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US Air Pollution Hits 10-year Low, Report Finds

A report by the American Lung Association finds that air pollution has fallen to its lowest levels since the group began collecting data in 2000. The nonprofit organization credits the Clean Air Act for the cleanup of major air pollution sources, such as coal-fired power plants and the fleet of older, dirtier trucks.

Main Street Comeback: How Independent Stores are Thriving

Despite behemoths like Starbucks and Amazon, the number of independent bookstores, coffeeshops, and other businesses is growing. At the annual Business Alliance for Local Living Economies conference, where more than 600 high-energy people strategized about the transition to a more localized, Main Street economy, I learned that independent retailers are thriving.

New York Passes Historic Green Jobs Financing Law

An innovative financing mechanism for achieving the green jobs and carbon cuts mandated in New York was passed last week by the state legislature. The Power NY Act funnels energy savings from individual electric bills to the cause of financing energy efficient retrofits on one million buildings and homes.

NYC to Replace Phone Booths with 10,000 Super-Fast Wi-Fi Kiosks

Beginning next year, New York will replace the city's pay phone booths with 10,000 new wi-fi kiosks that can connect 250 devices to the internet simultaneously. They will feature keypads to make calls on, charging stations and tablets with connecting speeds 20 times faster than the average home.

Once an Urban Landfill, Now a Rowing Paradise

Near the junction of the New Jersey Turnpike and Interstate 80, not far from the conga line of traffic grinding toward New York City, lies a body of water that was once a garbage dump, a murky soup of stinking refuse and plastic bottles. But after a recent renaissance, that body of water, Overpeck Creek, and the new park abutting it have become a destination for rowers from New York City.

Detroit and Banks Team Up to Lure Police Officers Back to City With Low Cost Homes

The city of Detroit and Bank of America have teamed up to solve three problems at once: By enticing cops to live in urban neighborhoods, offering them refurbished homes and low cost loans, houses standing empty will be inhabited, rather than vandalized, communities will feel more secure with law enforcement nearby, and urban property values and the city's tax base will be bolstered.

Hardware Store Recreates Van Gogh's Starry Night With Door Knobs

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.

One Million People Pack D.C. With Energy, Optimism

Spirits were high among hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic spectators flocking to Washington for Monday's inauguration, where they braved chilly temperatures and heavy security to witness the ceremonial start of President Obama's second term.