Prius one of Top 10 Innovations; Wind Turbines Have No Significant Impact on Property; Electric Cars Without a Gas Tax Hike; Philadelphia shows it pays to recycle; Green Car of Year Is a Diesel Again

Prius one of Top 10 Innovations of the Decade Ever since its U.S. introduction in 2000, the fuel-sipper has come to symbolize the environmental movement and has kickstarted an entire genre. Though it has competition, primarily from Honda and Ford, nobody comes close to the million-plus hybrids that Toyota has sold.

Study Finds Wind Turbines Have No Significant Impact on Property Value There might be other reasons left for people not wanting wind turbines near their properties, but it seems like a decline in commercial value isn’t one of them.

Bumpy Road Ahead for Electric Cars Without a Gas Tax Hike I think this is the first time I have agreed with Bob Lutz, but he’s right – Lutz told Reuters that gas prices will need to be hiked up through taxes in order for most prospective car buyers in the U.S. to cough up the extra dough for an electric car.

Philadelphia shows it pays to recycle The City of Brotherly Love launched what officials said on Thursday was America’s largest program to give residents a financial incentive to recycle paper, plastic, glass and aluminum.

LA Auto Show: Green Car of Year Is a Diesel Again (Audi A3) The Green Car of the Year is a diesel again, this time the Audi A3 TDI. It was announced Wednesday at the Los Angeles Auto Show and was amazing for two reasons: The third-generation Toyota Prius, the hybrid everybody loves, was also a finalist; also, you’d think the judges got diesels out of their systems last year honoring the Volkswagen Jetta TDI. Diesels are huge in Europe and slow sellers in the U.S. One reason for Audi’s victory: Highway mileage, 42 mpg, is 50% better than the gasoline Audi A3.