Special Report

Our Sustainable Future

A hub dedicated to the latest on how global change affects life on Earth today and on what solutions scientists, including those at the Smithsonian, are researching to build a more sustainable planet

Hiroshi Watanabe/Getty Images

Dairy farms like this one run by the Barstow family in Hadley, Massachusetts, make smart use of a substance cows produce in abundance.

How Dairy Farmers Are Turning Manure Into Money

Cacao growing on a tree at Zorzal Cacao, the first farm certified by Smithsonian's new Bird Friendly cocoa program.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Why Buying ‘Bird Friendly Cocoa’ Is a Sweet Deal

WATCH

What Does It Mean to Live on a Sustainable Planet?

Sustainability at the Smithsonian

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Harnessing the Wisdom of Indigenous Communities for Marine Conservation

A swarm of yellow fish and silver fish with yellow tailfins swim around a coral reef

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

Adult Fish Aren't Truly 'Protected' in Many Marine Protected Areas

Kristen Goodhue

American bison

Six Animals the Smithsonian Has Helped Save From Extinction

Ben Marcus

Black monkey perches in a tree staring directly at camera

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

Eight Weird and Wondrous Discoveries From 2023

Kristen Goodhue

Underwater photo of a pink and gold coral reef in bright blue water, with small blue and yellow fish. A blurry reflection of the reef appears in the water at the top of the photo.

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

New Study Reveals Large Holes In America’s Ocean Protection. Here’s How We Can Fix Them.

Kristen Goodhue

Joshua Tewksbury

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Why the World Needs a Standard Measure for Counting Carbon

Joshua Tewksbury

a collage of four images of educators; one is holding a blue crab, one is holding a bullfrog at night, one is taking a picture of an oyster basket, one is holding a crab with large plastic tweezers by the side of a river

Smithsonian Education

Educators from Across the Country Convene on the Chesapeake Bay with a Network of Fellow 'Earth Optimists'

Jennifer Brundage

Sustainability News From Smithsonian Magazine

The Nesjavellir Geothermal Power Station. Geothermal power has long been popular in volcanic countries like Iceland, where hot water bubbles from the ground.

Is Geothermal Power Heating Up as an Energy Source?

Katarina Zimmer, Knowable Magazine

Workers install solar panels on the roof of King's College Chapel in Cambridge, England.

How King's College Added 438 Solar Panels to a 500-Year-Old Chapel

Julia Binswanger

The Aria Resort & Casino, a striking pair of curved buildings on the Las Vegas Strip, bills itself as eco-friendly and water-efficient.

Las Vegas Is Going All In on Its Water Conservation Plan

Text by Daniel Rothberg
Photographs by Pete McBride

Minerals and algae form patterns in the scalding hot water at Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park's Midway Geyser Basin. Yellowstone National Park has more than 10,000 thermal features, making it the largest concentration of active geysers in the world.

How a Microbe From Yellowstone's Hot Springs Could Help Feed the World

One potential tool to combat the growing affordable housing problem, which the National Low Income Housing Coalition says has grown to a need for more than 7 million homes, is 3D printing.

Can 3D Printing Help Address the Affordable Housing Crisis in the United States?

Climate Change News

A coal-fired power plant in Germany, which derives about 27 percent of its national electricity from coal.

Seven Major Nations Agree to Phase Out Coal by 2035, Though Vague Language Leaves Wiggle Room

Christian Thorsberg

While penguins have feathers that shield their skin from radiation, their eyes remain unprotected. Increased ultraviolet radiation exposure could also have harmful effects for Antarctic organisms like seals, krill and plankton, per a new paper.

Antarctica's Ozone Hole Is Persisting Later Into the Year, Raising Concerns for Wildlife

Ruben Soto (right), a migrant from Venezuela, sits with Rosa Bello, a Honduran migrant, on top of a freight train known as “The Beast.” Ruben and Rosa met in Mexico and fell in love on their way to the United States.

See 25 Astonishing Images From the World Press Photo Contest

Piles of coal sit in front of a power plant in Utah. Such coal-fired power plants emit greenhouse gases that drive climate change.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

What Myths About the Anthropocene Get Wrong

Jan A. Zalasiewicz, Scott L. Wing and the Anthropocene Working Group

Bleached corals in the Great Barrier Reef during a previous mass bleaching event.

The World's Fourth Mass Coral Bleaching Event Is Underway—and It Could Become the Worst One Yet

Christian Thorsberg

Climbers collect garbage from Mount Everest in 2020. In recent years, officials have implemented new regulations to help reduce trash on the mountain.

The Nepali Army Is Removing Trash and Bodies From Mount Everest

Workers install solar panels on the roof of King's College Chapel in Cambridge, England.

How King's College Added 438 Solar Panels to a 500-Year-Old Chapel

Julia Binswanger