Green Options

An order of Episcopalian nuns in New York City are setting a high bar for devoted ecoratti as they embark on a quest to build a new green convent. The new building will feature, solar heating and on-roof vegetable garden, rainwater collection and even compost toilets.

They’re probably drinking a lot of beer in Quqiao village, in Shaanxi Province, China.

Ma Yanjun, a carpenter, said he wanted his mother to be able to enjoy a comfortable shower anytime, and since a solar water heating system was too expensive, he devised a way to make one of his own.

Using only water-filled beer bottles and connecting hoses, Ma’s mother now has hot water on demand, and so do more than 20 other families [...]