Energy

Royal kombu (aka sugar kelp) harvested from the Netherlands’ first organic seaweed farm enriches and flavors the Dutch Weed Burger’s soy-chip-based patty.

Innovation for Good

Is Seaweed the Next Big Alternative to Meat?

From kelp burgers to bacon of the sea, sustainable food entrepreneurs are innovating to charm hungry omnivores

Smart windows that tint in response to stimuli such as heat or light, or a user’s preference, are becoming more common, but it may be a while before the tech is mainstream.

What Will It Take for Smart Windows to Go Mainstream?

Specialized glass that keeps heat in during winter and lets it out during summer could make buildings much more efficient

Grotto Geyser in Yellowstone National Park

Innovation for Good

Scientists Map Yellowstone’s Underground ‘Plumbing’

The new survey could be useful for everything from microbiology to thermal energy

The cyanobacteria system runs using sunlight and water.

Innovation for Good

Researchers Use Algae to Power a Computer for Months

The experiment suggests that cyanobacteria 'batteries' could run small devices

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Innovation for Good

Innovation for Good

A look at the researchers, inventors and community leaders who are bringing creativity and ingenuity to today's biggest challenges

Light bulbs sold in the U.S. must have a minimum efficiency of 45 lumens per watt by July 2023.

Good News

The United States Will Phase Out Incandescent Light Bulbs

Officials estimate this will cut carbon emissions by 222 million metric tons over 30 years and will save Americans $3 million per year on utility bills

The Dixie Valley toad lives only in a remote Nevada valley. 

Nevada Toad Receives Rare Emergency Protection

The construction of a geothermal power plant could create problems for the amphibian

Steered by a computer to loop in the wind, this kite converts wind energy into electricity via a tether attached to a generator on the ground. Currently, such kites can generate enough electricity to power 60 average US households.

Planet Positive

Could High-Flying Kites Power Your Home?

Nearly a dozen companies are betting on computer-controlled, airborne wind energy to electrify the future

ESI acknowledged the deaths of at least 150 bald and golden eagles at 50 of its 154 wind energy facilities since 2012.

Wind Energy Company Pleads Guilty to Killing Eagles

ESI Energy Inc. must pay more than $8 million in fines and restitution after violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act

A vessel nears the commercial wind farm 3.8 miles off the coast of Block Island.

Planet Positive

This Historic Community Is Pushing the Nation Toward a Wind Power Revolution

Block Island, off the New England coast, overcame political strife to lead the way on energy independence

On March 15, the Senate unanimously passed legislation calling for year-round daylight saving time.

History of Now

What Happened the Last Time the U.S. Tried to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent?

A 1974 switch to year-round DST proved unpopular, with Americans expressing "distaste" for the long, dark winter mornings

A new way of recycling has grabbed the attention of some of the world’s largest consumer goods companies, including L’Oréal, Nestlé, and PepsiCo, who collaborated with startup company Carbios to produce proof-of-concept bottles.

The Future of Recycling May Be in Microbes

An enzyme-based recycling technology is poised to go commercial, but questions about cost and scalability linger

Artist rendering of a solar canal system for California.

California Is About to Test Its First Solar Canals

The innovative project is a win for water, energy, air and climate

The Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) undergoes sea trials in April 2021. In 2022, the MAS will sail the same path that the original Mayflower charted in 1620, collecting data along the way.

Captained by A.I., This New 'Mayflower' Will Cross the Atlantic This Spring

The autonomous ship will embark on the same journey the Pilgrims took more than 400 years ago, collecting scientific data along the way

An illustration of a harbor porpoise (middle) swimming with two other porpoises. Analyzing harbor porpoises’ echolocation clicks gave scientists a way to measure how closely they approach tidal power turbines. 

For Good or Ill, Porpoises Avoid Tidal Power Turbines

The finding is good news if it means the porpoises are staying safe, but it is bad if they are losing habitat in the process

China's Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), also known as the Chinese Artifical Sun, has operated since 2006.

China's Artificial Sun Just Broke a Record for Longest Sustained Nuclear Fusion

Superheated plasma reached 126 million degrees Fahrenheit for 17 minutes

(Top) Leila Strickland, Michelle Egger, Toby Kiers, Colin Averill, J. Richard Gott (Middle) Leslie Jones-Dove, Devshi Mehrotra, Prisha Shroff, Iké Udé (Bottom) Tim Farrelly, Omar Salem, David Deneher, Victor A. Lopez-Carmen, Doris Sung

Innovation for Good

Sixteen Innovators to Watch in 2022

These trailblazers are dreaming up a future with cell-cultured breastmilk, energy-saving windows and more

LifeLab Design's WarmLife vests are 30 percent warmer than clothing of comparable weight and bulk.

Innovation for Good

This Apparel Company Wants to Have a Profound Effect on Your Energy Use

LifeLabs Design was founded by a pair of Stanford professors who have developed fabrics capable of cooling and warming the wearer

Fossil fuel-free steel was made for the first time in Sweden using "green" hydrogen technology.

Innovation for Good

Fossil Fuel–Free 'Green' Steel Produced for the First Time

A Swedish consortium delivered the first batch of the metal—made using 'green' hydrogen—to an automobile manufacturer for truck production

Pictured: A hydrogen fuel station sign in Osnabrück, Lower Saxony in Germany.

New Research

'Blue' Hydrogen May Not Be a Very 'Green' Energy Source After All

Climate scientists conclude this so-called clean alternative has a 20 percent larger carbon footprint than natural gas and coal when used for heat

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