Electrolux turns garbage into something really valuable. On June 29, the global manufacturer of domestic appliances announced the start of its “Vac from the Sea” project, which is focused on raising environmental awareness by showing people how much trash there is in and around seas and oceans today. Electrolux has partnered with a number of volunteers (individuals, group and environmental organizations) to collect plastic from the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the North Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Baltic Sea. The items, which have been gathered during these several months, are now transformed into five state-of-art vacuum cleaners, each one representing one of the seas or oceans from which the plastics originates.

Hyundai Canada is promoting its environmentally friendly cars with a series of commercials, developed in an eco-minded way as well. Following its “Think Smart. Live Smart” philosophy, the auto manufacturer commissioned Toronto-based Innocean Worldwide Canada to develop ‘sustainable’ commercials for its Sonata Turbo, Tucson and Sonata Hybrid models. The result is really worth seeing.

PepsiCo announced plans to roll-out its new i-crop farming technology on a global basis. The web-based tool, which was developed by PepsiCo in conjunction with Cambridge University, United Kingdom, is a crop management system that will enable PepsiCo’s farmers around the world to monitor, manage and reduce their water use and carbon emissions, while also maximizing potential yield and quality.

Starbucks is serious about making recycling an integral part of its stores’ activity. “By 2015, we plan to have recycling available in all of our stores where we control waste collection and serve 25% of beverages in reusable cups,” stated the global coffee retailer last year, and now it is making small steps towards the huge goal. This summer, the brand hold the Betacup competition sourcing customer-generated ideas focused on reusable, recyclable or compostable cups, and this time the Starbucks is into nine-week tests of its recycling initiative in NYC.

Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) is a globally recognized certification system, which helps define how green constructions and communities around the world are. Eco-conscious global manufacturers in many countries strive to get their facilities LEED-certified, because it proves that their building projects are really «green.» So far, the list of manufacturers with buildings, which have already achieved certified status or pending it includes Toyota, Starbucks, BMW, Nike, Kraft Foods, L’Oréal and many more, including McDonald’s, which is adding another venue to the range of its environmentally friendly buildings.