Greensburg, Kan. was flattened by a major tornado in 2007. The town decided to bring it back in a completely "green," sustainable way. Alex Cohen talks to Greensburg's former mayor, John Janssen, about the decision to rebuild that community using an environmentally friendly approach.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) first released LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (LEED-EB) in November 2007. The reference guide for the system is due out in June 2008, and, as of July 1, all projects seeking certification must register under the new version.

With energy prices going through the roof, an alternative lifestyle powered by solar panels and wind turbines has suddenly become more appealing to some. For architect Todd Bogatay, it has been reality for years.

When he bought this breezy patch of scrub-covered mountaintop with views to Mexico more than two decades ago, he was one of only a few Americans with an interest in wind- and solar-powered homes.

Concentrating solar power (CSP) plants produce electricity at a utility scale by using mirrors or lenses to concentrate sunlight. New technology has made CSP the fastest growing utility-scale, renewable energy source in the U.S. after wind power, with utility companies such as California’s Pacific Gas and Electric and Arizona Public Service planning to add over 4,000 megawatts (MW) of new CSP over the next ten years.

The United Nations has called on more Asian leaders to agree to a plan to end deforestation by 2020 to slow down the destruction of plants and animals, a top official said on Friday.

About 80 percent of the world's known biodiversity could be found in forests, where about 1.6 billion people also depend for their survival, Ahmed Djoghlaf, executive director of U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), told a news conference in Manila.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most important of many human-generated “greenhouse gases”—gases that are contributing to a gradual warming of the planet. These gases, many of which have always existed in the atmosphere, contribute to a balance of heat flows that has given us a relatively stable climate. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, however, the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has grown from its historical average of 280 parts per million (ppm) to over 380 ppm and counting.

In a city with few green spaces, Namba Parks is a welcome swath of green for the inhabitants of Osaka.

Institutional investors world-wide are being urged to engage with property fund managers to embed the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment(PRI) in their decision-making.

The call is being made today by the UNEP FI Property Working Group, whose members include 18 property fund managers from Japan, India, Austria, Europe and the US, amid concern that the property industry is moving far too slowly to address its environmental footprint including greenhouse gas emissions.

The Tangshan region near Beijing will soon be home to a new ecological city with one million inhabitants.

The new city in China will consist of 150 square kilometers with an initial stage that will have a scope of 30 square kilometers. A deep-water port and industrial area are also being planned in conjunction with the city.

Anyone who thinks all green buildings are shimmering towers of glass and steel can be forgiven for that mistake. Landmarks for the movement, after all, are soaring temples of natural daylight and engineering wizardry.

But experts say most U.S. commercial buildings can be turned green without spending tons of money, bringing in construction cranes or making any change that can be seen from the street.