Peak News and Blog

Portland’s Better Housing by Design Project Not all multi-dwelling development is created equal. Some apartment complexes, for instance, have very little open space for children to play and people to gather outside. These effects of this have been felt during the pandemic and especially in lower-income neighborhoods. Accessibility and safe and convenient connections to local…

Healthy Trees Support Healthy Communities The Treasure Valley in Idaho is working to create sustainable forest cover. Our urban forest directly impacts clean air, clean water and our region’s green economy. The Network informs sustainable planning, development and management of this valuable resource. They work to connect our built and natural environments, innovate through resource-sharing…

US Sits On Top of Immense Offshore Wind Energy President Biden is proposing a big build-out of offshore wind power. The White House released a plan calling for 30 gigawatts of new wind capacity by 2030, starting with a big project between Long Island and New Jersey. The idea is to create jobs, expand U.S. steel and…

​The Economic and Social Benefits of Low-Carbon Cities Over half of the population of the world live in urban areas. This means that efforts to meet human development goals and sustain economic growth must be concentrated in cities. However, the pursuit of more prosperous, inclusive and sustainable urban development is complicated by climate change, which…

We have vertical farming, now there’s underground farming A World War II bunker is growing sustainable salad leaves underground. The world’s first underground farm, 33 metres below London, UK, is growing salad and vegetables for the city. The farm claims to use 70% less water than a conventional, above-ground farm. It’s one of the solutions being proposed to feed…

Connecting Decision-Makers with the Power of Google Earth EngineGEODE (the Global Environmental Online Decision Engine) is a web-based mapping and modeling system currently under development at the Conservation Biology Institute. The goal of the GEODE project is to put the power of Google Earth Engine into the hands of environmental scientists, decision makers, and land managers –…