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Adding relatively small amounts of compost to ranchland can have a dramatic and lasting impact on the soil's ability to absorb carbon, according to research from bio-geochemist Whendee Silver. Spreading compost over just 5% of California's pastures would effectively cancel out a year's worth of statewide emissions from the farm and forestry industries, Silver found. "It's inexpensive, it's low technology, it's good land use, it solves multiple problems," she says.

The medals in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be maybe just a little more hard-earned than usual: The Japanese organizers are hoping to source the medals from e-waste, stripping gold, silver, and bronze from old gadgets and cellphones.

The Minnesota National Guard installed solar panels and geothermal systems at its Camp Ripley base in an effort to reach zero emissions. The Guard earned a silver LEED rating for its readiness center and hopes to achieve a similar rating for all of its federally funded buildings.

The Grand Central Creative Campus (GC3) Phase 2 received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification-the council's highest honor. This award marks the first Platinum building in the Disney portfolio. The King's Mountain Technology Center, a Disney property in North Carolina, also received a LEED Silver certification.

Coca-Cola began building a $100 million beverage plant in Heilongjiang, China that will seek to achieve LEED silver certification. The plant is expected to open in 2016.

Recycling is paying off for Apple - to the tune of about $43.6 million in gold. According to Apple's environmental responsibility report, the company recovered 2,204 pounds (a little over a ton) of gold from recycled electronic devices last year from its take-back initiatives and other recycling events. The take-back initiatives allow customers to drop off Apple products at stores or mail them in to be recycled.

According to Apple's environmental responsibility report, the company recovered 2,204 pounds (a little over a ton) of gold from recycled electronic devices last year from its take-back initiatives and other recycling events. The take-back initiatives allow customers to drop off Apple products at stores or mail them in to be recycled.