Consumers' growing demand for clean beauty products goes beyond ingredient lists -- they're also looking for transparency and sustainable, socially-conscious practices, says Rachel Grabenhofer of Global Cosmetic Industry and Cosmetics & Toiletries. "In the end, it's all about being transparent with consumers, so they are empowered to decide what ingredients they put into or onto their bodies," she said.

Pittsburgh's Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens has successfully converted a public works garage into an exhibit center for green building technology. The building's temperature will be modulated using geothermal wells and radiant flooring while capturing energy from photovoltaic solar panels for its electricity needs.

Republican lawmakers and liberal cities have found themselves on the same side in a legal battle over whether the federal Clean Water Act or state law has regulatory authority over point-source pollution that moves through groundwater before reaching a federally regulated waterway. They filed a barrage of briefs in the case, County of Maui v. Hawai'i Wildlife Fund, urging the US Supreme Court to overturn an appellate ruling that sided with environmental groups' position that federal law should apply.

Scientists in Florida are concerned that high phosphate levels combined with hot days could spur dangerously large algae blooms in the St. Johns River. So far, scientists have tested a few dozen spots and noted potential toxins, but also indicated those toxins were below public health evaluation thresholds.

Marvin Nash, founder of startup Encore Green Environmental, is piloting a program in Wyoming to take the oil and gas industry's produced water, or wastewater, to irrigate land and reduce erosion. Nash is waiting until the Produced Water Act takes effect in July to expand his efforts, but he has already filed the appropriate applications.

Maine will receive more than $23 million in funding to manage infrastructure and drinking water through projects like replacing water storage tanks. The funds will come from the EPA's Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.

The seniors at Live Oak Classical School in Waco, Texas, have started a project to mitigate rainwater and reduce flooding with a rain garden. The seniors funded the project with a $5,000 grant that they used to redirect 2,000 gallons of runoff stormwater released from about four inches of rain that hit the region over the past month.

Presidential hopeful and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee stands out with his Evergreen Economy Plan, which is focused on clean energy and creating a zero-carbon economy that would require hiring about 8 million workers, writes Steve Hanley in CleanTechnica. A key portion of the plan is Inslee's Clean Water for All Initiative, which would close the funding gap in infrastructure improvements.

Whole Foods Market will swap plastic straws for paper at its 500 stores in North America and the UK starting in July, the company said. Stores will also start using smaller plastic produce bags and replace hard plastic rotisserie chicken packages with bags that use about 70% less plastic.

Federal funding will continue to be crucial to the development of renewable energy, industry leaders told the House Subcommittee on Energy this week. American Wind Energy Association President and CEO Tom Kiernan noted that improving energy transmission lines will diversify generation sources and help reduce electricity costs. "[G]etting the different grid operators to plan together where they might collectively build transmission lines across these different seams between the different grids is also a really important way to advance the grid," Kiernan said.