Sustainability


Crop Performance Matters When Evaluating Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Measuring the emission of greenhouse gases from croplands should take into account the crops themselves, according to new research.

Chemical drum

Making Chemicals Safer

When many people think of industrial chemicals, they think of those scary-looking yellow drums, containing unknown but almost certainly hazardous goo. A new industry initiative, though hopes to change that by giving consumers more information on the chemicals they use every day.

Artificial Light Harvesting Method Achieves 100 Percent Energy Transfer Efficiency

In an attempt to mimic the photosynthetic systems found in plants and some bacteria, scientists have taken a step toward developing an artificial light-harvesting system (LHS) that meets one of the crucial requirements for such systems: an approximately 100 percent energy transfer efficiency.

Cars Could Run on Recycled Newspaper

Here’s one way that old-fashioned newsprint beats the Internet: Tulane University scientists have discovered a novel bacterial strain, dubbed “TU-103,” that can use paper to produce butanol, a biofuel that can serve as a substitute for gasoline.

Professor Warns of Nitrogen’s Double-Edged Sword

Billions of people owe their lives to nitrogen fertilizers – a pillar of the fabled Green Revolution in agriculture that averted global famine in the 20th century – but few are aware that nitrogen pollution from fertilizers and other sources has become a major environmental problem that threatens human health and welfare in multiple ways.

New Refrigerator Standards Cut Energy Usage by 25 Percent

New Department of Energy efficiency standards will cut the energy use of most new refrigerators by 25 percent and help save consumers money, create jobs, reduce pollution and spur innovation and investment.

Irrigation Impacts on Global Carbon Uptake

Globally, irrigation increases agricultural productivity by an amount roughly equivalent to the entire agricultural output of the U.S., according to a new University of Wisconsin-Madison study.

Campus Bike Rental Program Puts New Spin on Recycling

Two years ago, Florida State University senior Sandy Simmons went to a college housing conference and got a big idea: recycled bike rentals for students — on the cheap.



EPA's $6 Million Challenge to Restore Great Lakes and Create Jobs

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced that the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is setting aside approximately $6 million for federal agencies to sign up unemployed workers to implement restoration projects in federally-protected areas, on tribal lands and in Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes basin.

Researchers at UC-Irvine Produced Fuel from Sewage

Imagine being able to get the equivalent of 70 miles per gallon in your car, keep your home cool and power your computer – all from sewage. Thanks to technology developed by University of California-Irvine’s National Fuel Cell Research Center and partners, that’s now possible.

Gotham Greens Lifts Fresh Veggies to New Heights

Gotham Greens, a hydroponics greenhouse facility, sits on a warehouse rooftop and brings new meaning to the phrase "locally grown" – especially atop a 15,000-square-foot manufacturing building in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Air Conditioners in 87 Percent of U.S. Homes, Though Many Don't Meet Efficiency Standards

Except for the few temperate regions on the West Coast, air conditioners are now standard equipment in most homes, especially in those newly constructed.

Growth of Cities Endangers Global Environment

The explosive growth of cities worldwide over the next two decades poses significant risks to people and the global environment, according to a meta-analysis published today in Plos One.

Higher-Resolution Microscope Provides Better Insight into Fuel Cell Operations

A novel microscopy method at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory is helping scientists probe the reactions that limit widespread deployment of fuel cell technologies.

NASA's Ames Sustainability Base Wins Two Awards for Sustainability, Innovation

The NASA Ames Sustainability Base in Moffett Field, Calif., has won two awards for sustainability and innovation.

One in 10 Deaths in Mongolian Capital Caused by Air Pollution

Using government-supplied measurements, the researchers found concentrations of fine particles in Ulaanbaatar’s air were more than seven times the level considered safe by the World Health Organization

Smart EV Charging Will Require Utilities to Invest in Cybersecurity Systems

A report forecasts that the EV cybersecurity market will increase from just $26 million in 2011 to $144 million by 2015, with a cumulative investment of $432 million during that period.

Study Aims to Improve Fuel Economy by 30 Percent

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside along with their research partners received a $1.2 million grant from the Department of Energy to study and evaluate technologies that provide feedback to drivers so they can cut harmful emissions and reduce fuel use by up to 30 percent.

Organic Photovoltaics: Solar Cells of the Future?

Undergraduate researcher Safatul Islam is a member of a team in the College of Optical Sciences investigating organic photovoltaics, which can lead to improved electronics.

Human Health: Biofuels to Grow from Plant Research Center

Improved nutrition for billions of people around the world and the development of clean, green biofuels are two key aims of a major new research center at the University of Adelaide's Waite Campus.