The Great Tree Survey
According to a 2010 United Nations report, the rate at which forests are destroyed-logged or cleared to make way for farms or mines-was nearly 20 percent lower from 2000 to 2010 than it had been in the previous decade. Huge tree-planting programs, especially in China, reduced the net loss of forest even further. But vast areas are still being slashed, mostly in the tropics, including each year a S... posted on May 30 2011, 2,993 reads

Emotional Lives of Animals
It won't surprise pet owners, but now, scientific research also shows that many animals are intelligent, and even have some abilities that dwarf ours. Dogs are able to detect diseases such as cancer and diabetes and warn humans of impending heart attacks and strokes. Elephants, whales, hippopotamuses, giraffes, and alligators use low-frequency sounds to communicate over long distances. Many animal... posted on May 17 2011, 34,956 reads

Harvesting Water, Out of Thin Air
The African Namib beetle has found a distinctive way of surviving. When the morning fog rolls, it collects water droplets on its bumpy back, then lets the moisture roll down into its mouth, allowing it to drink in an area devoid of flowing water. What nature has developed on it's own, Shreerang Chhatre, an MIT graduate student, wants to refine, and help the nearly 900 million people worldwide that... posted on May 06 2011, 5,613 reads

Portraits of Hope
In the world's largest garbage dump, Artist Vik Muniz finds beauty in resilience, art in compassion. Returning to his native Brazil, he finds himself along the outskirts of Rio de Jeneiro, amidst the garbage pickers of the Jardim Gramacho landfill. Determined to help, Muniz creates wildly creative, intimate portraits of the garbage pickers to sell back in New York. All the money earned goes to his... posted on Apr 30 2011, 4,128 reads

Zero-Waste Living
Five years ago, the Johnson family decided to move into a smaller home. Not only did they downsize their belongings but they took on a zero-waste style of living. Along the way, this family has found a balance, a way to maintain the lifestyle they enjoy, while drastically cutting down on waste. Scott Johnson, was initially skeptical of the project, confessing, "I was just afraid that I'd be eating... posted on Apr 13 2011, 17,340 reads

Laundromat Art
When a Harlem-based group of artists and community activists wanted to make a difference in their local neighborhoods, they looked for a space that was already being used by the community and had gathering potential. And then they stumbled upon a laundromat. With the help of local and artists participating in their own residency programs, the group sets up daily in a number of laundromats and pro... posted on Apr 12 2011, 3,904 reads

Solar Power Keeps Animals Comfy
The streetlights blink on. A warm glow wafts through the kitchen windows, infusing the friendly night air. It's evening at the Prince of Wales Zoological Garden, the first solar-powered zoo in India. Inspired by the 'sky's the limit' philosophy of Zoo Director Renu Singh, the entire zoo infrastructure--from electricity to water systems to even zoo vehicles and wheelchairs--is run completely on eco... posted on Apr 02 2011, 3,324 reads

There's a Farm in the Front Yard
"I'm 57," Michael says. "Started at 26. And we're just barreling along! If I have to work 7 days a week, I'll do it." Back when Michael and Bob started 30 years ago, there wasn't much about urban agriculture around. Soon, City Farmer had hundreds of pages of original urban agriculture research online, before anyone else did. Today, City Farmer is now Canada's Office of Urban Agriculture, and their... posted on Mar 24 2011, 3,154 reads

Seaweeds May Be Earth's First Plants
A trove of seaweed-like fossils unearthed in southern China may be some of the oldest plants ever discovered. Until now the earliest definitive evidence of complex creatures resembling modern organisms was about 580 million years old. This new series of fossils predates those by anywhere from 20 million to 56 million years. "It's not the oldest multicellular life," remarks a co-author of the study... posted on Mar 13 2011, 1,545 reads

What Lies Beneath
In 2000, the Census of Marine Life embarked on a 10-year mission to deepen our knowledge of the ocean. The study involved 2,700 scientists, 80 countries, 600 institutions, 500 expeditions and a staggering 9,000 days at sea. On top of recording tens of millions of individual marine organisms and their locations, it also identifies important climate changes. Among the discoveries of 6,000 potentia... posted on Mar 03 2011, 2,557 reads