Here at Greenpacks, the animals that share our planet are our friends. We not only have a responsibility to care for our planet for those we leave behind, our children and their children, but also for those who have no control over how we abuse it, how we infringe on their habitats, how we make life miserable for them. Besides, animals were here first … at least by a day.

Most of us cannot venture into the wilderness of Alaska or Montana or the Patagonia or the Alps or the Gobi Desert like places. So, we need to rely on zoos and photos to get a glimpse of our animal friends. And, for what it’s worth, the photos might be the better option. I have been to our local Zoo- San Francisco – and the animals there look woefully unhappy.

So, I looked around to see what I can see, find what there is to find, and have come up with my 10 best places to find World Wildlife Photography. Not in order (because they are all good) here they are.

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Automobile manufacturer Volvo is joining forces with Sweden-based Vattenfall, one of the world’s leading energy companies, to make a new plug-in hybrid diesel/electric vehicle.

Volvo V70 Plug-in hybrid demonstration car

Volvo says the new hybrid that will come out of the partnership is to hit the market in 2012.

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Professionals connected with the carbon market are hoping that the United States Congress would soon give approval to a federal “cap-and-trade” scheme that is bound to boost emissions trading.

Fiddlers Ferry Coal Power Station near Liverpool

It was the existing Kyoto Protocol that laid the foundations for emissions trading by imposing caps on emissions in Europe and other developed countries. And, this is the driving force behind the $92-billion European emissions trading scheme.

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Astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) have spotted what has been described as “two mysterious dark circles” in the ice of Lake Baikal in Russia. Some aspects of “odd blemishes” that the astronauts noticed in April 2009 defy explanation and hence mysterious.

Mysterious Circles in Lake Baikal in Russia (world

According to scientists, the two circles are the focal points for ice break-up, and may have been caused by “upwelling” of warmer water in the lake.

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Though hydrogen as an alternative fuel for vehicles is more expensive compared to electricity, Mazda Motors is going ahead with its hydrogen-engine plans by delivering the first of its Premacy Hydrogen Rotary Engine Hybrids to the Iwatani Corporation.

Mazda Premacy Hydrogen Hybrid

Premacy (the model known in the United States as Mazda5) uses the same hydrogen rotary engine that powers its RX-8 Hydrogen RE and adds an electric motor. It has twice the range of the RX-8, at about 200 km – some 124 miles.

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Greenpacks is not the only folk that love animals.  The Chinese do, too. And since I (Bill) have an interest in China, I thought I’d introduce them here and answer one question.

Canadian polar bears stranded on ice

Here are the 12 New Year/Zodiac animals -

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The Bus Stops in San Francisco are going to be sport WiFi and will be lit with LED light— all clean energy, solar energy.

San Francisco Solar Powered Bus Shelter With Wi-Fi

By 2013, San Francisco is going to have 1100 solar-powered Bus Shelters installed throughout the city. This initiative can be the head start for other states and even nations to follow. There is hardly a flaw you can pick-beginning with the grassroots— as these shelters have been developed out of recycled material.

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The sidewalks on the streets of Philadelphia are dotted with brand-new solar-powered trash cans these days.

Solar-powered Trash Compactors in Philadelphia

These new, landfill-crunching compacting bins are powered completely by the sun and are capable of receiving around 8 times as much waste as a regular trash can.

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The first all-purpose anti-anthrax product is ready. A remarkable anti-microbial pesticide, it is claimed to get rid of anthrax spores on any clean, hard surfaces.

The new product, which has been approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is a substance that can decontaminate buildings, vehicles, ships, and devices infected with anthrax spores. More to it, this also means that anthrax being used as a biological weapon, especially by terrorists, could be tackled.

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An Air France plane on its way from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, has been reported missing over the Atlantic Ocean, with 228 people on board. Four hours after its scheduled take-off from the Brazilian city, the Airbus 330-200 crossed through a thunderous zone with strong turbulence” at 0200 GMT on Monday and 14 minutes later it sent an automatic message reporting electrical faults.

The Brazilian Air Force has confirmed the missing plane and already started a search and rescue mission from the the island of Fernando de Noronha off Brazil’s northeast coast. While the Brazilian Navy sent three ships to look for the Air France jet.

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