From Tree Hugger - Here's one thing that often gets lost in the shuffle when debating the sexier points of green transportation: the simplest way to make a car, plane, whathaveyou more eco-friendly is just to make the whole damn thing lighter. All well and good, but how do you make sure that those industrial-grade plastic parts maintain their strength once you lighten them up? A technology developed at MIT called MuCell, and now being explored by automakers like Ford and Cadillac, has an answer. And that answer is: just add bubbles.... Read more

From BBC News - A study reported at the American Chemical Society meeting in the US suggests feathers could lead to more environment-friendly, lighter plastics... Read more

From Wired - Brazilian scientists have developed a way of using fibers from bananas, pineapples and other plants to create plastic that is stronger and lighter than the petroleum-based stuff. So-called nanocellulose fibers rival Kevlar in strength but are renewable, and the researchers believe they could be widely used within a couple of years...Read more

From Scientific American -  Airplane manufacturers have been changing over from aluminum to advanced composite materials. These lighter, stronger composites are made of fibers of carbon or glass embedded in a second material, often plastic... Read more

From UPI - New forms of metal can be turned into complex shapes easily and inexpensively like plastic but retain the metals' strength and durability, U.S. researchers say... Read more