Sustainability

Mount Everest Climbers Are Now Required to Haul Nearly 20 Pounds of Garbage Off the Mountain

The new rule is meant to help tackle the estimated 50 tons of garbage currently sitting on the mountain

Eight Million Tons of Illegal E-Waste Is Smuggled Into China Each Year

Despite the health and environmental issues, a thriving black market makes China the world's biggest e-waste importer

Reusing Hotel Towels Actually Does Make a Difference

Laundry accounts for 16 percent of hotels' water usage, which translates into significant energy costs

London's Looking at Building Bike Lanes in the Sky

The dedicated bike lanes could improve some commuter's trips by nearly 30 minutes

There Is a Way to Make Lion Hunting Good for Lions

A contentious issue may have a bright side

Can This Water-Recycling Shower Save $1,000 in Bills?

A Swedish industrial designer hopes his unique filtration system is the answer for rising water costs

A view of the New York City skyline

Introducing a Special Report on Energy

In a world hungry for power, a new wealth of innovation hopes to keep the engine of industry running for the foreseeable future

None

The Aughts: When People Wore Their Causes on Their Sleeves, Literally

It was a decade of Uggs and excess but also styles meant to further the greater good

This little guy might one day become a tire.

These Tires Are Made from Dandelions and Soy

Companies are experimenting with rubber alternatives, turning to things like dandelions and soybeans to build their wheels

A veterinarian examines a cheetah cub at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.

Keeping the Smithsonian Sustainable

Secretary Clough writes on the benefits of being an environmentally savvy institution

Madelia, Minnesota is a small town with a big plan to produce fuel made from local materials for local markets.

A Little Independent Energy Experiment on the Prairie

If you can fight your way through the dirt storms of Madelia, Minnesota, you may be able to find the future of renewable energy

Chart Sources: Meadows, D.H., Meadows, D.L., Randers, J. and Behrens III, W.W. (1972)

Looking Back on the Limits of Growth

Forty years after the release of the groundbreaking study, were the concerns about overpopulation and the environment correct?

None

Is it Too Late for Sustainable Development?

Dennis Meadows thinks so. Forty years after his book The Limits to Growth, he explains why

Since 1999, Richard and Judith Lang have found countless ways to turn their huge collection of beach debris into extraordinary art.

Making Beautiful Art out of Beach Plastic

Artists Judith and Richard Lang comb the California beaches, looking for trash for their captivating, yet unsettling work

Peace Corps volunteer Laura Kutner rallied the community to stuff plastic bottles with trash. In all, the Guatemalan students turned 8,000 bottles into building materials.

How to Turn 8,000 Plastic Bottles Into a Building

Peace Corps volunteer Laura Kutner demonstrates how she turned trash into the building blocks for one community's revival

The ocean's boundless energy (von Jouanne near Oregon's Otter Rock Beach) could furnish up to 6.5 percent of U.S. electricity.

Catching a Wave, Powering an Electrical Grid?

Electrical engineer Annette von Jouanne is pioneering an ingenious way to generate clean, renewable electricity from the sea

Architect rendition of the green addition to Frank Lloyd Wright's First Unitarian Society Meeting House.

A Green Addition to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Meeting House

Architects of the First Unitarian Society’s new eco-friendly addition find inspiration in the ideas of original architect Frank Lloyd Wright

Photovoltaic panels are ideally suited to remote locations, as in this island community in Denmark, where the infrastructure required to connect to a centralized power grid is prohibitively expensive or too destructive to the natural landscape.

Energy Saving Lessons From Around the World

The curator of an exhibit at the National Building Museum highlights case studies of community involvement in energy conservation

Tom Casten (right) is chairman and his son Sean is president and CEO of a company called Recycled Energy Development (RED) that is installing a heat-recovery system at West Virginia Alloys.

Converting Energy Waste into Electricity and Heat

Energy recycling wiz Tom Casten explains how to capture power that goes up in smoke

The Smithsonian Institution is taking many steps to ensure a greener future.

A Greener Smithsonian

In an Institution-wide pursuit of a greener future, researchers and engineers are furthering the cause of energy sustainability

Page 14 of 16