Latest Articles

How Central Park cools the entire planet

Like all urban parks, Central Park cools New York City through evaporation. That is, its plant life and ponds give off moisture, which takes heat energy with it. It's as if the park sweats.

Until recently, though, we didn’t know whether green spaces cool the planet as a whole.

Is this the perfect urban bike?

This bike, designed by custom bike maker Tony Pereira, took top prize in an Oregon Manifest competition to design the perfect urban utility cycle. Pereira's bike is intended as a transitional vehicle for people trying to make the switch from cars. It includes a stereo, a front-mounted locking "trunk," and an electric assist motor. (Plus, it has a cupholder, of sorts! That should appeal to the SUV crowd.)

Canada probably didn’t NEED that ice sheet, right?

If you thought you were melting over the summer, just be glad you're not an ice sheet that's been chilling out since before Europeans settled in Canada. Over the summer, two huge Canadian ice shelves in the Arctic shrunk down precipitously, report scientists from the University of Ottawa and Carleton University. One sheet had already split into two sections and just kept getting smaller; the other broke in half this year. Icebergs are breaking away and "pose a risk to offshore oil facilities and potentially to shipping lanes," reports the Associated Press. "Since the end of July, pieces equaling one and a half times to the size of Manhattan Island have broken off."

This is not normal behavior for an ice shelf this large and old, says the AP:

Critical List: MIT recreates photosynthesis; City of Austin goes 100 percent renewable

MIT created an "artificial leaf" that recreates photosynthesis.

In Germany, they've got so much wind-generated electricity, they’re giving it away.

Driving 75 mph isn't fuel efficient, ahem, Maine.

Austin's going to be the largest local government using only renewable energy to power its municipal buildings.

Kangaroo bikes and Bambi killers: Meet the cyclists of ‘Outdoorsia’

On the South Dakota fringe, Elly Blue discovers a mutant bike culture and a new way to bring home the, uh, bacon.

After the flood [VIDEO]

Late summer is time most farmers have been working for all year, and when your crop gets wiped out, it can mean losing the bulk of your income.

Lost in the maize [VIDEO]

More Mexicans struggle to afford tortillas, a daily staple, as food speculation fuels rising corn prices in their country.

Shine on: 2011 Solar Decathlon shoots for the stars [SLIDESHOW]

Eat it, Dwell. The kids who designed the sun-fired homes for the 2011 Solar Decathlon came up with some remarkably innovative designs, each engineered to meet the challenges of the local climate and/or economy. Read our Decathlon review here. Winners will be announced Saturday.

Can the wind industry survive without federal tax credits?

The wind production tax credit, a key incentive for new wind energy projects, is set to expire at the end of 2012.

Economists say coal is incredibly costly

An analysis compares the "gross external damages" of six major pollutants with their value added to the economy, and coal comes out the biggest loser.