One year ago, China stopped accepting most American scrap plastic and cardboard, throwing a wrench into U.S. recycling programs. Now, cities and towns across the U.S. are dealing with piles of homeless plastic with no clear destination. Many have stopped recycling altogether or dramatically scaled back their recycling programs. Douglas County, Oregon, stopped accepting plastic […]

In Philadelphia, people like to recycle. Together, all 1.6 million of us generate about 400 tons of recyclable material each day. But since last fall, roughly half of the bottles and cans my neighbors and I have placed dutifully curbside in our blue bins every week haven’t made their way to a sorting facility. They’ve […]

Presidents Day celebrates iconic presidents, but there was a time when even Washington and Lincoln endured as much partisan rancor as Obama and Trump. Americans generally hold this truth to be self-evident: George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were presidents who earned their places on monuments and on currency through exemplary leadership that united the country. […]

Last year, America’s recycling system broke down. Ostensibly, China did the breaking. For years, China was home base for most of the world’s recycling, importing two-thirds of global plastic waste in 2016. Over the last 30 years, America and other countries have shipped more than 10 million metric tons of plastic to China. That came […]

As residents of idyllic Eugene, Oregon, with its culture of local food, we might be forgiven for assuming all Americans are “locavores.” The rich volcanic and glacial soil deposits of the Willamette Valley are irrigated by a splendid river system and tilled by farmers who raise everything from goats to hazelnuts. These farmers make Oregon […]

In September 2012, NWEI was selected by the US Department of Energy to conduct a demonstration project – grid-connected 30 meter Wave Energy Test Site (WETS) located on Oahu. “Northwest Energy Innovations, LLC has developed the Azura™ wave power generation technology for converting the endless supply of ocean waves into electricity to meet the rapidly […]

It’s a turbulent time for many Americans, but the U.S. National Park System (NPS) can act as a uniting force—a reminder that even the most diverse and varied landscapes can join together to form a beautiful country. Over the last year, though, the U.S. government has moved to increase entrance fees to parks and open […]

Chinook Wawa was once spoken by more than 100,000 people, from Alaska to the California border, for more than 100 years. Even before I saw the water, I heard the rumble. Sounding like a river or a waterfall, the noise was gently muffled by the sword ferns and step moss as it reverberated through the […]

Food access is not just a health issue—it’s an issue of equality. Last year 40 million Americans lived in food-insecure households, meaning they consistently did not have access to enough food to live a healthy life. Statistics like this are startling and leave us wondering if anything can be done to combat such a pressing, […]

eos Products, known for its iconic lip balms, shave creams, and hand & body lotions, takes its commitment to sustainability to the next level with a partnership with TerraCycle, a global leader in recycling complex materials. TerraCycle gives eos a platform for North American consumers to have their eos products recycled into everyday, durable materials […]