More than $1 billion is headed to consumers and employers this summer from their insurance companies thanks to a part of the federal health law that requires a rebate from plans that don't spend at least 4 of every 5 premium dollars on medical care.
Vodafone is helping reunite families with loved ones in a refugee camp in Democratic Republic of Congo by providing free phone calls. Thanks to the humanitarian effort, nine-year-old Nirere was able to speak to her mother for the first time since they were separated 15 months ago.
Women in a refugee camp for Internally Displaced Persons in North Darfur receive English classes conducted by volunteer teachers and facilitated by the UN / African Union peacekeepers (UNAMID).
As Europeans continue to open their hearts and doors to refugees pouring into the EU, the prime minister has stepped up to offer his own home as shelter.
Perhaps we can take a lesson from the innovative entrepreneurs of India when it comes to recycling plastics. Alka is the inventor of a process that clears our environment of plastic waste, creates a million jobs in waste management, adds useful, profitable bi-products, like fuel, to our economy and makes India a technology leader in taming plastics.
The British branch of PepsiCo, the umbrella corporation that makes Tropicana, Quaker Oats, chips and soda, has made an ambitious promise to use 100 percent renewable energy by 2023. They're also shooting for zero landfill waste; packaging that is entirely renewable, recyclable, or compostable; and zero water intake at their main manufacturing sites.
Fly ash, a byproduct of coal-burning electric power plants, could save billions of dollars if used in the repairing of U.S. bridges and roads, scientists told a meeting of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim, Calif., Tuesday.
Would you bike to work or recycle more often if it meant you got free stuff at stores? Recyclebank offers rewards for recycling, and gives London commuters fresh incentives to walk or ride. Recyclebank has reached millions of people with its environmental social platform, awarding points that can be exchanged for deals and discounts at nearby stores.
You probably know already that you should recycle your old mobile phones, for a bunch of environmental reasons. But those phones stored in the back of your drawers or cupboards are actually worth cash money to you. Some phones can net you a few hundred bucks. Even older models can fetch $20 or so. Check out how to easily trade your phone for cash.
The Freecycle Network at Freecycle.org is a grassroots gifting network that — thanks to the sour economy and a growing commitment to the environment — has transformed into a global movement of millions who are offering and taking all manner of stuff.
An powerhouse alternative energy start-up is transforming the way North America manages organic materials, turning food and animal waste into renewable energy and other useful products at its plants in British Columbia, Ontario, California and throughout the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Northeastern states.
This week the Ford Motor Company announced impressive results in efforts to cut waste produced in its factories. Since 2007, the car company has slashed by 44 percent its global waste output -- a total of 100 million pounds. Expanding on the success, Ford plans to further reduce the amount of waste it sends to landfills by 10% per vehicle by the end of the year.
When two college students in Oakland discovered they could grow mushrooms in used coffee grounds, they started a company to recycle the waste from local cafes. Each morning the Back to the Roots team picks up 8,000 pounds of grounds in the back of a van and are on track this year to divert 3.5 million pounds of coffee grounds from landfills.
It's been almost three years since a grand experiment began in a dog park in Ithaca, N.Y., and the results are finally in. Dog dung poses public health risks if left on the streets, hurts the environment when left near trails and takes centuries to decompose in plastic garbage bags that end up in landfills. Now, the poop is being composted along with yard waste to produce valuable soil.
Everyone in the UK is being asked to clear out their drawers, wardrobes and cupboards - and take their excess clothing and accessories to the clothing retail chain TK Maxx anytime in April, to contribute towards the fight against kids' cancer. Since 2004, the annual campaign, Give up Clothes for Good, has raised a whopping £10 million, with hopes this year to raise an additional £2.5 million for Cancer Research UK.
Looking at a warehouse full of discontinued door knobs, the folks at Union Hardware in Maryland wondered what they could possibly do to put all those products to better use. So, in 2011 the third-generation, family-owned business began a project to bring to life Vincent Van Gogh's masterpiece Starry Night using the tools of the hardware trade -- door knobs, levers and plates.
German sportswear company Puma announced a range of biodegradable shoes and clothes on Monday, seeking to lead in protecting the environment as it tries to catch up with rivals Nike and Adidas in sales.
At the ripe old age of 12, Sam Klein is a dedicated CEO of his own recycling business. He collects empty printer ink cartridges from local businesses, keeping them from the landfills, while earning hundreds of dollars by sending them back to manufacturers. Even more impressive, Sam has given more than $1,000 to charity.