Recent News

The Bloomberg administration is set to commit $2.4 billion in public and private investment to applying new environmental technology to an old problem: the flow of untreated sewage and storm water into New York City’s waterways.

City officials announced on Wednesday that the State Department of Environmental Conservation had tentatively assented to a proposal by the city to introduce infrastructure to retain storm water before it reaches the sewer system and overloads it.

The approach reflects a shift from traditional sewage-control methods Read More >

The University of Maryland won this year’s Solar Decathlon competition by engineering a net zero-energy house and making water conservation central to its form and function.

The Department of Energy announced Saturday that Maryland won the DOE-sponsored university competition to build the most compelling solar-powered house. Each of the 20 team participants is judged on 10 different factors, including architecture, affordability, and market appeal. (See Solar Decathlon coverage from 2009 and 2007.)

In a speech on Saturday, Energy Read More >

Texas Tech University researchers are part of a water conservation team that has received $500,000 from the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The Conservation Innovation Grant provides three years of funding to support a large-scale demonstration effort in the South Plains and northern Panhandle.

The project also includes experts from the North Plains Groundwater Conservation District, High Plains Underground Water Conservation District, Texas Alliance for Water Conservation and Texas AgriLife Extension.

Texas Tech’s role in the project lies with its seven-year relationship with Read More >

Drip irrigation can save up to 50 percent on your outside water usage. Water applied using drip irrigation is applied more slowly than other methods, such as overhead spray and hand-watering.  The water is absorbed into the soil rather than running off onto sidewalks and ultimately into storm drains. Drip irrigation is great for watering on slopes because it does not contribute to erosion due to the slow application of water directed toward the roots of the plants.  Drip irrigation Read More >