Impact

Homelessness is already a crisis—but climate change makes it much worse

It’s time to stop treating the housing crisis and the climate crisis as two separate issues—and start designing solutions for both at once.

Are these fireproof, hurricane-proof geodesic domes the post-climate change house of the future?

Geoship is touting the bioceramic geodesic dome as the home of the future—and getting help on the rollout from Zappos, which wants to build some near its headquarters to give to the homeless.

There’s a simple way to give 20 million Americans access to parks: Let them use school playgrounds

A new program opens school playgrounds to the public when school isn’t in session—and helps make them greener, more hospitable places at the same time.

This “nanowood” could revolutionize desalinization

Scientists think a new filter made from wood could make it easier to make clean drinking water from the ocean.

Public trust in scientists is starting to creep up but is still problematically low

There are also big partisan gaps in who believes scientific findings.

There are tiny parks for bees hiding on the roof of these bus stops

The tiny bus-stop gardens also help prevent flooding and keep the city cool.

This ‘sustainable consumption’ platform wants to help new parents buy fewer kids’ clothes

When you buy kids’ clothes from UpChoose, you can exchange them later for bigger ones, while the old ones are cleaned and sold to someone with a smaller child.

This chatbot is designed to help disaster-relief organizations quickly offer assistance

Direct Relief developed the bot to answer questions on Facebook after realizing its response time was getting dangerously high. Now it’s making the technology available to anyone who needs it.

July was the hottest month ever in recorded history

Not just the hottest July—the hottest month ever measured.

Google is making a new commitment to sustainable design

The company announced today that by 2022, all “Made by Google” products will include recycled materials. And that’s just part of a larger rethinking about how to change its design process to incorporate sustainable thinking.

You can just plant this biodegradable flower pot right in your backyard

It’s the first commercial application of a new biodegradable plastic made from a waste product from paper manufacturing.

How a fierce debate over GMO could determine the future of agriculture in Africa

Ghana plans to release genetically modified cowpea seeds this year or next, which would make it the third sub-Saharan African country to approve the local production and sale of GM food. But will they benefit the small farmers they were designed for?

This new organization wants to be an accelerator for criminal justice reform projects

The Coalition for Public Safety will give $100,000 each to 10 innovative ideas to reform the justice system and improve the conditions for people amid it.

Is eating bugs any morally different than eating cows?

Insect protein is a growing market, promising to offer sustainable, fast-growing protein sources. But can insects feel? And if they can, are insect farms any different from factory farms in terms of animal suffering?

It’s 2053 and we saved the planet: How will we look back at the time before we abandoned fossil fuels?

The Carbon Ruins exhibit looks back on the present from a future in which we solved climate change.

This new online grocery store is entirely plastic-free

Rise Mrkt will ship staples like rice and lentils to your house in compostable containers.

Burger King is rolling out the Impossible Whopper nationwide

After a hugely successful test run, the fast-food chain is making the faux-meat burger available in all of its stores starting August 8.

Donor-advised funds are becoming more of a charity, less of a tax haven

People are starting to give away more money out of their tax-advantaged philanthropy funds.

You’ll be able to buy Impossible Burger in grocery stores starting in September