Sustainability-Related News

All News

Opinion: Making Transit an Option is San Diego’s Only OptionMonday, May 20, 2019
By Georgette Gómez and Nathan Fletcher | Times of San Diego | April 29, 2019 | A trolley rider inspects one of the MTS 5000-seri…
Mexico City Just Banned Single-Use PlasticsWednesday, May 15, 2019
Mexico City lawmakers approved a measure to ban businesses from selling or giving customers single-use plastics, according to the New York T…
Cleaner Cars from Cradle to Grave (2015)Thursday, May 9, 2019post has video
Since we first published our State of Charge report in 2012, the environmental benefits of electric vehicles (EV…
Google’s Waze is making a big, nationwide bet on carpoolingTuesday, May 7, 2019
By Andrew J. Hawkins | The Verge | October 10, 2018 | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge For many dri…
USD Teams Chosen for Fowler GSIC: One Digital World, Re:Fresh Smoothies AdvanceMonday, May 6, 2019post has photos
The University of San Diego has chosen its two entrants who will compete in the Global Finals of the USD-hosted $50,000 Fowler Global Social…
Using Art to Show the Threat of Climate ChangeThursday, May 2, 2019post has video
By Bethany Brookshire | Science News for Students | April 5, 2019 | This painted sign, by Xavier Cortada, is a mark…
Office of Sustainability Reflects on 2018-19 at Annual GatheringThursday, April 25, 2019
The University of San Diego’s Office of Sustainability hosted its annual appreciation gathering, having a chance to look back on the s…
Change Your Diet to Combat Climate Change in 2019Wednesday, April 24, 2019
By Lisa Drayer | CNN | January 2, 2019 | Vegan soy bratwurst has become a popular choice in Germany, allowing meat-lovers to cut meat…
A Running List of Action on Plastic PollutionTuesday, April 16, 2019
By Brian Clark Howard, Sarah Gibbens, Elaina Zachos, and Laura Parker | National Geographic | January 17, 2019 | The world has a plastic …
Office Hours: Michel Boudrias, PhD, Associate Professor, Environmental and Ocean SciencesTuesday, April 9, 2019post has video
With marine-inspired clothing and a love for teaching, Michel Boudrias, PhD, an associate professor of environmental and ocean sciences, is …
Germany Lays Out a Path to Quit Coal by 2038Monday, April 8, 2019
By Melissa Eddy | The New York Times | January 26, 2019 | The cooling towers of the Joenschwalde lignite-fired power plant…
Costa Rica Aims to Be the World's First Plastic and Carbon-Free Country by 2021Monday, April 1, 2019
By Jillian Anthony | Culture Trip | January 14, 2019 | Corcovado National Park meets the beach at Osa Peninsula in Cost…
12 USD Teams Advance to the Global Social Innovation Challenge Semi-FinalsThursday, March 28, 2019
This week, the Center for Peace and Commerce announced the 12 semi-finalist student teams that will vie for the chance to win up to $10,000 …
#TrashTag Challenge Goes Viral as People Share Before/After Photos of Their CleanupMonday, March 25, 2019
By Trevor Nace | Forbes | March 12, 2019 | #trashtag challenge photos by Byron Román on Facebook, which prompted a resur…
Walk for Water is Solidarity with Women, Girls, Sustainability AwarenessFriday, March 22, 2019post has photos
Today, March 22, the United Nations declares it World Water Day. It might seem like a celebration, but it’s mostly a chance to maintai…
Photos: kids in 123 countries went on strike to protect the climateMonday, March 18, 2019
By Eliza Barclay and Kainaz Amaria | Vox | March 17, 2019 | “This movement had to happen, we didn&rs…
World Water Day 2019 – Leaving no one behindMonday, March 18, 2019
By UN Water | United Nations | January 17, 2019 | World Water Day, on 22 March every year, is about focusing attention on t…
Netflix’s ‘The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind’ is a True Story About an Invention that Saved an Entire CommunityMonday, March 11, 2019
By Tatiana Tenreyro | Bustle | February 28, 2019 | Oscar-nominated actor Chiwetel Ejiofor makes his directorial debut with The Boy Wh…
Is turning plastic waste into green energy the most environmentally friendly option?Monday, February 25, 2019post has video
By Anh Phan | Independent | October 2, 2018 | In the adventure classic Back to the Future, Emmett “Doc” Bro…
5 Recycling Myths BustedMonday, February 18, 2019
By Brian Clark Howard | National Geographic | October 31, 2018 Last Earth Day, I published a column in the Washington Post on common recy…
The Shopping Mall in Sweden Where Everything Is RecycledWednesday, February 13, 2019
By Dougal Shaw | BBC Stories | January 29th, 2019 | ‘Welcome to my high-fashion, trash shopping mall’ At the ReTuna shopping m…
Our Top 9 Sustainable Companies in San DiegoWednesday, February 6, 2019
By Deep Rooted Designs | Today’s blog is all about sustainable San Diego movers and shakers that we’re loving lately. Now, we k…
California Gives Final OK To Require Solar Panels on New HousesTuesday, January 29, 2019
By Bill Chappell | NPR | December 6, 2018 | California predicts mandatory solar panel ins…
Clean Energy Accelerator Awarded $1.5 Million Federally Matched Grant to Expand Energy Startup Support in the Inland Empire Wednesday, January 23, 2019
The University of San Diego, in partnership with Cleantech San Diego and California State University, San Marcos, has been awarded a three-y…
5 Positive Environmental Stories From 2018Friday, January 11, 2019
By Jamie Allen | January 10, 2019 | Off the coast of Central America's Belize, a section of the world's…
Climate change: 'Right to repair' gathers forceFriday, January 11, 2019
By Roger Harrabin | January 9, 2019 | Image copyright Getty Images It is frustrating: you buy a new appliance then just after the wa…
Let’s Talk about Climate EquityMonday, December 17, 2018
By The Climate Reality Project | December 7, 2018 Low-income families and communities of color get hit the hardest by fossil fuel pol…
Changemaker Challenge Winners' Projects Can Make a Sustainable ImpactFriday, December 14, 2018
Only one online vote and a few dollars in prize money separated the top two vote-getters in the Fall 2018 University of San Diego Changemake…
Climate RefugeesTuesday, December 11, 2018
By Friends of the Earth | June 20, 2017 Climate change is threatening the lives of the world's poorest and most vulnerable – displaci…
Young Climate Reality Leaders Take Climate Action to the CourtsTuesday, December 4, 2018
By The Climate Reality Project | November 9, 2018 Our Climate Reality Leaders know all too well what the future could look like for today…
Paris Peace Forum Recognizes Climate Change, Food Insecurity, Water Scarcity as Challenges for Peace and SecurityTuesday, November 27, 2018
By Leila Mead | IISD | November 22, 2018 Story Highlights The declaration issued at the conclusi…
The US military is testing stratospheric balloons that ride the wind so they never have to come downFriday, November 16, 2018
By David Hambling | MIT Technology Review | November 14, 2018 | A sensor that can spot the wind direction from miles away w…
European Parliament Approves Sweeping Ban on Single-Use PlasticsThursday, October 25, 2018
By Arthur Neslen | The Guardian | October 24, 2018 Proposal passes 571-53, with Labour MEPs demanding UK mirror EU action after Bre…
EEK-O-Friendly HalloweenMonday, October 22, 2018
Halloween is sure to be lots and lots of fun this year! With the costumes and candy, parties and haunted houses, what's not to love?! No m…
He had an idea to reduce food waste. It helped feed 2 million people Monday, October 22, 2018
By Susan Semenak | The Star © Richard Lautens Jean-François Archambault founded La Tablée …
EPIC Study Assesses the Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Implications of Water UseThursday, October 18, 2018
San Diego (October 17, 2018) – The Energy Policy Initiatives Center (EPIC) at the University of San Diego School of Law recently compl…
EPIC Projects win High Marks from Association of Environmental ProfessionalsFriday, October 12, 2018
San Diego (September 20, 2018) - At their annual awards event in September, the San Diego Chapter of the Association of Environmental P…
California bans plastic straws in full-service restaurants — unless customers request oneMonday, September 24, 2018post has video
By Ralph Ellis and Sarah Moon | CNN Beyond Plastic: Is it time to go strawless? 03:23 (CNN) California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill Th…
California Ups the Ante: 100 Percent Clean Energy by 2045Tuesday, September 4, 2018
By Jonathan J. Cooper | The Associated Press The Ivanpah solar electric generating system is a solar power project built in t…
Cleaning up our OceansTuesday, August 21, 2018
Four engineering students from USD’s Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering spent their summer vacation working toward a noble and ambiti…
Floating park built from recycled plastic waste debuts in the NetherlandsMonday, August 20, 2018post has video
By Matt Hickman | Mother Nature Network Meant to draw attention to plastic river pollution, Rotterdam's Recycled Park is also a nice …
Michael Catanzaro: A Foundation of Sustainability SuccessFriday, August 3, 2018
One of the biggest and most rewarding challenges a person can take on is one that's bigger than themselves, yet they still have the desire t…
USD's Kroc School Prepares to Plug into the EnergiPlantWednesday, August 1, 2018
Patricia Marquez, PhD, dean of the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, knows that the mission of her school is to train professionals of p…
Electronics Recycling Center Internship Program Provides OpportunityThursday, July 5, 2018post has photos
The University of San Diego’s Electronics Recycling Center states that it is a non-profit collection space that specializes in extendi…
Mission Beach entrepreneurs driven to create eco-friendly sunblockMonday, July 2, 2018
By Lucia Viti | Nicolette Remmel and Maxine Chapman on their van. / Photo by Jonathan Schumann Nicolet…
Your efforts to save water are actually making a differenceThursday, June 21, 2018
Water is essential for life, but we’re not always the best at keeping our water supply safe. However, a new study from …
Scorching-Hot Lava Evaporates Entire Lake in HawaiiTuesday, June 12, 2018
Fiery lava from Hawaii's ongoing volcanic eruption has completely evaporated the water from Green Lake, the Big Island's largest freshwater …
6 Things You’re Recycling WrongThursday, May 31, 2018
We have all done it: a greasy pizza box, a disposable coffee cup, the odd plastic bag. Sometimes, we want things to be recyclable, so we put…
This woman fundamentally changed climate science — and you’ve probably never heard of herThursday, May 31, 2018
Eunice Foote is finally honored for her contributions 162 years later. It was “blind luck” said Ray Sorenson, a retired pet…
Bike to Work and School Day 2018Tuesday, May 29, 2018
More than 10,950 visits at 100 pit stops were recorded on Bike to Work Day, Thursday, May 17. Hundreds of volunteers staffed pit s…
Edinburgh inventor creates biodegradable water bottleFriday, May 4, 2018
A Scottish entrepreneur has developed a new eco-friendly bottle that could help combat the growing mountain of plastic litter entering the w…
Using Pasta as a Substitute for Plastic StrawsFriday, May 4, 2018
I bet this is a creative way to limit your plastic use that you've never even thought of! 100 percent biodegradable ;)…
Easter Island is eroding due to climate changeFriday, April 20, 2018
Easter Island is critically vulnerable to rising ocean levels and is currently slowly eroding away. Not only land, but the big mystery about…
Greener way of making plasticsWednesday, April 18, 2018
A new catalyst allows for the conversion of the green house gas carbon dioxide to an industrial precursor for many plastics as an alternat…
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Has Way More Trash Inside It Than We ThoughtTuesday, April 10, 2018
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is filled with 79,000 metric tonnes (87,000 tons) of plastic, which is between 10 to 16 times higher than pr…
Environmental initiative: Adidas sold 1 million shoes made out of ocean plastic in 2017Thursday, March 22, 2018
Adidas sold 1 million shoes made out of ocean plastic last year ... Each pair of shoes reuses 11 plastic bottles.…
When You Give a Tree an Email AddressWednesday, March 21, 2018
The city of Melbourne assigned trees email addresses so citizens could report problems. Instead, people wrote thousands of love letters to t…
Dockless bike crazeFriday, March 16, 2018
In the last month, dockless bikes have appeared all around San Diego, with a high concentration located in the Uptown and Downtown areas. Tw…
Nilmini Silva-Send, Ph.D., Assistant Director of Energy Policy Initiatives Center Nominated for Unsung Hero AwardThursday, March 15, 2018
Nilmini Silva-Send, Assistant Director, Energy Policy Initiatives Center, University of San Diego School of Law and C. Hugh Friedman Fellow …
Sustainability Success: Electronic Recycling Center; STARS; Energy SavingsWednesday, March 14, 2018
University of San Diego President James T. Harris hosted a President’s Forum on March 13 in the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and J…
McDonald's sets goal for 100 percent sustainable packaging by 2025Friday, March 2, 2018
America's largest fast food company, which has faced criticism over the years on a wide variety of societal issues including childhood obesi…
Dutch Supermarket Introduces Plastic-Free AisleThursday, March 1, 2018
A supermarket in the Netherlands wants to make it easier on the planet and easier for its customers to avoid adding to the mountains of plas…
Final eviction notice given to Point Loma recycling centerThursday, March 1, 2018
The eviction notice gives Prince Recycling 30 days to vacate, but while the latest chapter in this saga is local, the issue of what to do wi…
Taiwan to ban plastic straws, cups by 2030Friday, February 23, 2018
Taiwan is planning a blanket ban on single-use plastic items including straws, cups and shopping bags by 2030.…
Tiny House Leaves Big Impression on USD CommunityWednesday, February 21, 2018post has photos
It might be an Evergreen Tiny Home, which has been featured on HGTV and the DIY network show, “Tiny House, Big Living,” but the …
San Diego Opens Door to Small-Scale Community CompostingThursday, February 15, 2018
A community composting program called Food2Soil is training volunteers in good composting techniques. They collect vegetative food scra…
SOLES is Committed to Sustainability Awareness and ActionThursday, February 15, 2018
The School of Leadership and Education Sciences’ Sustainability Committee is hosting a Sustainability Week Challenge this week, Feb. 1…
Clean Vehicle Rebate Project Initiates Rebate Now In San Diego CountyTuesday, February 13, 2018
The Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) has launched Rebate Now, a preapproved rebate program that makes it easier and faster…
Picking Up Junk From San Diego Bay Is Aim of Port's Pilot ProgramTuesday, February 6, 2018
A new vessel trolling San Diego Bay will not only help clean the water but may provide the Port of San Diego more information about how to p…
13 Easy Zero-Waste Resolutions You Can Make For 2018Friday, January 26, 2018
Zero-waste resolutions can help your health, as well as the environment. It's 2018, there's no time to waste.…
Hey California, say farewell to your traditional incandescent light bulbsThursday, January 4, 2018
As of January 1 traditional incandescent light bulbs will start to disappear from stores in California as part of a national initiative to u…
Plastic Bag Ban: One Year LaterWednesday, January 3, 2018
Plastic bag litter has decreased drastically since plastic bag ban went into effect in San Diego.…
Tumbling bumblebee populations linked to fungicidesFriday, December 1, 2017
When a team of scientists analyzed two dozen environmental factors to understand bumblebee population declines and range contractions, the…
Earthworms can reproduce in Mars soil simulantWednesday, November 29, 2017
Two young worms are the first offspring in a Mars soil experiment. A biologist found them in a Mars soil simulant that he obtained from NA…
Outdoor Education and Fun Adventures AwaitMonday, November 20, 2017post has video
When a class discussion in Riley Henning’s environmental ethics course shifts to Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical, On Care for Our …
The History of #OptOutsideTuesday, November 14, 2017
How a small idea had a huge effect. #OptOutside first launched in 2015. No other large retailer had been shut on Thanksgiving and Black Fri…
Rebuilt reefs must be at least a foot tall to survive and thriveMonday, November 13, 2017
Study shows that reefs built to reach a foot or more above the bottom develop into healthy, self-sustaining ecosystems, while those rebuil…
Imperial Beach officials say shoreline hit by Tijuana sewage without warning, residents fall illFriday, November 10, 2017
A massive sewage spill in the Tijuana River in February fouled beaches as far north as Coronado. Federal records show that since that event,…
From Cellulose to 3-D ObjectsMonday, October 30, 2017
In our modern world, eliminating plastics is inconceivable. Unfortunately, they do have disadvantages, including the formation of CO(2) in…
New biomaterial could replace plastic laminates, greatly reduce pollutionWednesday, October 18, 2017
An inexpensive biomaterial that can be used to sustainably replace plastic barrier coatings in packaging and many other applications has bee…
Solar Water Heating Incentives Extended for CaliforniansFriday, October 13, 2017
Natural gas savings is a key piece of the low-carbon future. The greening of California’s electric grid gets a lot of attention &mdash…
A sustainable future powered by seaFriday, October 6, 2017
Researchers develop turbines to convert the power of ocean waves into clean, renewable energy.…
Sustainable Travel Can Be Budget-FriendlyFriday, October 6, 2017
When you think of sustainable travel, what comes to mind? Gorilla trekking in Uganda, perhaps, or a sojourn in a remote yet well-appointed e…
Brewers Stamp Out the Stigma of Recycled Water with Craft BeerThursday, September 21, 2017
Three brewing companies in the Denver area have begun brewing beer made from recycled water. Recycled water — that is, wastewater that…
'We're trying to go all in': Chocolate giant Mars pledges $1 billion to fight climate changeMonday, September 18, 2017
Mars has pledged to spend $1 billion on its "Sustainability in a Generation" plan. It aims to tackle climate change by reducing greenhouse-g…
The Little Things …Monday, September 18, 2017
From off-setting the overall CO2 emissions from tour transportation and inviting fans to take public transport or carpool to the concerts, t…
Ship exhaust makes oceanic thunderstorms more intenseWednesday, September 13, 2017
Thunderstorms directly above two of the world's busiest shipping lanes are significantly more powerful than storms in areas of the ocean whe…
MAN by Steve Cutts Thursday, September 7, 2017
Animation created in Flash and After Effects looking at mans relationship with the natural world. Music: In the Hall of the Mountain King b…
Pope, Patriarch: ‘Cry of the earth’ and cry of the poor are one voiceTuesday, September 5, 2017
Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew released a joint statement to mark the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on Sept. 1. They …
Juice company dumped orange peels in Costa Rican national park in the 90s — it revived the forestTuesday, August 29, 2017
Ecologists teamed up with a juice company to dump orange peels and pulp on a barren pasture in a Costa Rican national park. Today, the area …
Crank the AC, cut in-car pollutionThursday, August 24, 2017
After conducting a new research approach using actual commutes, a group of engineers discovered a simple shift in driving habits can help to…
Drone tech offers new ways to manage climate changeThursday, August 24, 2017
An innovation providing key clues to how humans might manage forests and cities to cool the planet is taking flight. Researchers are using d…
Incomplete drought recovery may be the new normalThursday, August 24, 2017
The amount of time it takes for an ecosystem to recover from a drought is an important measure of a drought's severity. During the 20th cent…
Nanotechnology gives green energy a green colorThursday, August 24, 2017
Architects, homeowners and city planners may be more open to the technology if they could install colorful, efficient solar panels, and a ne…
New technique offers clues to measure the deoxygenation of the oceanThursday, August 24, 2017
The living, breathing ocean may be slowly starting to suffocate. More than two percent of the ocean's oxygen content has been depleted durin…
Scientists design solar cell that captures nearly all energy of solar spectrumThursday, August 24, 2017
A newly-designed solar cell converts direct sunlight to electricity with 44.5 percent efficiency, giving it the potential to become the most…