Europe

With communities balking at the purported ugliness of windtowers and solar panels, a Dutch company proposes using nature's own designs.

Germany's experience in implementing environmentally-friendly concepts like green roofs, wind power and other renewables is pointing the way for many American decisionmakers.

Sochi, Russia, is set to host the 2014 Winter Olympics. But work on the site has hardly begun, according to this report from The Moscow Times.

Vauban, Germany is a new suburb that is part of the 'smart planning movement'. It is car-free, i.e. the streets are car-free, while car ownership is allowed but restricted to two garages, and the cost unbundled. Only 30% of families own cars.

A new mapping project is creating a comprehensive 3D image of the catacombs beneath Rome.

The Spanish government is moving forward with plans to build the largest casino and entertainment complex in Europe

In this video, police in Denmark stop cyclists without helmets, hug them, and give them new helmets.

Vatican City has plans to build the largest solar plant in Europe, which will supply enough power for 40,000 households in a state of 900 inhabitants.

By the end of the year, Spain is on course to have a more extensive high-speed rail system than both Japan and France. The system is changing hearts and minds across this usually home-bound nation.

The Vatican has announced plans to build Europe's largest solar plant to power the state.

Germany, while similarly autocentric, has managed to create a much more sustainable transportation system than the U.S., according to a study commissioned the by Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program.

A new community program in Rotterdam is bringing a food truck with new eating options -- and business opportunities -- to working class neighborhoods.

Dogs in Moscow have learned to ride the subway to and from "work".

France is hoping to establish a "darkness reserve" by regulating street lighting in towns and villages near a mountaintop observatory.

This piece from the New York Times looks at a program in Italy the encourages children to walk to school.

Nine-month study commissioned by President Nicolas Sarkozy aims to transform Paris and its surrounding suburbs into the first sustainable “post-Kyoto" city.

In the next few months, the Dutch capital will make numerous changes to make its infrastructure greener. With the help of private companies like Cisco and IBM, Amsterdam is closer to becoming a "smart city" than any other in Europe.

In the latest episode of his podcast, James Howard Kunstler provides commentary on the urbanism of Paris. By following along with Google Street View, you can walk the streets and see what he sees.

Good green jobs are on the way - just not right away due to recession. Stimulus funds - not just from U.S. but many nations are investing in their economies by targeting renewable energy, smart electricity grids, energy efficiency, and more.