 'the Green movement' is cultivating a change and becoming more mainstream instead of underground," said Belle Young, 25, a senior health science student from Gainesville, Georgia. Hip hop was initiated as a cultural movement by inner-city youth, mostly by African-Americans in New York City, in the early seventies. Since then, hip hop has become international and evolved into a way of life for an entire generation, from fashion and language to a way of thinking.

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Solar PV Report Ed 6 2009" report to their offering.

2008 was a record year for solar PV sales, with 5.7 GW of new capacity added. Spain shot into top place, with 2.7 GW added, the largest volume of annual sales achieved by any country ever, followed by Germany with 1.5 GW. Between them they accounted for three quarters of world sales. However, Spain's pre-eminence was short-lived and in the wake of the financial crisis the Spanish government announced a cap on the feed-in subsidy for solar PV installations at 500 MW in 2009. This will not only put a brake on Spanish sales but will reduce the global solar PV total in 2009, we believe by at least 50%. The Spanish renewable associations are looking ahead at least two years before recovery starts in Spain.

Grant Thornton LLP’s National Tax Office and State and Local Tax group have produced a guide to green tax incentives and credits that businesses and individuals can take advantage of at the federal and state level.

The Green tax incentives and credits for businesses and individuals white paper focuses on federal incentives for ordinary businesses, as well as items that specifically benefit the manufacturing, development and energy industries. Information on incentives for consumers and individuals is also provided.

Small businesses account for 99.7% of all employer firms in the United States. On August 10, 2009, Greenergy2030.com will launch its free media network as a place to bring “green change” to the world through education, legislative efforts, media outreach and the dissemination of information about alternative energy and sustainable business practices. Through the Greenergy2030 Business Alliance, Greenergy2030.com will serve as a catalyst for entrepreneurs and business professionals seeking to take an active role in their community/industry while positively impacting others’ lives and the world. Green Change is what the Greenergy2030 Business Alliance is all about.

Buy.com announces the next phase in its ongoing effort to improve the environmental friendliness of its unique online shopping experience through a partnership with leading memory products manufacturer, Kingston Technology. Shoppers who purchase Kingston "Go Green" USB Flash drives and SD cards on Buy.com will receive their orders directly from Kingston and can also opt to receive those products with significantly less packaging.

Prenova announces the results of a survey revealing that large retail operations are choosing to decrease energy consumption because they see significant quarterly savings as a result. Performed in conjunction with Chain Store Age the results of the survey are unequivocal. 50 percent of retailers with 500 to 999 stores, and over 60 percent of retailers with 1,000 stores or more, indicated that sustainable energy initiatives help them save money on energy every quarter. Complete survey results and analysis are available on Prenova’s website.

A new national survey released today, one of four annual surveys conducted by The Shelton Group, finds most Americans are trying to buy more green products, but not at the expense of convenience or comfort. And most Americans wouldn’t give up their iPod, microwave oven, air conditioning, cell phone or computer, even if they thought it harmed the environment.

April 22nd marks Earth Day, a yearly reminder that asks all Americans for their civic participation in conservation and green friendly practices. This year, University of Phoenix is offering ten simple tips to help you go green, not just for Earth Day, but all year long!

Sierra Club Green Home launched its new Web site designed to educate Americans on how to make their homes more energy efficient, environmentally sustainable and healthy. Created with Sierra Club — America’s oldest, largest, and best-known environmental organization — SCGH aims to help aspirationally green citizens become more environmentally conscious.