For new grads looking for green jobs, corporate sustainability may be the only safe bet

Tommy MalettaGreen Prosperity, Trendspotting, Latest Headlines

By Annabelle Choi, Fast Company As climate tech and nonprofits feel the pinch from federal funding cuts, the corporate sustainability sector is still hiring. [Source Imagse: artpartner-images/Getty Images, Romy Tesei/Getty Images] In just the first week of his administration, Trump signed a flurry of executive orders prioritizing domestic oil and gas and …

Medellín’s sublime return to nature – in pictures

Tommy MalettaCommunity Development Solutions, Trendspotting, Latest Headlines

Jaime Saldarriaga and Pejman Faratin  Plaza Botero in Medellín, on 3 June 2025. Photograph: Jaime Saldarriaga/Guardian Over the last decade, Colombia’s ‘city of eternal spring’ has embarked on an ambitious effort to restore greenery to public parks, transit corridors and even high-rises. Over the last 10 years, Medellín, Colombia, has undergone …

L.A. has 24,000 tiny vacant lots across the city—these designs show creative ways to use them for housing

Tommy MalettaCommunity Development Solutions, Trendspotting, Latest Headlines

By Adele Peters, Fast Company In a new competition, hundreds of architects created a vision for homeownership on small lots—without single-family houses or typical apartment buildings. Shared Steps by Word and s_sk.[Rendering: courtesy CityLab-UCLA] It’s incredibly hard to find a starter home in Los Angeles, where the median house price …

California hummingbird beaks transformed by feeders: ‘more tapered and longer’

Tommy MalettaTrendspotting, Earth Systems Science, Latest Headlines

By Cy Neff, The Guardian Study details evolutionary change of Anna’s hummingbirds and finds ranges have expanded to follow such devices. An Anna’s hummingbird feeding from a backyard feeder in Bend, Oregon. Photograph: Tobias Nolan/Zuma/Rex/Shutterstock Which came first: the feeder or the bird? A seemingly straightforward question, but the answer might …

Meta is building a new data center in Louisiana—and this Senate committee wants to know why it’s being powered by gas

Tommy MalettaSustainability News, Trendspotting, Latest Headlines

By Kristin Toussaint, Fast Company The local utility says Meta’s AI data center requires three new natural gas plants. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is asking how this fits with Meta’s climate goals. [Photos: Patrick Hendry/Unsplash, Meta, Andrey Metelev/Unsplash] In order to power Meta’s massive AI data center …