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Residents of Utah and Maryland can now plug solar panels directly into a standard wall outlet to offset home electricity use, and seven additional states have passed laws this year to legalize the practice, according to state legislation…
3 MIN READHonolulu's bike-share system Biki has lost more than 800 bikes since its launch nearly a decade ago, with vandalism and wear reducing its fleet of 1,000 to just 478 by the end of April, according to city officials.
3 MIN READCalifornia and New York have scaled back their climate policies in recent days, while Republican-led states continue to dominate renewable energy deployment, according to Energy Information Administration data and reporting by The Guardian.
3 MIN READChinese beef traders on Wednesday began purchasing Brazilian beef certified as free of illegal deforestation, under a landmark agreement that marks the first such certification for Brazil's beef industry. The Beef on Track certification,…
4 MIN READCities and regional planning agencies across the United States are replacing traditional blacktop parking lots with porous concrete panels, native plants, and recycled materials, a shift driven by worsening heat and storm runoff that…
3 MIN READNPR’s “Life Kit” reports that replacing lawns with native plant gardens could reduce the watering, fertilizer and mowing associated with air and water pollution, while also supporting local wildlife. In a segment aired May 24, the show…
3 MIN READParking lots can trap heat and worsen stormwater runoff, especially as climate change intensifies hotter weather and heavier downpours. Now, cities and other groups across the U.S. are testing alternatives to traditional asphalt, including…
4 MIN READPOET and Antora Energy have launched a 5 gigawatt-hour thermal energy storage system adjacent to POET’s ethanol plant in Big Stone City, South Dakota, with the companies saying it will absorb excess wind power that would otherwise be…
3 MIN READA South Dakota-based biofuels producer and a California energy startup have begun operations on one of the world's largest thermal energy storage systems, situated directly adjacent to an ethanol processing facility in Big Stone City. The…
3 MIN READISO New England, the regional grid operator, projects electricity demand across New England will rise by about 9% over the next decade, a forecast released May 1. The operator said electrification of heating and transportation is still…
4 MIN READCanadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a sweeping clean electricity strategy Thursday that aims to double the country’s grid by 2050, saying electrification is the path to affordability, competitiveness and net-zero emissions. The…
4 MIN READCanadian Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled a clean electricity strategy Thursday that he said will double Canada’s electricity grid by 2050 and lower energy costs for most households. Speaking at a news conference in Ottawa, Carney…
3 MIN READSolar and wind projects now account for the majority of new energy developments across Africa, with 173 of the 322 projects announced in 2025 being solar, according to industry data. The shift reflects falling technology costs, rising fuel…
4 MIN READCalifornia finalized regulations at the start of May requiring producers to make all single-use plastic packaging recyclable or compostable by 2032, the most ambitious deadline in the country. The rules, enacted under a landmark 2022 law,…
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California’s newly finalized rules under a landmark 2022 law require plastic producers to make packaging recyclable or compostable or otherwise comply with stepped goals. The regulations—finalized at the start of the month—have triggered…
3 MIN READNAIROBI, Kenya — French and African leaders on Tuesday announced more than $11 billion in renewable energy investments across the continent, spanning sustainable aviation fuel, hydropower, solar and wind projects, during the France-Africa…
3 MIN READFrench and African leaders on Tuesday announced more than $11 billion in renewable energy investments across Africa, unveiled during a closed-door CEO forum in Nairobi alongside the France-Africa Summit. The commitments, involving…
3 MIN READA free solar-powered charging station that opened in early April in Santa Clara, Cuba, is providing residents a way to charge electric vehicles, cook meals, and power devices amid chronic blackouts and fuel shortages, the Associated Press…
3 MIN READRepeated fuel shortages, a cost-doubling end to gasoline subsidies, and a contamination scandal are pushing a small but growing number of Bolivians to abandon fossil-fuel vehicles for electric cars, according to Bolivian drivers, industry…
3 MIN READSanta Clara, Cuba, opened a free, solar-powered charging station known as a “solinera” in early April, giving residents a way to recharge devices and vehicles amid chronic blackouts and a severe shortage of gasoline. The station, installed…
3 MIN READTrees in the world’s cities offset roughly half of the warming caused by pavement and buildings, but their cooling power is concentrated in wealthy, leafy cities while many of the hottest and poorest urban areas receive almost no benefit,…
3 MIN READMichigan cities that once embraced the annual “No Mow May” campaign are now backing away from it, citing limited evidence that a one-month mowing pause helps pollinators and concerns that taller grass may attract ticks.
3 MIN READCities across Michigan are adjusting “No Mow May” rules and other grass-cutting plans amid concerns that taller lawns may attract ticks and that skipping mowing for a month does little for pollinators. Some communities have shifted toward…
3 MIN READTrees and other urban vegetation reduce heat from pavement and buildings, but a new study says the cooling benefits fall short in the hottest, poorest cities where extreme heat can be most deadly. Researchers analyzed nearly 9,000 large…
3 MIN READFenglin, a Taiwanese town of about 10,000 residents, is drawing tourists by hosting snail races that celebrate a slower, more sustainable pace of life. The town has been known for years for quality-of-life efforts that include joining the…
3 MIN READRising diesel prices tied to the Iran war are increasing pressure on African mobile operators to power telecom towers with solar energy, a shift that was already underway as costs and climate goals pushed networks off fossil fuels.
3 MIN READSilicon Ranch, a solar company, this week unveiled a 40-acre solar farm in Christiana, Tennessee, where a small herd of cattle grazes beneath the panels — a test of whether the two land uses can work together, the Associated Press reported.
3 MIN READRichland County, Ohio, voters will decide on May 5 whether to repeal a county ban on large-scale solar farms, the second time an Ohio county’s renewable energy restriction has faced a voter referendum, according to Signal Ohio reporting…
3 MIN READThe solar-power ban in Richland County, Ohio, is headed to a May 5 referendum after supporters collected enough signatures to put the measure on the ballot. The county’s commissioners approved the ban last year under a 2021 Ohio law that…
4 MIN READItalian luxury brand Ferragamo said it can map the country of origin for much of the leather used in its footwear and handbags, a step it said supports traceability efforts as new European Union sustainability rules take shape. The…
3 MIN READA global climate conference in Santa Marta, Colombia, focused on what governments need to accelerate the shift away from oil, gas and coal, and delegates said lack of financing remains a major barrier. Experts at the meeting said…
4 MIN READSmall changes in how consumers store fruits and vegetables can extend their shelf life by days, reducing household food waste linked to moisture, temperature and airflow, according to Purdue University and other food-safety experts…
3 MIN READOn Newport’s south side, mature trees help cool neighborhoods and support wildlife, while the city’s North End has far fewer trees. On Wednesday for Earth Day, volunteers with the Newport Tree Conservancy worked in Miantonomi Memorial Park…
3 MIN READStockholm’s annual secondhand clothing swap is drawing hundreds of residents to exchange clothes and help extend garments’ life spans. The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation says the events are part of a broader effort to reduce the…
3 MIN READMillions of Americans are weighing home energy upgrades as electricity bills rise, and in parts of Michigan, residents are banding together for discounts through Solarize programs. An Associated Press report describes how towns and…
3 MIN READMillions of Americans keep unused electronics in drawers and closets, even as global e-waste continues to grow. An Associated Press guide published this week outlines practical steps for consumers, including how to wipe data before…
3 MIN READThe war in Iran is disrupting oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz, driving up energy prices and straining import-dependent economies from Asia to Europe and Africa. As crude and LNG flows stall, the crisis is renewing calls to…
3 MIN READAn offshore wind project targeted by the Trump administration has begun sending power to New England’s electric grid, the developer said. Ørsted said Revolution Wind is now generating electricity and will scale up over the coming weeks to…
3 MIN READABBEVILLE, La., (AP) — Jacob Sagrera grades and stacks alligator skins tagged for legal trade at his family’s Vermilion Gator Farm, where hides are prepared for luxury brands and tanneries. Advocates for the Louisiana program say the…
3 MIN READLouisiana alligator farms in Abb\u00e9ville are raising American alligators for meat and skins, and the state releases some young alligators back into the wild as part of the program, according to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and…
3 MIN READConstruction has finished on Vineyard Wind’s offshore wind farm off Massachusetts, with the project installing the final blades on Friday night, a spokesperson said Saturday. The completion marks the first offshore wind project to reach…
3 MIN READAn offshore wind project targeted by the Trump administration has started sending power to New England’s electric grid, the developer said March 14. Ørsted said Revolution Wind is now generating electricity and will increase output in the…
3 MIN READSyngenta said it will stop producing paraquat, a herbicide banned in more than 70 countries, by the end of June, including at its facility in St. Gabriel, Louisiana. Paraquat is repackaged and distributed in the United States from…
3 MIN READDevices left plugged in can draw “phantom energy,” also called vampire energy, even when they are off—raising household bills and adding to power demand from emissions-producing sources, Associated Press reported. The story highlights how…
3 MIN READRefill stores have spread as consumers and retailers look for practical ways to reduce packaging waste, with stores offering customers the chance to bring containers and refill soap, shampoo and cleaning supplies. But experts say whether…
3 MIN READThick plantings of pollution-blocking trees are scheduled to be planted along Frontage Road near the I-880 freeway in West Oakland next month, as the Prescott Greening project moves into the ground-breaking phase. The landscape work…
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