A nanomesh web hold big potential for oil spill cleanup; CleanTech is attracting top-tier university grads; and restaurants consider putting old cooking oil under lock and key. Welcome to June — and the Monday edition of The Daily Five.

Nanowire-mesh ‘Paper Towel’ For Oil Spills Absorbs 20 Times Its Weight In Oil: MIT researchers have developed a promising new technology for cleaning up chemical spills. The team claims it has created a nanowire mesh that can absorb up to 20 times its weight in oil or other hydrophobic contaminants. The potassium manganese oxide web — which has a consistency similar to that of a paper towel — is expected to be developed for hazardous materials containment. (Science daily)

As Oil Prices Soar, Restaurant Grease Thefts Rise: Here’s an indication that someone is paying attention to biofuels. The New York Times reported in their Sunday edition that restaurant grease thefts are skyrocketing. A year ago, most food establishments had to pay for disposal of their used cooking grease. Now, thanks to rising fuel prices, grease has become a profit center. That’s caught the notice of thieves, who are sneaking into restaurant parking lots at odd hours to siphon grease left out for pickup. In 2000, surplus grease was trading for about 7.6 cents per pound. Today, it’s going for almost five times as much: about $2.50 a gallon. (NYT)

Green companies attract the best people: The CleanTech sector is attracting more than just an impressive list of big-dollar investors — it’s also attracting the best and the brightest potential new employees. How important are environmental issues for top-tier university graduates? At Harvard, 40 percent of MBA candidates say they wouldn’t consider working for a company with a poor green track record. As Andrew Winston, co-author of Green to Gold, points out, the environment has gone from being a moral cause to good business. (Meryn’s Place)

It’s not all bad news for Ford: they need more capacity for the Focus: It’s been rough going for Ford so far this year, with plummeting sales in its anchor truck lines and a lukewarm market reception for its new midsized Taurus models. But there’s one hopeful sign: Ford can’t keep up with orders for its efficient little Focus. The company says it sold 30,000 of the compact models in May alone. The Wayne, Michigan assembly plant where the Focus is assembled is already working overtime shifts to meet demand, and Ford is looking for ways to ramp up the number of small cars it can bring to market. (Autoblog Green)

Nano Vent-Skin Demonstrated in Concept Tower: The green construction toolkit is being expanded by the successful demonstration of new nenoskin building covers. Jetson Green has some great photos and a video demo of this new technology. The nanoskins collect sunlight, passing it through a nanowire mesh for maximum energy transfer. The mesh also functions as a network micro turbines, combining solar and windpower for maximum utilization of its exterior surface. (Jetson Green)

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