Technologically we could build solar power plants so expansive, covering such a large area, that they could be seen from space. But we don’t have to.

We could plaster the world’s deserts with solar photovoltaic or concentrated solar thermal power plants to provide many times the amount of power needed to run the world’s economies. But we don’t have to turn the world’s deserts into energy-generating industrial sites. Large scale solar power plants can be built anywhere where sun-drenched real estate is affordable.

Gretchen Daily is not your typical biologist, nor does she subscribe to typical conservationist lines. Instead, her astounding work, which has earned her the honour of the 2008 Sophie Prize, focuses on the bottom line: where conservational efforts can be the most economically profitable choices available.
She's been compared to Rachel Carson, who had revolutionised the agricultural industry. Her scientific work not only presents the tremendous diversity and intrinsic value of ecosystems and species, but also monetises and quantifies such attributes for economic consideration.

Seventh Generation, Method and other leading personal care and cleaning brands may soon face lawsuits if they don't remove the word "organic" from their labeling and marketing by Sept. 1. The ultimatum comes following a recent investigation by the Organic Consumers Assn., which uncovered a potentially carcinogenic contaminant in various products.