by Christopher Mims. The problem with corporations trying to do the right thing is that even if they were actually being socially and environmentally responsible, who would know? I mean, everyone knows that it's written into our country's laws that corporations must be sociopaths who care about... 

by Christopher Mims. Enertrag is a new hybrid power plant whose parent company invites you to “drive to [your] local petrol station and fill up with 50 litres of wind … !!!” Three exclamation points! Renewable energy has made Germans so adorable. Their website even has a picture of... 

by Christopher Mims. BNKR Arquitectura wants to build a pyramid that penetrates nearly 1000 feet into the earth below Mexico City's largest and most historic public square. Its upper floors will be illuminated through a glass ceiling that will replace the paving stones of the current square, and... 

On Oct. 9 an underwater volcano started to emerge in waters off El Hierro Island in the Canaries, Spain. The volcanic cone has reached a height of 100 m and the lava tongue flows down its side, even though its activity has slowed down in the past few days. The base of the volcano lies at a depth of 300... 

A Canadian senator has launched a campaign to replace the industrious beaver with the indomitable polar bear as Canada’s national emblem, saying the incumbent is “a dentally defective rat.” Conservative Senator Nicole Eaton delivered her damning criticism in the Senate on Thursday,... 

A rare October snowstorm barreled up the heavily populated East Coast on Saturday, threatening up to a foot of snow, cutting power to nearly a million households and forcing at least 1,000 flight cancellations. Snow was falling from central Pennsylvania well into Massachusetts after blanketing parts... 

Thailand hopes industrial estates swamped in its worst floods in half a century can be up and running within three months, the prime minister said on Monday, as the danger of central Bangkok being inundated appeared finally to have passed. Nearly 400 people have been killed in months of floods that have... 

Environmentalists agree on the issues facing us, including collapsing diversity, climate change and resource insecurity. We also agree on the causal factors, including pollution, invasive species, resource over-exploitation, waste, population growth, global industrialisation, unsustainable consumption... 

Goodwill Industries International in South Korea is on a mission to build a successful social enterprise model that will provide jobs for people with disabilities. Goodwill Industries, in partnership with the Together Foundation, has come up with a entrepreneurial growth plan that includes the launching... 

by Sarah Laskow. Mother Jones has a long investigation into the treatment of elephants at Ringling Brothers. In short, the conditions they live in are beyond horrible. According to records and testimony turned up in court, trainers: beat elephants with hooks and other tools, while maintaining the animals... 

by Jess Zimmerman. Awesome, an excuse to be lazy in the fall! Melissa Hopkins, a spokesperson for the National Audobon Society, is encouraging people not to bag up their leaves, because 8 million tons of them end up in landfills every year. (The leaves are biodegradable, of course, but the bags are... 

by Jess Zimmerman. Manukura, the world's only known white kiwi (not an albino!), had endoscopic surgery Friday to break up a large stone she'd swallowed. Kiwis normally eat small stones to help with digestion, but Manukura's eyes were bigger than her stomach, and the stone got stuck in her... 

by Jess Zimmerman. NASA's new weather satellite — which in typical NASA acronym-happy fashion, is called the NPP, standing for NPOESS Preparatory Project, standing for  Read More →

by Sarah Laskow. Up and down the East Coast, millions of people are without power after the weekend's snowstorm. But the most severe damage the storm wreaked was on trees. Snow is particularly harsh on trees that still have green leaves on them: It's as if a person were caught out in a snow... 

by Sarah Laskow. The world's 7 billionth baby was born on Sunday in the Philippines. (How do U.N. arbiters know she's the seven billionth? They don't: it’s just symbolic .) It snowed on the East Coast, and “virtually every site north of Maryland to Maine … recorded their... 

Normally Oxygen is fairly tight bound to the hydrogen in water. If it can be easily removed, it has potential benefits for certain energy and fuel systems. A team of researchers at MIT has found one of the most effective catalysts ever discovered for splitting oxygen atoms from water molecules — a... 

A fungus is behind the destructive White Nose Syndrome that has infected at least 10 species of bat . View post: In Time for Halloween, Scientists ID Bat Malady  Read More →

Why we need the Clean Air Act. Here is the original post: Remembering Donora, Pa., on the Anniversary of its Deadly Smog Incident  Read More →

Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid, is one of the most widely used drugs in the world. It is proven to lower fevers, relieve minor aches and pains, and to reduce inflammation. It also has the long-term use of preventing heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots due to its antiplatelet characteristic,... 

The Catholic Archbishop of Sydney George Pell has questioned the morality and cost benefits of tackling climate change in a controversial speech in London. The Australian cardinal used his speech to liken carbon trading to Medieval indulgences and described green campaigners as not merely zealous but...