Coca-Cola and Pepsi are sued over plastics pollution

The Earth Island Institute asked for unspecified damages and an order for Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Nestle USA, Procter & Gamble and six other companies to clean up plastic waste that the group says has created a global pollution crisis.

Washington State in U.S. To Ban Bottled Water Extraction

This legislation would help protect the state’s water resources, helping keep the limited freshwater supplies in the state. It would ban the extraction of local water supplies in plastic bottles shipped out of watersheds and around the country. 

US airline to go carbon neutral on all domestic flights in 2020

JetBlue has announced that it will offset carbon dioxide emissions from jet fuel for all domestic flights beginning in July 2020, making it the first major US airline to take the step toward reducing its contribution to global warming.

Kansas City’s Free Transit Experiment Matters

Kanzas is the first major one in the U.S. to offer no-cost public transportation.  Most of the world’s fare-free transit systems are in Europe, including a number of towns in Poland, France and Estonia's capital Tallinn.

California coastal waters rising in acidity at alarming rate

Waters off the California coast are acidifying twice as fast as the global average, scientists found, threatening major fisheries and sounding the alarm that the ocean can absorb only so much more of the world’s carbon emissions.

The wealthiest countries let us all down at the UN climate talks

Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, Costa Rica’s minister for energy and environment, specifically blamed the United States, Brazil, and Australia for blocking progress by insisting on climate language unacceptable to most countries.

Largest Passive House building in North America

Park Avenue Green in New York has 34 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system. The building used cogeneration and met the usual Passive House high levels of insulation and energy efficiency.

Suicide rate among young Americans soars by 50%

The suicide rate among young Americans aged 10 to 24 years old soared by 56% between 2007 and 2017, according to new data. Mental-health conditions, relationship problems/loss, life stressors, and recent crises were common across all age groups. 

Beverly Hills becomes the first U.S. city to end most tobacco sales

Beverly Hills has passed what experts say is the most restrictive tobacco ban in the nation, barring the sale of virtually all nicotine products and setting the stage for similar laws in other cities.

US renewable capacity surpasses coal power for first time

A new report shows there was more biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar and wind capacity installed on the US grid in April 2019 than plants set up to burn the fossil fuel.

Washington, U.S. to allow composting human bodies

This week, Washington Governor signed a bill to allow the composting of human remains within the state. It is the only state in the US—and possibly the only government in the world—to explicitly allow "natural organic reduction" of human remains.

San Francisco is first US city to ban facial recognition

Those in favour of the move said the technology as it exists today is unreliable, and represented an unnecessary infringement on people’s privacy and liberty.

New York, U.S. passes sweeping measure to reduce CO2

Big glass-clad buildings, must stop their polluting ways, New York City lawmakers say. The laws apply to nearly all large buildings, but they will have an outsized impact on commercial construction because they have the highest emissions.

World’s Largest Aircraft Completes First Flight

The six-engine jet that will be used to launch rockets into space took off from Mojave Airport in California last Saturday. The first flight of Stratolaunch lasted 2 hours and 30 minutes and reached 5,180 meters.

Floating city designed to withstand Category 5 hurricanes

Architecture firm has designed a concept for a floating city of 10,000 people that could help populations threatened by extreme weather events and rising sea levels.