Commercial buildings are often seen as long-term assets—but their interiors are not. That’s because modern office spaces are in constant flux: Companies will typically do a full renovation every decade with additional changes every three to five years, design companies say.

In Sicily, where citrus groves glow under the shadow of Mount Etna and prickly pear cacti dot the landscape, agricultural waste has long been part of the scenery. Each year, more than a million tons of orange peels, pulp, and cactus by-products are left behind—too often discarded, overlooked, or treated as a burden.

Imagine a local government weighing two futures for a 100-acre plot of pristine wetlands. On one hand, a developer offers a $50 million subdivision, promising immediate property taxes and housing. On the other hand, the existing marsh sits quietly, apparently “worthless” on a balance sheet.

Picturing a desert typically conjures up images of sand dunes, rocks, blazing sun, and maybe some palm trees or cactus. But one image that probably doesn’t come to mind is flourishing marine life.

As an apex predator that can harm human beings and domestic animals, the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is feared in many parts of the nation. However, “the reasons to fear alligators are unfounded, as they are not aggressive beasts, although as large predators they should be respected,” said Frank Mazzotti, professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center.