Every day, we are inundated with new announcements about energy savings, reduced greenhouse emissions, global climate change, and so on. Radio and television advertisements bombard the country touting the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt, and other electric and hybrid cars. These cars get 50+ miles per gallon of gasoline, and in some cases, such as the Leaf, leave the US government struggling to determine an mpg
rating.

The hype about “green” materials also continues to grow. But, are the new “green” materials really “green,” or are good old refractories the kings of “green”?