In 2011, NASA built a 50,000-square-foot California office that used 90% less drinking water and was designed to produce 20% more energy than it neededNASA’s Sustainability Base was designed as a 50,000-square-foot office that used just 12% of conventional electricity and 10% of potable wa...
04 Sep, 2026, 07.12 PM IST
In 2009, Illinois used 38,881 tons of fly ash in highway construction; IDOT reported spending $1.75 million while reducing landfill use and cement demandIllinois highways are increasingly integrating fly ash, a byproduct of coal combustion, as a sustainable option for road construction. This...
04 Sep, 2026, 03.40 PM IST
In 1997, Abilene collected 240 tons of waste glass for Antilley Road; Dyess Air Force Base crushed the glass at $9 a ton for two 750-foot test sectionsIn Abilene, Texas, an innovative project has integrated crushed glass from recycled bottles and jars into road construction. By blending gl...
04 Sep, 2026, 02.20 PM IST
In 2009, Illinois used an estimated 284,715 tons of recycled concrete material in highway construction; IDOT spent about $3.18 million on the material for embankments, bases, and subbasesIn Illinois, the innovative approach of repurposing aged concrete for highway projects is not just cost-effective but also environmentally ...
04 Sep, 2026, 02.10 PM IST
In 2024, Agiro planted 580 trees and shrubs at a former waste site in Quebec City. Today, surveys have found more than 160 plant species and 50 bird species are thriving around the recovering siteAgiro is restoring a former 1.8-hectare construction waste disposal site at the foot of Mont-Brillant in Quebec City’s Saint-Charles River ...
03 Sep, 2026, 11.21 PM IST
In 2026, Texas engineers mixed 4.5 tons of waste plastic into nearly a mile of road; the recycled material replaced 8% to 10% of petroleum-based bitumenInnovative researchers are pioneering the use of recycled plastic to improve the durability of asphalt roads. By substituting a portion of ...
03 Sep, 2026, 02.28 PM IST
In 2007, Florida's Pinellas County won EPA approval for a nutrient plan for Lake Seminole. 17 years later, chlorophyll a dropped from 124 to 36 µg/L, proving restoration workedLake Seminole restoration is showing something Florida communities rarely get to see: a troubled urban lake actually getting better. In Pin...
02 Sep, 2026, 07.45 PM IST
In 2022, Hawaii used 195,000 plastic bottles to rebuild a road. Engineers found an alternative use for recycling plastic waste, but there's a catchHawaii's officials have embarked on an innovative experiment to blend recycled plastic into road asphalt, effectively repurposing nearly 20...
02 Sep, 2026, 03.22 PM IST
In 2006, Portland converted 45,000 streetlights to LEDs. 20 years later, its streetlights and signals use 66% less energy and save the city $1.5 million every yearTwo decades after 2006, Portland’s lighting story offers a useful lesson for cities considering their own energy transitions. The important...
01 Sep, 2026, 03.32 AM IST
Does the Nepal glacier collapse signal a new climate risk?Does the devastating flooding unleashed by the collapse of a section of glacier in the Nepalese Himalayas signal a new kind of risk in a wo...
31 Aug, 2026, 07.52 PM IST
32,600 used tires did not go to a landfill. Instead, Michigan turned them into a 1.15-mile road in Clare County that can also reduce traffic noise. The next target is Detroit roadsMichigan is turning discarded tires into road-building material, with 32,600 passenger tire equivalents reused on a 1.15-mile stretch of Ha...
31 Aug, 2026, 03.59 PM IST
In Maine, engineers turn about 1 million scrap tires a year into lightweight highway fill; the shredded rubber stabilizes embankments built on weak marine clayInnovatively transforming shredded tyres into construction materials for highway embankments, Maine tackled substantial waste tyre pileup w...
31 Aug, 2026, 02.25 PM IST
Indian Railways is planting an aromatic-rooted grass in Lonavala ghats to prevent landslides and avert a Nepal-like flash flood situationIndian Railways is testing vetiver, an aromatic-rooted grass native to India, as a low-cost nature-based solution to stabilise vulnerable s...
30 Aug, 2026, 03.46 PM IST
Nepal floods: Shashi Tharoor writes to S Jaishankar, calls for NDRF contingent, deployment of IAF choppersCongress MP Shashi Tharoor urged the government for more rescue resources. He requested a full NDRF contingent and heavy-lift helicopters f...
29 Aug, 2026, 07.45 PM IST
In 2021, RMIT tested shredded face masks with recycled concrete for road bases; 1 kilometer could use 3 million masks and divert 93 tonnes from landfillEngineers from Australia have introduced an innovative strategy for converting used face masks into construction materials for roads. This ...
28 Aug, 2026, 01.50 PM IST
India's EV market to reach Rs 20 lakh cr by 2030, will create 5 cr jobs: Nitin GadkariIndia's electric vehicle market is projected to reach twenty lakh crore rupees by 2030. This significant growth is expected to generate fiv...
27 Aug, 2026, 07.57 PM IST
Philadelphia painted black pavement with a light-coloured coating to fight extreme heat. A year later, researchers found one clear differenceTo tackle urban heat island effects, Philadelphia is trialing cool pavement solutions. In Hunting Park, a reflective light-colored coating ...
24 Aug, 2026, 08.45 PM IST