It’s true that plants aren’t necessarily the most exciting organisms that inhabit the planet. Despite plants’ lack of in-your-face, sensational allure, it’s becoming clearer on a daily basis that we could stand to learn a thing or two from them. Plants capture energy from the sun, and after the processes of photosynthesis and cell respiration, they have a ready energy source to power their daily functioning.

Fillers such as clay, talc, glass, paper and metals are commonly used in plastics to increase strength, and also to save costs by reducing the amount of actual plastic resin used. Using bio-based fillers such as bamboo, kenaf, corn stover, soybean hulls or even chicken feathers is receiving increased attention as a way to use less petroleum in plastic products.

A study of 83 counties along the Mississippi River in Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Missouri, conducted by AgBioworks, the Memphis Bioworks Foundation, Battelle Memorial Institute and others, will be complete early in 2009 and will provide a plan for the Delta’s bioeconomy to move forward.

Mazda Motor Corporation today signed a collaborative research agreement with Hiroshima University to launch the “Mazda Bioplastic Project.” The project aim is to develop a bioplastic from non-food-based cellulosic biomass and have it ready for use in vehicles by 2013.

Harvard University’s Office of Technology Development and SunEthanol, Inc., a biofuels technology company, announced that they have entered into a new research collaboration agreement to further advance a promising approach for deriving ethanol from biomass.

As part of Biopark Terneuzen, an exemplary initiative in The Netherlands to promote sustainable industrial development, Cargill is putting in practice the project’s underlying Smart Link concept of having industries located in the same geographic area use each other’s by-products as feedstock.

Corporate America is frequently blamed for the ailments of the economy, the environment and civil society in general. However, day after day, it becomes more and more apparent that large corporations may actually be working wonders for progressive, science-based research and operational policies.  I'm fairly sure that their agendas don't include stealing the souls of communities, crowding out small farmers, or toppling the integrity of global ecosystems under the guise of social responsibility, as some seem to believe.

Soybean-oil-based polymers help contribute to the coatings industry’s major environmental challenge of reducing VOCs and lowering raw material costs. Improving overall performance with soy is also prompting manufacturers to replace petrochemicals with renewable products.