Public

"It's an old energy problem with a new solution: After decades of facing prohibitively high costs to install solar panels, Massachusetts residents will be able to lease the panels for a tiny fraction of their upfront cost."

Zebra mussels, which have caused an estimated $5 billion in damage to the Great Lakes, have been found in a Maryland tributary of Chesapeake Bay. If they spread, they could threaten the less-salty waters of the Bay.

"OSLO -- A rise in concentrations of a powerful greenhouse gas over the Arctic after a decade of stability is stirring worries about a possible thaw of vast stores trapped in permafrost, experts said."

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the climate bill approved Thursday by the House Energy Committee is 'not enough' to stem warming to the degree hoped for in the next climate treaty.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said he expected the eight committees with partial jurisdiction over the new House climate bill to act swiftly.

Some people are starting to weigh the environmental costs of caskets and other trappings of traditional funerals. And they have found alternatives.

"The Michigan Legislature may soon create a fund to loan schools money to build windmills, solar panels or other sources of alternative energy."

"Nearly 200 million acres of public lands, mostly in the West, could become prime generators of emissions-free electricity by extracting steam heat from the earth's core to drive electric turbines."

"For some of its beverages, The Coca-Cola Company is introducing a new type of plastic bottle made partially from plants."

"Gov. Chris Gregoire on Thursday ordered [Washington] state to reach agreement with its single largest polluter to cut greenhouse-gas emissions by half over the next 15 years."