SEATTLE – It's Earth Day, and one manufactured menace threatening the world's oceans is plastics. While estimates vary, many scientific studies find that about 8 million metric tons of plastic make their way into the ocean each year. Michiel Abbing, author of the book "Plastic Soup", is a

RICHLAND, Wash. - Research at a Washington state lab is proving not everything flushed down the toilet is waste. Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have created an energy- and cost-effective method for turning sewage into biocrude oil. The process mirrors the geological conditions

SEATTLE - As Gov. Jay Inslee heads to Paris for the global climate conference known as COP 21, he'll have something to brag about in a new report. The "clean economy" has grown 9.7 percent and created a little more than 8,200 jobs in Washington in the last five years, according to new research from

SEATTLE - Puget Sound may have a lot of problems in terms of pollution, but a cure is well under way for one of them. In the last year, about 200 lost or abandoned fishing nets have been rounded up by teams of expert divers. It's slow going, because it is no small task to locate the nets by sonar an

OLYMPIA, Wash. - It can be tough for a utility company to champion energy efficiency when it makes less money as people use less energy. A decision on Wednesday by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission allows Puget Sound Energy (PSE) to work around that - and step up its energy-effi

SEATTLE - “Out with the old, in with the new” takes on a whole new meaning when the topic is electronic gear. A new national certification program born in Seattle ensures that recyclers properly dispose of items such as laptops, televisions and cell phones. According to the Basel Action

LONG BEACH, Wash. - After the colorful Fourth of July fireworks have faded from the night sky, they're not really gone - not if you count the leftover plastic that litters beaches, lawns and fields across the state. A Washington group urges people to think about that as they select their fireworks.

KENT, Wash. - Employees at several Washington schools are getting a national nod today as part of "Making a Difference Every Day," a campaign by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) to call attention to the good things happening in classrooms around the nation despite budget cuts and layoffs.