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As national parks face issues with unmanaged waste during the government shutdown, Keep America Beautiful, the largest community improvement organization in the United States, and Nestlé Waters North America, one of the leading beverage companies in North America, announced today that they are teaming up to help mobilize affiliate organizations and volunteers across the country to clean up these shared public spaces.

Could the U.N. climate negotiations held in Lima, Peru in December be a catalyst for financing more impactful sustainability projects in Latin America?

Forest destruction accounts for nearly the same amount of global greenhouse gas emissions as the entire global transportation sector and deforestation rates are yet again on the rise. In response, 38 investors representing a half trillion dollars from across the globe have joined Green Century Capital Management to demand that companies reaffirm and extend zero-deforestation commitments specific to Latin America.

"Toxics Across America" (Environmental Defense Fund) analyzes the production, consumption, and trade of 120 hazardous chemicals in the United States-complete with an interactive map showcasing the findings. The report finds that 14 chemicals are produced or imported in quantities exceeding one billion pounds per year, and that 8 chemicals are used in children's products.

Dell used more than 10 million pounds of post-consumer recycled plastics in its products in FY 2014. For this and other environmental sustainability achievements, Keep America Beautiful has awarded the company with the 2014 Vision for America Award

British Columbia will protect around 85% of the Great Bear Rainforest, which is "one of the world's largest temperate rainforests." The additional 15% will be available for logging under the "most stringent" standards in North America.

NIKE, Inc. has announced a new strategic partnership with private equity firm Apollo Global Management, LLC, aimed at building a transparent and ethical apparel supply chain in the Americas.

Marriott decreased landfill waste per occupied room in its Americas region by 4.9% from 2011 to 2012, the company announced in its 2013 sustainability report update

Global water consumption has tripled in the last 50 years. In the United States, the demand for fresh water will exceed the supply by 40 percent by the year 2030, according to a State Department report last year.

A Dutch court has ordered the government to cut the country's greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25 percent by 2020 in a groundbreaking climate case that activists hope will set a worldwide precedent.

SunEdison started building a 110 MW solar power plant in Santiago, Chile. The project is expected to be the largest solar power installation in Latin America.

Mars Chocolate North America achieved zero-waste-to-landfill at all 10 of its manufacturing facilities. The company plans to achieve zero-waste to-landfill across all business segments by 2015.

Polls show that four-fifths of the country's registered voters support a Green New Deal - including, incredibly, two-thirds of Republican voters, which helps explain why Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the surprise announcement on 12 February that he would allow the GND measure to come before the Senate for a vote.

Chile is set to become the first country in the Americas to ban plastic bags to help protect the environment and especially the ocean. Congress unanimously approved the measure on Wednesday. The bill was initially designed to outlaw plastic bags in Patagonia, but was later extended nationwide.

From its 100 rooftop solar panels to its high-efficiency faucets and its energy-generating elevators, the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, N.C., stakes its claim to being America's greenest hotel. The refurbished textile warehouse holds the LEED Platinum rating, which is the US Green Building Council's highest distinction.

Honda launched its "Green Path" approach-a suite of initiatives to reduce the total life-cycle environmental impact of its products and operations in North America. Notable initiatives include pledging to reduce its total GHG emissions by 50% from 2000 levels by 2050, investing $210 million in a paint facility to cut CO2 emissions in the painting process by 18% and reduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by 66%, and more.

The UN released a report finding that a transformational change in global aviation's efforts to promote economic growth and combat climate change could deliver industry savings up to $70 trillion by 2050. Nancy Young, vice president of Airlines for America, said biofuels can help reduce carbon emissions over time by the commercial airline industry.

Communities on the frontlines of fossil fuel development are taking a stand against dangerous fossil fuel projects. Take a look at the big fight in the small town of Kalama, Washington. The Chinese government is planning to build the world's largest methanol refinery to convert fracked natural gas to liquid methanol for export to China to make plastics. From a greenhouse gas perspective, this fight is a big deal. The methanol refinery alone would use more natural gas than all industry in Washington combined. Flip it around: If we win this one battle and stop the methanol refinery, we stop the equivalent of doubling industrial natural gas usage in Washington State. While the gas industry tries to spin natural gas as clean, new science shows just the opposite. The bulk of natural gas is methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Methane leakage from gas wells and pipelines led scientists to conclude that fracked gas can be as bad coal for our climate. And it gets worse. Gas production in North America relies heavily on fracking, a process famous for polluting air and water, endangering the health of nearby residents.

More than 4,400 people died last year because of health problems caused by emissions from Pennsylvania and Ohio's power plants, according to reports from NextGen Climate America and PSE Healthy Energy. In total, the states' power plants caused problems that cost state residents $40 billion in health care bills, the reports found.

Adobe, IKEA North America, Mars, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts filed briefs in the U.S. Court of Appeals in support of the EPA's Clean Power Plan. The companies stated they "view the Clean Power Plan and its emissions reduction program as a component of their domestic and international business risk mitigation strategies."