Dell is set to become the first carbon neutral computer company by 2008, and wants others in the industry to follow its lead, it announced today. The company plans to go carbon neutral by reducing its energy consumption, and participating in programs that help reduce carbon emissions. For more on Dell going green, see next week’s print edition.

We’re just over a week away from PRWeek’s Target Green conference. There’s still plenty of time to register, however. Full details available here.

MBA students are looking at a green beyond that of dollars, or aren’t they? USA Today reports that business schools across the country are incorporating environmental and social issues in the curriculum, and some even tout an all-green program.

The goal? How to succeed in business without really frying the planet. “Essentially we’ve got to change the way we’re doing everything and making everything,” Stayton [director of an all-green program at Dominican University of California] said.

While an all-green program may harbor a “Captain Planet” mentality, green-focused programs at schools such as Duke and Stanford are adapting to the growing environmental awareness and demands from corporations (of new hires) and consumers (of their products).

“What we’re seeing at Duke, and we’re seeing this probably everywhere, is the business community now has reached a point where they recognize that to be globally competitive, you have to have an understanding of the risks and the opportunities that natural environments pose for firms,” said Michael Lenox, associate professor of business. “We’re seeing recruiters and the like asking that of our students: Do they have that knowledge?”

The new programs may be environmentally friendly, but they’re still all business.

For non-Ivy and top-tier schools, much of the intention behind the green program is to provide students with a competitive edge upon graduation.

“We want people who graduate from our program to be able to go toe-to-toe with MBAs from Stanford, Harvard … all the other fine business schools,” said Miguel Esteban, director of enrollment, management and marketing at the Bainbridge program.

I just hope that the curriculum includes a lesson or two on how to avoid the negative effects of greenwashing…

Former Google spokesman, Nate Tyler, is leveraging his Silicon Valley celebrity for a green – or rather black – campaign. After being inspired by a similar initiative in Sydney, Tyler is launching Lights Out San Francisco. The idea is for the city to turn off all unnecessary lights from 8 pm. to 9 pm. on Oct. 20 to help save energy.

According to the , Tyler is reaching out with the slogan “Good Things Happen in the Dark” printed on t-shirts and posters. He’s mostly relying on an energetic word of mouth campaign, but has also tapped the New York-based firm Exposure for some marketing. And he’s already got some major players on board: Mayor Gavin Newsom has passed a resolution honoring the day, and businesses like Gap and Yahoo have signed on.

Folks are apparently gushing about his strategy:

Pacific Gas and Electric and Yahoo donated the 110,000 compact-fluorescent light bulbs. “I ask my team: How can we make energy efficiency sexy?” said the utility’s spokesman Keely Wachs. “Nate has done exactly that.”

But the article states a part of the campaign’s success is Tyler’s charisma. Like when he says:

“If we don’t do something, by 2050, all the polar bears will be gone. That’s where Santa Claus lives, man. That’s a bummer.”

WASHINGTON, DC: Edward J. Markey (D-MA), chairman, Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming will serve as morning keynote PRWeek’s Target Green conference, on October 3^rd in Washington, DC.

Beth Lowery, VP energy, environment, and safety policy, General Motors is the afternoon keynote.

Remarks from the 16^th-term congressman and GM’s “chief environmental officer” will highlight the day-long event, which also features speakers from Procter & Gamble; Gap, Inc.; Discovery Communications; Treehugger.com; Canon; the US Green Building Council; AMD, Clear Channel; and the Environmental Protection Agency. To register, click here. To read more about the conference, click here.

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Nathan is director of PR at POET.
What does POET do?

POET is a fully-integrated biofuels company that produces more than one billion gallons of ethanol annually. We develop and finance projects, design, construct and manage the production facilities and also market the resulting products. Most ethanol companies only do one or two of those things, while we’re involved in every step of the process. We’re a privately-held company with thousands of investors; many farmers in the communities where our plants are located. In September we will become the largest producer of biofuels in the world when we open our 21st production facility.

The ethanol industry in the US currently produces 6.4 billion gallons of ethanol annually and has another 6.4 billion gallons of capacity under construction, virtually all of which uses corn as a feedstock. Most experts believe that the upper limit of ethanol from corn is 15 billion gallons per year. That’s why our company is focused on the next generation of biofuels: producing ethanol from cellulose.

Cellulosic ethanol is the ethanol fuel that is produced from biomass such as switchgrass, agricultural waste, wood chips and other plants. While it is currently more difficult and expensive to produce than corn ethanol, studies have shown that there is sufficient cellulosic feedstock to produce enough ethanol to replace two thirds of our current petroleum based fuel usage.

How active has the media been in covering the biofuel market?

Mainstream media coverage of the biofuels industry really exploded last year and remained high. While two years ago, this was a niche topic covered mostly by trade publications, today virtually all of the major wire services and newspapers have someone dedicated to the biofuels beat. My phone never stops ringing and I’ve given up trying to empty my e-mail inbox. And it doesn’t seem to be lessening.

Do you expect biofuels and ethanol to be an important part of the (seemingly unending) 2008 presidential election cycle?

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Apparently it’s not easy for a city to go car free, as the traffic outside my window is backed up down the street at the moment – 9:50 am – on what is supposed to be Car Free Day here in DC (and other cities around the world).

DC mayor Adrian Fenty was, however, shown on a local news report walking about yesterday and will be getting to all his appointments today by bus. The day’s not over, of course, but more extensive promotion of the day next year would probably help encourage more people to take public transportation.

We have finalized the schedule; click here to view it.

As a fitting prelude to PRWeek’s Target Green conference on October 3 in Washington, the DC city government is promoting a “Car Free Day” on September 18, as are more than 100 other cities around the world.

Given the number of US and foreign government officials in Washington used to being ferried around in gas-guzzling SUVs, a completely car-free day is probably not likely, but at least Mayor Adrian Fenty provided some good symbolism recently by taking the bus to the press conference promoting the day.

We are delighted to announce that Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA), chairman, Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming has agreed to be our morning keynote. Only two more days left to register under the early bird special.