Features

Thirty-one utility executives -- members of the Solar Electric Power Association -- recently embarked on a five-day fact-finding mission in Germany to gain insights into the country's remarkable success with solar deployment.

While competitions like the 2,400-mile North American Solar Challenge have yet to lead to a commercially viable solar vehicle, the potential for practical application of new technologies engineered for such events should not be underestimated.

In a fine example of green marketing, Silk Soymilk's "Green Caps for Green Energy" program provides a simple mechanism through which consumers can contribute to the advancement of wind energy, with measurable results.

A stringent waste-management program all but prohibits garbage from being produced by the residents of a small town in the mountains of Japan. Is a wider implementation feasible?

By repairing and reusing old and discarded products, self-styled "Makers" cut back on garbage and global warming, all while engaging in a hobby and saving some cash.

As bicycling grows in popularity as both a hobby and as an ultra-efficient means of transportation, it's ushering in a new crop of organizations that fulfill community needs.

No longer merely the scourge of poorly-maintained backyard swimming pools, humble algae may be poised to become one of humanity’s best allies in the battle against climate change.

Low on space and fastidious about waste removal, the government of Singapore greened-up old ideas about dumping and land-reclamation.

Research suggests that poplars could be a promising new biocrop, with a mature plantation yielding three times the ethanol per acre of an industrial corn crop.

The "Aspen Effect" -- in which communities build their economies around high-priced tourism -- can become an issue whenever a destination hits the tourism radar screen. With good planning, though, communities can make tourism work for, rather than against them.