All Environment
First LookMarathons produce tons of plastic cup waste. One runner came up with a solution.Kristina Smithe wanted to clean up road races. So she came up with a solution: a reusable silicone cup that race organizers can rent to avoid the single-use throwaways. She says her company, Hiccup Earth, has kept 902,000 disposable cups out of landfills.
Points of ProgressHow to plant a city tree, and where timber beats steel for buildingsProgress roundup: Art world wakes up to South Asian talent, a Stockholm method of planting keeps trees happy,聽and clean energy tops fossil fuels in the U.S.
On chemicals and food, RFK Jr. runs up against powerful GOP constituenciesA report by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his Make America Healthy Again Commission blamed environmental toxins for health problems but did not make recommendations.
For the few right whales left, technology and teamwork are showing promiseNorth Atlantic right whales are critically endangered. But cooperation from towns, businesses, fishers, and ecologists to use new technology could create conditions in which the whale population can stabilize.
Points of ProgressHow independence helps caregivers on the job and Indigenous people in ColombiaProgress roundup: Philippine island boosts incomes and mangrove forests, Colombia protects isolated tribes, and U.S. home care workers thrive in co-ops.
Points of ProgressThe right to be a society apart, in Ecuador and South AfricaProgress roundup: A startup gets closer to carbon dioxide聽emissions-free steel, Germany strategizes for pedestrians, and African penguins gain protections.
Forest conservation has an unlikely ally: FaithSacred forests have long been shielded from destruction by their communities. Recognition of that reality is growing in conservation circles.
Panama vs. US: Whoever runs the Panama Canal needs to find more waterThe Panama Canal is an engineering marvel. But a modern effort to save the critical waterway amid droughts could exact a high human toll.聽
Points of ProgressMore butterflies and birds: Vulnerable species make gainsProgress roundup: Monarchs doubled in population in Mexico; less drought helped. In South Sudan, a forgotten coffee variety offers climate resilience.
From sand traps to salmon habitat, US golf courses become nature preservesFormer golf courses are growing wild again, increasing the amount of public green space in the U.S. In the process, they are teeing up solutions for long-standing environmental challenges.
Pursuit of critical minerals unearths new idea: Use what鈥檚 already dug upRare earth elements are needed for everything from green technology to consumer goods like laptops and batteries. Mining them, though, can cause environmental problems. But researchers say some of what鈥檚 needed is already above ground.
Points of ProgressGrafting for chocolate in Peru, and going after invasive species in New ZealandProgress roundup: Grafting revives cacao trees, reforms in Fiji strengthen democracy, and New Zealand commits to pest eradication on three islands.
Points of ProgressHow to reuse exhaust from jets and store energy in sandProgress roundup: Dallas airport captures jet exhaust for electricity, Finland innovates with heating methods, plus rights rulings in Japan and Kenya.
There鈥檚 one rare earths mine in the US. How that might change soon.The U.S. relies on China for about 70% of its rare earth imports. New Chinese restrictions on exports of the key minerals highlight why presidents from both parties have been trying to kickstart domestic production.
Points of ProgressGo with the flow: How to squeeze water from fog, and why to remove a damProgress roundup: Small dams across the U.S. are being removed for safety, water quality, and wildlife. And a desert in Chile yields water from fog.
A tree grows in Altadena: LA community tries to save its fire-damaged canopyIn a California community where wildfires displaced thousands of residents, arborists and locals are trying to save the area鈥檚 unique canopy of trees.
Florida manatees find warmth at power plants. They may need a new solution.Development has cut off many springs that manatees need to survive winter. Warm water now draws them to power plants, but decarbonization means that a more fundamental 鈥撀燼nd difficult 鈥� fix may be called for.
Points of ProgressThe rights of animals and the environment, from Mexico to NepalProgress roundup: Nepal鈥檚 Supreme Court disallowed development in protected areas. And in Mexico, Congress put animal welfare in the constitution.
Waste not, want not? How Massachusetts became the only state to reduce food waste.Every year, Americans discard 92 billion pounds of food.聽Massachusetts is on the leading edge of states trying to capture and divert food waste.
Cover StoryVirginia data centers are running out of power. Maryland farms lie in the way.Our reporter goes home to cover proposed high-voltage power lines in Maryland, a crucial need for expanding data centers and Americans鈥� digital lives.
