One way to dismiss sustainability and any smidgen of corporate social responsibility is to shout the antiquated argument that we only have a choice between the economy and the environment. Xerox has shown that is not the case. Last year the company announced it was working on carbon neutrality; to that end, in the push…

Compared to other automobile manufacturers, BMW has been behind in electric car research and development. Considering the demographic to which BMW markets, the lack of such a move was surprising. Early adopters with plenty of pocket change are a compelling demographic for BMW.

Bottled water is a huge industry, and a profitable one. Last year it netted $10 billion in the US, but there are signs that the industry is slowing. Restaurants have turned away from pricey bottled water, and consumers have returned to tap water to save money. Nestlé is a huge player in the sector: its…

Gavin Conway, a writer for the UK’s Sunday times, recently set out for a country drive. Quite the drive, in fact: his drive ended up lasting three days, on a three-day trip that took him from Maidstone, Kent, to the south of France, and almost all of the way back, on one tank of diesel.…

Paris is a tourist destination of choice for many reasons. Thankfully, a convenient and extensive rail system allows one to navigate around the city. Of course, like many public transport systems, summer, and even other times of the year, can generate some body heat. Located on rue Beaubourg, close to the Rambuteau station, the building…

In late July we ran a story on the cork industry’s push to slow the momentum of synthetic alternatives to natural cork. American wineries’ use of cork has declined from 90% to 70% in recent years, and not just run-of-the-mill cheap table wine producers were switching from cork to aluminum or plastic.

If you are fairly diligent about recycling, do not buy a lot of junk or processed food, and barely toss any trash in your garbage bin, why should you pay the same rate as your neighbor whose bin is filled to capacity? Sanford residents implemented a trash metering system that requires residents to pay by…

Among the islands in the Eastern Caribbean, St. Lucia’s economy is performing comparatively well. The island, which is less than half the size of Los Angeles proper and is home to about 170,000, is diversifying its agricultural sector, has decent infrastructure, and has attracted investment in its manufacturing and banking sectors. Now this tiny nation…

In 1632, an English settler, John Tuttle, made his way across the pond to the New World. At that time there were only 100 European colonists in what would become the state of New Hampshire. King Charles I granted Tuttle a small land grant in this area. Tuttle felled trees and started a small farm.…

Many consumers have become comfortable with hybrid cars’ higher sticker price, figuring they will save money on gas in the long run. Now Ford is turning hybrid pricing on its head. Its 2011 Lincoln MKZ hybrid, upon this fall’s release, will have a sticker price identical to its twin that runs solely on gasoline. Ford…