Sustainable Industries Daily Update

Just over a year after its bankruptcy filing, General Motors on Wednesday filed paperwork for an initial public offering. In its filing, the company highlighted plans for electric and hybrid vehicles and increased fuel efficiency, but revealed some reservations about the plug-in Chevy Volt slated to come out this year. 

Conventional building codes can present barriers to green building projects. That's something Clark County, Wash., aims to address through its new Sustainable Communities Ordinance. The new rule establishes a pilot program for projects pursuing the Living Building Challenge, exempting those project from some codes that would prevent them from reaching their goals. 

Wind turbine maker Vestas said this week that it is keeping its North American headquarters in Portland. The company is moving to a new building in the city's Pearl District, and received incentives from the state and the city for the $66 million construction project. 

Colorado-based biofuel startup Range Fuels opened up its first commercial cellulosic methanol plant in Georgia. As feedstock, the plant is for now using woody biomass from nearby timber operations. 

Is the local and sustainable food movement that's picked up so much momentum in San Francisco in danger of a tech bubble-like burst? That's a question some local bloggers and writers are asking, as they wonder about how to make sure the benefits of local and sustainable food systems don't get lost in a "sustainability backlash."