Sustainability

Our best advice for how to live in a climate-changing world.

Latest in Sustainability

Suspended skyscraper at Three Gorges

Engineering

7 wild concepts from the 2024 Skyscraper Competition 7 wild concepts from the 2024 Skyscraper Competition

banana peel, orange peel, eggshells, coffee grounds on a wood countertop

DIY

6 kitchen scraps to throw in your garden 6 kitchen scraps to throw in your garden

By Debbie Wolfe

AI

Ocean trash can now be tracked from space Ocean trash can now be tracked from space

California Forever concept art of utopian cityscape

Agriculture

California’s billionaire utopia may not be as eco-friendly as advertised California’s billionaire utopia may not be as eco-friendly as advertised

Concept art of superstructure with gravity battery inside

Climate Change

Colossal skyscrapers could harness height for gravity batteries Colossal skyscrapers could harness height for gravity batteries

Close-up of three cows

Agriculture

Cow poop might make cleaner hydrogen gas a reality Cow poop might make cleaner hydrogen gas a reality

beer being poured from a tap

Health

How recycled beer yeast can remove lead from water How recycled beer yeast can remove lead from water

Metamaterial film on glass

Engineering

New material looks like frosted glass but lets in more light than a window New material looks like frosted glass but lets in more light than a window

Private jet on tarmac at sunset

Aviation

Tracking private jets just got much harder Tracking private jets just got much harder

Factory worker overseeing steel forge

Climate Change

Zero-emission ‘electric cement’ is an ‘absolute miracle’ Zero-emission ‘electric cement’ is an ‘absolute miracle’

An aerial view of the rust-colored Kutuk River in Gates of the Arctic National Park in Alaska. Thawing permafrost is exposing minerals to weathering, increasing the acidity of the water, which releases metals like iron, zinc, and copper.

Climate Change

Why are Alaska’s rivers turning orange? Why are Alaska’s rivers turning orange?

By Laura Baisas

toilet seat on wooden bench with bucket of saw dust, toilet brush, and toilet paper

Environment

How does a composting toilet work? Ditch the flush. How does a composting toilet work? Ditch the flush.

By

Chicken looking at camera against black background

Agriculture

Chicken fat supercapacitors could store green energy of the future Chicken fat supercapacitors could store green energy of the future

Project 821 hydrogen fuel superyacht in port

Climate Change

Welcome aboard the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell superyacht Welcome aboard the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell superyacht

Factory of the Future 1.0 3D printer with man standing in front of it

Engineering

Makers of the world’s largest 3D printer just beat their own record Makers of the world’s largest 3D printer just beat their own record

Vitamix Food Cycler countertop composter with a picture of a hopper full of food on the left and a hopper full of processed mulch on the right.

Conservation

Save $100 on the Vitamix countertop composter at Amazon for Earth Day Save $100 on the Vitamix countertop composter at Amazon for Earth Day

By Stan Horaczek

a close-up of an octopus eye

Animals

Why counting octopus ‘rings’ is crucial Why counting octopus ‘rings’ is crucial

By Laura Baisas

Researchers developed a 3D printer that can automatically identify the parameters of an unknown material on its own. The advance could help make 3D printing more sustainable, enabling printing with renewable or recyclable materials that are difficult to characterize.

Engineering

3D printers just got a big, eco-friendly upgrade (in the lab) 3D printers just got a big, eco-friendly upgrade (in the lab)

a juvenile chimpanzee in a forested habitat

Animals

Mining of materials needed for ‘green revolution’ puts great ape population at risk Mining of materials needed for ‘green revolution’ puts great ape population at risk

By Laura Baisas

Shoe made from bacterial cellulose

Animals

Would you wear this ‘shoe-like vessel’ made from genetically engineered bacteria? Would you wear this ‘shoe-like vessel’ made from genetically engineered bacteria?