Green Science

Plastic bags are generally unsustainable. Even if they are biodegradable, they take roughly 1,000 years to fully break down. Minnesota company NatureWorks has come up with a green plastic bag, but how eco-friendly is it?

By Josh Clark

When the wind blows, particles in the gust of air are moving quickly. And that motion carries kinetic energy, which can be captured and harnessed to create electricity. The principle behind a wind-electric turbine isn't too different from an ordinary dam -- only it's capturing wind instead of water.

By Julia Layton

Bottled water is currently an $8 billion industry in the United States alone, but for a seemingly basic food product, it has its share of detractors. Find out why.

By Julia Layton

We know that paper comes from trees, but just how much does it take? Let's do the math and figure out how much paper your average tree can be made into.

During the summer I am always hearing about ozone warnings in my city. This ozone is bad. But then I hear about the ozone layer, which is good. How can ozone be both good and bad?

Clean coal -- isn't that an oxymoron? Not anymore. See how energy companies are using coal in cleaner ways to generate massive amounts of electricity. Alternative fuels may be making headway, but coal isn't used up yet. Find out why.

By Sarah Dowdey

In today's wired world, everybody wants more power. But how do energy utilities manage the demand for electricity? Would you be shocked to know you can help?

By Maria Trimarchi

What's a good way to make solar power affordable? Find a way to generate more electricity in a smaller area. You can do it -- just concentrate.

By Julia Layton

We humans like to trade one problem for another. We give up drinking only to take up smoking. Will we also exchange a reliance on dwindling fossil fuels for a food shortage caused by ethanol production?

By Robert Lamb

That water bottle shoved in your bag may be providing you with more than just a cold drink. Do you know what chemical you're washing down with that water?

By Jennifer Horton

We know that humans are largely responsible for fueling global warming with our carbon emissions. So what if we could seize all that carbon and squirrel it away in a safe place? Well, we can. It's just hard and really expensive.

By Debra Ronca & Mark Mancini

In this mass graveyard, workers dismantle 52,000-ton ships using simple hand tools. Why would anyone want to work at Alang? Is this place doing the world a service by recycling obsolete ships?

By Sarah Winkler

As high-yield oil supplies become harder to find, energy companies are turning to oil sands: mixtures of bitumen, sand and water. How do you extract oil from mucky, viscous soil?

By Maria Trimarchi

Haunted by ideas of your body polluting the Earth after you're gone? Microbial fuel cell technology could allow you to harness the energy of your own decomposition to power batteries.

By Maria Trimarchi

Everyone knows air pollution isn't good for your lungs, but it turns out that it's not doing your heart any favors either. Why do the particulates in the air we breathe interfere with our heart's basic job: to keep things ticking?

By Julia Layton

The Kyoto Protocol was supposed to help the developed world curb its carbon habit. But like any international treaty, it's been hard to get everyone on the same page. What has the world learned from Kyoto, and what's next?

The worst bad guys in the world of video games aren't virtual. Vampire power, overpackaging and energy-draining consoles make gaming unnecessarily bad for the environment. What are video game manufacturers doing to go green?

By Stephanie Watson

For many of Darfur's refugee women and girls, feeding the family means facing beatings and rape in the search for firewood. But there's a simple stove -- you could make one at home with foil and cardboard -- that can protect them.

By Julia Layton

Electrifying dance moves might impress your friends, but they usually don't help power the club you're dancing in. What's piezoelectricity, and how could it help twist the future of energy generation?

By Maria Trimarchi

It may look like a wasteland now, but a mysterious mound-building civilization once called Peru's arid valleys home. Did a shift in climate drive them to settle -- and eventually disappear?

By Julia Layton

Running seems like it would be a pretty green sport -- you aren't fueling up racecars or jumping out of planes, after all. But your average recreational runner leaves a large carbon footprint.

By Maria Trimarchi

Organic farming is all the rage, but conservation agriculture might be even better. Does tilling cropland really make that much difference to how things grow?

By Julia Layton

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust -- unless of course you've been embalmed, buried in a steel and hardwood coffin and interred in a concrete vault. For some people, the luxurious excess that accompanies traditional burial is no longer appealing.

By Maria Trimarchi

Experts expect more than 1 billion climate refugees by the year 2050. Where will they go and how will the world feed, clothe and shelter them?

By Maria Trimarchi & Sarah Gleim

While it's good to be environmentally accountable, too much eco-angst can spiral into an actual anxiety disorder. What makes people lose sleep thinking about their big, muddy carbon footprints?

By Stephanie Watson