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The BIOcultivator is just one of seven nature-inspired food system innovations participating in the Biomimicry Global Design Challenge Accelerator, a program designed to help budding sustainable entrepreneurs bring their biomimicry design solutions from concept to the marketplace. Over the past year, these teams have been working to test and prototype their designs, and this month, at the National Bioneers Conference in CA, will be vying for the $100,000 Ray C. Anderson Foundation Ray of Hope Prize

U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions from natural gas are expected to exceed CO2 emissions from coal by 10% by the end of 2016, according to a U.S. Energy Information Administration report.

Food company Dannon has pledged to work with its dairy farmer partners and their suppliers to improve sustainable agriculture practices, increase the use of natural and non-GMO ingredients across its 3 flagship products, and more.

Carnival, Kimberly-Clark, Intel, PG&E and Xerox are among 34 companies named to the Natural Capital Leaders Index, which recognizes companies that have grown their revenue between 2008 and 2012 while reducing their environmental impacts during that same period.

From the industrial cities of Britain to the forests of Sweden, from the plains of Spain to the shores of the Black Sea, Europe is restoring its rivers to their natural glory. The most densely populated continent on earth is finding space for nature to return along its river banks. 

Investing in natural capital such as water, soils and biodiversity limits risk and can drive profitability, leading companies say.

PepsiCo and The Nature Conservancy are joining forces to encourage consumers to recycle more often and to help protect sources of drinking water sources throughout the US.

Obesity, mental health problems, air and noise pollution, heat stress and social exclusion - these are just some of the health and social challenges Europeans face today. But according to a new report released by Friends of the Earth in conjunction with the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), increased exposure to nature and green space could help improve both physical and mental health.

This morning, UPS announced that it has entered into an agreement to purchase up to 11.5 million gallon equivalents of renewable biogas a year well into the next decade. This gas, which is also known as renewable natural gas (RNG) or biomethane, is interchangeable with conventional natural gas, by which much of UPS' fleet has long been fueled.

By providing thousands of cases of Emerald sustainable products to their clients, Corporate Coffee Systems greatly reduced their environmental footprint and successfully saved 293 trees; 34,441 pounds of virgin fiber; 9,738 pounds of FSC Certified Paper; 79, 977 gallons of water; 10,565 pounds of plastic materials; and diverted 48,848 pounds of landfill waste.

pilot project that sought to demonstrate that carbon dioxide emissions could be locked up by turning them into rock appears to be a success. Tests at the CarbFix project in Iceland indicate that most of the CO2 injected into basalt turned into carbonate minerals in less than two years, far shorter a time than the hundreds or thousands of years that scientists had once thought such a process would take. Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/iceland-carbon-capture-project-quickly-converts-carbon-dioxide-stone-180959365/#GpYzrDcLOjF1tUZx.99 Give the gift of Smithsonian magazine for only $12! http://bit.ly/1cGUiGv Follow us: @SmithsonianMag on Twitter

Recent studies have shown, for example that the loss of important predators - from wolves in boreal forests to sharks in seagrass meadows - can lead to growing populations of terrestrial and marine herbivores, whose widespread grazing reduces the ability of ecosystems to absorb carbon.

More businesses accept that they should account for water, fertile soil, forests, air and more. Far fewer are naming a price for these resources.

More businesses accept that they should account for water, fertile soil, forests, air and more. Far fewer are naming a price for these resources.

An analysis published Feb. 26 in the journal Nature Climate Change shows that the wastewater produced during the processing of palm oil is a significant source of heat-trapping methane in the atmosphere. But the researchers also present a possible solution: capturing the methane and using it as a renewable energy source.

As evidence mounts that excessive use of light is harming wildlife and adversely affecting human health, new initiatives in France and elsewhere are seeking to turn down the lights that flood an ever-growing part of the planet

mounts that excessive use of light is harming wildlife and adversely affecting human health, new initiatives in France and elsewhere are seeking to turn down the lights that flood an ever-growing part of the planet.

  (LUIS ACOSTA/Getty Images) Efforts to prevent illegal logging in the Brazilian Amazon can reduce the impact of certain diseases, a study has found. Logging creates mosquito-friendly areas and subsequently increases malaria infections, while strict forestry regulations can reduce infection rates for several diseases by limiting the number of people passing through forested areas

Carnival Corporation signed a multi-billion dollar contract to build 4 liquefied natural gas-powered ships with the largest guest capacity in the world.

The U.S. EPA Final Ecosystem Goods and Services Classification System, released in 2013, removes many bottlenecks that kept ecosystem services from becoming an integral part of corporate decision-making.

A growing number of organizations from Google to the federal government are incorporating homages to nature into their office blueprints, not just to earn more green building certification points but to reduce employee stress, improve cognitive function and encourage creativity.