Before we give you an update as to how the first day of this year's G8 summit progressed, we wanted to let you know how organizers have made the 2008 meeting so totally green! Well, at least the press tent is green, since that's all that really needs to be greenwashed updated in order to grab the attention of reporters:

• Snow was collected from a nearby mountain top to serve as air conditioning. The meltwater is then used to flush toilets -- and the Japanese even put a glass floor for easier photography of their green efforts the viewing pleasure of media members.
• The press tent is made of recycled materials, has sky-lights and solar panels, and probably has one-third the carbon footprint you do.
• There is even recycling for 6 different types of waste: "combustibles," "incombustibles" and "plastics" and three different "recyclable waste" containers for "newspapers/magazines," "mixed paper" and "bottles/P.E.T. caps/cans." Too bad the janitorial staff threw it all in one garbage bag.

Of course, while the press are quick to point out how much Japan has minimized their impact on the planet, the fact of the matter is most of media still flew halfway around the world to get there, and it's going to take a lot more than separating the combustibles from the non-combustibles to offset all that jet travel.