Sustainable Technologies in the Community

From the chemicals that pollute and the massive use of water, the traditional method of dyeing blue jeans is an environmental disaster. Nanoparticles made from wood pulp might be the answer to the problem.

By Jesslyn Shields

Purdue University researchers have developed an ultra-white paint that reflects more than 98 percent of sunlight and could reduce the need for energy-consuming air conditioning.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Kernza is a wheat-like grain that doesn't have to be replanted each year, making it the ideal crop to aid in the fight against climate change and help to feed the world.

By Patrick J. Kiger

In Africa's Ivory Coast, a group of women saw a need and came together to collect plastic for recycling into bricks to build schools.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

A new technology can speed the purification of water using sunlight, potentially providing clean water to billions of people.

By Jim Marion

The forward momentum on recycling has stalled in the U.S. and other countries, but some experts say there's still potential for growth.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Cockroaches are taking a big bite out of a Chinese city's trash problem.

By Loraine Fick

Urine is so much more valuable than we think. Soon, we might be building houses with pee bricks.

By Jesslyn Shields

While green roofs make sense in a lot of ways, requiring their installation isn't as simple as it might seem.

By Patrick J. Kiger

While plastic such as Styrofoam may be cheap and convenient to use, it contributes to costly health issues and is an inconvenient pollutant that takes up to 500 years to biodegrade.

By Carrie Tatro

Fog harvesting has been going on in some form since ancient times, but scientists have been refining the method so people living in some of the most arid climates can have water.

By Mark Mancini

And they're ready to help you do it, whether it's just you, your school, your company or your neighborhood.

By Kate Kershner

Drones and other unmanned flying machines are going green.

By Chris Opfer

We live in an age when DIY has taken on exciting, nerve-wracking connotations. Add in some knowledge and some money from crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter, and you have a recipe for a transformed world. Will glow-in-the-dark plants be a part of it?

By Nicholas Gerbis

As far back as 1500 B.C.E., people were trying to purify water to make it drinkable. And we're still at it. Today inventors use tools as simple as clay and as sophisticated as carbon nanotubes to bring clean water to the world.

By Patrick J. Kiger

While you shouldn't expect to find a "flying electric" option at the airport anytime soon, electrically powered aircraft not only exist, but the technology continues to evolve at an encouraging rate.

By Robert Lamb

Solar energy is abundant and infinitely renewable. Therefore, it's not surprising to see the proliferation of devices that rely on the sun -- especially solar aircraft.

By Susan L. Nasr

If you live in the right spot -- somewhere that's sunny most of the year with low humidity -- you can save a lot through solar power. So which five cities are the best?

By Julia Layton

So a space shuttle launch may not be the most environmentally friendly thing in the world, but there's more to NASA than space travel. What are five of the most important ways NASA helps the environment?

By Julia Layton

The Northeast Blackout of 2003 left millions without power and cost approximately $6 billion. Experts believe we can avoid future blackouts by storing energy along the U.S. electric grid.

By Susan L. Nasr

We're still a long way from a supposedly paperless age, but companies have come up with some ideas on how to squeeze more from a tree. How does high-yield paper rate among the spectrum of green products available?

By Jacob Silverman

Why would Los Angeles and Pittsburgh set out to convert a combined 180,000 traditional high-pressure sodium and mercury-vapor street lamps to LED lighting?

By Jacob Silverman

Children love to play, so why not harness the energy of their motion to help support a community. How does the PlayPump convert the push of a merry-go-round into clean water?

By Stephanie Watson

Sometimes you need to reinforce roads or retain walls without breaking out the concrete and rebar. That's where a simple, ingenious technology comes in.

By Julia Layton

Photovoltaic solar panels are like windows -- they build up a coating of grime that requires a good cleaning from time to time. What's the alternative to climbing the roof with a squeegee and bucket of suds?

By Maria Trimarchi