Apple ranked 'least green tech company'and other green stories of the week

Some of the major green and environmental stories of the past week (April 15-22) including Greenpeace naming Apple the 'least green tech company' are rounded up below.

Antarctic - a hole in the ozone layer above the Antarctic could be affecting levels of rainfall across the Southern Hemisphere claims a new study into the global nature of climate change. ( Independent)

Apple - the manufacturers of the iPhone and iPad have been named the world's 'least green tech company' in a list compiled by environmental organization Greenpeace. ( Guardian)

Charles Manson - in a bizarre twist of events, Charles Manson, the cult leader responsible for a string of murders broke his 20-year silence in prison to speak out in support of the environmental movement.  ( Daily Mail)

Coal-less Beijing - the Chinese capital city has outlined plans to completely reduce its dependency on coal by the year 2015 by replacing its coal-fuelled power plants with ones that run on natural gas. ( The City Fix)

Coca-Cola - announced the closure of the world's biggest bottle recycling plants in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA due to "current business conditions." ( Environmental Leader)

Earth Day- events are taking place around the world on April 22 and over the weekend in celebration of global environmental campaign Earth Day. ( Earth Day) 

Gulf oil spill anniversary - April 20 marked the one-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill which cost the lives of 11 workers, polluted a vast area of the US coastline and cost the economy billions of dollars. ( New York Times, BBC News , AFP)  

Solar panels increase value - a study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has found that installing solar panels on homes can increase the value of the property. ( New York Times Green Blog)

Sugarcane - the humble sugarcane plant has been found to play a role in stemming global warming by reflecting sunlight back into space and cooling the air around it, according to a new study. ( Xinhua)