A recent study from Finland on the carbon footprint of food can help producers and consumers make choices that lower the food chain’s impact on climate change, by highlighting hotspots in the food chain for improvement and revealing food’s overall impact.

The majority of respondents to a UK survey would like to see labels explaining the carbon footprint of the food they buy. 72% of the supermarket shoppers questioned were in favour of carbon labels on food. The survey also found that 42% had changed their shopping habits in the last 10 years in response to environmental concerns.

Despite better public transport and more energy-efficient housing, city dwellers have a larger carbon footprint than those in rural areas, according to a recent Finnish study. This is partly explained by the phenomenon of ‘parallel consumption’ in which people extend their living space by using services that the home also provides.

A measure of ‘chemical footprint’ is being developed by researchers to assess the environmental impacts of the toxic chemicals released by the production and consumption of goods. The methodology, based on life cycle and risk assessment, is also designed to be linked to the resilience of ecosystems to chemical exposure.

Increases in global energy requirements could lead to a rise in the energy sector's water footprint of up to 66% in the next 20 years, new research suggests. As part of a sustainable future, any energy mix must enable a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, some renewable sources, such as biofuels and large-scale hydropower, have large water footprints, a factor which must also be considered in energy policies, the researchers say.

The carbon footprint of food waste should be taken into account alongside the the weight of food wasted, says a new study. The research examined three years of food waste data from six branches of a Swedish supermarket and calculated the waste’s carbon footprint. On the basis of their footprint, key products that could be targeted for waste reduction include beef mince, meatballs and cream, the results suggest.

Food packaging waste is currently under scrutiny. In the context of its Circular Economy Action Plan, the EU is addressing this through, among others, its Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) initiative , which aims to enhance the reliability of environmental claims — both in a business-to-consumer and in a business-to-business context. The initiative aims, therefore, to boost the market of green and circular products. However, a review of the methods available for assessing the environmental sustainability of packaging now highlights the difficulty of clearly characterising packaging's environmental impact. The study suggests a new, fully quantifiable framework that could help to standardise assessment methods and bring 'environmental footprint labelling' to fruition.

Desktop three-dimensional (3D) printers, available for use in offices and homes, can release between 20 and 200 billion ultra-fine particles (UFPs) per minute, finds new research. UFPs may pose a risk to health, and the study’s authors recommend caution when operating 3D printers inside unventilated or unfiltered indoor environments.

A nanoscale 3D printing technique could be useful for nanomanufacturing processes with environmental applications. The authors of a new study have found a way to control their printing process by incorporating a simple pattern into the printing surface. They say their technique could reduce costs for nanoscale printing.

To better understand the social and ecological implications of the non- food sector of the EU’s expanding bioeconomy, an economy which is based on the production and conversion of renewable biological resources into products and energy, a study has assessed the global cropland footprint of the region’s non-food products. The results show that the EU was the world’s biggest consumer and importer of these products from 1995 to 2010: two-thirds of the cropland required to satisfy the EU’s non-food consumption is located elsewhere in regions including China, the USA and Indonesia, bringing potential impacts for distant ecosystems. These findings can inform EU policymaking and support the EU Bioeconomy Strategy.

A new study has analysed how to reduce the environmental footprint of EU trade by preferentially importing goods from countries that have greener production processes. The study concludes that the environmental impacts of 200 product groups imported into the EU could be considerably reduced in this way. For example, water consumption caused by these imports could be cut by 72%, and land use by 65%.

Carbon footprints are an established means of communicating one aspect of a product's environmental impact. New research suggests additional 'nitrogen footprints' for food products could give consumers a more informed choice and help reduce eutrophication in water. However, it warns that there are environmental trade-offs for some food groups, for example, oil products have a small nitrogen footprint, but a fairly large carbon footprint.

Reservoirs of water stored under the earth’s surface, otherwise known as groundwater, are a valuable resource. However, using a footprinting method, a new global study has indicated that about 1.7 billion people live in areas where groundwater is being used more quickly than it can be replenished.

Initial batches have been supplied in Chennai, while some were in the process of being scaled up towards mass production for use in hospitals and clinics across the country.

Trawling can disturb the seabed, impacting habitats and biodiversity. Results from a new study in the North Sea have shown that changes in the distribution of trawling activity – the result of fishers' choices among fishing grounds and the effects of fisheries' regulations - have greater implications for the overall state of seabed habitat than the protection that might be provided by proposed Marine Protected Areas.

The concept of the Ecological Footprint can be used to illustrate the balance between the use of a natural resource or an ecological service and its availability. According to a new study, the Ecological Footprint could be valuable as an indicator to help track progress towards the goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Environmental specimen banks (ESBs) first emerged in the 1960s and are now essential to environmental management across the globe. ESBs sample and archive environmental specimens and can be used to identify the distributions of chemicals within ecosystems and trace their exposure over time. This study uses the German ESB to illustrate their potential for chemicals monitoring in the EU.

A methodology for assessing ‘chemical footprints’ has been developed by researchers to evaluate human pressures and the impact of chemicals released by the production and consumption of goods. The study integrates a life-cycle approach with different methodologies, such as those developed in the context of environmental risk assessment and sustainability science, with the aim of assessing the extent to which chemicals impact on ecosystems beyond their ability to recover (i.e. surpass planetary boundaries).

New research has estimated the global footprint of emissions from commercial aircraft. In 2006 nearly 190 million tonnes of fuel were burnt and 162 million tonnes of carbon from CO2 were emitted. The vast majority of the fuel was burned in the Northern hemisphere and half the emissions were over the US, Europe and East Asia.

The long-anticipated Sprint/T-Mobile merger finally appears to be a reality. The Department of Justice approved the $26 billion deal today. There is still a lot to be learned about the merger, including how it might impact Kansas City. The biggest blow may be to our civic pride. It’s always hard to lose the headquarters of […]

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A group of researchers at Cornell University finds that natural gas may not be as clean as originally thought.

Preserved human footprints in the White Sands National Monument give us insights into early humans' hunting practices of giant ground sloths.

A 2017 study published in Environmental Research Letters offers a number of ways to reduce your carbon emissions, and having fewer kids topped the list.

Sprint customers can get instant credit on their phone bills by recycling old phones at local stores.

Five years later, scientists may have finally found up to 10 million gallons of missing oil from the 2010 BP spill.

Free printable coupons plus recipe ideas to use them to make cooking at home a little easier.

In a new world of digital fabrication, computer-driven tools of all kinds will change the way we make things.

When fingerprints fail, a map of your brainwaves could help keep your cyberworld safe.

Paper can be reprinted up to 80 times, greatly reducing the waste associated with inkjet printing.

Tomorrow's homeowners may print out everything from utensils to furniture with 3D printers — and they may not even need to buy raw materials. Instead, they co

When you can’t properly chew or shallow, eating can be a chore, but specialty created food can help.

Amazon continues to look for new ways to deliver things to customers even faster.

Not that you need a reminder, but the high season of heat cranking and thermostat tweaking is upon us. Energy Star shares a few basics on how to reduce home hea

Having conquered both the moon and Cupertino, Sir Norman Foster eyes the Red Planet.

Housing charity New Story teams with 3-D printing startup ICON to fabricate 100 affordable and innovative abodes in El Salvador.

UC Davis vets and engineers designed a mask and cast exclusively for Loca, a Staffordshire bull terrier severely injured by another dog.

A great pied hornbill at Jurong Bird Park developed cancer, and doctors used 3D printing to make a prosthetic casque for it.

Tree-friendly book lovers rejoice by planting trees for each book read.

Green Shipping lets businesses and individuals measure and offset the CO2 emissions of packages when using UPS, FedEx or the U.S. Postal Service.

Which form of travel gives off the fewest emissions? Let's just say it pays to carpool.

Local Motors uses tech, crowdsourcing and design contests to create tomorrow's autos today.

SwimCity is a housing concept for young Swedes who don't mind donning goggles or hopping in a canoe as part of their commute.

A solar-powered home that can charge a car is one thing. But what if power flowed the other way, as well?

A lawn can be both kinds of green: eco-friendly and lush.

MNN's lifestyle blogger calculates out the daily carbon footprint of her email inbox.

Crew of the F/V Kodiak partners with EcoEmissions to burn fuel more efficiently and reduce pollution.

How do you convene a large group of people to share and learn important information and interact socially without causing a negative impact on the environment?

Roughly 20 million Americans work from home on at least a semi-regular basis. Here's how telecommuting is impressive dent in carbon emissions — and what you

Quick, somebody get Rudolph some Rolaids. Along with the methane emissions generated by a fleet of airborne tundra reindeer, take a gander at other contributor