The National Petrochemical & Refiners Association sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) today opposing energy legislation being considered by Congress. The NPRA, which includes 450 oil and chemical companies, says it is concerned about national security and the environment, but listed four policies that it is against:

-- A substantially expanded renewable fuels standard (RFS) There is some validity to this concern as requiring ethanol to be used more widely in the future if corn continues to be the primary feedstock. Food prices have been rising, and while we energy independence is a priority, we can't rely on ethanol more than the land and food supply can provide.

-- Punitive tax policies This refers to removing the tax breaks that oil companies get on exploration and ideas about carbon taxes. We shouldn't be giving energy companies huge tax breaks when they continue to have record breaking revenues and pay their execs tens of millions. Drilling more holes at taxpayer expense is not the answer. A carbon tax will likely happen someday as the idea of sustainability hinges on the environmental and health cost of producing a good or service should be factored in as part of the real cost. If renewable energy does less or no harm to human populations and climate change, then it should not be taxed differently than fossil fuels that cause illness and harm the environment.

-- Harmful measures that limit domestic oil and gas exploration and production Petroleum and natural gas companies are eyeing offshore exploration up and down the coasts and in the Gulf and don't want government interference. Just as wind farms or tidal energy sources must be considered for their environmental impact, the returns versus damage done by floating platforms must be considered. In most cases the amount of fuel will be minimal, and our waterways should remain free.

-- Damaging measures that target alleged anti-competitive behavior. This refers to anti-price gouging laws that are popular with constituents but are unlikely to hold up in court and have little affect. It is hard to pinpoint anti-competitive behavior in the energy sector (although the post-Katrina oil prices were excessive). A more effective strategy would be higher taxes on energy company profits, and more competition from biodiesel and ethanol that will expand competition beyond a handful of OPEC and Texas companies.

Dell Computer is on pace to exceed its goal of recycling 275 million pounds of computer equipment by 2009. The company, which offers free recycling for any of its products, recovered 78 million pounds in 2006, up 93 percent from the previous year.

Dell has been leading the way for computer companies in recycling, and has several programs to keep used computers productive. The company has joined with the National Cristina Foundation (NCF) to facilitate the donation of working computers to non-profits.

Dell is setting a good example, but there may come a day when recycling and taking responsibility for electronics and other products becomes mandatory. The other party of the story is reducing the amount of hazardous metals and emissions in creating computing products, which companies are just now beginning to address.

The U.S. Department of Justice and the EPA have blown the lid off CITGO's failure to put a lid on some of its oil tanks. The DOJ won criminal convictions against the petroleum company for allowing the carcinogen benzene to escape from its oil tanks at a refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas.

For this Clean Air Act violation, the company faces fines of up to $500,000 per count or twice the gross economic gain (whichever is greater) and five years of probation, according to the DOJ.

The same tanks also look like a pond from above, and several protected migratory birds flew into the tanks and died. For this, CITGO was convicted of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA)

We consumers need to track the performance of the companies where we spend our money to make sure that they are acting sustainably. While perfection isn't likely in any multinational corporation (especially in the oil business), criminal convictions indicate that this was a willful violation of the law.

Talk about turning lemons into lemonade: a Columbia University professor says inner city blight can be turned into bountiful skyscraper farms.

Dickson Despommier says one 30-story building could feed 50,000 people with hydroponicly grown food and zero carbon footprint. It sounds too good to be true, but Despommier is getting potential investors interested in building a prototype, at the cost of a billion plus dollars.

Having a vertical farm inside city limits makes sense because then you can reach the widest audience with the least amount of transportation. Perhaps the supermarket chains would be interested in footing the bill.

I've often thought that something has to be done with those decaying buildings that line the roadways in North Philadelphia and along the LIE in New York, but I never would have imagined a farm. Hydroponics has been around for decades, so I'm sure the technical challenges in managing a synthetic environment are still formidable. We wouldn't want this to become another Biodome II.

A new PC from startup Zonbu uses only 5 percent of the power of a standard PC and will sell for just $99. The two pound PC requires only 1/4th of the chemicals and fossil fuels in production, according to the company, Zonbox.

To further drive the green message home, the company will take back the machine and recycle all of the components, and they will pay for carbon offsets for all of the electricity consumed by the computer. You can't get much greener than that.

But the Zonbu may draw consumers more for its price tag than its eco-footprint. At less than $100, and being plug and play, it makes sense as a child's or first time web user's PC. The only catch is that you have to sign up for a two-year contract for Internet access to get the discounted price, or pay $249 and supply your own Internet connection.

The price is so low because there is no Microsoft (only Intel) inside; the applications are all Linux open source programs. But since most folks will spend the majority of their time using a browser anyway, Firefox does just fine.

It will be interesting to see consumer response. PeoplePC and other low-budget computers have not been very successful, but that was before the current shift towards environmental responsibility.

Electric motorcycle manufacturer and MIT researchers are setting the pace for electric vehicles that rely on lithium battery power. Brammo Motorsports says it will begin selling an electric motorbike next year that tops out at 50 mph and can go 45 miles on a single charge.

The Enertia will use six lithium-phosphate batteries from Valence Technology of Austin, Texas. While most "open-roaders" like to take the occasional trek of several hundred miles, on paper the Enertia seems like it a suitable replacement for scooters or small bikes that commuters use to go around town, with the advantage of being able to be recharged nightly without having to be dependent on gas stations. Even at the cost of several thousand dollars the Enertia could be attractive since the fuel bill would be measured in pennies.

Valence Technology's batteries, which the company says are safer than lithium ion batteries, are also being used in an all-electric Porsche 914 being converted by MIT engineering students of professor Yang Shao-Horn. Valence will receive helpful performance data as the company moves towards commercialization of its battery technology.

Getting to tool around in an electric Porsche and work with cutting-edge battery technology at MIT's Electrochemical Energy Laboratory -- now that sounds like a fun semester.

Prius owners say their primary motivation for buying the car is to make a statement about themselves, according to the San Francisco , and that's no different than owners of many BMW, Hummer, and Porsche owners. While these other vehicles talk more about class and status, the Prius conveys that the owner wants to stand out, but the message of exclusivity is not bringing people together.

People pay premiums to be associated with certain types of cars or gadgets (see iPhone), and in some cases they get the added benefit of the product doing things better than less expensive competitors.

Cars are different because they are a good that people can be seen flaunting around town. Bumper stickers serve the same purpose, but you don't see people promoting "I Compost" or "My Washer Is Energy Star" because the attachment isn't the same as with a car.

The Prius also happens to save owners from many trips to the gas station, and be a well functioning car. But there is a backlash from some drivers who don't like others' commitment to sustainability to be shoved in their faces. Divisiveness, however, is not what we need to make sustainable living something seen as a positive that encourages more people to join the movement.

The focus should be on the financial and personal/health benefits that you get from treading lightly. Saving money on gasoline, electric bills, eating healthier, and living longer because of cleaner air -- these are the traits that the majority can relate to, not the aura around a vehicle. Hopefully their will come a day when the Prius will be just another fuel efficient car (and the Hummer and other road yachts will be retired) and people will think of the sustainable benefits first.