Stories from Ruscena Wiederholt
Food + Farming
This Oregon Winery Wants to Make Refillable Bottles the Norm
The familiar glass bottle has dominated wine packaging for years, with little change and a hefty carbon footprint. Two Oregon companies are switching things up by going reusable.
February 20
Nature
The Long View: 20 Years of Sustainability in Motion
Growing Greenery: The Rise of Urban Green Space
Green space provides abundant advantages to urbanites, from cutting air pollution and managing heat islands to increasing physical activity. Planners in major cities like London, Singapore and Berlin are capitalizing on these benefits to improve quality of life for residents.
February 2
Food + Farming
From Salon to Soil: The Surprising Second Life of Hair Waste
Most of us don't think twice about where our trimmed hair ends up after the salon. These companies are bringing it to the farm.
January 23
Nature
Where Wine Meets Wildlife: Why Brassfield Estate Lets Animals Roam the Vineyard
The winery only uses a tenth of its 5,000 acres to grow grapes. The rest is left for the bears, deer and other California critters to enjoy.
January 16
Technology
Armored Air: Using Bubbles to Keep Plastic Pollution From Reaching the Sea
Can a curtain of bubbles really stop plastic pollution on its route to the oceans? The Great Bubble Barrier says yes.
January 12
Food + Farming
Loaf and Lager: The Climate Potential of Brewing With Bread
U.K.-based Toast Brewing brings a whole new meaning to liquid bread, incorporating surplus bread from bakeries and sandwich makers into every one of its beers.
December 12, 2025
Food + Farming
From Tank to Table: Lab-Grown Seafood Might Be Coming to a Menu Near You
Seafood company Wildtype just launched a sushi-grade salmon that's grown from salmon cells in a renovated microbrewery in San Francisco. It's already available in four U.S. states.
November 21, 2025
Food + Farming
Hooked on Sustainability: This Bangladesh Project Aims to Make Aquaculture Better for Farmers and the Planet
As aquaculture grows at a rapid pace, farmers in Bangladesh are testing whether growing multiple species together can make it more sustainable and economically viable.
November 13, 2025
Nature
A Shot At Survival: New Vaccine Brings Hope to Elephants Battling Deadly Disease
Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus, or EEHV, is a leading cause of death for young Asian elephants. Conservationists just developed a vaccine that could give the endangered species a fighting chance.
November 11, 2025
Nature
The Long View: 20 Years of Sustainability in Motion
Back from the Brink: Two Decades of Species Revival
Experts say we're in the middle of the sixth "mass extinction," with tens of thousands of animal species at risk of being wiped out, but it's not too late to do something. History shows us that when communities put concerted effort behind conservation, species can and do recover.
November 6, 2025
Food + Farming
How a 133-Year-Old Italian Winery Protects Its Vines and the Nature Around Them
As one of the oldest wineries in Italy, Coppo Winery has a long legacy to maintain. Continuing to do so means minimizing synthetic pesticide and fertilizer use.
October 17, 2025
Nature
Survival of the Fittest: AI Gives Mangrove Restoration a Boost in Kenya
Nature restoration platform Veritree and Kenya-based nonprofit EarthLungs Reforestation Foundation teamed up to restore mangrove forests. With the help of AI, they can ensure as many trees as possible survive the critical first five years of growth.
September 25, 2025
Food + Farming
No Waste, All Taste: Boulevard Brewing is Closing the Loop
Boulevard Brewing Company committed to going zero-landfill in 2006. By 2011, it removed all its dumpsters in favor of finding creative ways to reuse, recycle and compost its waste.
September 19, 2025
Food + Farming
California Winery J. Lohr Uncorks Sustainability
J. Lohr Vineyards and Wines has embraced the dry, hot climate of California's Central Coast since the 70s. Now, that climate inspires its sustainability efforts.
August 22, 2025
Nature
From the Coast to the Colony: Protecting Penguins in a Rapidly Changing World
The lovable, charismatic penguin is one of the most threatened groups of seabirds. Fortunately, they have allies like Global Penguin Society bringing together scientists, governments, local landowners, and tourists to help them bounce back.
July 18, 2025
Food + Farming
From Seed to Spirit: A Bourbon Distillery’s Homegrown Approach
Once a dairy farm, Jeptha Creed held on to its agricultural roots when it became a distillery. Now, growing its own ingredients is the center of its sustainability efforts.
July 11, 2025
Sponsored
Changing the Game: The Sports and Entertainment Sector Embraces the SDGs
Rhythms of Change: A More Sustainable Future for Music Festivals
Goldenvoice, the company behind music venues and festivals like Coachella, Stagecoach and Cali Vibes, is working to lighten up festivals’ environmental footprints. That includes donating more than 500,000 pounds of material from 2025 festivals so far.
June 13, 2025
Nature
Can a Lifetime Achievement Award Save the Great Barrier Reef?
The Great Barrier Reef just became the first non-human nomination for an award honoring those working toward sustainable solutions for climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and waste. Why nominate a reef?
June 10, 2025
Food + Farming
Vineyards with a Vision: How Italy's Wine Industry is Going Green
With a strong commitment to the environment at its core, a sustainable wine cooperative established in 1904 has grown to include nearly 1,600 winegrowers across Trentino, Italy.
June 6, 2025
Energy
From Sun to Stein: Solar-Powered Breweries Are the Sip of the Future
It takes a lot of energy to brew beer. With the help of 182 solar panels and geothermal energy, Blasty Bough Brewing Company shows how breweries can reduce their energy bills along with their environmental impact.
May 16, 2025
Food + Farming
From the Grapes to the Glass: New Zealand’s Sustainable Wine Industry
A sustainable wine certification program in New Zealand has reached 98 percent of the country's vineyard area. It's focused on reducing harmful impacts on people and the planet.
May 2, 2025
Food + Farming
Reeling in Responsibility: The Path to Sustainable Tuna Fisheries
Like many fish populations, several species of tuna faced steep declines over the past few decades. Thanks to regional management and other efforts to promote sustainable tuna fisheries, some are bouncing back.
April 14, 2025
Food + Farming
From Sugarcane to Cocktail: The Rise of Sustainable Rum
Kōloa Rum Company, a craft distiller on the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i, is putting sustainable rum on the menu. From sourcing ingredients to barrel aging, the company considers its environmental impact every step of the way.
April 11, 2025
Nature
These Bee Conservation Methods Start in the Forest
The forest may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about bees, but it's a crucial habitat for them. As the number of bees and trees decline worldwide, forest-forward conservation efforts offer benefits for both.
March 13, 2025
Food + Farming
How U.S. Soybean Farmers Are Making Their Fields More Sustainable
Soybeans exploded in popularity in the United States, but growing the crop comes with a host of environmental impacts. American soybean farmers are starting to do things differently, resulting in a much lower carbon footprint than many other soy-producing countries.
March 3, 2025
Nature
These Common Fishing Devices Cause Major Problems, But Researchers Are Working to Make Them Better
Fish aggregating devices are floating across the world's oceans, often entangling marine animals and polluting marine environments in their wake. Researchers at the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation started looking for a better option 10 years ago.
February 20, 2025
Food + Farming
Is Wine’s Future in a Can?
Wine's quintessential packaging is responsible for a large chunk of its carbon footprint. Some wineries are taking advantage of the growing demand for more sustainable wine to try out alternative options like cans and lighter-weight glass, but is it catching on?
January 27, 2025
Justice + Equality
Branching Out: The Digital Tool Promoting Tree Equity in Houston
Houston, Texas, has some of the most intense urban heat islands in the United States. Trees can help, but not everyone has access to these crucial plants. The Houston Tree Equity Score Analyzer aims to help the city solve that problem with maps and detailed data.
January 17, 2025
Nature
Blueprints of Biodiversity: Harnessing eDNA to Protect the Oceans
Sampling environmental DNA (eDNA) from the water of protected marine sites offers an easier and faster way to monitor biodiversity than traditional sight- or sound-based techniques. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization hopes its new method of doing so can aid global conservation efforts.
December 16, 2024
Nature
From Ocean to Table: Alaska Offers a Model for Sustainable Fishing
Alaska has set the bar for sustainable fisheries management, but much of its fish is shipped elsewhere. With a mission to accelerate the country’s transition to sustainable food systems, the Wild Alaskan Company is delivering more of Alaska’s fish to U.S. consumers.
December 6, 2024
Food + Farming
Digging Deeper: How Cover Crops Enhance Soil Health
Healthy soil is a limited resource, and new soil forms incredibly slowly. Some farmers are planting cover crops to protect their fields from erosion and reap the bounty of benefits they provide the soil.
December 5, 2024
Community Development
Showcasing Sustainable Solutions for Urban Life
Cities are major contributors to climate change, but they can be a part of the solution, too. The Smart City Expo World Congress brings together innovators from around the world focused on transforming cities into more sustainable and livable spaces.
November 19, 2024
Nature
Can Organic Cotton Restore the Amazon?
Farmers participating in the Brazilian company FarFarm's agroforestry project are growing organic cotton alongside trees, food and cash crops to restore the health of a slice of the Amazon rainforest. They sell the cotton to the French footwear company Veja, which turns it into sustainable sneakers.
November 8, 2024
Nature
Linking Local and Transnational Landscapes for Elephant Conservation
A research team and five countries are working together to understand, create and sustain the wildlife corridors critical to African elephant conservation.
October 28, 2024
Food + Farming
A Tough Nut to Crack: Kind Snacks Tackles Sustainability in Almond Orchards
After a year of progress, the Kind Almond Acres Initiative is expanding. The California-based pilot project is a part of the company's plan to source 100 percent of its almonds from farmers practicing regenerative agriculture by the end of the decade.
October 10, 2024
Technology
The Restor Platform Empowers Communities to Restore the Planet
Part social network, part marketplace, the open-access land restoration platform Restor helps local land stewards reach customers and investors for their products and services. The aim is to support climate change adaptation and mitigation by empowering those who are most vulnerable to its effects.
October 3, 2024
Nature
Laws Whiskey House is Promoting Water Conservation in Colorado
Water is a key ingredient in whiskey, but many distilleries are located in areas grappling with water shortages. Denver-based Laws Whiskey House is striving to make a difference with a new whiskey series dedicated to supporting water conservation efforts in nearby rivers, starting with the Colorado.
August 30, 2024
Food + Farming
Hybrid Grapes Are Paving the Way for Sustainable Vineyards
An astounding 70 percent of wine-producing regions are predicted to become unsuitable as global temperatures rise. Though often overlooked, hybrid grapes offer a path toward a more resilient, sustainable future for the industry.
July 12, 2024
Food + Farming
Shaking It Up: Shake Shack Embraces Carbon Neutral Milk
Shake Shack is using carbon neutral milk from Neutral Foods in its namesake milkshakes to reduce its carbon footprint. Meanwhile, Neutral is helping dairy farmers make sustainable changes with technical and financial assistance.
June 3, 2024
Food + Farming
Drink Up for the Planet: How Spirits, Beer and Wine are Going Green
Companies in the alcohol industry are turning to a myriad of novel methods to create more sustainable spirits, wines and beer. Going organic and upcycling food waste are just some of the ways they're reducing the environmental impact of their operations.
May 31, 2024
Sustainable Living
Beyond the Lawn: The Advantages of Cultivating Native Plants
Swapping the non-native turf that likely makes up your lawn for native plants and grasses is beneficial for wildlife, the environment and you.
May 6, 2024
Technology
Raising the Bar: Alcohol Giant Diageo Aims to Increase Glass Recycling
One of the world’s largest producers of beer and spirits is working with the Don't Trash Glass project to increase glass recycling in the U.S. — one bar, restaurant and local business at a time.
April 4, 2024
Sponsored
Avocados: The Farm-to-Table Journey of America’s Favorite Fruit
Growing Green: Managing An Eco-Friendly Avocado Nursery
In just 10 years, avocado exports to the U.S. from Mexico have more than doubled. One of the many nurseries across Mexico has set out to grow avocados more sustainably, setting an industry example from day one.
March 26, 2024
Sustainable Living
Vegging Out: What I Learned From Eating More Plant-Based Foods
The plant-based food industry is booming, and it's bringing foodie-approved vegan alternatives along with it. Plant-based products like cheese, yogurt and eggs are no longer a far stretch from the real thing. Here's what one of our writers learned from giving vegan a try more often.
February 27, 2024
Technology
The New Ocean Cleanup Crew: Seaweed-Sinking Robots
Seaweed Generation's robots collect and sink massive mats of Sargassum seaweed to prevent them from disrupting ecosystems and hurting tourism-dependent economies.
January 30, 2024
Food + Farming
Sustainability on Tap: Exploring the Organic Beer Market
Craft beer is booming in the United States, and organic options and environmentally-friendly brewing practices are growing in popularity alongside it. While organic still makes up a minority of beer sales, the segment is poised to take off.
January 5, 2024
Technology
Leather or Not? The Rise of Eco-Friendly Substitutes
The production of leather and plastic-based synthetic leather give rise to an array of environmental and social issues. Lately, a petroleum-free pearl is emerging from the muck: leather alternatives from inventive sources like cacti and invasive species.
December 19, 2023
Nature
Cultivating Conservation: The Interconnected World of Agriculture and Freshwater Mammals
Nearly a third of freshwater mammals are threatened, and their numbers are declining faster than other species. But we can help the beavers, minks and river dolphins of the world with changes in an unexpected area: agriculture.
October 26, 2023
Energy
A Spark from the Ashes: Ways to Prevent Wildfires
Wildfires are occurring more frequently and devouring more land. But education, mitigation, and early-detection tactics can benefit local environments while preventing future fires.
September 7, 2023
Sustainable Living
Can Kelp Save the Fashion Industry?
Yarn made from kelp comes with a significantly lower environmental footprint than other common fibers. Can this giant seaweed save the fashion industry? We spoke with a startup on the cutting edge of kelp-based fabric development to find out.
August 17, 2023
Energy
Seven Clean Seas Tackles the Massive World of Plastic Pollution
A growing pool of innovators are focused on cleaning up the rivers of plastic pollution flowing into the world’s oceans, including those behind the social enterprise Seven Clean Seas. Based in Southeast Asia, it’s built a business around environmental cleanup, social responsibility and the circular economy.
August 14, 2023
Sustainable Living
Vodka Martinis Go Green: Distillery 98 is a Trendsetter for Sustainable Spirits
The footprint of America’s annual vodka consumption is equivalent to burning up to 2.96 billion pounds of coal. But it turns out, you can have your sustainable cocktail and drink it, too. Distillery 98 produces small-batch vodka with a healthy pour of environmental responsibility, priding itself on using local ingredients and minimizing environmental impact.
August 4, 2023
Energy
A Flitter of Hope: How Companies Can Protect Monarch Butterflies
Along with many other insects, monarch butterflies are disappearing. But it's not too late to save this beloved bug from extinction, experts say. Here's how companies can get involved, from planting pollinator gardens to reducing pesticides in agriculture.
June 27, 2023
Technology
Preserving Coral Reefs Through the Power of Listening (and a Little Help From AI)
Launched by Google and marine biologists Steve Simpson and Mary Shodipo, this citizen-science projects aims to combine the collective power of everyday people with the computing might of artificial intelligence to understand — and restore — coral reefs.
April 25, 2023
Energy
Protecting the Watery Routes of Whales
Whales can travel thousands of miles between feeding and breeding grounds in migratory routes known as blue corridors, but they face considerable risk outside of protected areas. Protecting their passageways is imperative to maintaining and restoring many whale species.
March 20, 2023
Energy
How the Wondrous Whale Benefits the Global Economy
Whales provide a host of benefits to marine ecosystems, people and the global economy, but they remain under threat. Here we take a closer look at how whales shape our world and innovative systems to protect them, from cetacean carbon credits to slower shipping speeds.
February 13, 2023
Sustainable Living
Eating your Vegetables: The Power of a Vegan Diet
Vegan blogger Toni Okamoto is releasing a new cookbook soon — her work offers a reminder why going plant-based is good for one's health and the economy.
January 5, 2023
Energy
Can Seagrasses Fight Global Warming and Spur Sustainable Development?
Understated and underrated for their value as ecosystems, seagrasses are an effective carbon sink and have important economic benefits as well.
November 17, 2022
Energy
The Price of Plummeting Wildlife Populations
Wildlife populations have dropped by almost 70 percent since 1970, the equivalent of hundreds of billions of dollars in economic losses annually.
October 24, 2022
Energy
The Rapidly Shrinking Riches of the Amazon
If left standing, the Amazon rainforest is worth over $8.2 billion per year. Yet Brazil has continued to open the Amazon to industry, clearing an area nearly the size of Connecticut from 2020 to 2021 alone. Can business make a difference?
September 26, 2022
Energy
Rising Seas Threaten Coastal Wetlands — and Local Economies
The loss of coastal wetlands harms communities and local economies — especially in an ever-hotter world — to the tune of millions of dollars annually.
August 15, 2022