Big machines with giant fans suck in atmospheric air, scrub the CO2 from it, and bury the CO2 forever. It may sound futuristic, but the technology is real. Called “direct air capture,” it would function as an air filter for planet Earth, removing the most common greenhouse gas from the atmosphere. But as good as it sounds, it probably won’t solve our CO2 problem yet. The energy costs, and therefore dollar costs, are still too high, and the amount of CO2 removed is still too small. A new startup in Germany has a solution: Instead of sucking atmospheric CO2 from a grounded station, why not...…Big machines with giant fans suck in atmospheric air, scrub the CO2 from it, and bury the CO2 forever. It may sound futuristic, but the technology is real. Called “direct air capture,” it would function as an air filter for planet Earth, removing the most common greenhouse gas from the atmosphere. But as good as it sounds, it probably won’t solve our CO2 problem yet. The energy costs, and therefore dollar costs, are still too high, and the amount of CO2 removed is still too small. A new startup in Germany has a solution: Instead of sucking atmospheric CO2 from a grounded station, why not...WW…

A surprising amount of energy goes down the drain every day. The next time you shower, take note — you see an average of 17 gallons rinsing down the drain. Between toilets, showers, handwashing, dishwashing, face washing, laundry, we’re flushing a continuous stream of water into the sewer lines each day. The U.S. Department of Energy estimated in 2005 that Americans wasted the equivalent of 350 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy each year from unused hot water — about 3,000 kWh per household. To put things in perspective, the average American household consumes roughly 11,000 kWh of...…A surprising amount of energy goes down the drain every day. The next time you shower, take note — you see an average of 17 gallons rinsing down the drain. Between toilets, showers, handwashing, dishwashing, face washing, laundry, we’re flushing a continuous stream of water into the sewer lines each day. The U.S. Department of Energy estimated in 2005 that Americans wasted the equivalent of 350 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy each year from unused hot water — about 3,000 kWh per household. To put things in perspective, the average American household consumes roughly 11,000 kWh of...WW…

The circular economy is creating a buzz as startups pop up across the globe. But innovators are counting on consumers to opt-in, and behavior change isn’t always easy. I gave the latest circular economy trend a try and found that it wasn’t what I expected.In 2014, I made a New Year’s resolution to stop purchasing beverages in single-use plastic containers. A year later, I included snack food. But when I tried to go plastic-free, I was stumped. Plastic is everywhere. My local grocery store sold broccoli wrapped in plastic. I couldn’t find the food, supplies, or things I wanted, without...…The circular economy is creating a buzz as startups pop up across the globe. But innovators are counting on consumers to opt-in, and behavior change isn’t always easy. I gave the latest circular economy trend a try and found that it wasn’t what I expected.In 2014, I made a New Year’s resolution to stop purchasing beverages in single-use plastic containers. A year later, I included snack food. But when I tried to go plastic-free, I was stumped. Plastic is everywhere. My local grocery store sold broccoli wrapped in plastic. I couldn’t find the food, supplies, or things I wanted, without...WW…

“I’m having a very deathly week,” the young woman says, starting the conversation after a round of introductions. All 26 people sit in the dark room in the back of Washington D.C.’s The Potter’s House Cafe, encircling a single candle.It isn’t the woman’s first time talking about death in a group setting. She has been to one of Nicole Heidbreder’s “death cafes” before. She says she came out of it feeling very heavy and drained. It called up emotions from her father’s death three years ago. Still, she felt compelled to attend a second time.Heidbreder is a death doula. If her job title brings...…“I’m having a very deathly week,” the young woman says, starting the conversation after a round of introductions. All 26 people sit in the dark room in the back of Washington D.C.’s The Potter’s House Cafe, encircling a single candle.It isn’t the woman’s first time talking about death in a group setting. She has been to one of Nicole Heidbreder’s “death cafes” before. She says she came out of it feeling very heavy and drained. It called up emotions from her father’s death three years ago. Still, she felt compelled to attend a second time.Heidbreder is a death doula. If her job title brings...WW…

An Italian architecture studio and 3D printing company have teamed up to create the first made from dirt. The environmentally friendly place took just 200 hours to complete. It has a stout shape and curved walls that look remarkably like a sea urchin. The challenge: The 3D-printed house is the culmination of an assignment at the School of Sustainability: design a sustainable home built with on-site natural materials.Wasp, Italy’s leading 3D printing firm, and Mario Cucinella Architects came up with Tecla — which is short for “technology and clay.”The team built the 60 square meter...…An Italian architecture studio and 3D printing company have teamed up to create the first made from dirt. The environmentally friendly place took just 200 hours to complete. It has a stout shape and curved walls that look remarkably like a sea urchin. The challenge: The 3D-printed house is the culmination of an assignment at the School of Sustainability: design a sustainable home built with on-site natural materials.Wasp, Italy’s leading 3D printing firm, and Mario Cucinella Architects came up with Tecla — which is short for “technology and clay.”The team built the 60 square meter...WW…

A team of researchers want to build robots out of ice and send them to space. The idea is that — lacking a local repair shop — the icy bots can use found materials to rebuild themselves. Ice can be located all over the solar system, from the moon to the distant rings around Saturn. So researchers from the University of Pennsylvania are trying to figure out how to tap into that nearly unlimited resource for robotics.NASA wants to send the , Spot, to space. The canine-bot can do many tricks — from herding sheep to helping the NYPD in a hostage situation — but it likely won’t be able to...…A team of researchers want to build robots out of ice and send them to space. The idea is that — lacking a local repair shop — the icy bots can use found materials to rebuild themselves. Ice can be located all over the solar system, from the moon to the distant rings around Saturn. So researchers from the University of Pennsylvania are trying to figure out how to tap into that nearly unlimited resource for robotics.NASA wants to send the , Spot, to space. The canine-bot can do many tricks — from herding sheep to helping the NYPD in a hostage situation — but it likely won’t be able to...WW…