Moving Toward Sustainable Prosperity

With 27 billion condoms produced every year, it’s about time someone started making them sustainably

State of the World author, Kaarin Taipale, discusses innovative ways to make construction more sustainable

As climate negotiations were getting under way last week in Cancún, Mexico, I found myself some 6,600 kilometers to the south, in São Paulo, Brazil. [Read More...]

Recycling jobs are far from glamorous (and in fact are often dirty and undesirable). But they are as important to a greener economy as green architects, wind power engineers, or solar technicians. As community recyclers in the developing world suffer from the falling price of scrap materials, providing both short-term support and offering ways to bring the recyclers into the formal economy are essential.

Recycling helps to reduce waste and conserves precious resources. But recycling jobs are often dirty, low-paid, and undesirable—a far cry from the ideal of “green jobs.” Perhaps the most notorious example is ship dismantling. In poor countries like India and Bangladesh, it is often marked by environmental hazards, accidents, and poor working conditions. A new international convention brings some improvement, but the industry has a long way to go become green.