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The problem of ocean waste, particularly the plastic variety, is a big one, and many creative people are working on ways to clean it up. Finding ways to repurpose the plastic debris collected from the ocean is one component of that, and the U.S.-based startup ByFusion has responded with technology that recycles ocean plastic into durable construction blocks. This way, the plastic waste can be repurposed permanently, rather than being used to create another disposable plastic item that might wind up right back in our precious waterways.

Technology that compresses plastic waste items turns them into blocks suitable for construction, providing a permanent way to remove discarded plastic from the environment. The RePlast system developed by New Zealand-based inventor Peter Lewis is said to be nearly 100% carbon neutral and doesn't require the plastic to be sorted or washed.

World Wildlife Fund is encouraging Climate Saver companies to help reduce global carbon emissions by 1.2 gigatons by 2020. WWF created the Climate Savers program in 1999 to give companies a way to partner to achieve environmental and sustainability goals.

Sara Neff, vice president for sustainability at Kilroy Realty, says an upcoming project in San Francisco will be the real estate investment trust's most innovative sustainability project. The site "will feature a living roof, use of storm water for toilet flushing, solar panels and bricks grown from bacteria," writes Sarah Borchersen-Keto

Chines courts are allowed to hand down the death penalty for serisous cases of pollution

By adding thoughtfully planned and well-timed daylighting fixtures, big-box stores see significant energy savings.

The Pertamina Energy Tower's curved façade is precisely calibrated for Jakarta's proximity to the equator to mitigate solar heat gain year-round.

After months of consultation with stakeholders, the Natural Capital Coalition has published the first draft of a suggested framework to help businesses account for the value of natural resources such as water, soil, forests and even clean air in strategic decision-making.

When Mexico City's new international airport is finished in four years, it will be one of the largest in the world, spanning over half a million square meters. It will also be the most sustainable airport ever built. Instead of a group of average warehouse-like terminals, the airport will use a single giant structure wrapped in a unique skin that lets in natural light and air, collects rainwater, and provides incredible views of planes circling the sky.

But this success story has been underscored by a tense struggle over water, which Dow needs to keep production afloat, and which is in short supply in Texas amid the state's debilitating drought and its water users' increasing thirst. When Dow Chemical, one of the largest manufacturers of chemicals and plastics in the world, announced a multibillion-dollar expansion on Texas' Gulf Coast last summer, Gov. Rick Perry had yet another example to add to his list of explosive economic growth on Texas soil.

The EPA released a final version of its Climate Change Adaptation Plan, which explains how the agency is incorporating climate change considerations into its programs, policies, rules, and operations. The EPA also released 17 implementation plans explaining how each of its program and regional offices will carry out the agenda described in the adaptation plan.

MGM Resorts is making water conservation a top priority in developing its Park promenade in Las Vegas -- even though there's a relative paucity of water-conservation technologies compared with the number of energy-efficiency technologies now available, says Chief Sustainability Officer Cindy Ortega. MGM also launched a social app to raise employee awareness about water conservation.

HVAC producers, working jointly with design professionals, are in the forefront of the war on climate change," writes Alex Carrick, chief economist for CanaData, part of Construction Market Data Group. The industry has been instrumental in helping to develop innovative plumbing, lighting, glazing and roofing products to increase sustainability, reduce water consumption and improve air quality.

It's good we're on our way to accepting bugs as a real option for protein, because our current diet is astonishingly resource-hungry. Livestock production takes more than 30% of the ice-free land of this planet, consumes 8% of our potable water, and is responsible for nearly 15% of the total man-made greenhouse gases put into the atmosphere every year. And demand for meat is projected to grow 60% by 2050. insects offer much more than protein. He thinks they can become bio-processing units working in fully automated, remotely controlled smart factories producing high-quality proteins, fats for the pharmaceutical industry, and biofuels-all using different kinds of waste as raw materials.