A US research team inspired by the work of twin sisters from a New York high school has identified a low-cost but effective catalyst that could replace expensive platinum for hydrogen production. Hydrogen has long been touted as a clean-burning, efficient fuel that could power cars and fuel cells for [...]

Businesses that have won B Corporation certification for their social and environmental impact aren’t necessarily the best in the world, but they are among the best for the world, the organization asserts. The B Corporation, which assesses companies on social and environmental performance, has come out with its 2013 list [...]

There’s a reason we call today’s plethora of information “big data.” With almost every action and transaction we engage in leaving a digital trail, we’re generating an unprecedented amount of data – 2.5 quintillion bytes’ worth – every day. If that doesn’t compute, think about it this way: a full [...]

We’ve all heard the stats about the explosion of social media users. One-billion-plus on Facebook. One hundred seventy-five million Tweets a day. An expected 5 billion professional searches on LinkedIn in 2012. But that’s all mostly for Justin Bieber fans, politics junkies, people who like to exchange snark or professionals [...]

Modern society would grind to a very unpleasant halt without energy … we all know that. Outside of the “usual suspects,” though — oil, coal, natural gas, nuclear, solar, wind and hydro — are there any other energy sources we can turn to? It turns out there are options. Whether [...]

Grand solar energy plans — such as turning the Sahara or the Mojave into giant, clean power plants — are good at grabbing big headlines and big investments. But, for hundreds of millions of people around the world, the energy revolution lies with small-scale solar. Affordable, off-the-grid, renewable energy could [...]

What are the key takeaways from the World Economic Forum’s latest report on energy? One, global energy demand is showing no signs of slowing down, despite “peak driving” having arrived already in the US and Europe. Two, if we’re going to ease energy poverty for the large chunk of the [...]

For some cities, the issue of going “green” is becoming less important than going “resilient.” Officials in New York City – a municipality already well known for many green initiatives – are putting a new emphasis on becoming more storm-resistant since Hurricane Sandy caused billions in damage this past October. [...]

Energy efficiency is a strange “fuel.” You don’t get a monthly efficiency bill like you would for, say, heating oil or natural gas. But efficiency — or the lack of it — can have as big an impact on your bottom line as what you shell out for every kilowatt-hour [...]

More people today live in cities than in rural areas … a first in human history. The question is: is this a good thing or a bad thing for sustainability? Past studies have suggested that compact urban living is more efficient, with a lower overall environmental footprint, than country living. [...]