The fashion industry is one of the planet's biggest polluters, responsible for 4% of global GHG emissions, and 35% of ocean microplastics. More than half of clothing relies on synthetics like polyester—cheap, fossil-fuel-derived fibers that shed microplastics with every wash. These tiny particles are choking marine ecosystems and entering the food chain. They contaminate seafood, drinking water, and even human blood and organs, raising risks of inflammation, hormonal disrupti

Construction accounts for nearly 40% of global GHG emissions, and the framing materials, typically wood or metal, play an outsized role in that footprint. They have trade-offs between embodied carbon, resource cycles, durability, and long-term environmental performance. Their sustainability stories unfold differently across stages, and the best choice depends on context, data, and lifecycle assessments.   Production and embodied carbon sit at the heart of the comparison. Wood

Steel manufacturing from raw materials to finished products represents one of the most energy-intensive industrial processes, accounting for 7–8% of GHG emissions. It begins with iron-ore extraction and proceeds through ironmaking, steelmaking, continuous casting, and hot, and sometimes, cold rolling. The final coils, sheets, plates, bars, or structural sections are then transported to downstream manufacturing facilities in various sectors.   Iron ore undergoes crushing, grin

One of the great hopes for a decarbonized electricity grid is the development and launch of immense numbers of small modular reactors (SMRs). For grid operators, nuclear power is a clean baseload power source, but legacy nuclear technology adds massive increments of power that are difficult to ramp up and down according to changes in demand. SMRs on the other hand can be built, and dispatch power, in small increments. Critically, they require a smaller investment for each add

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is a lower-carbon alternative to conventional jet fuel, produced from renewable or waste feedstocks, while meeting the same technical standards as jet fuel when blended. It requires no modifications to existing engines or fuel infrastructure and can be blended up to 50% with conventional fuel. The synthetic blending component is co-processed or blended at refineries or terminals, then distributed by pipelines, trucks, and airport hydrant system

Dallas-Fort Worth has poor air quality and 9 local counties are designated as a non-attainment zone under the Clean Air Act, meaning they exceeded limits of pollutants like ozone and are under scrutiny for its PM2.5 levels. The legal thresholds are lowered over time, going from 75 down to 70 ppb over 8 hours from 2008 to 2015. Under the new standard these counties are categorized as ‘serious’, meaning the situation needs to be addressed immediately.   These counties, through

The book printing industry has a very interesting sustainability story, defined by the consumers’ love of tradition, and a new age of technology and reader preferences. With the advent of digital formats, it’s surprising that printing volumes have remained stable and even risen. However, the average time spent reading and the number of books read per year has fallen, showing that readership is more concentrated among an avid group. This smaller group is made of individuals wh

Rubber is a critical component of the modern world. From tires in cars and airplanes, to gaskets and seals, to sneaker treads, the material has technical characteristics which make it exceptionally helpful to the global standard of living. However, the 30 million tons needed annually put strain on the natural environment because the product is without a technically equivalent and scalable substitute today. However, there are innovations driving down the impact of this materia

Healthcare is essential for human well-being, but it exerts significant environmental pressures that contribute to climate change, pollution, and resource depletion. These impacts arise from energy-intensive operations, supply chains, waste generation, and pharmaceuticals. The sector accounts for about 5% of global emissions, and 10% in some developed nations. This footprint exacerbates global challenges and indirectly harms public health, leading to an estimated loss of 388,

The Trinity River flows through the center of the City of Dallas and divides the downtown center from West Dallas, with the riverbanks providing little connection to the greenery, except for a few walking paths and trails. The infrastructure serves to transport vehicles across the river, and it's not built as a place to stay and engage the natural environment. However, that is changing with the Harold Simmons Park Project which broke ground in spring 2025 and is set to be com

In February 2021, Texas and the ERCOT grid were hit with Winter Storm Uri which brought severe freezing temperatures and substantial precipitation, including rain, sleet, snow and ice, and now Texas has passed through another deep freeze this weekend. In 2021, temperatures plunged to -2°F in some areas and killed at least 246 Texans. Electric grid infrastructure was not prepared for an event of this magnitude and length. 75% of the disruptions to service were caused by unplan

Our January 6 th article discussed the nature of price declines of emerging energy technologies. After a technology advances out of the initial stages, the theory of experience curves breaks down, and the technology becomes commoditized. The most recent Levelized Cost of Energy analysis from Lazard, demonstrates consistent early-stage declines in solar PV prices, followed by overall stability within a constrained range over the last 10 years.   Solar PV pricing history shows

A core challenge of EV adoption is the roll-out of public EV charging infrastructure. To jolt adoption, it’s critical that the process and system of charging is as similar to regular fueling as possible. By siting EV charging infrastructure at existing gas stations, the public is more likely to view ICE and EV vehicles as substitutes.   A gas-diesel-electricity fueling station model fits neatly into the public’s mindset about transportation. Monument pricing on the corner sho

The pace of the cost decline in the solar PV industry isn’t random. It tracks with a known pattern called an experience curve. An experience curve plots the per-unit cost of power against the total installed capacity. The amount of cost decline for every doubling of capacity, is called the learning rate, and it demonstrates how efficiently an industry makes progress in reducing prices. For example, between 1980 and 2003, the cost per watt of solar PV fell 18% with each doubli

In one of the US Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) most interesting articles of 2025, they publish that every US state from 2005 to 2023, had a decline in energy-sector carbon emissions per capita. The total weight fell by 20%, and when considering the 14% increase in population, they fell by 30% per capita. The reduction is attributed to emissions reductions in the electricity sector, specifically from switching from coal to natural gas generation, and additions of s

Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) offer a promising solution for clean, reliable baseload power amid rising electricity demand. We had the chance to speak with Ron Marinzel from X-energy on their XE-100 reactor, at Reuters Energy LIVE in Houston, TX. Key innovations include its passive safety design—relying solely on natural forces for shutdown—and TRISO fuel, featuring robust ceramic coatings that contain fission products and enable higher operating temperatures. TX Energy Buyer

Digital twins are transforming oil and gas operations by optimizing assets, reducing emissions, and enabling carbon capture and storage (CCS). We spoke with Nathan Leonard of Kongsberg Digital at Reuters Energy LIVE in Houston, TX, to discuss the opportunities and challenges. TX Energy Buyers: Easily Compare 100+ energy providers to get your best rate: ⁠⁠⁠ https://go.comparepower.com/orgel⁠⁠⁠ Follow ORGEL across multiple platforms: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ www.ORGEL.u

The 1973 oil crisis started a paradigm shift in the US regarding oil’s importance. Energy independence and security reemerged as critical goals of the country. To deal with the geopolitical issue and achieve energy independence, the US passed the Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards (CAFE) under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act. Feasibility studies are conducted by the NHTSA to determine the thresholds for CAFE standards, which require auto manufacturers to incremen

Natural gas has greater energy density and lower impact to the atmosphere compared to legacy fossil fuels like coal or liquid petroleum. The adoption of natural gas has helped to displace them as its cost has dropped due to the shale gas revolution that began in the Barnett Shale deposits near Ft. Worth, TX. Regarding its place in the energy system, natural gas appears to be a stepping-stone to ideal systems with even less impact. Environmental impacts occur in the extraction

Direct Air Capture, or “DAC”, is a technology that reduces the carbon dioxide concentration of the atmosphere. DAC works by pulling outdoor air into filtration machinery that chemically captures CO2 by combining it with a solvent, in one process, or physically trapping it with particle filters, in another process. In both, the captured CO2 is then heated and released in a concentrated form that can be sequestered into a permanent destination. The development, scale, and cost