In the last few years, corporations have talked a great deal about becoming more environmentally friendly—and their growing commitment to sustainability.

But consumers don’t believe them. And, apparently, with good reason.

According to the “Sense & Sustainability Study,” from public relations firm Gibbs & Soell, conducted by Harris Interactive, only 16% of US consumers think a majority of businesses are committed to “going green.”

A plurality of consumers (48%) do believe “some” businesses are committed to sustainability.

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Drivers in the US and Canada love their cars. But attitudes about what powers those cars are beginning to shift, particularly in Canada.

According to the “Alternative Fuels” survey, fielded by Synovate, Americans had a somewhat stronger preference for internal combustion engines than Canadians.

Respondents from the two countries virtually tied in their preferences for hybrid engines.

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According to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), based on figures compiled from various sources, in 2009 the US used 94.6 quadrillion BTUs (or “quads”) of energy, and that figure was down from 99.2 quadrillion BTUs in 2008.

Simply put, US energy use fell 4.5% last year.

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If verified by official records, the record 128.3F in Pakistan would be the warmest temperature ever recorded in Asia.

Promising to reduce CO2 emissions and cut costs, retrofitting is fast becoming a big business.

McGraw-Hill Construction estimates green retrofit projects in the US will grow from $2.1 billion to $3.7 billion in 2009 to $10.1 billion to $15.1 billion by 2014.

When individual homeowners consider retrofitting investments, however, things can get a little blurry—particularly when it comes to windows.

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It’s that time of year again—back to school for millions of students around the country.

To mark the occasion, Sierra magazine issued its “4th Annual Listing of America’s Greenest Universities,” and appropriately Green Mountain College ranked first, receiving a score of 88.6 and moving up from 35th place last year.

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According to the AP-Gfk Poll taken in mid-August after the BP well in the Gulf of Mexico was capped, Americans are far less concerned about the ramifications of the spill than in June when the well was still gushing.

Only 21% of respondents, compared to 40% earlier, still care “a great deal” or “a lot” about the affects the spill will have on their lives.

As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, passed in February 2009, Congress provided $3.2 billion in stimulus funds to promote energy and conservation projects at the state and local levels. Both investors and environmentalists were jubilant.

Now the cheers have turned to groans.

According to a Department of Energy audit report, as of August 1st, only $269.7 million of the funds had been spent—a mere 8.4% of the total.

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While information technology (IT) is estimated to account for 2% of the world’s total carbon emissions annually, Environmental Leader projects that from 2010 to 2015, the US green data center market will increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29%.

IT is getting a little greener.

According to a poll conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs, sponsored by Procter & Gamble (P&G), despite the fact that 90% of the business decision makers surveyed consider that the issues of sustainability and environmental responsibility important to their businesses, when it comes to choosing cleaning products, performance and price are more important.

Ease of use also trumped environmental impact.

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Move over global warming.

According to the “Global Survey,” from McKinsey & Company, not only are business executives around the world beginning to recognize the importance of biodiversity—they are incorporating it into their future strategies.

McKinsey researchers assert that biodiversity—defined as the diversity of species, variety of ecosystems and variability of genes—now “occupies a similar position in the public debate as climate change did in 2007.”

In a survey of global executives, a majority of them considered biodiversity at least “somewhat important” to their businesses, and only 32% felt the subject wasn’t important.

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