Marketplace - Sustainability

The problems stirred up by coffee cups

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 04:13:42 -0500

Did you have a cup of coffee this morning? Coffee is big business for a number of companies, but the beverage has created some complicated recycling issues and raised environmental questions as well. Sustainability reporter Adriene Hill talks with Steve Chiotakis about problems with paper coffee cups.

Program trains solar panel installers

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 04:17:02 -0500

Underwriters Laboratories, the group that certifies the safety of many products, has designed a new training program for electricians who install solar panels. Leoneda Inge reports.

Where the oil industry meets alternative energy

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 05:57:21 -0500

Nolan Hart got a lot of photos of drilling rig explosions and pumpjacks at sunset from working 25 years in the oil industry. Krissy Clark perused his site and explored how oil and gas-based energy is fueling renewable resources.

BP spill inspires fashion through disaster

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has inspired a string of t-shirt designs. We gathered a few stand-outs.

EPA takes aim at cement plants

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:01:02 -0500

We've known for some time that mercury's a toxic pollutant. The government's regulated many factories' emissions of the stuff. And the newest as of this week: cement plants. Scott Tong reports.

China will spend $75B annually on clean-energy technologies

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 06:18:19 -0500

The Chinese government plans to spend $75 billion on clean energy technologies, boosting wind, nuclear, solar and carbon storage.

Sustainable fishing: What's the catch?

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:50:29 -0500

One of the clearest signals that grocery stores are going "green" is the proliferation of products touting "sustainable" credentials. Lately, that label has hooked the West Coast's tuna fishing industry. But what exactly does "sustainable fishing" mean? Rob Manning reports.

San Francisco plastic bag ban could extend to all city retailers

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 05:34:43 -0500

San Francisco might expand its ban on plastic bags in big supermarkets and chain drugstores to all retailers. Many business owners are against the idea, but not all.

SLIDESHOW: In Canada, oil flows from the sand

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:03:56 -0500

About half of Canada's oil production comes from so-called 'oil sands' through an extraction process that is expensive, energy intensive, and leaves an impact on the environment. Follow reporter Sean Cole on a photo tour of the sands 500 miles north of Calgary.

It's a fertile market for recycled human waste

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 05:37:38 -0500

A Chicago project to turn human waste into fertilizer pellets is hitting opposition due to cost. But despite the setback, Marketplace sustainability reporter Adriene Hill explains there's a huge market and many eco-benefits to human fertilizer.