A report by As You Sow, a shareholder advocacy group, concludes that major US beverage brands would support new laws making producers financially responsible for collecting and recycling post-consumer packaging. The study, “Waste and Opportunity: US Beverage Container Recycle Scorecard and Report,” outlines new efforts by beverage companies to reverse lagging US bottle and can recycling rates. Of the 224 billion containers sold annually in the US, only 29 percent are recycled. As You Sow gave a letter grade of B minus to Nestle Waters North America, Pepsico, The Coca-Cola Company, and Red Bull for their sustainability performance to date. Nissan has launched a Web site dedicated to sustainability, www.theplanet-zero.com. The site features a game called “The Planet Zero” that allows players to control a character who roams a virtual Earth, interacting with icons for wind energy, solar power, and other elements of a zero-emission society. Aimed at high school and college-age youth, the web game offers a vision of a possible zero-emission world. Nissan is the manufacturer of the Leaf electric car. For more information on these and other stories, go to thecsrminute.com The CSR Minute is sponsored by Brown-Forman Corporation, producer and marketer of fine quality wine and spirits brands including Jack Daniel’s, Southern Comfort, Finlandia Vodka, and Casa Herradura Tequilas. Download Brown-Forman’s new corporate social responsibility report at www.brown-forman.com/responsibility.

Energy independence and climate change are two of the biggest challenges facing the US But perhaps no other nation understands the link between clean energy and security more than Israel. It relies on imported fossil fuel from hostile neighbors to power its economy, despite having a vast and mostly untapped clean energy source — the sun. As part of energyNOW!’s “The Israel Connection” series, chief correspondent Tyler Suiters discovers how emerging solar technology in this sun-drenched land could lead to greater energy security and a cleaner environment. Suiters also explores the link between Israel’s innovative solar technology and the future of clean energy in the US

From friendly dolphins to giant pandas, from icebergs and glaciers to energy from the sun, from magnets to solids, liquids, and gases, Rookie Read-About Science is a natural addition to the primary-grade classroom with books that cover every part of the science curricula. Includes: animals, nature, scientific principles, the environment, weather, and much more!

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