Investors hoping to ride the climate change bandwagon have had a roller coaster ride over the past two years. Greentech stocks soared with the oil spike in 2007 and 2008, then crashed with stock market and commodity price declines in 2009. Since then, some of the most obvious stock plays have strongly rebounded. Many solar stocks have posted high double-digit gains since rebounding off year-to-date lows in March 2009.

The leading solar panel manufacturer, FirstSolar (NASDAQ: FSLR) has appreciated by 45% from lows of near $100 to a closing price of $154 on October 14. "I wouldn't be stepping into buying these stocks right now," says Pacific Crest senior analyst Mark Bachman, who covers solar stocks. Still, he rates FirstSolar as a market perform and considers it the best solar stock at present on his coverage list.

I'm Reiterating my Buy rating for Waste Management (NYSE: WMI), first recommended on March 25, 2009 at a price of $25.74.

Look for rough sailing for the remainder of 2009 for Waste Management, and that should limit the topside to shares for Q3 and Q4. Still, any sign that the U.S. economy continues to strengthen will send institutional investors back into WMI, on increased demand for both trash and recycling services.

Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT). which continues to sit on the brink of a total meltdown in global wireless handset sales, announced a rather unique handset at the CES trade show in Las Vegas this week. Yes, if you've been clamoring to get your hands on a wireless phone made with almost entirely recycled plastic bottles, Motorola may soon have your product.

While this may make sense from an ecological perspective -- and Motorola should be commended for this -- customers won't care a bit. The Motorola W233 is the first carbon-neutral handset in the world that also comes in a smaller packaging with manuals printed on 100% recycled paper. This may be the greenest phone in the world in almost every respect.

The problem is Motorola's market -- where will it sell this? In a world where almost all customers need at least some mid-range features in their phones, the entry-level W233 may only find a home in emerging markets. If those customer segments really are seeking out green phones, that would be quite a surprise.

The W233 is definitely voice-focused, with nine hours of talktime, Motorola's CrystalTalk voice enhancement technology and messaging capabilities. Other than that, there's really nothing else feature-wise about this new handset. Motorola, should it focus this handset precisely in the customer segments where it needs to be, may still do well with this model. But, with voice minutes already a commodity, the differentiators in advanced mobile markets are data-focused -- and that is where this handset falls short.

It's one of the the most frustrating and unfortunate aspects of the U.S. and global recessions: a noble sector, a win-win-win all around, is facing dire times.

The recycling sector is being decimated by the economic slowdown. Many industry players may not survive, the whole process of creating new from the old seems to be stalled, and all over the globe piles of plastic, cardboard, newspaper/paper, and metal, among other re-useables, are piling up, The New York Times reported.

And the reason is obvious enough: demand for consumer goods and other finished products is declining, globally, and that means the chief manufacturing centers of the world - - China being the largest - - don't need the recyclable materials that a year ago were so much in demand, The Times reported. Prices have plunged: paper, down to $20 a ton from $105 a ton; plastic bottles to 2 cents a pound, down from 13 cents a pound; aluminum to 30 cents a pound, from $1 a pound.

Economist Peter Dawson told BloggingStocks expanded storage capabilities during this recession means recyclers will be able to hold more than 10 times the recycled material than during the last U.S. recession in 2001-2002, but there are financial and storage limits.

Best Buy, Inc. (NYSE: BBY) is rolling out a complete consumer electronics recycling program at 117 of its stores across the U.S. If all goes well and consumers start bringing in old televisions, microwaves and dishwashers, the retailer may expand the program nationwide to all stores. Best Buy states that more than two million tons of electronics are thrown in the trash each year. The small part it could play would make an impact on the amount of electronics that end up in landfills.

That sentiment is all nice and mighty, but don't think for a second there won't be an incentive to purchase that replacement piece of electronics right there on the spot as you're unloading your old console television. Best Buy has a knack for neat programs that have the end goal of driving more foot traffic into its stores, and this one is no different. This time, though, the benefits right up front equal less electronics contamination in landfills.

When many consumer electronics recycled products are shipped overseas to be "demanufactured" in unsafe conditions (then dumped into local landfills), Best Buy's effort to have its recycling partners actually recycle all the parts possible from all the products received in is admirable. If the retailer really wants to make an impact, give the customer 10% off a new piece of equipment for recycling that old microwave, then really watch the customers line up.

Readers of this space know that the investment bias is toward large-cap companies with demonstrated business models and who have a competitive advantage in established markets, preferably with a favorable global trend as a support. And with the above in mind, Nucor Steel is worth a review.

Nucor Corporation (NYSE: NUE) produces about 20 million tons of steel annually, and also is a major recycler of scrap metal.

In general, analysts expect NUE's revenue to increase 10-12% in FY 2008, aided by the Harris Steel acquisition and other acquisitions. Analysts also see strong demand for beams and bars, on continued non-residential construction growth.

An International Paper (NYSE: IP) press release announced today that the company is intending to purchase the Containerboard, Packaging and Recycling (CBPR) businesses of Weyerhaeuser (NYSE:WY)for $6 billion in cash. The deal is expected to close in Q3 2008, subject to regulatory approval and financing.

Due to the realization of tax benefits based upon International Papers purchase of Weyerhaeuser assets rather than stock, IP shall realize tax benefits in the amount of approximately $1.4 billion, making the actual purchase price closer to $4.6 billion.

International Paper Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Faraci is quoted in the press release as stating: "This deal represents a compelling opportunity for International Paper and our share owners at a very attractive valuation... integrating Weyerhaeuser's CBPR business into our North American packaging platform fits very well with our strategy to improve our earnings, cash flow and returns by strengthening existing businesses. We expect the combined packaging business will generate stronger cash flow and higher EBITDA margins than either standalone business."

Even though International Paper sees considerable upside potential in this acquisition, as of this writing, shares of International Paper have lost nearly 8.5 percent on the day. This may signal a good near term opportunity to buy into company shares when considering that the company indicates this deal holds income increase potential of as much as $400 million annually. The company sees this acquisition improving profitability over a three year period of assimilation, with approximately 40% of that improvement to be realized within the first 12 months of closing the deal.

Best Buy, Inc. (NYSE: BBY) will be joining up with Goodwill Industries in the Silicon Valley market to host a free electronic waste recycling event this weekend. Specifically, the event will be held at the Best Buy location at 5065 Almaden Expressway in San Jose, California from from 9am to 3pm. Here's my beef with this -- why aren't all U.S. Best Buy locations doing this at the same time?

This is a great partnership between two huge brand names. If Best Buy were to really want to pump up its brand name even more, a national partnership with Goodwill seems a great way to do that. The amount of change in consumer electronics means that consumers are replacing equipment -- from older iPods to laptop PCs -- at a pretty decent rate. What happens to all that e-waste?

Toxic substances like lead and mercury exist in all those products (and more), and with more citizens in the U.S. becoming "green" -- as in ecologically-conscious -- a national partnership hosted by the largest consumer electronics retailer in the country with a goal of minimizing electronic waste is a fantastic idea. Best Buy, you could promote this just like a two-day weekend sale. Forget pitching products for a single weekend and promote a campaign like this for a single weekend on national television, cable and in your newspaper circular and website. It could turn out to be one of the best brand-builders you could ever have.

In the equities asset class, there are show horses -- high-profile, glamorous stocks that receive considerable news coverage; and work horses -- lesser-known stocks that don't receive a great of coverage, but get the job done, nonetheless. Put Waste Management decidedly in the latter category.

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE: WMI) is the No. 1 waste disposal company in the United States. The company provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery services to 21 million residential, industrial, municipal and commercial customers. WMI operates more than 430 collection operations and 277 landfills.

Analysts like WMI's strategy to sacrifice collection volume in favor of maintaining its pricing strategy and margins.

Just call Metal Management a junkyard king, or one scrappy company.

Metal Management (NYSE: MM) is one of the top metal recyclers in the United States, recycling ferrous and nonferrous metals, including aluminum brass, copper, and stainless steel.

Analysts like MM's wide recycling footprint (50 recycling centers in 17 states) and large client base (steel mills, integrated steelmakers, foundries, copper refineries, and metal brokers). Further, the company's customers span the globe.

Revenue is expected to increase about 30-32% in F2008 after a more than 40% increase in F2007.

Operating expenses are under control. Meanwhile, as recycling gains traction from both financial (it's profitable to recycle) and ethical (it's good for the environment) standpoints, look for investors to attach a higher value to the shares of recyclers such as MM. The Reuters F2007/F2008 EPS consensus estimates for MM are $3.22/$4.57.

The First Call mean rating for MM is: Buy. [3 firms.] Mean 2008 target: $50.00. [high: $60, low: $42.]

Stock Analysis: Metal Management is a moderate-risk stock not suitable for low-risk investors. Investors with an investment horizon longer than two years should be rewarded from MM's shares. Sell / Stop Loss if you were to purchase shares in this company: $24.

DISCLOSURE: Joseph Lazzaro has no positions in stocks. In addition to private real estate holdings, he owns corporate and municipal bonds, and cash certificates of deposit.

Given that the markets continue to exhibit a choppy/consolidation pattern (or perhaps worse), it's best to consider including a few defensive stocks in your portfolio. Low-profile Harsco Corporation (NYSE: HSC) is worth a review.

Harsco is a diversified industrial services and engineering products company that caters to the steel/metals industry. The company offers metal reclamation, slag processing, scrap management and related services for steel/metal manufacturers. HSC's access services business rents/sells concrete-forming equipment, scaffolding, and bridge-decking products, primarily for industrial maintenance and commercial construction clients.

Typically, companies like Harsco would be more-sensitive to the business cycle, but that risk is lessened by HSC's revenue stream diversity, wide 5-continent geographic footprint, and a contemporary trend: recycling. Fortunately for Harso, recycling and reclaiming processes are likely to increase in popularity, for both cost and environmental reasons, in the years ahead. Harsco is well-positioned in this regard, and analysts generally project 13%-20% annual revenue growth for HSC for the immediate years ahead. The Reuters F2007/F2008 EPS consensus estimates for HSC are $2.97/$3.35.

I'm going to share a little story with you that could be the end of my career as an even marginally-respected financial writer. Or, perhaps, it could establish my credentials as an uber-thrifty guy. Back when I was in high school, I was walking on the beach at night and stumbled on a nice Nike sweatshirt. It had some seaweed stuck to it and was soaked from the ocean. But it was definitely my style. And so I picked it up, took it home, washed it and -- voila! -- a wonderful, good as new Nike sweatshirt.

It gets worse: fast forward 24 hours. I was working at a candy store in a marketplace not so far from that beach when a strapping young football player walked over to me and inquired about where I'd gotten my sweatshirt. I told him the truth and he asked if I wouldn't mind giving it back. So I was cold that night, having just relinquished my new-found sweatshirt. My boss was standing there watching the whole thing, and actually saw fit to give me a 50 cent an hour pity raise, he said: "So you can buy your own sweatshirt!"

But in Germany, they're taking thrift to a whole new level. I'd probably fit in well. According to The Wall Street Journal, sifting through your neighbors cast-offs while they wait for the dump-truck is considered perfectly normal -- admirable even. As one man put it, "Consumption is nothing good. It brings evil into the world."

Couldn't have said it better myself. In any case, thrift is a wonderful thing: It saves money, keeps us out of debt, and it's wonderful for the environment.

So now I'm not ashamed of my trash-picker ways. It doesn't mean you're poor or trashy: it means you're smart.

The Canadian division of consumer electronics retailer Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) will be partnering with recycling company Greentec to offer customers a way to recycle used electronics by bringing them to Best Buy locations throughout Canada.

The new service will be offered at no cost to consumers and is already functioning in all 48 Canadian Best Buy locations as of late last week. Customers are able to bring in electronics like MP3 players, cellular phones, portable DVD and CD players, batteries and ink cartridges, among other items.

Although Best Buy already accepts some of these items for recycling in its U.S. stores, it would be wise to implement a standard recycling program in all Best Buy locations worldwide. If it can do this, the company will have another trump card in its pocket to shine over the competition. Yes, you're being looked at now, Circuit City (NYSE: CC).

Best Buy is making it incredibly easy to get rid of all that outdated and worn electronics gear in a world that increasingly wants to see more eco-sustainability from manufacturers, retailers and consumers. The recycling of batteries alone is a huge step forward, but all the nasty chemicals that can be released into the environment from discarded electronics make recycling a requirement. Once again, Best Buy appears to be leading another area sensitive to consumers.

This is the sixth in a series of trend-spotting tips from Hilary Kramer's newly-released book, Ahead of the Curve.

As I say in my new book, Ahead of the Curve, a picture tells a thousand words... and a good statistical picture can also lead to thousands of dollars! By this, I mean that if you pay attention to statistical trends and graphs from polls and other data, you can easily uncover trends in business and finance.

For instance, demographic statistics right now tell you the Baby-Boomers are aging, our country's Hispanic population is growing in number and income level, more people are going to prisons than ever before: in turn, this can lead you to hot companies doing things like making hip replacements (for baby-boomers), selling certain specialty food products (like those catering to the Hispanic market), or supplying prisons with garments.

The NEXT company in my ongoing series of the Top 25 stocks for the NEXT 25 Years is Darling International, Inc. (AMEX: DAR). Darling is headquartered in Irving, Texas, and has a current market capitalization of $715 million. The stock is trading at around $8.90 and has a daily average trading volume of 800,000 shares. The company does not play in a glamorous industry as its name would imply, but it does operate in a growing, vital industry.

Darling provides recovery, rendering, and recycling services and solutions to the food and restaurant industry. The rendering division collects and processes animal by-products including the hides from grocery stores, poultry and meat processors, and butcher shops. It processes these by-products into reusable proteins and oils sold to leather and oleo-chemical producers.

The restaurant services division collects used cooking oil from food services providers, including cafeterias and restaurants, and recycles these oils into industrial oils and high-energy animal feed. The division also manufactures grease-traps used by high-volume food preparers and restaurants. The businesses as I said are not glamorous, but certainly critical as industry handles its waste products more efficiently and profitably.