270 eco-friendly homes certified in Tri-Cities last year compared to 1,000 in SeattleThe owner of Easton Construction’s model home in the Inspiration Estates neighborhood in Kennewick looks like most custom-built homes — a wide and open interior floor plan bringing together the living room, dining room and kitchen with white...

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to fix Karen Miller's title.Tri-City interests are looking at the possibility of installing charging stations for electric vehicles in the Mid-Columbia.Right now, that possibility is in the initial brainstorming stage.The Franklin County and Benton County public utility districts, Energy Northwest and other local...

Pacific Steel & Recycling customers include food processing, construction, towing companiesLong before Jackie Koleber became the manager of Pacific Steel & Recycling’s Kennewick location, she was a customer.[blockquote quote="People don’t realize they can recycle a dishwasher or a hot water heater or Christmas lights." source="Jackie Koleber, manager at Kennewick's Pacific...

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland is looking at a couple of potentially lucrative sources for biofuels.Poop and algae.The poop approach will be tested on a full scale soon in Vancouver, B.C. The algae approach is eventually headed for tests at an Arizona facility.Biofuels refer to a wide range of fuels...

By Wine News ServicePalencia Wine Co. plans to put 500 cases into the totes this yearA Walla Walla winemaker who is relocating part of his business to the Tri-Cities also is doing everything he can to reduce his carbon footprint.[blockquote quote="I’ve seen first-hand how much waste can be generated with...

By Jeff MorrowJeff Clark knew the new five-story, 663-space parking garage at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland was going to need some electric-car charging stations.“There is a growing interest in electric vehicles,” said Clark, vice president of support services for Kadlec, at a recent ribbon cutting ceremony for the...

Gail Everett keeps an 18-year-old bag of garbage in the basement.“It’s an attractive way to start a conversation,” she said with a laugh.It should be noted that the basement isn’t in Everett’s home; it’s at Richland City Hall, and the bag of deteriorating waste is only kept for educational purposes....

By Ranil DhammapalaGround-level ozone, not to be confused with “good” ozone in the earth’s upper atmosphere that shields us from harmful ultraviolet radiation, is toxic to human health. (Courtesy Department of Energy)Exposure to ozone irritates the eyes, nose, throat and the respiratory system. It is especially bad for people with...

Susan Brady is selling more than cloth diapers from her Richland store — she’s also selling a vision.[blockquote quote="We want to be a hub for everything sustainable and green." source="Susan Brady owner of Buckwheat Bottoms" align="right" max_width="300px"]Buckwheat Bottoms provides a supportive and safe community for new moms to learn about...

For almost 20 years, Babcock Services Inc. (BSI) has served clients in the nuclear industry. Although the company is headquartered in Kennewick, employees live throughout the country and travel to job sites at various nuclear facilities as needed.This year, however, Babcock Services landed a contract with a nuclear power plant...