Heat for the tubs of China. China has quickly emerged as the world leader in using solar power providing hot water for showers and washing dishes in dwellings that often have no other source of heat the year round. [News Source]

Ten years down the road: Car giant foresees the non-polluting, accident-proof saloon. For the future, Toyota envisages accident-proof eco-cars, powered by a non-polluting engine that can clean the air around it, running on open roads free of congestion. [News Source]

Allergies reach epidemic levels in Europe -experts. Allergies such as hay fever are reaching epidemic proportions in Europe and a failure to treat them properly is creating a mounting bill for society. [News Source]

Asthma increase in Conn. runs counter to U.S. trend. Asthma appears to be stabilizing across the country, except in Connecticut and the other New England states, where the choking respiratory disease continues to rise. [News Source]

Fueling a new energy future. To government officials, two tanks full of pure soybean oil at the Sprague Energy Co. hold the answer to the nation's dependence on foreign oil. [News Source]

Washington State adopts biodiesel requirement. A renewable energy standard has passed in Washington, making it the second state to commit to making biodiesel an everyday part of the diesel fuel market. [News Source]

Gold-diggers leave worries behind. The lives of 50,000 mostly impoverished people living in the catchment of the Ok Tedi copper and gold mine have changed forever because of the environmental impact of the mines. [News Source]

Delaware air is ripe with chemicals. State researchers wanted to find out what is in the air and how it affects the health of Delawareans, so they used monitoring technology throughout the state to collect air samples and measure toxins. [News Source]

EPA invited to community meeting on Mirant. Representatives of the U.S. EPA have been invited to hear first-hand from Alexandria citizens about their air pollution health concerns with regard to emissions from Mirant's Potomac River Generating Station. [News Source]

Ohio likely to remain No. 1 in air pollution. The toxic waste that businesses released in Ohio in 2004 could fill 1,273 train cars. [News Source]

Lawmaker wants ethanol at pumps. In about two years, you could have the choice of putting an ethanol blend fuel into your vehicle when you pull into a gas station, an option promoted by some as more environmentally friendly. [News Source]