All trains in the Netherlands have been running completely on renewable wind energy since Jan. 1. Dutch transportation companies originally set a goal date of 2018 to implement 100% wind energy, but they completed the goal one year ahead of schedule.

The Energy Information Agency emphasized the growing importance of offshore wind to the US energy landscape in its year-end summary, according to this piece. The summary also touted the significance of Deepwater Wind's Block Island wind farm off of Rhode Island -- the first of its kind in the US.

Cheetah, the fastest land animal on earth, is heading toward extinction, according to researchers at the Zoological Society of London.

Waste-to-energy technology has shown some success, but adoption has been slow, particularly in the US. This column looks at some of the challenges.

A study from Unilever reveals a $1 trillion market for companies that effectively and transparently market the sustainability of their products. About 20,000 people in four countries and the UK were interviewed, and 33% said they would prefer to purchase a product that benefits the environment.

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.

Recent studies have shown that climate change could affect the tourism sector. A lack of snowfall in California led to a decrease in business for local ski resorts and restaurants.

According to a new report by Germany's Öko-Institut, Europe will need to cut global warming transport emissions by 94% by 2050 if it intends to keep its Paris commitments - an undertaking that will require reductions of 2% or 3% per year, as well as full participatio from all Member States.

Coca-Cola European Partners, Avery Dennison, Viridor and PET UK have teamed up to reduce waste, costs and the carbon footprint of Smartwater production in the UK. The initiative, which turns label waste into products, was rolled out late last year in an effort by CCEP to reduce the carbon footprint of its Morpeth factory by approximately 180-200 tons of CO2. The participating parties expect to achieve annual savings of over $30,000 by simply recycling, rather than incinerating or disposing of bottle liners.

India-based Carbon Clean Solutions has developed a technique to turn harmful carbon dioxide emissions into sodium carbonate. Several other companies want to acquire the technology and use the soda ash that's produced to manufacture baking soda, glass, detergents and sweeteners.

2016 saw several powerful environmental movements and projects, from the Dakota Access Pipeline protestors to celebrity Leonardo DiCaprio's "Before the Flood" documentary. World leaders also passed the Kigali Amendment, which reduced hydrofluorocarbons in the environment.

Now, almost an entire year since the UN made a call to action for global business leaders, who has been listening? We are just beginning to see the effect of the UN's goals, but what businesses are performing their due diligence to better the health and wellbeing of the humans and the world?

The U.S. Government collaborated with India and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation to launch a $20 million initiative that aims to increase funding opportunities for renewable energy projects - such as distributed solar - across India.

GREENSBORO, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As Wrangler® celebrates a milestone of three billion liters of water saved since 2007, the global leader in jeanswear and casual apparel announces a goal to reduce water usage at its facilities by 20 percent by the year 2020.

The Rockefeller Foundation will collaborate with the USDA, EPA, and 10 private sector and non-profit organizations to create "Further With Food: Center for Food Loss and Waste Solutions," an online information exchange that aims to provide best practices for preventing, recovering, and recycling food loss and waste. The website will officially launch later this month (January 2017).

NASA found that 2016 was 1.78 degrees warmer than the mid-20th century average, while NOAA found 2016 was 1.69 degrees warmer than the 20th century average. The agencies use those pre-industrial periods as a set point for measuring climate change.

The company became the first within the toy industry to adopt such an 'environmentally friendly' stance towards their packaging, which took approximately six years to develop. Adam Gendell, Sustainable Packaging Coalition Associate Director told Toy & Hobby Retailer, "Disney is rising to the challenge by reinventing its long-standing practices to set a new standard across its industry that is not only more sustainable but that will inform what generations of children will expect of packaging and its environmental impact."

It is a great day for big cats who have long being bought and sold as pets and status symbols - but only for some of them. A newly enacted law in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has finally put a long-awaited ban on the ownership and sale of big cats like tigers, cheetahs, leopards, and more as pets. This is a huge victory for big cats who have long been mistreated and neglected by owners who do not have the capacity to care for an animal whose rightful home is the wild.

n what has been hailed as a far-reaching victory for global shark conservation, Air China has become the first airline in mainland China to ban shark fin cargo on its flights. The airline, which is headquartered in Beijing, announced the ban on Friday. "We were one of the first airlines in China to raise the awareness of the unsustainability of the global shark trade," says a message on the carrier's website. "We understand the community's desire to promote responsible and sustainable marine sourcing practices, and this remains important to Air China Cargo's overall sustainable development goals."

A partnership of 12 organization is set to launch an online hub for information and solutions to reduce food waste, "Further With Food: Center for Food Loss and Waste Solutions," at FurtherWithFood.org. The site is intended to help realize the national goal to halve food waste by 2030, announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in September 2015.