A tree in a native forest planted by Afforestt

The Miyawaki Method: A Better Way to Build Forests?

India’s forest production company is following the tenets of the master Japanese botanist, restoring biodiversity in resource-depleted communities.
The Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 high speed train travelling at approximately 300 km/h through Himeji Station, Japan

Will the U.S. Ever Catch a High-Speed Train?

Over 20 countries have high-speed train travel, carrying 1.6 billion passengers a year. The United States is lagging behind.
Flakes of sea salt spilling out of a jar

A Grain of Solar-Made Sea Salt

 Artisanal sea salt makers are reviving the ancient method of sustainably harvesting salt.
Yttrium crystal

The Downside to Renewable Energy

Rare earth elements are used in virtually all electronics, and mining them is a messy business.
Signage reading, Closed for Maintenance, on the side of an island road

This Island Is Closed for Maintenance

The Faroe Islands owe their untouched nature to their remote location and stormy climate. And to a weekend closure.
A leaf dotted with water droplets

Editors’ Picks 2018: Sustainability and the Environment

Wildfires in California, floods in Venice, robot-bees, and cows that mitigate climate change.
The remains of a carved turkey's carcass on a cutting board

It’s Time to Reinvent Food Waste!

Startups worldwide convert refuse into energy, biomaterials, and more food.
Red Sea Coral Reef

Ecolabels, Plastic-Eating Corals, and Vanishing Cars

Are corals digesting plastic? Are gasoline cars about to disappear from our roads? Does the ecolabel on your frozen salmon mean your dinner is sustainable?
Fresh mushroom in sawdust

Company Uses Mushrooms to Grow Plastic Alternatives

Plastic has become ubiquitous in our home and work lives, but is a pollutant that won't break down. Mushrooms may provide a sustainable alternative.
Mating Mallard Ducks

Unveiling Nature’s Mysteries: Mutant Sea Stars, Junk Jellyfish, and Duck Sex

Confront nature's mysteries, scientists find mutant sea stars surviving in warming waters and that sexual competition forces ducks to grow longer penises.