Latest Articles

Are flesh-eating robots the future of green tech?

Sure, you can get power from the sun and the wind and other things you could paint on the wall of a child’s bedroom — if you don’t mind being a hippy. But aren’t there any forms of alternative energy that are more, you know, metal? Enter James Auger and Jimmy Loizeau, British designers who […]

Moving from coal to clean energy

Who needs coal when there are such great examples of clean energy initiatives around the U.S.? I’ve got several examples for you this week. First, let’s head to coal central: West Virginia. There are some new solar panels appearing in Morgantown: A group devoted to creating alternative energy jobs in Central Appalachia is building a […]

Keeping farm animals alive in a freezing Nebraska winter

Don’t let the Arctic look fool you — Thistle Root Farm is a beehive of activity. Photo: Steph LarsenSparkling snow blankets a dormant pasture, and a red barn stands out starkly against a sea of white. Winter is a beautiful season on the prairie. Everything looks quiet and peaceful, but there’s still a lot of […]

Industry voices support EPA action on Clean Air Act

EPA standards can help business and drive innovation.Cross-posted from the World Resources Institute. This piece is written by senior associate James Bradbury. In the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, I moderated a panel featuring representatives from businesses and public interest organizations: Paul Allen, senior vice president for corporate affairs and chief environmental officer at Constellation Energy, […]

How do you sell a city without selling out?

The Super Bowl ad for the Chrysler 200 didn’t bother trying to sell you a car. It was selling a city, because these days, that’s what sells. That city, of course, was Detroit. In the two-minute spot, which was cheered by Monday morning marketing quarterbacks as one of the game’s most successful, Eminem drives through […]

How to bury nuclear waste for the next 100,000 years

A scene from Into Eternity, a documentary that looks at Finland’s plans to store the country’s nuclear waste for 100,000 years. Yep … 100,000. Photo: PosivaThis piece was written by Lewis Beale. The first documentary that Netflix might slot into their science fiction category, director Michael Madsen’s Into Eternity, is an eerily fascinating look at […]

Lady Gaga’s boyfriend writes binge-drinking health book ‘The Drunk Diet’

You and me could write a bad fromage.Photo: Drunk Diet Beer for breakfast! Lord Gaga (real name: Lüc Carl) lost 40 pounds by binge-drinking — and his sound weight-loss tips will be featured in forthcoming book The Drunk Diet, reports The New York Observer. His blog has some great previews of health tips: On life […]

Republican congressmen vote away scientific facts

Rep. Upton wrote the bill with his trunk.Photo: Eric MolinaCross-posted from the Natural Resources Defense Council. Barry Goldwater famously said, “extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.” Maybe so, but extremism in the defense of fantasy is a tougher sell. Still, that doesn’t stop some members of Congress from trying. Exhibit A this […]

‘Piecycle’ makes it OK for hipsters to eat dessert

Max Kraushaar has ridden his fixie right out of an episode of Portlandia to bring you some lemon meringue. It’s like a hipster Mad Lib: Skinny guy with [handlebar mustache/fedora/giant glasses] delivers [pie/cupcakes/pot brownies] on a [bicycle/bicycle/bicycle]. In this case, the skinny dude is a University of Washington student named Max, the cranial accessory is […]

The yuppies of the future live in yurts

It’s no longer enough for your Futuristic Future Dwelling of the Future to be eco-friendly, alternative-powered, and 100 percent recyclable. You also have to furnish a portfolio of computer-rendered yurt-porn, showing the glamorous lifestyle available in your tiny pod home. “Lifepod” is a small, sustainable prefab that can be packed up and shipped anywhere in […]