Susanna Murley

The students at William Paterson University clearly take a lot of pride in their sustainability initiatives. As a finalist for the 2012 Second Nature Climate Leadership Awards, they won the public voting competition on Planet Forward featuring their innovative climate leadership. The video details how the campus has come...

Methane can be produced in a variety of ways -- the biggest contributor, as well as the one that we're all familiar with, is from cows. In addition to cows, methane is emitted from human-influenced sources such as landfills, agricultural activities, coal mining, wastewater treatment, etc... the list...

One of the key areas where cities can promote sustainability is on the streets. By narrowing roadways and increasing the width of sidewalks, they can encourage more walking, higher population density as well as slow down vehicle traffic and generally make their streets more friendly to multiple types of users....

Pedestrians and cyclists can breathe easier on Washington, D.C.'s streets, according to Mayor Vincent Gray, because of what he describes as a plan to "cover the entire city" with traffic cameras. Cameras slow down traffic, and slower cars would make it safer to walk and bike around the capital.

Across the nation, gardeners are starting seeds for their spring and summer gardens. In cities, city gardeners are looking anywhere for space to grow: in containers, vertical spaces, alley ways and balconies. How can we turn the planting season into an opportunity to save energy, reduce our impact...

More people live in cities now than in any other time in human history -- nearly half the world's population. They are the economic engines of our society, but they are also the source of 80% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

We all have a choice in where we...

What will it take to get more electric vehicles on the road? Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon and James Wisemen of Toyota got a head start at that question at this week's Policy Summit at the Washington DC Auto Show. It was the day after the president's State of...

Get a first glimpse into what a few automakers hoping will be your fuel-efficient future car. Whether because of Obama's renewed call for increased vehicular efficiency or just to meet market demand, automakers have brought some interesting new cars to the show.

Amy Harder, who covers energy and environmental...

It's winter and you're probably realizing how awful your insulation is -- I'm looking at you, Seattle -- and also starting to rethink that last addition to the house where you used single-pane windows that now render the room useless.

When faced with this dilemma, building owners wonder...

Recently, a Planet Forward member emailed me to ask how her church should become more energy efficient, especially considering their tight budget. They were inspired by the Solar Decathlon and all the ideas those young people were able to bring to a single family home -- but will those ideas...

In Durban this week delegates from around the world are examining the options to mitigate carbon emissions. In what look like the best chance for progress: REDD+ (for Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation, plus co-benefits -- like conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon...

Every year, two million people die from a killer in the kitchen: their cookstoves. A new report from the UN Foundation says the toxic smoke from these crude devices cookstoves can lead to child pneumonia, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and heart disease, as well as burns and...

Coastal communities are running out of real estate. Sea level rise threatens coastal communities with increased floods, erosion and displacement. To put it in perspective, the amount of water held in Greenland's ice sheet could fill the lower 48 "like a bathtub".

But an innovator in Thailand is...

This week we're thinking a lot about Campus Sustainability with our partners at Second Nature. We're hosting a video contest to see who's a climate leader in the academic community.

But instead of thinking about another recycling program (although it boggles my mind...

Planet Forward's Frank Sesno catches up with Secretary of Energy Dr. Steven Chu on site at the 2011 Solar Decathlon. Chu talks about some of the coolest innovations in the houses, and even wonks out a bit on values and building materials.

The official DOE final standings for...

We build houses, but it's the living in a house that makes it a home. Every home -- even your home -- has a history that represents who lived there and how they lived. The same goes for the houses in Solar Decathlon. While they're lauded for their...

The destruction of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina was a man-made disaster and as of today, the eve of the six-year anniversary, we haven't done anything to stop it from happening again.  This is the premise behind Harry Shearer's new movie, The Big Uneasy.

Harry Shearer is best known...

Once called the "Venice of the East" because of its extensive canal system, Bangkok is a city that has been dealing with flooding for hundreds of years. It's built on water. In fact, the primary housing option in the city in the 18th century was floating rafts. As the city...