Special Report

Our Sustainable Future

A hub dedicated to the latest on how global change affects life on Earth today and on what solutions scientists, including those at the Smithsonian, are researching to build a more sustainable planet

Hiroshi Watanabe/Getty Images

Dairy farms like this one run by the Barstow family in Hadley, Massachusetts, make smart use of a substance cows produce in abundance.

How Dairy Farmers Are Turning Manure Into Money

Cacao growing on a tree at Zorzal Cacao, the first farm certified by Smithsonian's new Bird Friendly cocoa program.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Why Buying ‘Bird Friendly Cocoa’ Is a Sweet Deal

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WATCH

What Does It Mean to Live on a Sustainable Planet?

Sustainability at the Smithsonian

a collage of four images of educators; one is holding a blue crab, one is holding a bullfrog at night, one is taking a picture of an oyster basket, one is holding a crab with large plastic tweezers by the side of a river

Smithsonian Education

Educators from Across the Country Convene on the Chesapeake Bay with a Network of Fellow 'Earth Optimists'

Jennifer Brundage

Dr. Ruth Bennett holding Summer Tanager

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Drink Coffee, Eat Chocolate, Save Birds!

Your IMPACT | Your Smithsonian

Air, Land and Sea: New Tools for Resilience

Abigail Pocasangre , Elise Walter & Julia Ross

Four key actions

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

The Key to Ocean Conservation May Lie with the Tropical Majority

Starting a Summer of Sustainability

Sarah Grace Wheedleton

Even tiny organisms can have a large effect.

Meet Some Small Creatures That Have Big Impacts on Our Ecosystems

Sarah Grace Wheedleton

5 Creative Approaches to Science and Sustainability

Sarah Grace Wheedleton

Sustainability News From Smithsonian Magazine

Evolyn aims to launch a new rail service between London's St. Pancras International station and Paris' Gare du Nord station.

New High-Speed Rail Service Between London and Paris Is Coming in 2025

Could this innovation provide a solution to one of our era’s biggest scourges?

Scientists Have Created Synthetic Sponges That Soak Up Microplastics

Chris Baraniuk, Hakai Magazine

Consumer products made from carbon capture can't undo the damage we’ve done to our planet—but each of them exists thanks to innovations that could.

Little Luxuries Made With Captured Pollution Hint at Big Frontiers in Climate Science

A train in Austria displays an ad for the Klimaticket.

Austria Offers Free Rail Travel in Exchange for Getting a Tattoo

Christopher Parker

House Between Forest and Field in Dutchess County, New York, was designed by nARCHITECTS, the winner of this year's National Design Award for architecture.

Meet the Innovative Winners of This Year's National Design Awards

Teresa Nowakowski

Climate Change News

The number of African elephants, which are endangered, has been declining in recent years due to factors including habitat loss and poaching. A new study identifies a bacterium that could also continue to pose a threat to the elephants.

Bacteria to Blame for Elephant Deaths in Zimbabwe

The aftermath of a multi-vehicle pileup on I-55 on Oct. 23, 2023 that occured because "super fog" lowered visibility.

Dense 'Super Fog' Causes Deadly Car Crashes in Louisiana

Margaret Osborne

By 2030, coal production is projected to rise to 460 percent above what’s consistent with limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Fossil Fuel Production on Track to Increase Despite Climate Promises, Report Finds

Margaret Osborne

Cheetahs may give up their prey to a larger predator, such as a lion or leopard, if one comes along while they are eating.

Cheetahs Become More Nocturnal in Extreme Heat, Study Finds

Two Just Stop Oil protesters after smashing the glass protecting Rokeby Venus at London’s National Gallery

Climate Activists Hammer at Glass Protecting Velázquez's 'Rokeby Venus'

Julia Binswanger

Wildfires have smashed records this year in Canada, scorching more than 40 million acres in the country.

Earth Is Entering 'Uncharted Territory' Because of Climate Change, New Report Warns

Margaret Osborne

Atlantic salmon spend most of their lives in the cool waters of the ocean. When they venture upstream in freshwater rivers to spawn, however, they encounter challenging warmer waters.

Engineers Create 'Air Conditioning' for Salmon With Chilled Patches of River Water