Environment | The Ferris Files

Will Economic Growth Destroy the Environment — or Save It?

This afternoon I fly to Lubbock, a town at the base of the Texas panhandle, for the annual meeting of the Society of Environmental Journalists. The conference is one of the professional highlights of the year because I get informed on the burning issues and get to huddle with really smart reporters. This year it is even more special because I am moderating my first-ever conference session. The topic: “Will Economic Growth Destroy the Environment — or Save It?” […]

Oregon Takes Wave Power to the Next Level

Last week found me in Oregon, hanging out with inventors and entrepreneurs who are focused on one goal: Turning the massive waves of the Pacific Ocean into a reliable and clean form of electricity. […]

Dyeing Sports Clothes Without a Drop of Water

During the Olympics, sportswear giants Adidas and Nike made simultaneous announcements of a new dyeing process that uses carbon dioxide instead of water. Though few noted it at the time, this development is a very big deal. […]

The Great Weight of Asia’s Megacities

A “megacity” is a metropolis of 10 million souls or more. Back in 1950, the world had exactly two: Tokyo and New York. As of 2010, the world had 23 megacities, with 12 of them located in Asia. By 2025, according to the U.N., that number may rise to 37, with 21 of them being in Asia. How are countries like China and India adjusting to such an epic migration? […]

New Forbes Post: The Sun-Powered Spy Drone

As “green” technology finds its way into more parts of our society, it is starting to be bent toward all sorts of ends — like spying on people. I just posted a story on Forbes about the Silent Falcon, a new robot drone that vastly increases its flight time with wings carpeted in solar panels. […]

Learning to Whitewater Kayak on the Potomac

The East Coast isn’t know for its heart-pumping outdoor adventure sports, but whitewater kayaking is something that Washington, D.C. does very well. In this story, I explain a foray into whitewater kayaking in a way that I hope is both amusing and instructive. […]

A Controversial Post: Can Tidal Power Create Enough Jobs to Save a Dying Town?

A post I wrote for Forbes about tidal power in Maine has generated some controversy among the people of Eastport. […]

Making Your Home More Efficient with Psychedelic Photos

Image credit: Essess

Essess is a Boston company that plans to drive by your home in the middle of the night and create an image that looks like this.

The footage was captured by an infrared thermal camera mounted on a Toyota RAV4, and the resulting picture has been tweaked into what Essess […]

New on Forbes: How Wireless Charging Will Make Life Simpler (and Greener)

It almost goes without saying that the more gadgets we buy, the most waste we create. But what if a new kind of device created less waste by its very design? […]

How the Bahamas Can Get Electricity from the Ocean

I write about some pretty out-there ideas for my “Innovate” column in Sierra magazine, but the most latest subject is one that is almost ready for the big time. The subject is ocean thermal energy conversion, or OTEC. It is the unwieldy, unsexy name for a power source perfectly suited to islands. […]

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