More than 90 percent of Ghanaians still rely on fuel wood or charcoal as their main source of energy. According to government estimates, every person in Ghana uses around 1,400 pounds of fuel wood annually—the bulk of it for cooking. Along with logging, agricultural practices and mining, reliance on fuel wood contributes to the depletion of two percent of Ghana’s forest annually. In an effort to curb this rapid decline, the United Nations, in partnership with the government and local groups, is promoting the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) — butane or propane—as an alternative to wood fuel.

For most visitors to the Big Island of Hawaii, the beautiful black sand beach at Punalu in the rural district of Kau is synonymous with one thing: giant sea turtles. But these awesomely beautiful marine reptiles may soon lose their visitation rights. Sea Mountain Five, a collaboration of California and Big Island investors, has recently proposed building a 2,000-unit resort complex on the site, which had previously hosted several failed hotel development plans. Environmentalists worry that the complex would put turtles, especially the critically endangered hawksbill, at risk.

Today, the 1.3 million-square-foot structure that once served as a Montgomery Ward warehouse and a rotting symbol of Baltimore’s decay is not only the city’s largest office building, but it also serves as the area’s most extensive use of green design and technology.