In my early months in Istanbul, I had a Turkish teacher who could not get over the fact that I -- an American -- was not fat. "But I went to America and everyone was so

In the latest example of how tough life can be for would-be women cyclists around the world, the new police chief of the Iranian city of Esfahan has decreed it a crime for women to ride a bike

Wend magazine continues to bring together intriguing stories about human powered adventures from around the world. In the current issue, they inform us that in 2010 officials in Isfahan,

Smog-choked, traffic-clogged Tehran may seem an unlikely candidate for an environmental honor, but the Iranian capital's aggressive recent moves to improve its public-transit

From child labor in the cocoa industry to human rights issues in the oil industry, we've often reported on the intersect between environmentalism and social justice—but all too often environmentalism and human rights

An important, if short, cautionary tale on being dependent on any single foreign source of energy.

Dutch designer Benjamin Vermeulen solves the problem of the missing nut or screw.

They are supposed to be better for your health, but standing desks don't come cheap. This inexpensive flat-pack design for a portable unit can turn your existing office furniture into a standing desk.

Norwegian architect Marianne Borge is designing a series of them in different sizes.

There is a whole new line of furniture that you can build, just like the toy.

Kayak not included, but everything else a dorm room needs is.

It's like flatpack without the fasteners; you just bang it together with the big mallet that's harder to lose than an Allen key.

It's all over the news: IKEA does recall of MALM dressers for toppling over and killing children.

A new furniture line is designed to be affordable to buy and fast to assemble.

Besides looking lovely, all proceeds from this lamp will go to a project that is developing electricity-free lighting that is inspired by nature.

In stark contrast to other flat-pack furniture designs, Groovebox is meant to be as simple to put together as possible, with no fasteners, tools, or mammoth assembly instructions needed.

This flexible line of furniture is made for people who are on the move a lot, and need furniture that's easy to assemble and customize.

These pre-assembled pieces of furniture can fold completely flat, and when needed, are opened up into three-dimensional functionality.

IKEA had a choice to make it shallow and cheap or heavy and deep.

And it is all held together with sex bolts.

These designs from Leckie Studio and the Backcountry Hut Company are lovely to look at, but what are they really?

Edward Burtynsky's collection called Water documents the role water plays in ecosystems, energy, cultural practices and disasters.

Activists get one firm to agree to stop clearing Indonesian forests for paper plantations.

Polar bears re-brand a Shell refinery in Denmark.

Join the DETOX campaign to pressure the fashion industry to stop exposing our kids to hazardous chemicals and contaminating waterways.

The charity loses millions in rogue currency swap, just like the big boys.

Over the past three months, over a million people from all around the globe have contacted LEGO to ask them to drop their oil partnership.

Greenpeace has turned the global spotlight on Thai Union, the world's largest canned tuna producer and maker of Chicken of the Sea, for its horrific track record. Learn why you should boycott and what you can do to help.

While these chemicals continue to be the norm in the camping and mountaineering industries, there are some good alternatives.

It's good news... but we shouldn't be eating tuna at all.

Knowing where trash comes from is the first step in figuring out better, more sustainable solutions.

Working with nature instead of against it, forest gardens promise abundance, as well as the kind of resilience a changing climate demands.

Why would an engineer at Apple quit his job to design a product to help gardeners propagate plants?

Popup clothing store fits right in to a neighborhood in transition.

An annual water-monitoring report focuses on "contaminants of emerging concern."

Gabriel Metcalf asks "The waters are rising, and cities can’t move out of the way. Can we act decisively enough to avert catastrophic climate change?"

In which the City requires new buildings to go from 'solar ready' rooftops to solar actual.

The English town of Frome has seen a significant drop in emergency hospital admissions since it began connecting ill residents with volunteers and support groups.

The nations once renowned for their way of eating now have the highest childhood obesity rates in Europe.

Designed and built by architecture students, the proceeds of this lovely little home will go to help children's hospitals.

Scientists are concerned about how airports are conducive to the spread of disease.

The Outdoor Care Retreats let nature give a valuable boost in creating a respite from the sterile and stringent hospital environment.

Food is a powerful healer, which is why hospitals should reconsider how they feed patients.

The touring museum show 'Climate Change: The Threat to Life and A New Energy Future,' which wraps up its Istanbul run this weekend, is professionally put-together and well-intentioned, but flawed.

Don't let artist Agustina Woodgate -- who says stuffing is "like looking into the soul" -- near your favourite stuffed teddy bear.

Celebrated English painter David Hockney has turned to the iPad as his canvas -- embracing the latest technology despite his age.

From chard on a chair to tat soi in a suitcase, artist Jenna Spevack is cultivating a tasty variety of organic microgreens in her furniture farms -- and visitors to her upcoming gallery show will be able to reap the harvest.

"Brains: The Mind as Matter" at the Wellcome Collection features 150 objects including real brains, anatomical models and artworks, and more.

Pop-up gardens, urban farms, guerrilla bike lanes, examples of crowdsourced city planning, and other urban interventions will be the focus of the official U.S. Pavilion at the world's most prestigious architecture event.

The dumpster full of glowing garbage out front of Switzerland's Gewerbemuseum sets the stage for what's inside -- an art exhibition of works both poignant and comical, all made from discarded plastic bags.