Damian Platt 18 March 2010, Americas, Housing, Regeneration

The favelas of Rio de Janeiro are as much a symbol of the city as Christ the Redeemer or Copacabana beach. They are home to an aspirational population ready to take its place in society and get themselves on the map - literally.
April Streeter 18 March 2010, Wind power

Increased financial support is helping to make borderline projects viable
George Wigmore 16 March 2010, Eco-products & services, Innovation, Recycling

Designer Oscar Diaz has found something beautiful in the banal by transforming recycled plastic bottles into elegant cutlery.
Arran Frood 16 March 2010, Americas, Farming/Horticulture

The Movement of Landless Workers takes land reform into their own hands - but at what price for the forests?
Andrew Downie and Martin Wright 15 March 2010, Americas, Business, Carbon offset/neutrality

Brazilian businesses are keen to leave their history of boom and bust behind, discover Andrew Downie and Martin Wright.
Katie Shaw 12 March 2010, Housing, Innovation, Planning

Two architectural companies are responding to the problem of rising sea levels, by fashioning cities that float.
Arran Frood 12 March 2010, Americas, Farming/Horticulture, Innovation

A small farmers' co-operative makes millions weaving carpets from a native agave.
Anna Simpson 11 March 2010, Agriculture & Food, Americas, Local government

The sugar cane industry defines socio-economic conditions in Aracoiaba. It hasn't always made life sweet for local workers, but things are looking up.
Anna Simpson and Ben Tuxworth 10 March 2010, Americas, Urban

Jaime Lerner tells Green Futures how to redesign a city, what Brazil’s major metropolises have yet to learn, and why urban acupuncture is the way forward.
Roger East 8 March 2010, Americas, Community energy, Solar energy/PV

Internet access is improving education and healthcare in remote parts of Brazil, thanks to solar PV.
Martin Wright and Roger East 5 March 2010, Americas, Community energy, Hydro electric
In the deep south of Brazil, small-scale hydro plants are bringing robust, reliable supplies of power to farming communities.
Anna Simpson 3 March 2010, Americas, Biofuels, Farming/Horticulture

There isn’t a traditional cane cutter or a burning field in sight as Anna Simpson explores the shift to a sustainable sugar cane industry in Brazil.
Anna Simpson 3 March 2010, Americas, Farming/Horticulture, Forests

In Brazil, a rare combination of supermarkets, banks and determined government action is giving teeth to forest protection laws.
Tom Phillips 2 March 2010, Americas, Fossil fuels

In 2007, Brazil struck gold with the discovery of vast oil reserves. Two years on, Tom Philips explores the impact on the country's much vaunted 'renewables revolution'.
Andrew Downie and Martin Wright 26 February 2010, Americas, Forests
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After years of seemingly unstoppable destruction, Brazil appears to be winning some ground on the Amazon frontier. Is this just a recession-induced calm before the storm, asks Martin Wright – or the start of a rainforest revival?
Anna Simpson 24 February 2010, Fashion, Materials, People
Michael Kobori, Vice President of Social and Environmental Sustainability at Levi Strauss & Co., tells Anna Simpson why the iconic brand is convinced sustainability is the future of fashion.
Lottie Butler 23 February 2010, Americas, Sport

With Rio to host the 2016 Olympic Games, sport is acting as a powerful catalyst for social and economic change across Brazil.
Jonathon Porritt 22 February 2010, Americas, Biofuels, Forests

If Brazil can both exploit, and protect, its vast resources, it could be a powerhouse of the 21st century. Conor Foley and Jonathon Porritt sift the possibilities.
Jonathon Porritt 18 February 2010, Local food, Local government

Roger East 17 February 2010, Biotechnology, Budget/Taxation, Green government

Federal stimulus seeks out the green energies of tomorrow, boosting carbon capture and geothermal technologies.
Garry Campbell 15 February 2010, Carbon reduction, Eco-products & services, Housing

With rising fuel costs, more UK households are struggling to pay their energy bills. Garry Campbell thinks that home visits from 'Green Doctors' could be the answer.
11 February 2010, Business services, Corporate responsibility, Visions & futures

Iain Watt challenges businesses to embrace all the opportunities that the transition to a low-carbon economy offers.
Peter Madden 10 February 2010, Cars, Commuting, Eco-products & services

In 20 years’ time, our city streets will no longer be dominated by the motor car as vehicles of all shapes and sizes will zoom silently around, says Peter Madden.
9 February 2010, Awards & grants, Carbon reduction, Procurement

Fife Council has won the Government Opportunities Sustainability Award for a procurement tool that takes into account the carbon and financial costs of a product's full life cycle.
Anna Simpson 8 February 2010, Corporate responsibility, Higher/Further Education, People

Andrew Simms 5 February 2010, Consumption, Finance, People, Socially responsible investment

Slavish devotion to growth is charting a course for catastrophe. Andrew Simms, policy director of nef, looks at the potential for radical ecomonic transformation.
Lottie Butler 5 February 2010, Eco-products & services, Innovation, Waste & recycling, Water

Chic, stylish and good for the planet: the elegant, self-contained design of Roca's new all-in-one washbasin and toilet can cut household water use by up to 25%. The 'Washbasin and Watercloset', known as 'W+W', filters water directly from the basin and uses it to fill the toilet cistern.
Anna Simpson 3 February 2010, Awards & grants, Eco-products & services, Energy conservation & efficiency, Housing

Mixed messages on energy efficiency are costing UK households dear. Clear consistent advice is called for.
Lorna Howarth 2 February 2010, Construction, Materials

Colour-changing roof tile works with the weather as techno-fix solution for colling the planet.
April Streeter 1 February 2010, Cars, Innovation

A lauded British race car designer and a UK-based car company are touting their design for a sustainable urban car which could revolutionise motor manufacturing.
George Wigmore 29 January 2010, Architecture, Regeneration, Solar energy/PV, Wind power

Big, green and gorgeous: design for efficient, self-sufficient skyscrapers reaches new heights.
Roger East and Tricia Holly Davis 29 January 2010, Biofuels, Sustainable accounting

After years in the wilderness, biogas is set to play a major role in powering the future.
Roger East 28 January 2010, Cars, Innovation, Re-use/refurbishment

The economics of electric vehicles (EV) has been strengthened by a battery re-use deal, as Nissan sells their lithium-ion batteries to Japanese trading company Sumitomo.
Anna Simpson 25 January 2010, Business, Cars, Commuting, Energy conservation & efficiency, People

"You have to get ordinary, dosh-driven business to make the change", says John Griffin, CEO of Addison Lee taxi firm in conversation with Anna Simpson.
Hannah Bullock 22 January 2010, Eco-products & services, Employment, People, Places/demonstration centres

From London to Brussels to Mumbai, people are paying for a place in a new kind of space. Jonathan Robinson, founder of the Hub, tells Hannah Bullock why.
Lorna Howarth 21 January 2010, Energy conservation & efficiency, Nanotechnology, Pollution, Urban

Prototype street lighting technology which will both improve the quality of night skies in urban areas, and cut electricity use, is raising high hopes among light pollution campaigners.
Nick Chan 21 January 2010, Carbon offset/neutrality, Retail

Tesco, the world’s third largest retailer, has committed to plans to be ‘zero carbon’ by 2050.
Martin Wright and Trish Lorenz 21 January 2010, Culture, Lifestyles, Nuclear power, Visions & futures

“Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.” Danish physicist Niels Bohr’s words are a wise warning to the reckless forecaster. Trish Lorenz and Martin Wright uncover some instructive howlers.
Anna Simpson 20 January 2010, Energy sources, Innovation, Visions & futures

Measuring no more than 200 microns across and embedded into car windscreens, 40 volt devices use piezoelectric polymers to harness the turbulence of travel.
Nick Chan 19 January 2010, Agriculture & Food, Consumption, Retail, Standards

Calorie-counting could soon give way to carbon-counting, if Swedish trends catch on globally. Sweden’s National Food Administration has issued dietary guidelines that consider both the nutritional benefit of particular foods, and their environmental impact.
James Goodman 18 January 2010, Inspiration, Visions & futures

How we think about the future will dramatically affect our chances of living in a sustainable world, says James Goodman. Which is why futurists are starting to reshape the ways in which leading companies and organisations think and act today.
Anna Simpson 18 January 2010, Innovation, Microgeneration, Visions & futures

With rising energy prices driving innovation, on-site recycling and micro-generation could see our homes minimise waste for us.
15 January 2010, Innovation, Packaging, Visions & futures

Instead of wrapping your tasty treats in plastic, why not wrap them in… bacteria? Design students think a form of bacteria could replace plastic packaging.
Anna Simpson and Hugh Knowles 15 January 2010, Behaviour change, Innovation, Inspiration, Visions & futures

What's a weak signal? And what do we do with it? Hugh Knowles tunes into the signals of the future that are indeed already with us - but have yet to be recognised as such, let alone adopted by mainstream society.
Roger East 14 January 2010, Energy sources, Innovation, Wind power

The UK could add a further 5GW of wind power capacity if a new project succeeds in resolving one of the main objections to wind power: that turbines clutter up the radar.
April Streeter and Roger East 13 January 2010, Green Futures partners, Socially responsible investment

A new, holistic model of investment could help rural areas reap the fruits of a green economic revival, says the Commission for Rural Communities.
Fiona King 12 January 2010, Built environment, Heritage, Solar energy/PV

Built for the medieval wars of King Edward I, one 14th century castle in north Wales is preparing for a different kind of battle – the fight against climate change.
Rebecca Schischa 11 January 2010, Innovation, Re-use/refurbishment, Transport & travel

Chip fat could be recycled to surface roads, following successful live trials in Bedfordshire.
Duncan Graham-Rowe 11 January 2010, Urban, Wind power

A wave of new turbine designs is brightening the prospects for small- and medium-scale wind power. After years of scepticism over rooftop turbines which cost far more than they will ever repay, there’s the prospect that some of the major obstacles to effective wind power could finally be overcome.
Tricia Holly Davis 8 January 2010, Biofuels, Green Futures partners, Procurement, Waste to energy

As excitement over anaerobic digestion's potential gains pace, Ecotricity, one of the UK's renewable electricity pioneers, is going into the gas game.
Roger East 7 January 2010, Aviation, Carbon offset/neutrality

With the spotlight hovering over airline emissions, Roger East explores the possibilities of zero-emission aviation.
Dixe Wills 7 January 2010, Cars, Commuting, Congestion

Slipstreaming – the cycle racing tactic where the chap at the front does all the hard work, while others behind take advantage of the lack of wind resistance – could cut CO2 emissions by 20% on Europe's roads, says new research.
Anna Simpson 4 January 2010, Business services, Innovation, Retail

Forum for the Future’s disruptive innovation cards have helped devise new business models and have even enabled R&D departments to think more about the design and sustainability of their products. Anna Simpson reveals the simple strategies that can give you the trick, whatever your hand.
Anna Simpson 4 January 2010, Agriculture & Food, Consumption, Eco-products & services, Web directories & blogs

It’s mardi: market day in the small coastal town of Ganges in southern France, and I find myself at my regular independent fish stall. Yet I have no idea how or when the cod was caught, who caught it, and how it travelled to my town. Technology can help, but is only part of the answer. But if producers, suppliers and buyers work together to build long-term relationships, along with the use of technology, it will result in changes that will benefit everyone.
Trish Lorenz 4 January 2010, Eco-products & services, Innovation

It’s up to today’s young designers to sketch out our future lifestyles. Trish Lorenz looks forward to a world where sleek, stylish and energy saving are synonyms.
Lottie Butler 2 January 2010, Corporate responsibility, Local government, Water

The battle against bottled water is gathering pace with water refill stations to appear at Hammersmith Bus Station and Tower Bridge Museum in London.
Lottie Butler 29 December 2009, Built environment, Cars, Solar energy/PV
A new sort of car park is taking hold in America, as companies install solar trees to provide electricity for their buildings and charging points for electric cars.
Nick Chan 29 December 2009, Built environment, Local government, Regeneration

A loan scheme to retrofit Britain’s public sector buildings could see the end of draughty, inefficient schools and hospitals.
29 December 2009, Budget/Taxation, Energy sources

Time to tap into the legacy of buried energy? Not fossil fuels, but something much older, dating back to our planet’s violent birth – and trapped in molten rocks deep beneath the earth’s surface.
Mark Jansen 18 December 2009, Energy sources, Wind power

The world’s first commercial tidal plant has come onstream at Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland. Tidal power could contribute at least 12% of the UK’s electricity needs.
Alex Johnson 17 December 2009, Behaviour change, Lifestyles, Local government
Twelve bored strangers sit in an airless room, their hearts racing on cheap coffee, and their only motivation a second chocolate Hobnob and the promise of a small cheque. It’s hardly the stuff of dreams. But for too long it’s been the source of inspiration, if such it can be called, for public sector research into sustainability challenges.
Giovanna Dunmall 17 December 2009, Information technology, Products & processes

Dutch creative communications agency Spranq has developed a sans serif typeface with small circular holes that offers over 20% in ink savings – and environmental benefits too.
Max du Preez 16 December 2009, Africa, Culture, Religion/spirituality

Southern Africa is a storehouse of indigenous wisdom on the link between humans and nature. Wisdom that we would do well to heed today, says Max du Preez.
Jonathon Porritt 16 December 2009, Budget/Taxation, Green government

There’s a strong, sustainability-driven case for a much ‘leaner and greener’ take on many key areas of public expenditure, says Jonathon Porritt, Founder Director of Forum for the Future.
Nick Chan 15 December 2009, Americas, Asia, Wind power

Revolutionary floating turbines, based on oil platform technology, could take wind power far out to sea, where it can harness higher and more consistent wind speeds. It could also bring offshore wind within reach of major energy consumers, like the US and Japan, which lack suitable shallow water sites.
Alex Johnson 14 December 2009, Solar energy/PV

The French Government is aggressively developing its solar power infrastructure, investing in photovoltaic (PV) plants and providing tax breaks for commercial and private producers of the renewable energy.
Sheryl Ozinsky 14 December 2009, Africa, Planning, Socially responsible investment, Sport

The 2010 World Cup is kicking off some positive initiatives, says Sheryl Ozinsky, but the host nation could be wide of the goal unless it greens a lot more than the pitch.
Mark Swilling 11 December 2009, Africa, Housing

Fifteen years after the dawn of democracy in South Africa, says Mark Swilling, urban apartheid is getting worse, not better.
Sophie Blakemore 10 December 2009, Construction, Finance, Housing

The financial returns from property portfolios are directly related to environmental performance. That’s the resounding message from a survey of unlisted UK and European property funds.
Alex Johnson 10 December 2009, Biofuels, Farming/Horticulture, Waste to energy

A German town is poised to be the host of the world’s first biogas heat and power network. Lunen’s 91,000 people will soon have half their energy needs met from the 2.5MW plant, which converts animal manure and crop waste into methane.
Gail Jennings 10 December 2009, Africa, Commuting, Mass transit/Public transport, Railways

While the city highways are clogged with single passenger cars and 4x4s, the average South African must walk, stand or sit on someone’s lap for hours to get to work. But change is coming down the line – literally, says Gail Jenning.
9 December 2009, Education & Careers, People

Since 1996, Forum For the Future’s Masters in Leadership for Sustainable Development has been training the sustainability leaders of the future. Each issue, we track the career of a Forum alumnus.
Nick Chan 9 December 2009, Energy conservation & efficiency

The London Eye – the capital’s iconic ‘big wheel’ – is to cut 20% off its electricity consumption in a £12.5 million ‘eco-refurb’.
David Le Page and Monica Graaff 9 December 2009, Africa, Carbon reduction, Corporate responsibility

Are South Africa’s companies up to the sustainability challenge? Monica Graaff and David Le Page go on the trail of the green corporate leaders.
Monica Graaff 8 December 2009, Africa, Water

As a water crisis looms, Monica Graaff taps into the quest for cutting edge ways to clean up pollution, cut waste and boost supplies.
Roger East 8 December 2009, Politics, Wind power

Britain’s offshore potential gets most of the attention paid to wind in the Government’s latest renewable energy strategy, in an attempt to get one gigawatt of new schemes up and running.
Leonie Joubert and Monica Graaff 8 December 2009, Africa, Farming/Horticulture

Can South Africa climate-proof its agriculture – and improve the lives of its rural poor as it does so? Monica Graaff and Leonie Joubert scan the veldt for signs of change.
Peter Malaise 7 December 2009, Chemicals, Eco-products & services, Green Futures partners

All too often cleanliness in the home leads to pollution elsewhere - natural, biodegradable ingredients alone do not make for green cleaning. However, following six years research in the pursuit of natural born bubbles, Ecover has launched a new range of 'Ecosurfactants'.
Monica Graaff and Saliem Fakir 4 December 2009, Africa, Carbon reduction, Fossil fuels

A coal-rich developing nation, South Africa has a long haul ahead to a low carbon future. Saliem Fakir and Monica Graaff look at the hopes – and hurdles – on the energy front.
Richard Calland 3 December 2009, Africa, International policies & agreements, Politics

Is South Africa’s new President, Jacob Zuma, ‘too red to be green’ – or too red not to be? Richard Calland looks for the policies beyond that ‘populist’ tag.
Roger East 2 December 2009, Energy sources, Wind power

Wind farm developers everywhere will be heartened by three UK reports this summer addressing ‘intermittency’ – and assuring us that it’s much less of a problem than is sometimes claimed.
Martin Wright 2 December 2009, Culture, Finance, People, Politics, Visions & futures

The Green Futures Interview: Zac Goldsmith talks to Martin Wright about free markets, free choice, whether to trust politicians… and lessons from the stepsister of Anne Frank.
Mark Jansen 1 December 2009, Air quality, Carbon reduction, Urban

Green roofs could keep our cities cool in the stifling summer sun, according to a new report. Research shows that grass or wooded areas can chill surface temperatures by up to 15˚C, which in turn cools the ambient air.
Monica Graaff and Peter Willis 1 December 2009, Africa, Consumption

South Africa today faces a critical choice, argue Peter Willis and Monica Graaff. Either it attempts to put ‘business as normal’ back together again – or it strikes out for a truly sustainable future.
Bevis Watts 30 November 2009, Awards & grants, Green Futures partners, Organics

It is unusual for a bank to have a view on organic farming, but Triodos Bank has launched a new loan package to help to sow the seeds for organic growth.
27 November 2009, Fishing, Marine/coastal

In the future, tidal-powered fish farms could carry their shoals to new waters, mimicking natural migration for breeding and feeding.
27 November 2009, Biotechnology, Visions & futures, Waste to energy

Chicken feathers could be used to develop the next generation of hydrogen-fuel cells. New research from the University of Delaware has found that the tiny hollow and porous tubes found in the fibres of chicken feathers can absorb almost 2% of their weight in hydrogen.
27 November 2009, Biotechnology, Information technology, Visions & futures

Could your kitchen mould be capable of complex calculations? Plasmodial slime moulds could potentially be used to develop the next super-computers.
Lorna Howarth 27 November 2009, Green Futures partners, Information technology, Magazines & newspapers, Products & processes

Until recently, the energy demands of the infrastructure supporting electronic media haven't been questioned, much less quantified. But as carbon-calculators become more effective and industry-specific, all this is changing.
Chris Sherwin 27 November 2009, Business, Corporate responsibility, Innovation
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If we’re to rise to the huge challenges facing us, then business as usual, done a bit more efficiently, simply won’t cut it. We need truly game-changing, disruptive innovations.
Gustavo Montes de Oca 26 November 2009, Employment, Regeneration, Skills & training

A former Welsh mining town is to lead the way on green skills, with the UK’s first dedicated training centre.
Peter Madden 24 November 2009, Information technology, Nanotechnology

By 2020, there’ll be billions of tiny computers embedded in pretty much everything: stuck on our food labels, woven into our clothes, even injected into our skin. Peter Madden explores the potential of a sci-fi future.
Gustavo Montes de Oca 23 November 2009, Americas, Awards & grants, Lifestyles

Costa Rica has come first in the Happy Planet Index (HPI). Developed by the New Economics Foundation, it measures life expectancy, life satisfaction and ecological footprint. The UK came 74th – five places above Iraq; the US, 114th.
Dax Lovegrove 23 November 2009, Behaviour change, Consumption, Green Futures partners, Retail

While some retailers content themselves with cheap wins, others are pressing ahead with greener products. It might have seemed savvy when the economic going was good, but what does it mean today, asks Dax Lovegrove.
Anna May Shamoon 18 November 2009, Farming/Horticulture

A New Zealand wine maker has found a novel way of reducing the carbon footprint of wine – by using miniature sheep.
Mark Jansen 18 November 2009, Conservation, Corporate responsibility, Fossil fuels

The Co-operative Bank, a major ‘ethical’ bank in the UK, has donated over C$200,000 (£104,000) to a legal campaign to stop the extraction of tar sands in Canada, which it says could cause an environmental catastrophe.
Anna May Shamoon 16 November 2009, Wildlife

A high-pitched warble will soon be sounding out from the roof of Islington council’s offices in North London. It’s a swift call, in stereo, designed to lure the birds back to the borough.
Anna Simpson 16 November 2009, Agriculture & Food, Fair Trade, Farming/Horticulture, People, Social enterprise

Occupied territories aren't the best backdrop for business...or are they? Heather Masoud tells Anna Simpson about the world's first fair trade olive oil.
12 November 2009, Agriculture & Food, Consumption, Water

Without water, there’s no food. So it’s time the food industry led the way in conserving its most vital raw material, says Julian Hunt of the Food and Drink Federation.
Sarah Roe 12 November 2009, Carbon reduction, Information technology, Telecommunications

Mobile phone technology could help to cut carbon emissions in industries as diverse as logistics, manufacturing and utilities, according to a new report published by Vodafone.