Nicole Caldwell

Americans toss about 80 billion pounds of food into the garbage every year. Luckily, there are several easy preserving methods anyone can use to extend the shelf-life of the perishable food they buy, saving both money and the planet.

Susie Faux, creator of the capsule wardrobe in the '70s, talks to Green Matters about the growing relevancy of the minimalist clothing movement she started.

New York architecture firm STUDIOKCA is drawing attention to our relationship to the ocean with a five-ton sculpture made of garbage.

The rising popularity of nature preschools confirms it: The outdoors are essential for well-developed thinkers.

A program pairing volunteer gardeners with senior citizens shows the potential for innovative ways to feed the hungry worldwide.

With an increasing number of urbanites preferring walkable cities rife with green spaces over car-friendly city sprawl, urban planners have become our first line of offense in city redesigns.

Summer's coming! Get ready to be a beach bum with this sustainable gear, from organic towels to recycled sandals the whole family will love.

Three leaders in the zero-waste movement dish on how to reduce refuse in the most wasteful room of the house: the kitchen.

The automaker has partnered with a local charity to grow year-round produce and teach children about farming.

A Q&A with GrubTubs founder Robert Olivier, who uses food waste from restaurants to help family farmers create nutrient-dense animal feed.

Green Matters sits down with Dr. Lisa Dyson, CEO of a company called Kiverdi that has found a way to upcycle CO2 into useful materials.

California’s Multifamily Affordable Housing Solar Roofs Program will allocate up to $1 billion to provide more than 200,000 low-income housing units with solar panels and energy-storage banks. 

Iain Griffiths and Kelsey Ramage are two trash-talking bartenders from London who founded Trash Tiki in order to bring the food waste discussion to your neighborhood gin mill. We sat Ramage down during the pair's international to talk.

A study from the University of British Columbia has found that even one tree can help reduce energy costs in city buildings, and suggests foliage is likely a city's best line of defense against the chilling costs and effects of wind.

One Ugandan startup is helping girls stay in school by creating low-cost sanitary products out of a local, inexpensive material: sugarcane.

A German motorhome company has unveiled an RV that's built for the open road with a sleek design and head-to-toe solar panels so you never have to worry about finding the next charging station.

A ban on plastic bags came into force in Kenya on Monday in an effort to curb pollution with offenders liable to jail time or major fines. It’s the harshest punishment in the world for plastic bags.

Anthony Bourdain wants you to rethink your relationship to food. In his new documentary, WASTED! The Story of Food Waste, Bourdain tackles head-on the industry that has made him so successful in order to change how we shop for, prepare, and consume food.

If you’ve ever had any doubt about how compost can transform your garden, look no further than the illuminating tale of how a bunch of orange rinds revived a Costa Rican forest.

The prettiest city streets are always awash in greenery. But vegetation in urban areas does more than look nice: It saves cities a ton of money—$500 million, to be exact. A new study published in the journal Ecological Modelling explains how.

Unwilling to cough up $8,000 for a 14-kWh Tesla Powerhall? Then join a pack of industrious DIY-ers who have figured out ways to create their own home battery systems with three or four times the storage capacity of the Tesla Powerwall at a fraction of the cost.

SpaceX wants to revolutionize space technology but first they have to get the gear right. Elon Musk has released photos of his new SpaceX suit design. Confirmed in their functionality, could this be the first phase of a futuristic space tourism industry?

Researchers at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken will spend this fall studying 19 duplicated rooftop setups and analyzing data to figure out what works best for filtering pollutants and retaining water.

The same UV-blocking chemical that helps sunscreen protect your skin causes serious damage to coral reefs. Now, lab researchers created tiny beads that can actually absorb the offending chemical right out of the ocean; leaving reefs intact.  

Since switching from plane to train service between Central Scotland and London, the London-Scotland travel market has saved almost 700,000 tons of carbon emissions, according to a new report. Could a double-down effort on railways be a feasible, green solution for all commuter hubs?

Co-housing is an attractive and eco-friendly alternative to the potential isolation and wastefulness of living in separate dwellings. Whether you're searching for housing solo or with a family, co-housing may be the way to go.

We worry about the ingredients in our food—why not our clothes? That's the thinking behind Fragmentario, a natural dye company in Brooklyn, N.Y., that is part of a growing design trend in the fashion industry.

The Elbike promises to be the world’s first customizable e-bike on the market while also being among the most affordable.

These are the top 10 United States cities for sustainability, according to a new report out this month, taking into account factors like alternative energy, gender equality, responsible land stewardship, and innovation.

The world’s most sustainable fashion is now coming out of the most biodiverse place on the planet: Costa Rica, a country that is quickly becoming the world's center for eco-conscious living.

The Tesla Tiny House is hitting the road in order to offer a public view of how anyone can create, store, and use renewable energy at home. People in Australia's major cities will be the first lucky ones to check out it in person.

Thanks to GrowNYC's Governors Island Teaching Garden, a 21,000-square-foot urban farm in the middle of the Big Apple, students can take free field trips to learn how to plant, grow, harvest and prepare organically grown produce and herbs.

Parks Project is an apparel and accessories business that donates a portion of every sale to various park conservancies—proving once and for all consumerism and activism need not be mutually exclusive.

Hampton Creek is set to wade into some of the most complex territory for a vegan brand. The company is poised to release a vegan egg substitute sometime in the next few months that mimics the taste and texture of traditional eggs.

A new company called Wasteless offers the world’s very first real-time tracking technology to supermarkets so they can provide consumers with variable pricing based on a product’s upcoming expiration date. It's the "internet of groceries.”

A new vegan eatery in Midtown Manhattan called P.S. Kitchen has promised to donate all its profits to various sustainable charities as a way to connect people’s ethical food choices with social movements.  

At the Copenhagen International School, solar panels are part of the aesthetic with 12,000 blue-green photovoltaics covering the entire facade, and that's not the only sustainable aspect of this education center.

If city planners in the nation’s capital have their way, every D.C. resident within the next five years will have curbside pickup for their food scraps. That move alone would take more than three-quarters of city trash out of the waste stream.

The Toronto Tree Tower, proposed by architecture firm Penda, is an 18-story high-rise building that incorporates trees and vegetation onto every balcony for sweeping views, improved air quality, and a truly green metropolitan experience.

In the last year, 25 percent more companies have tout the environmental and social benefits of their products, and 40 percent of all companies now say they’ve taken action to improve the eco-friendliness of what they offer.

A Californian dairy farmer has figured out a way to turn a diesel truck electric so it can run off power generated by cow manure.

At this year’s 15th annual Tales of the Cocktail conference in New Orleans, LA, aquafaba—the vegan replacement for egg whites made out of bean water—was listed among the top eight cocktail trends. 

With one dietary swap, the United States could just about meet its 2020 greenhouse-gas emission goals without making a single change to our country’s transportation or energy infrastructure. The switch? Trading out beef for beans.

Britain’s biggest cycle company has unveiled the world’s first fold-up, electric bike. Dubbed the "Brompton Electric," this high-tech bike might be the answer to commuter woes when it comes to speed and comfort while riding.

Imagine if utility companies didn't make money by charging you for energy, but instead by partnering with you on power production. That’s the goal of Green Mountain Power, a utility company in Vermont making homes sources of their own energy.

A single-cell protein developed by Finnish scientists requires only four ingredients, is loaded with protein, and could help feed the world. Oh—and you don’t need anything special to grow it: no seeds, no sun, no farmland, and no additional water.

Slovenian company Smartdome is making futuristic, modular homes that are as mobile as trailers and as futuristic as a floating neighborhood home on "The Jetsons."

A new startup called BatBnB promises to reduce mosquito populations, provide habitat for bats, and help you do your part for your local ecosystem. But can it give "rats with wings" a better image?

Sugar is addictive—and we have to physically cleanse it from our bodies in order to move along from it. Luckily for us, there are plenty of nutrient-rich foods to get us over the hump.

If you needed another reason not to use herbicides and pesticides in your garden and lawn, here’s one: Those weeds you think are such nuisances are actually delicious—and better for you than a lot of the veggies you eat every day. 

At dozens of Google cafes, spread across the country at company campuses, the diverse meal offerings have one central message: Eat less meat.

In the very near future, you’ll be able to slide a tiny device into your clothing that will track your own motion to create power for electronic personal devices like cell phones and fitness trackers. 

Researchers found Ugandan ecosystems and forests could be saved simply by paying landowners small fees to do nothing—no chopping, no clearing, and no selling off rights to farmers, loggers, hunters or other industries. 

According to a new research study, between 1950 and 2015, humans produced 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics. A shocking 6.3 billion tons of which ended up in landfills.

A new company is offering natural personal-care items for less than anything you can find at big chains. Their secret? Cut out all middlemen to bring healthy products from the factory directly to the consumer.

A reusable, compostable coffee sleeve is just the beginning of one company’s foray into designing a zero-waste future, helping everyday Americans make eco-conscious choices with every cup of coffee or tea they drink.

A new study in Environmental Research Letters has calculated the effects of certain lifestyles in combating the planet's rising temperatures, and actually ranks their effectiveness. Here are the top five things you can do to help.

You’ve heard of state and federal rebates for hybrid and electric vehicles, and for installing solar panels on your roof.   But now utility companies are jumping into the ring by offering rebates of their own, in order to help boost the electric vehicle market.

For every $3 you spend on a cup of coffee, the farmer who grew the beans makes a paltry 3 cents. But Levanta seeks to change that by working directly with farmers and paying them a full 50 percent more than they're used to.  

Sky High Farm, an organic farm in New York State, has produced over 10 tons of food since 2011, but not a single pound of it was listed for sale. The farm was established to do just one thing: donate produce and meat to food banks.

Hot tubs are a great luxury whether you're in the country, suburbs, or a small yard. Now you can build your very own wood-fired hot tub for less than $300, thanks to a designer over at HomeMade Modern. 

A new, online supermarket called Brandless has gone no-frills with its packaging and brand-name sourcing, bringing groceries to the masses for $3 or less.

Coffee lovers, rejoice! Two new studies show a correlation between drinking coffee on a daily basis and enjoying a reduced risk of mortality from heart disease, stroke, and many other health ailments.

Shopkids is a new website that aggregates children’s boutiques from all over the world to feature the highest-quality fabrics and craftsmanship along with an organic product collection that is at once healthy for young skin, comfy and hip.

Air pollution ranks among the top-five environmental risks to public health, making air purifiers much more than luxury items. But while most purifiers filter and trap undesirable air particles, a new product on the market destroys them.

A new pair of sunglasses is capable of measuring ambient temperature and sun radiation, while collecting enough solar energy to potentially power a step counter, hearing aid, or make science fiction a reality...eventually.

Pizza On Earth, a pizza parlor in Dorset, Ontario, started offering fresh bagels every morning, cooked in residual brick-oven heat from the night before. This eco-friendly approach might be enough to encourage other restaurants to do the same.

The new service Draw My Roof is encouraging potential solar customers to map out their own solar kits in order to get an idea of what size system they need, how much it will cost, and how much they can save—all before consulting with an installer.   

Häagen-Dazs has rolled out four non-dairy flavors at Targets nationwide. But instead of doing like other vegan ice creams do and subbing in cashew, rice or soy milk for dairy, this ice cream giant is adding more yummy stuff like coconut cream, Belgian chocolate, and peanut butter.   

A design firm is on a quest to create smog-free cities around the world. Their latest innovation? Bicycles that breathe in smog, trap particulates, and let out filtered air. Even better? A bike share program is in the works.

The Paper Saver may be the world's most environmentally-friendly notebook. The company's secret? They sell notebooks with zero paper inside, and consumers are already loving the innovation.

Handmade cosmetics company Lush is doing one better than putting its products in recycled containers. The brand has partnered with two environmental groups to clean up plastic trash on Canadian beaches and have it turned into 100-percent recycled containers for bath soaps and lotions.

Unfortunately, even items that appear recyclable can end up in your local landfill. Here are the main reasons why what you sort isn’t always ending up where it ought to, and what you can do to fix it.

In the middle of Lebanon, a housing revolution is underway. The Lifehaus project transforms preconceived notions of small-scale living with innovative dwellings that blend environmentalism with technology, farming, and self-sufficiency.

There is nothing worse than hot nights without air conditioning. But air conditioners are hardly eco-friendly, and are not always budget-friendly. Here are five easy ways to cool your dwellings without the environmental or economic costs.   

A newly formed Swiss organization is pushing to make the cocoa industry more environmentally and socially responsible. First, they want to ensure that at least 80 percent of imported cocoa products in Switzerland come from sustainable production.

Lab-grown meat has a new contender claiming it will be the first to bring the product to the market. Except this company, unlike its competitors in the race to produce “clean meat” grown in a petri dish, is a vegan brand: Hampton Creek.

The Davis household, a family of three, plus their dog, calling themselves the “Midwest Wanderers" have converted a retired school bus into a motorized, off-the-grid tiny home for 24/7 travel across the United States.

Buildings account for almost half of all energy consumption in the United States. But Harvard's HouseZero project seeks to change all that, by retrofitting a pre-war home in Cambridge into a building that makes more energy than it uses.

A new startup seeks to change the way we eat by removing the need to transport food altogether. Instead of trucking farm-fresh produce from miles away to farmers markets in city centers, EkoFARMER brings modular greenhouses directly to you.

Amidst the flurry of hip eateries flooding the Brooklyn market, one Greenpoint restaurant does something particularly special: Their weekly Sunday dinner service is designed specifically around food waste reduction.

In addition to offering vegans a way to enjoy all the flavors of meat with none of the guilt, laboratory meat production offers something else: a viable way to feed the world actual meat without destroying the planet.

A former yoga instructor has created a company called RUMI X that sells eco-friendly yoga wear derived from waste: specifically, plastic bottles, coffee grounds, and crab shells.

Curious about how to make a garden part of your home? Here are all the things you can do in your own garden and yard to save the planet—whether it's a few plants on a fire escape, or a landscape that would rival something in a magazine. 

A new show on the FYI Network teaches you how to turn food scraps into gourmet dishes. 'SCRAPS,' which premiered in May, follows a Sur La Table Chef around the US as he makes culinary history turning turning food waste into delicacies. 

Every day, we hear about another dangerous toxin in the products we put on our bodies. We cut through the greenwashing to discern 11 laundry soaps that are safe for the environment and our health—and worth every penny.

For a furniture chain that produces 43,000 metric tons of food waste every year, cutting that number in half is no small Swedish meatball. But that's exactly what IKEA has vowed to do.

Coming in the fall, a new partnership is expected to bring solar power to a Nepalese state park focused on rhino and tiger conservation, while simultaneously training 10 women to be solar industry entrepreneurs.

Whether you’re out in the wilderness or hooked to an untrusted water supply, you don’t need to count on expensive and wasteful plastic filters to purify the water you drink. Here are six simple techniques for ridding water of contaminants.

Clothes dryers account for up to 20 percent of all energy use in the United States. But on days when you're in a rush or can't use your outside clothesline, here are some tips for making your dryer as energy efficient as possible.

Researchers in Australia created a paint that can generate hydrogen fuel from sunlight and moist air. Not quite ready for the shelves at Home Depot, the team does anticipate the paint to be available for sale within the next five years.

A new study suggests that what you put on your plate in the morning may dictate your mood—proving yet again that your mother was right: Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day.   

Just in time for the United States ban on the production of waterway-contaminating microbeads to take effect in July, scientists have announced that they have figured out how to make biodegradable microbeads for inclusion in everything from toothpaste to face scrubs.

Summer offers excellent weather for outdoor showers, but creating one can feel intimidating for beginners. In fact, the process is simple, and you can create your own backyard shower with upcycled materials and a little elbow grease.

Gardens can feel intimidating, but with proper planning, patience, and commitment to just a few minutes of maintenance per day, anyone can develop a green thumb that's good for their health and good for the planet.

The United Nations named 2017 the “International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.” But traveling sustainably doesn’t mean giving up all the fun of travel. Here are some easy tips for making a positive impact along your travels.  

To feed people on Earth generations from now, we’re going to need more electricity, purified water, heating capacity, and crop production. Scientists may have figured out how to do just that by utilizing three distinct spectrums of the sun.

A number of industries are actually byproducts of the meat industry: leather, glue, gelatin, certain textiles, foam stabilizers and even feed supplements. Two English entrepreneurs have another to add to the list: building insulation… made from chicken feathers.