People power

Every step you take, every move you make, every spin of the pedals on an exercise bike - you’re generating tiny amounts of power. Now scientists are working out how to turn it into electricity

Vegemight

Industrial materials based on root veg prove their strength

Making wood work

Woodland harvest can power more of England, strategy says

Carbonated water: the hidden emissions behind water use

New research reveals the hidden greenhouse gas emissions behind water use – tackling water efficiency and conservation is a step to not only saving money but cutting down on carbon emissions.

Private equity gets principled

Blackstone and Permira are among firms signing up to ethical guidelines on responsible investment for the private equity industry, taking a key step towards integrating environmental and social concerns into their businesses.

Blueprint for green stores

Retailer’s latest Manchester supermarket sets its eco standard

Tesco is to use its latest ‘eco-store’ – a new 52,000 sq ft supermarket at Cheetham Hill in Manchester – as a ‘low-carbon blueprint’ for all the new supermarkets it builds in future.

DIY giant opens eco-store

B&Q pushes green products, sets stretch target on emissions

It boasts the UK’s biggest building-mounted turbine, a rooftop garden, and solar panels. And it’s challenging the notion that consumers won’t go green in a recession.

Eco-Municipalities take seed from Canada to Kenya

How on earth should we begin greening our metropolises? By asking the right questions, says The Natural Step.

Have we tipped the scales for sustainable fish?

As the Marine Stewardship Council marks its tenth anniversary, have efforts to transform fishing practices from 'boat to plate' finally reached a tipping point into sustainability?

A sanctuary for butterflies

The monarch butterfly is one of nature’s most remarkable long-distance travellers. Each spring, the insects migrate in their millions from their winter home, the Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico.

Shopping down the carbon

Standard to make carbon footprint comparisons simple

Shoppers one step closer to being able to compare the carbon footprint of the products and services they purchase, now that the UK is unveiling a common standard.

Organics “best for Africa’s poor”

UN survey finds increases in yields – and income

Organic farming can help reduce food insecurity in Africa, according to a major UN survey of organic farming initiatives – and is “ideally suited” to smallholders and marginalised farmers who are at risk of poverty.

Sustainability drives value, say brand experts

Economic downturn a key test of commitment

The current tough economic climate will be a key test of brands’ commitment to sustainability, according to Interbrand, the consultancy behind the annual Best Global Brands Report.

Smarter sparks

Meters which cut consumption to be rolled out “to every home”

Every household in the UK is to have a ‘smart meter’ installed by 2018, after the government announced plans for a national rollout of the technology within ten years.

Zero waste coming up from the streets

Initiative targets dramatic cuts in landfill at community, city and regional level 

A home composting workshop, vouchers for real nappies, community ‘Green Zones’ and personal and citywide waste audits... They're all part of the 'Zero Waste Places' scheme.

Lights! Camera! Climate action!

Campaign to get better grip on London film industry’s emissions

You can’t accuse film-makers in London of being blind to climate change. Only last summer, the disaster movie Flood depicted what might happen if the Thames was overwhelmed by rising seawater

Green tea

Sustainable tea can be big brand tea. UNILEVER teams up with the Rainforest Alliance.

Calling on the lifeline

When is a phone not a phone? When it’s a mobile support centre.

A new generation of ‘mobile natives’ – teenagers who have never known a world without mobile phones – is tapping into the technology for its vital needs. VODAFONE

Screen on the green

Hollywood’s just becoming aware of its Godzilla-sized footprint. Chris Alden checks the rushes for some action.

Wired Earth

Everybody’s doing it. From Coldplay to the Kaiser Chiefs, green is the new rock ’n’ roll. But can pop stars really save the world? Chris Alden peers into the biofuelled tour bus.

Creative energy

Renewable power projects really can work. On a serious scale. Here’s the living proof – and a challenge for Britain to match.