The city will pilot automatic, optional curbside pickup across Queens after lagging behind promises to collect compost.
Tag Archives: Sustainable Living
How Hot and Humid Singapore Is Trying to Cool Itself Down
With the help of a mobile cart named “Smarty,” researchers are trying to tackle the challenge of urban heat through a program that the government says could be a model for other countries.
Not Just Any Bag
A New York company, Anybag, finds an elegant way to turn plastic bag waste into a functional tote. Miranda Kerr, Adidas and Ralph Lauren are fans.
Can Fashion Influencers Persuade Us to Consume Less? A Times Virtual Event
Join Vanessa Friedman on July 28 as she explores how popular culture and the influencer economy might shift the industry toward responsible fashion.
Plans to Fight Global Warming Face an Obstacle in Paris: Trees
As a new heat wave bakes the French capital and the rest of Europe, critics say that plans to make the city greener have led to the felling of trees essential to combating rising temperatures.
The Sunday Read: ‘The Rise and Fall of America’s Environmentalist Underground’
This year, one of the last fugitives of the Earth Liberation Front pleaded guilty to arson — at a moment when climate activists are again flirting with radical ideas.
Companies’ Climate Promises Face a Wild Card: Farmers
Some of the largest companies in the U.S. have pledged to adopt climate-friendly agricultural techniques. But some farmers say they haven’t provided enough incentive.
Yes, You Can Do Better Than the Great American Lawn
There are any number of ecologically friendly alternatives to that lawn you’re so proud of — and they look nice, too. Here’s how to start slowly.
‘Vegan Leather’: How Fashion Giants Recast Plastic as Good for the Planet
An influential system overseen by retailers and clothing makers ranks petroleum-based synthetics like “vegan leather” as more environmentally sound than natural fibers.
Marco de Vincenzo of Etro Tries to Slow Down Fashion
Marco de Vincenzo, the newly appointed creative director of Etro, is not only asking the question, but attempting to answer through action.
Companies Like Nexii Are Betting on Sustainable Construction
Nexii Building Solutions in Vancouver is having significant early success, though there are potential pitfalls.
Jones Road and Milk Makeup on Clean Makeup in a Messy World
“The idea of wellness has permeated how we think about every aspect of our lives now.” Here are two so-called clean makeup brands on the looks that are trending now.
A Cauliflower-Free Approach to Vegan Dining
These restaurants will convince even the most reluctant diner that vegan dining is worth seeking out.
Climate-Change Risks Get the Attention of Real Estate Investors
They are thinking more seriously about flooding, but a lack of established standards for assessing development projects is challenging their efforts.
No reusable cup? In Australia, it’s at your own risk.
On a visit to Melbourne, a Times reporter got a lesson in cafe etiquette, and the challenges facing the sustainability movement.
In Watches, What Does Luxury Mean Now?
Gen Z buyers, for whom inclusivity, sustainability, transparency and traceability are not negotiable, already have changed the way brands do business.
In Busan, A Smart City Built on Data Takes Shape
Fifty-four families volunteered to share data on everything from sleeping habits to trash volume to help developers make a city from scratch in Busan.
The Next Level in Sustainability: Nature Restoration
Developers are no longer aiming to simply preserve nature, but are actively restoring it as a selling point for their projects.
Frustrated With Utilities, Some Californians Are Leaving the Grid
Citing more blackouts, wildfires and higher electricity rates, a growing number of homeowners are choosing to build homes that run entirely on solar panels and batteries.
The Case for Induction Cooking
As the perils of cooking with gas become more apparent, there’s ever more reason for cooks to turn to these flameless, easy-to-clean ranges.
Microsoft’s Pursuit of Climate Goals Runs Into Headwinds
The company aims to be “carbon negative” by the end of the decade, but its emissions rose sharply in the most recent year measured.
Build a New City or New Humans? A Utopia in India Fights Over Future.
Backed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the new leadership of Auroville, an experimental commune, wants to create a model city. In the way stand trees, tree houses and a take-it-slow tradition.
This Play Is Touring Europe. But No One’s Going Anywhere.
How can theaters adapt to prevent climate change? The British director Katie Mitchell and a Swiss playhouse have developed a new model for taking a production on the road.
The Moral Quandary of ‘Slow Fashion’ Influencers
Is it possible to preach the values of sustainability while still promoting consumption?
How Young People Are Making Period Products More Sustainable
Young people want alternatives to disposable tampons and pads — and they’re not embarrassed to talk about it.
What If You Could Read a Fashion Label Like a Food Label?
Transparency and traceability is all the rage when it comes to clothing, and it is finally reaching the tags on the rack.
Have Wildfires Ruined California’s Magic?
The honeymoon’s over for its residents now that wildfires are almost constant. Has living in this natural wonderland lost its magic?
Harnessing an Unusual Kind of Natural Energy: Dancers’ Body Heat
The power of dance? It’s literal at a Glasgow arts center that is installing a geothermal heating and cooling system that runs on heat from dancing bodies.
Connecting With West Africa’s Plant-Based Past
Though meat dominates a number of the region’s most popular dishes, a growing number of cooks see adapting vegan and vegetarian diets as a way of embracing their heritage.
Do You Know Where Your Sweater Came From?
Loro Piana makes some of the world’s most luxurious cashmere. Now you can trace every step of its journey from Mongolia to Madison Avenue.
This Ink Is Alive and Made Entirely of Microbes
Scientists have created a bacterial ink that reproduces itself and can be 3D-printed into living architecture.
What Apple’s New Repair Program Means for You (and Your iPhone)
Apple said it would soon provide parts, tools and manuals to those who wanted to fix their own iPhones and Mac computers.
Developers Build More Net Zero Homes as Climate Concerns Grow
Demand for residences that produce as much energy as they consume is being spurred by climate concerns, consumer appetite and more affordable solar technology.
In the Fight Against Climate Change, Young Voices Speak Out
Five participants in a Generation Climate program convened by The New York Times gave us their thoughts on the issues, why they became involved and what steps make a difference.
Fashionably Late to the Climate Crisis
How do you fix the fashion industry? This sustainability expert has a few ideas.
Those Loud and Polluting Leaf Blowers
Readers mostly excoriate and urge alternatives to what one calls “these obnoxious, deafening, exhaust-spewing machines.” Also: The metaverse; signs of concern.
Will Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena Make Good on Its Promise?
The operators of Climate Pledge Arena, home to the N.H.L.’s newest team, the Seattle Kraken, plan to reduce and offset its entire planet-warming footprint. They still have a lot to prove.
Greta Thunberg Is Panicking. But She Is Also Hopeful.
“All political and economic systems have failed, but humanity has not yet failed.”
Inside the World of Buy Nothing, Where Dryer Lint Is a Hot Commodity
From medical supplies to half-eaten birthday cakes, Buy Nothing is fostering a quirky sense of community that is mostly fun and occasionally irritating.
In Sonoma County, ‘Regenerative Agriculture’ Is the Next Big Thing
Carbon sequestration, pollinator habitat restoration and simple composting: An increasing number of the region’s winegrowers are going beyond sustainability. Here’s how to see, and taste, the fruits of their labors.
Beef and Climate Change: This Seattle Steakhouse Wants to Be Part of the Solution
Bateau aims to reinvent the steak restaurant by showing how to sidestep the waste and environmental damage caused by the meat industry.
Stella McCartney Does Mushrooms in Paris
Maison Margiela and Chanel practice sustainability of a different kind.
The Environment Affects Baseball. These Players Want to Help.
Beach cleanups, plastic reduction, rethinking travel: A group of major leaguers is pushing back in a wasteful sport.
Travel Tips for How Not to Be an Ugly American Tourist
Pre-pandemic, we were flooding the world and wrecking it. As we start to travel again, we need to be more mindful of our impact.
The Unconventional Weapon Against Future Wildfires: Goats
Lani Malmberg travels with a few hundred goats, which eat the tall brush and grasses that power Western wildfires.
Sustainability Advocates Ask: Why Demolish When You Can Deconstruct?
More cities are adopting deconstruction ordinances that require older homes to be taken down for salvageable parts, but they face challenges in trying to expand their efforts.
The Cotton Tote Crisis
You can get cotton bags pretty much everywhere. How did an environmental solution become part of the problem?
Porgy: Sustainable, Cheap and Delicious on the Grill
Porgies deserve more attention. Chefs love them and you will, too.
Your Garden May Be Pretty, but Is It Ecologically Sound?
Darrel Morrison, the elder statesman of the ecological landscaping movement, offers some advice for gardening in a changing world.
Facing Severe Droughts, Developers Seek to Reuse the Water They Have
Water recycling in office buildings is seen as a promising sustainability effort, as well as a smart hedge against rising costs and future shortages.