Sweden’s transportation authority has approved a four line bicycle superhighway between the southern cities of Malmö and Lund.

Are you in Scandinavia at the end of July? If so, you should drop by Molkom, outside of Karlstad, Sweden, at the end of July for the Future Perfect Festival.

Chemrec’s latest success is its partnership with Domsjo Fabriker’s refinery in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden. With the assistance of SEK 500 million grant (US$75 million, or 55 million euros) from Sweden’s Energy Agency, the plant will produce two clean and renewable biofuels, biomethanol and bioDME.

Buses going nanotech are a ways off, but Volvo is currently in the middle of a US$4.8 million research project to test whether there is a better way to design a car battery. Working with London’s Imperial College and several European companies, the project “Tomorrow’s Volvo Car” could lead to an even more energy efficient automobile, revolutionize battery technology, and reduce a car’s weight as well.

Last Thursday Chemrec launched the world’s first DME (dimethyl ether) fuel plant in Piteå, Sweden. The opening is a huge opportunity – Chemrec has worked with Volvo for several years to test the viability of DME as a trucking fuel. Now half of Sweden’s trucks could potentially run on DME.

IKEA has received a fair share of criticism over the years, but there is evidence that the furniture giant undertaking improvements on the sustainability front. The company has tinkered with renewable energy, is phasing out flame retardants in its furniture, and in Sweden it is making a counterintuitive business move: customers in its home country can now sell the store’s used furniture on IKEA’s Swedish site.