The food court at Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto used to generate 120 bags of garbage a day. Now it produces just three — despite the fact that it serves noodles, fried chicken, burgers and other fast foods to 24,000 customers a day. "It actually just goes to show the type of waste that is here in the food collection or after you finish your meal — how much of that is actual garbage," said Claire Santamaria, the mall's general manager.

The fight against single-use plastic has been gathering steam over the past months, but the Caribbean nation of Dominica has taken the crusade to another level. The island nation has announced its aim to completely ban common plastics and single-use Styrofoam cups and food containers -- effective January 2019. Announcing this intention in June's budget address, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said his government wanted to help preserve Dominica's famously beautiful natural landscape.

A major new study involving researchers from the University of York has measured a global shift towards more sustainable agricultural systems that provide environmental improvements at the same time as increases in food production. The study shows that the sustainable intensification of agriculture, a term that was once considered paradoxical, delivers considerable benefits to both farmers and the environment. The study, published in the leading journal Nature Sustainability, involved researchers from 17 universities and research institutes in the UK, USA, Sweden, Ethiopia and New Zealand.

In a year when climate change is moving from abstract theory to grimly tangible reality, a faint dot of hope may be on the horizon. China, the world’s largest source of planet-warming carbon emissions, may have hit the peak it promised in the Paris climate accord well before its 2030 timetable. That’s the conclusion reached by scientists who looked at the country’s estimated carbon output between 2007 and 2016, as the country’s rapid industrialization slowed and its consumption of coal declined. The research is published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

From cod to clingfilm, the advice we’re given can often be confusing. If you’re serious about eating green, here are some straightforward solutions

The turbines withstood some serious gusts.

Norway’s majestic fjords have become popular tourist attractions over the years. For example, more than 300.000 cruise passenger visited Geiranger last year and as a result of it, the local air pollution has become a periodical health hazard. Now the Norwegian Parliament has acted to halt emissions from cruise ships and ferries in the Norwegian world heritage fjords – making them zero-emission zones by 2026 where only electric ships will be able to go.

New research from North Carolina State University and the University of Colorado Boulder finds that steep declines in the use of coal for power generation over the past decade were caused largely by less expensive natural gas and the availability of wind energy – not by environmental regulations. “From 2008 to 2013, coal dropped from about 50 percent of U.S. power generation to around 30 percent,” says Harrison Fell, an associate professor of resource economics at NC State and co-lead author of a paper on the work.

Halogen lights will disappear from Australia within two years, as the industry and federal government pivot towards more efficient and environmentally-friendly LED lighting. A ban on halogen bulbs, which use four times the energy of LED globes, was announced last month at a meeting of state and federal environment ministers. The ban is to come into effect from September 2020 but the bulbs could start disappearing from retail stores in as little as 12 months, according to the industry’s peak body, Lighting Council Australia.

Starbucks plans to eliminate plastic straws globally by 2020. The coffee-shop giant announced Monday that it will use recyclable strawless lids and an alternative-material straw option in its more than 28,000 stores around the world. The move will eliminate more than one billion plastic straws per year from Starbucks stores, the company said.

There is high public support for using the tax system to reduce waste from single-use plastics, the Treasury says. A consultation on how taxes could tackle the rising problem and promote recycling attracted 162,000 responses. Treasury Minister Robert Jenrick said the government was looking at "smart, intelligent incentives" to get plastic producers to take responsibility.

Starting Thursday, Starbucks customers will have the option to save their planet - and their wallets - a dime at a time. The coffee giant is offering $1 plastic cups, which can be reused for drink purchases at a discount of ten cents.

Back in 2009, President Obama’s “Cash for Clunkers” program was supposed to be a boon for the environment and the economy. During a limited time, consumers could trade in an old gas-guzzling used car for up to $4,500 cash back towards the purchase of a fuel-efficient new car.

More than $100 billion is spent every year on bottled water globally.

Eco-friendly and green gift wrap can mean a lot of things, but for me, this means to reuse and recycle as much as possible.

Nestled among the granite peaks of eastern Hong Kong a new, man-made mountain is emerging.

Findings released by the scientists behind the study showed that annual premature deaths caused by particulate air pollution have increased six fold since 2000.

In The Wall Street Journal, Bjorn Lomborg writes that producing and charging electric cars means heavy carbon-dioxide emissions.

When we imagine the future of environmentally sustainable cities, it's common to depict them as forests of skyscrapers with, well, forests on them. But environmental writer Tim De Chant says that architects and futurists need to get real. Skyscrapers will never support trees. Here's why.

In prepping for Earth Day, we got to thinking about all the awesome ways you can repurpose materials that would normally be discarded. As we started searching for eco-chic inspiration, we came across a plethora of dresses, frocks, and gowns made from everything from plastic bags to candy wrappers. Here are 15 of our favorite “trashy” fashions.

Tesla’s making money, sales are up, and plug-in prices are coming down in a big way.

Who says mason jars are the only containers hot on the re-purposing scene? Bottles are where it’s at, especially after poppin’ bottles in the ice, like a blizzard.

The ongoing war between your desire to save money, save the earth, and save your house from dust and dirt can now end peacefully. Here are 6 all natural and all powerful cleaners that will cost you hardly anything, contain nothing toxic, and have incredible cleaning powers.

Global air pollution contributes to the premature deaths of more than 2 million adults each year, according to new research.

Guy decides to convert his "useless" lawn into a veggie garden that hosts a slew of vegetables from Carrots & Beats to Lettuce and Radishes. Although this may look great during the gardening season, I highly doubt it will look good during the "off season" months. I still have to say, his efforts are commendable.

With the heatwave sweeping the country, an urban air conditioning addiction is also on the rise. For those of us lucky enough to have it at work or at home, the generated air is an easy (if pricey) comfort that often leaves us avoiding the foreign realm of the outdoors. However, air conditioning wasn’t always there for us to fall back on so easily. Believe it or not, architecture can help us alleviate some of the heat.

A new book, "The End of Night," looks at light pollution's dangers and surprising ways to cut it back.

BMW has not released the car for test drives yet, but on paper it looks like it will be more agile than competitors like the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt.

The commercial features a montage of people camping and driving around in a Tesla Motors Inc (NASDASQ:TSLA) Model S. The video was directed by Keith Rivers. Rivers is also known for directing the Instagram video for Taco Bell, Microsoft’s “The World Is Ready,” and Alex Clare’s “Too Close.”

The world’s thirst for oil could be nearing a peak. That is bad news for producers, excellent for everyone else.

A family business in Polynesia shows how pearl oyster farming can benefit marine life.

A day at Richmond International Raceway with 43 Tesla owners pounding around the track in Roadsters and the Model S.

Japan’s solar energy market now leads the world, thanks to a new incentive policy, but an inadequate and disconnected grid stymies power flow across the island nation.

A recent study has suggested that sea levels could rise by up to 23 feet within 2,000 years if we don't drastically reduce emissions before 2100.

How much energy does it take to power your smartphone addiction? The average iPhone uses more energy than a midsize refrigerator, says a new paper by Mark Mills, CEO of Digital Power Group, a tech investment advisory.