Grilling with lump charcoal: Is US-grown hardwood really in that bag?

None of the analyzed bags of lump charcoal gave buyers as much effective grilling fuel as their labels promised.

Adriana Costa, Assistant Professor of Sustainable Bioproducts, Mississippi State University • conversation
June 26, 2025 • ~6 min

Energy Star, on the Trump administration’s target list, has a long history of helping consumers’ wallets and the planet

The small blue Energy Star label has become one of the most recognizable environmental certifications in the US.

Magali A. Delmas, Professor of Management, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, Anderson School of Management, University of California, Los Angeles • conversation
June 12, 2025 • ~10 min

Debunking 5 myths about when your devices get wet

When it comes to drying out your drenched device, problematic myths about liquid protection and repair make it hard to separate fact from fiction.

Rachel Plotnick, Associate Professor of Cinema and Media Studies, Indiana University • conversation
June 2, 2025 • ~6 min

High electricity prices zapping your budget? Here are 5 ways to save

Electricity rates are soaring in Pennsylvania and other parts of the country. 2 energy experts offer tips to lower your monthly bill.

Seth Blumsack, Professor of Energy and Environmental Economics and International Affairs, Penn State • conversation
May 28, 2025 • ~9 min

Why your electricity bill is so high and what Pennsylvania is doing about it

Aging infrastructure, transmission bottlenecks and increased demand from data centers are hitting consumers’ wallets.

Seth Blumsack, Professor of Energy and Environmental Economics and International Affairs, Penn State • conversation
May 21, 2025 • ~9 min

Appliance efficiency standards save consumers billions, reduce pollution and fight climate change

About 40% of total US energy consumption is used by household and industrial appliances, such as heating and cooling systems, refrigerators and lighting.

David J. Vogel, Professor Emeritus of Business Ethics and Political Science, University of California, Berkeley • conversation
April 17, 2025 • ~10 min

Companies will still face pressure to manage for climate change, even as government rolls back US climate policy

Corporate decisions made in boardrooms and through initiatives with nonprofits have created an important kind of private climate governance.

Zdravka Tzankova, Associate Professor of the Practice in Climate & Environmental Studies, Vanderbilt University • conversation
April 11, 2025 • ~10 min

23andMe is potentially selling more than just genetic data – the personal survey info it collected is just as much a privacy problem

If you were a 23andMe customer, your genetic and personal information could be used in civil or criminal cases, targeted advertising, medical discrimination and so much more.

Kayte Spector-Bagdady, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan • conversation
April 2, 2025 • ~10 min

How your brain reacts to buying groceries can reveal your politics

Can grocery purchases help you spot a Republican or a Democrat? Yes, if you have a brain scanner, researchers report.

Nathan Cook-Iowa State • futurity
March 31, 2025 • ~7 min

Politics and economic fears shape holiday spending

A new survey offers insights into how consumer sentiment shapes holiday spending and broader economic trends.

U. Michigan • futurity
Dec. 12, 2024 • ~3 min

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