It doesn't sound too pleasant, but sewage can be a great source of heating and cooling for municipal buildings.

Not many people realize it, but it's legal (and cheap!) to handle a funeral yourself.

In a world where almost everything we do has an impact, it's hard to know where to even start.

Electric vehicles are better for the planet, but they've thrown new kinks into our social norms and interactions.

Autonomous vehicles may save consumers money in the future, but our cars mean more to us than simple economics.

We can't shield kids from the subject of death, so be prepared with some answers.

With hollow dead trees and masonry chimneys disappearing fast, chimney swifts need all the help they can get. These fake chimneys can help them.

There's a hierarchy of survival skills that are appropriate for children.

An initiative from Terracycle called Loop creates returnable, reusable packaging for common consumer items.

In honor of Women's History Month, Enviva honors and highlight the achievements of 3 remarkable female foresters.

A century-old iron ship called 'Niagara scow' has moved 150 feet closer to the edge of Niagara Falls

Ex-soldiers are joining the fight to save rhinos against poachers in S. Africa and beating back their own personal demons at the same time.

A descendant of the Newton Tree lives a private, unassuming life in California.

Part cultural icon and part invasive nuisance, tumbleweeds have an intriguing and tangled history.

These are the fee-free days for national parks, wildlife refuges, national forests and more protected wilderness areas for 2020.

See how the machines are making work safer at one Georgia-Pacific plant in Crossett, Ark.

Ecuador has become the first to build a "quiet park," a lush stretch of land straddling the Zabalo River where silence is protected.

On the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the planet and a pandemic are showing us what's possible.

The Florida Aquarium has discovered how ridged coral reproduce, which had previously been a mystery.

Green spaces are incorporated into urban planning in Curridabat, a suburb to San Jose, Costa Rica.

The bottlenose dolphin decided to raise a melon-headed whale calf in addition to her own daughter.

The blue-tailed skink of Christmas Island may be extinct in the wild, but scientists have a plan to bring it back.

The Kirtland's warbler was nearly extinct in the 1970s, but now the bird has recovered and is coming off the endangered species list.

The endangered ghost orchid lives up to its name in several ways.

Rescuers are racing to save koalas as a barrage of bushfires roar across the country.

A program in Colorado's Delta County aims to ensure a brighter future for the next generation.

The eruption killed 17 people and severely burned many survivors.

The black rhino calf appears healthy and is nursing regularly, according to zoo officials.

Researchers hope to help humans borrow some secrets of bear biology.

And why a zoo is asking the public to help capture them.

The move would weaken the century-old Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Think you know about these mysterious creatures of the deep? Think again. Take our shark quiz and test your knowledge.

Chuck Leavell and his famous friends Mike Mills, John Bell and Paul Riddle play a rollicking set at the White House Correspondents' Jam.

A small woodpecker lands on a cabbie's door and gets a warm guided tour of the Windy City.

MNN's Chuck Leavell hosts The Bacon Brothers and journalists-turned-musicians for the White House Correspondents' Jam.

An award-winning photographer casts his lens on one of the most surreal natural landscapes in North America that just recently became a national park.

Prepare to be a little freaked out and then rush to your refrigerator to try this method of eating an apple for yourself.

Chicken's always the scapegoat, but there are other suprising sources of salmonella. Here are other foods that can harbor the bacteria and how to avoid it.

Mooncakes are a traditional part of the Mid-Autumn Chinese festival. But there's more to the legend of this pricey pastry.

Backyard chickens have been linked to salmonella outbreaks, in part because some owners are getting too cozy with their feathered friends.

You probably have several of these items that contain plastic in your home right now. Here's how to avoid them.

Rotisserie chickens are convenient, but there are reasons you may want to save them for emergency chicken needs only.

A cup of coffee gives you caffeine, but what does it take away?

Sometimes in life, it's hard to stay on task. That's where procrastibaking comes in. We have recipes.

The U.S. and China are forming an uneasy alliance as the world warms and a U.N. climate conference looms.

Hybrid sales are down, but federal efficiency rules could fuel a comeback.

Cities are already more energy-efficient than rural areas, but they'll still need to improve as their populations swell.

Despite being phased out of many products, mercury still lurks in our homes.

Most Americans live in urban areas, forming huge hot spots of energy consumption. But while rural residents use less energy overall, cities are often slicker ab

Overfishing sent many U.S. fisheries into free fall last century. Can a new focus on sustainability save fish and fishermen from going extinct?