French couple faces prison time after being caught with 90 pounds of sand from Sardinia

A French couple is facing years of jail time after stealing almost 90 pounds of sand from Sardinia, the Italian island known for its picturesque beaches.
When lightning strikes the beach, it vaporizes the sand — and makes these glass tubes

When lightning strikes the beach or desert, the electricity vaporizes the sand in less than a second, creating a geological phenomenon you might have to see to believe.
Seldom Seen: A Poignant Look Back at Glen Canyon Before the Dam

Ken Sleight remembers the stunning beauty of Glen Canyon before it was flooded by a massive dam in the 1960s. Taylor Graham’s film “Seldom Seen Sleight” – winner of the Yale Environment 360 Video Contest – shows the magnificent landscape lost and offers hope it might someday be restored.
It’s raining plastic: microscopic fibers fall from the sky in Rocky Mountains

Discovery raises new questions about the amount of plastic waste permeating the air, water, and soil virtually everywhere on Earth
Who will pay for the huge costs of holding back rising seas?

U.S. coastal cities face billions of dollars in costs for the extensive infrastructure projects needed to protect against rising seas and worsening storms. From Boston to Miami, government officials are only beginning to grasp the enormous expense of what will be required.
More than half of U.S. beaches have fecal bacteria, environmentalists say

Half the beaches in the U.S. have at least one day per summer season in which it’s not safe to swim because of elevated bacteria levels in the water, according to new report.
Disposable plastic water bottles banned from San Francisco airport

In an effort to make SFO more environmentally friendly, the airport is adding plastic water bottles to its list of restricted food service items starting August 20. The airport, just south of San Francisco, set a goal three years ago of becoming the world’s first zero-waste airport by 2021.
Your favorite pristine beach is founded on mass invertebrate death

Beach managers import sand and constantly groom shores with heavy machinery, and a recent study in the journal Ecological Indicators shows these managed beaches have much fewer sand-dwelling critters than nearby natural ones.
Sand stolen by tourists returned to Sardinian beaches

Local authorities and environmental experts have teamed up with Olbia Airport to return sand, pebbles and shells confiscated from travellers’ luggage to beaches on Sardinia’s famed ‘Emerald Coast’.