In the process of creating and building the Kia cee'd, Kia has won two environmental certificates from the well-known German institution TÜV. At a ceremony in Seoul, Korea on Friday, TÜV gave Kia DFE (Design for Environment) and a LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) certificates for the way Kia is building the cee'd in Zilina, Slovakia. The DFE award certifies that the car was environmentally designed and developed. The LCA takes a broader look, and is given to vehicles that have a lower lifetime environmental impact. TÜV certificates for green cars are not often awarded; when the 2008 Mercedes C-Class won a similar certificate from TÜV last year, it was just the second such certificate for a car, ever.

The Pro cee'd is seen in the photo above. More details on Kia's awards after the jump.

Most Americans remain less than confident about our energy future. That's the finding of a new Pew Research Center poll from. Americans for Balanced Energy Choices (ABEC) used the study's release to say that since Americans are worried about relying on foreign oil, believe people will have to "to drastically alter driving habits", and develop reliable and affordable alternative sources of fuel in the coming decades, it's time to switch to coal. ABEC calls itself a "non-profit, non-partisan group that promotes a dialogue with recognized community leaders across the nation to discuss balancing America's growing demand for electricity with the need to protect the environment", and is supported by groups like Center for Energy and Economic Development (CEED). CEED is funded by coal, rail, and utility industries, so perhaps it not surprising that ABEC's solution to Americans' worries is to use coal to produce hydrogen and other power types.

[Source: Americans for Balanced Energy Choices]