Scientists at NASA are making headlines with some new research involving a more eco-friendly jet fuel, chicken fat to be exact.

The Hampton, Virginia team from from NASA’s Langley Research Center headed to California-based NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in order to better study the newest jet fuel idea on a NASA DC-8, which normally runs on Jet Propellant 8, a kerosene-like mix of hydrocarbons.

The fuel is made using chicken fat and is being tested as part of the Alternative Aviation Fuel Experiment II

“It’s made out of chicken fat, actually,” said Langley’s Bruce Anderson.  “The Air Force bought many thousands of gallons of this to burn in some of their jets and provided about 8,000 gallons (30,283 liters) to NASA for this experiment.”

Well, we can’t wait to see if the jets can make fried chicken as well….  Good luck team, here’s to hoping for a cleaner jet fuel.

If you have an eco-friendly eye for cars and a spare $845,000 lying around, then look no further than the new Porsche Spyder 918 supercar.

Preorders are being taken now for the ultra fast hybrid luxury sports car that won’t see shipment until 2013, just like the Artega, the Volvo V60 and the Tesla Roadster.

We guess the only good news about that waiting, is that you can at least have more time to save up the dough!

Geared toward the racing set to be driven on a track, the mid-mounted V8 guns it with at least 500 horsepower, and both front and rear electric motors have an additional 218 horsepower to boot. Add all wheel drive, and this baby can do 60 MPH in 3.1 seconds. The Spyder’s body is made from carbon fibre-reinforced plastic, which can be recycled, but is not really necessary as CRP is so durable that is provides an almost infinite service lifetime. The hybrid is powered by a lithium-ion battery pack, that can be plugged in at home, a commercial station or at the track.

Wow, it looks like Mr. Peanut is packing a brand new bag!  Planter’s Mr. Peanut is now riding in eco-friendly style with an all new green machine.

The nutty company plans to unveil the new Nutmobile in LA tonight at the 8th Annual Global Green Pre Oscar Party.   Mr. Peanut’s new ride features biodiesel technology alongside solar panels, LED interior lighting, recycled parts, reclaimed wood flooring and a wind turbine based on a 2011 Isuzu NPR box truck.

After being “seen” in LA, Mr. Peanut will take his new wheels to New Orleans as his second stop on the “Naturally Remarkable” tour. In New Orleans, Planter’s will be building peanut-shaped recreational spaces on abandoned urban lots.

“I’m a peanut, naturally, so sustainability is important to me. When you live in the soil for extended periods of time, you realize that it’s important to make sure where you come from – the earth – stays clean and green.” – Mr. Peanut, Planter’s Spokesperson

On Sunday there were many cheers from the crowd as a new Boeing kid is in town.  The company has just unveiled a new and eco-friendly Intercontinental Jetliner prototype that’s sure to make future waves.

The new 747-8 Intercontinental features lower seat-mile costs than its predecessor, saving an average 12% as well as providing a 16% increase in fuel economy.

The 747-8 also provides a 16 percent increase in fuel economy, a 30 per cent lower noise footprint and 16 per cent less carbon emissions than the 747-400. Improved comfort for passengers is in the front line as well, with interior design concepts borrowed from the 787 Dreamliner including upswept, curving and much sexier architecture,  giving an airier feel and more room for cabin baggage and personal belongings.

The prototype unveiled Sunday was a startling red and orange departure from Boeing’s normal boring blue, although the bright colours will only appear on the first of the fleet to be completed. According to the company, the livery is in honour of a number of Boeing’s key customers, whose Asian cultures traditionally regard the colours as symbolising good luck and prosperity.

The wintry weather didn’t stop the Detroit Auto Show from putting on the show this week and we couldn’t be more pleased as the show is the reason we’re all caught up in the new Li-Ion Motors Inizio Electric.  I mean, talk about stunning, right?!

One of the only all-electric racer cars in the world, the Li-Ion can hit a top speed of 170 mph and boast a traveling range of 250 miles without another boost.

And guess what the best news is!  The Li-Ion is in production currently and the company is taking preorders!  Better get on that ASAP, though we might need to stick up a bank or two first….

For two years Rolls-Royce has tempted luxury lovers with rumors of an electric limousine but as of yet there has been no proof of such production at the Britain-located manufacturing plant.

But now there looks to be greener news in the Rolls-Royce lineup with hints that the electric limo may soon be on its way.

Before Christmas the Rolls Royce chief executive Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes indicated that the car maker was in the process of looking into a variety of options with a view to creating an eco-Rolls Royce as he said an “experimental” model would be a “good idea.”

Rolls Royce’s parent company, BMW, is due to unveil their state of the art green technology for low emission vehicles next year. The new green models will be showcased at the London 2012 Olympics where they will be used to chauffeur VIP guests at the Games. Rolls Royce may well follow suit and plan to debut their green limo at the 2012 Olympic Games for maximum exposure.

Here’s hoping that a greener luxury car can soon replace the gas-guzzling models that have been in use since WWII it seems.

Named the 2011 European Car of the Year, the new and uber eco-friendly Nissan Leaf celebrated its US release this past weekend and the response was, of course, overwhelming.

A resident of the San Francisco Bay Area was the lucky individual to claim the first Leaf stateside, and the other launch markets of Arizona, Southern California, Oregon, Seattle, and Tennessee are now seeing their first Leafs land to a grand reception. In fact, the new Nissan has been so sought after, that even months before its official release, over 20,000 US customers queued up in advance, pre-ordering the car.

If you’re trying to test drive a Leaf, be sure to call your local Nissan dealer and get on the waiting list as those individuals who purchased the Leafs will have first dibs on taking their new car for a ride!

What a tragedy!  It appears that just recently legend Neil Young’s eco-friendly car went up in flames and took several vintage guitars and paintings with it at a San Francisco warehouse.

Young’s fuel-efficient car was a vintage 1959 Lincoln Continental that was converted into a battery-powered vehicle.  According to reports, car’s charging system was responsible for the fire that took over a warehouse in San Francisco’s San Carlos neighborhood.

Fortunately no one was hurt in the blaze, but an estimated $850,000 in damages occurred after Young left the vehicle unattended at the wall charging station.  Yikes!  If you’ve never used a wall-charging battery system before, you need to make sure it is left attended for the first few times to avoid these types of terrible disasters!

If you weren’t one of the few that planned ahead and have already paid for and reserved a Nissan Leaf, then you might have to wait until after the first of 2011 to drive your new electric car off the lot.

But if you’re one of the lucky ones, you will soon be test driving and taking away your compact five-door hatchback electric car next month.  Come December the Leaf will be hitting all major US cities, with the smaller cities catching up sometime in early 2011.

This new and impressive car can take you 100 miles before needing a charge and you’ll look good doing it!  Prices run low as the Leaf starts out at a mere $32,780.

And you thought Aston Martin was just another car company that didn’t give any thought to eco-friendliness.  Well then, you haven’t met their new subcompact luxury car, the Cygnet.

Pretty much a repackaged Toyota iQ but with more class and luxury, the green Cygnet comes with a gas-efficient engine and all the bells and whistles you could want.

The Cygnet is a rebadged Toyota iQ equipped with the same 97hp 1.3-liter engine but outfitted with a high-end, sartorial interior that’s been enveloped with hand-stitched leather. News sources are pegging the Cygnet with a price tag somewhere between $45,000 to $75,000, according to InsideLine.

It’s a drastic break from Aston Martin’s current line up of performance cars, but adding a fuel-sipper will help the British carmaker comply with tightening European emissions standards and could help it achieve the 35 mpg Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards that will go into effect in the U.S. in 2016–should they begin selling the car in this market. Aston Martin’s last reported CAFE rating was 19 mpg in 2008, although its low sales volume means that it could get an extension on meeting the target.

Sign us up!