Horizon Air has taken one of its planes in a greener direction - both literally and figuratively speaking. Joining the Seattle-based airline's fleet this week is the Comfortably Greener Q400, a 76-seat aircraft made to use up to 40 percent less fuel and produce between 30 and 40 percent less carbon emissions than jets of comparable size. Also designed to be quieter than other jets (hence the "Q" in its name), the plane is part of the airline's efforts to convert to a single-type fleet of Q400s by 2013. A second green plane will begin circulation through Horizon's routes in December.

While the irony of describing any airplane as "green" will no doubt be obvious to many, Southwest has nevertheless decided to do just that, and, to be fair, the plane in question is trying harder than most to achieve its eco-friendly status.

element is on a roll this week. Along opening the Denver Park Meadows Hotel, which we mentioned yesterday on the blog, the Starwood brand also welcomed another property, its sixth: element Dallas Fort Worth Airport North.

The fifth element hotel opened its doors this week in Colorado. Located near the Denver Tech Center, the element Denver Park Meadows is the first property from Starwood's hip, boutique brand to open in the state and is actively pursuing LEED certification from the US Green Building Council.

Among the eco-friendly and sustainable practices at the hotel:

If you put stock in the US Green Building Council standards for energy-efficient, sustainable hotels, then the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, NC can currently lay claim to being the greenest hotel in the United States. The hotel and its restaurant were the very first businesses of their kind to be awarded LEED Platinum certification from the building council.