Bad news

What free, disposable product uses 38 million barrels of oil and costs the US $20 billion a year? Plastic bags.

Good news

Mexico City bans free plastic bags in stores 
Hygroelectric Power - Lightning harvested for energy
Cleveland begins fining those not recycling properly
GE experiments with dramatic reductions (~70% less) in home energy use in select cities
California approves a large-scale (250 MW) solar thermal plant
Blockbuster planning bankruptcy, Netflix launches iPhone app