What a difference a decade makes.

A new report says utilities around the world will ramp up smart grid spending, with worldwide projects hitting $46.4 billion in 2015.

In the future, we'll be buying energy from utilities that look very different than what we are used to.

Gisele Bündchen helped earn Brazil 50,000 new trees and got the planting started by planting the first tree at the Green Nation Fest in Rio de Janeiro.

Vote today for your favorite slogan!

Celebrity ambassadors call for support for the UN’s World Environment Day.

The United Nations Environment Programme and goodwill ambassador Don Cheadle have selected a winner. See the video here.

The actor known for The Vampire Diaries and Lost joined today's World Environment Day celebrations in Barbados.

The UN Environment Program takes aim at unsustainable consumption in 2015.

The soccer star arrived in an electric retro-fit Fiat Panda and attended a cooking demonstration.

Before the year ends we want to take a moment to glance back over the best articles and projects of the DIY movement from 2012.

I really didn't know where to start, there is so much terrible stuff around

We take a look back at our favorite robot stories: from the miniature to the hulking, from the record-breaking to the mundane.

Looking back on this year, so much happened! I wanted to take a moment to go look back on the articles I had the most fun writing, the issues I had the most fun covering, and the adventures I had the most fun experiencing. Enjoy this look back!

The year saw the start of some very interesting trends that will play out over the next few years in a big way.

These stories from the past six months tell a lot about the shape of things to come in 2013.

We get small and look at designs from around the world

We asked the question on Facebook and got all kinds of interesting responses.

What we learned from last year and will look for in this one

We are just beginning to see how changes in the way we work are affecting the designs of where we work

Or why you shouldn't barbecue indoors.

Some dramatic changes this year will have a big impact on the future of wood construction.

Spanish company Lucirmás debuts Pure-Bottle, a fully recycled and recyclable table set which consists of a glass, lantern and spoon.

This eco-wine is bursting with red fruit aromas and vanilla. And it's minty finish is subtle yet clean so you won't mind a second glass. Which isn't a bad thing as this Pinot comes in under the $15 mark. And the winery is 100-percent solar-powered.

UNTI 2007 Syrah Benchland is dark, somewhat brooding like a radio-friendly Cure song. Within your glass you'll find flavors of grilled plum, anise and cocoa. The wine is unfined which means it is vegan.

A delicate balance of dark fruit, cocoa, pepper and mushroom from a sustainable vineyard that donates to AIDS and cancer patients.

The nose is dancing with floral highlights and warm peach aromas that you half expect it to be a dessert wine. But it's surprisingly elegant for a wine just under $10. The winery is 100-percent solar-powered, as is its sister winery, Jacuzzi.

Unti Vineyard's 2008 Grenache is smoky and spicy with cranberry and anise on the nose. Marionberry and a minty finish play well with the wine's acidity and refined tannins. And it's vegan!

This wine is brimming with bright fruit, dark undertones and those farmyard aromas common to most Pinots. With notes of pepper, strawberry and dried mint on the palette, this wine is as food-friendly as it is drinkable.

This eco-wine is thick with berries and molasses on the nose but the follow through is not your usual California cab. And for every acre of planted vineyard, Frei Brothers sets aside one acre to be preserved as natural wildlife habitat.

Wrath's 2010 Ex Anima Chardonnay is billowing with so much tropical fruit that you half expect Kokomo to start playing on the jukebox the second you uncork it. I swear this wine was a Piña Colada in its past life.

Hahn SLH Estate's 2010 Chef's Table Viognier is one of the most interesting whites you'll ever smell. It's completely intoxicating with notes of white peach, banana, honeydew and jasmine. Only 100 cases were made, so get this one quickly!

Frei's 2009 Chardonnay touches your nose with hints of rose water, jasmine and other floral delights. But on the palette, it is swimming with honey and sweet butter and just enough acidity to make it all work.

Wrath's 2010 Ex Vite Pinot Noir is complete, with lots of black cherry and red raspberry. A bit fuller than your typical Pinot, this wine is as drinkable as it is food friendly.

Here is a fun and spicy twist on a classic margarita using fresh cilantro and jalapeño.

The Spanish porrón is a glass pitcher in the shape of a watering can that gets passed around at big events. That way, there is no need for plastic glasses or washing up!

From foxes and falcons to otters and owls, the USDA program is doing away with wildlife in droves.

Among the hundreds of animals seized were 5 tigers, 13 white lions, three pumas, three kangaroos, four flamingos, two crowned cranes, 66 marmosets, two orangutans, and two red pandas.

To make this small space more livable, there is an emphasis on filling out the vertical space. Plus, a great tatami-inspired seating area.

Finally, one nation is taking firm, clear action toward going plastic-free.

Multifunctional zones and a sleeping loft enlarge this small apartment in Taipei.

Last year, for the very first Earth Hour, we bundled ourselves up a picnic supper and drove off to the parking nightmare that is the north shore of Sydney Harbour. Sitting in the gloaming of a nature reserve, with hundreds of other Earth Hour devotees.

It's a safe bet that few, if any, of Sydney's bicycle commuters go with penny farthings as their two-wheeler of choice. The outdated ride (popular in the 1870s) is most used these days for its retro value and the

Sydney sees cycling skyrocket as it implements its 2030 green city plan.

It's a thing of beauty but really expensive. Poll: Hütte or Nüts?

Hosed by this theory or greenwashed? Photo by Tony Stl via Flickr On ABC's 20/20 last Friday, Nathan Myhrvold, Microsoft's former chief technology officer, and founder/CEO of Intellectual Ventures (IV), resurrected the idea of stretching a 2-inch

Left: Ozone in Earth's stratosphere at an altitude of approximately 12 miles (20 kilometers) in mid-March 2011, near the peak of the 2011 Arctic ozone loss. Right: chlorine monoxide - the primary agent of chemical ozone destruction in the cold polar

Reducing CO2 emissions at the source, or better yet, not emitting them in the first place, is the better option.

The World Happiness Report 2015 takes a look at well-being for the good of social progress and public policy.

Who wins this year's crown of contentment? The results are in for the UN's World Happiness Report 2016.