Earth Day 2013

Rainwater will be stored under the Effel Tower and used for tap water in the restrooms. Ninety-five per cent of the new lighting will be LED-type, which has a longer lifespan and low consumption.

Americans flush 350 billion kilowatt-hours of energy into the sewers each year. Cities are taking notice, and taking steps to install sewage heat recovery systems to capture the energy from the effluence.

Transparent soils could be used to screen the root systems of a range of genotypes. This would help breed crops with more efficient root systems so that agriculture can rely less on fertilizers.

The new Ocean Health Index is meant to give countries a quantitative measure of how well they harness and maintain the benefits of their coastal territories.

While Hurricane Irene left a wake of destruction through the Northeast, it also brought a bountiful harvest of delicate mushrooms.

Artist Stephen Glassman sees billboards as a potential tool for confronting pollution challenges as cities grow. Imagine dozens of billboards repurposed as mini-gardens, each creating a tiny, cool microclimate.

The Universitat Politectica de Catalunya is developing green walls designed to support the growth of mosses, fungi, and lichens. The product could exhibit a beautiful, living patina that transforms through the seasons.

A Chinese entrepreneur is selling fresh air in soft drink cans, with atmospheric flavors like "pristine Tibet." China's air is turning so bad that the idea of bottled fresh air is no longer fanciful.

As urbanization has steadily barged in on their habitat, monkeys have become the scourge of New Delhi. The solution for now: a bigger monkey.

Balls of moss on glaciers, called mice, contain miniature ecosystems. In fact, with inner temperatures warmer than the surrounding ice and a constant water supply, these roving worlds teem with life.