David Shiller

  Last week, the American Lighting Association (ALA) published a great update on extended producer responsibility (EPR) state laws: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Laws: State-by-State Update Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws continue to expand across the United States, requiring producers to finance and support the collection, recycling and end-of-life management of packaging and certain products. [...]

  Smart home technology can improve quality of life for people with autism, older adults, and others who benefit from added support at home. Smart home tools are more than novelty gadgets. Rather, they can be practical systems that can reduce stress, increase safety, and make daily routines more manageable. Technology works best when it [...]

  Q2 2026 Lighting Manufacturer M&A Transactions in the United States, Canada, and Europe Announcement Seller Country Description Buyer Details April Nanometer USA Small architectural lighting and illuminated surfaces manufacturer Aither Global Holdings Article April NLS Lighting USA Outdoor spec-grade LED lighting Schreder Article April Photinus Austria Outdoor solar lighting systems Schreder Article May Disano [...]

  The U.S. legal marijuana industry posted its first national revenue decline in 2025, even though more states legalized cannabis, however federal rescheduling could help reverse the trend. The market still remained large, with 2025 sales at $29.1 billion and employment at 412,500 workers as of early 2026. Vangst and Whitney Economics found that the [...]

  “Rolling power plants” — electric vehicles used as flexible grid resources through vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and managed-charging programs — may provide a meaningful, lower-cost way to support grid reliability, reduce peak demand, and avoid expensive infrastructure upgrades. GM is expanding its V2G plans and utility pilots with PG&E and DTE to show that the concept [...]

  A 2022 study “Evening blue‐light exposure, maternal glucose, and infant birthweight” investigated whether exposure to blue‐enriched light in the evening during late pregnancy is linked to maternal fasting glucose levels and infant birthweight. The rationale builds on evidence that circadian disruption, melatonin suppression, and altered sleep from nighttime light exposure can influence metabolic regulation, [...]

  A research team in Germany and India have reported a new experiment showing that light can slow down the diffusion of carbon nanotubes suspended in water by creating an unexpected kind of “quantum friction.” The effect is stronger when more light is applied, and the work was published last month, in Nature. Researchers shined light on carbon [...]

  The Claim On July 2nd, US DOE’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (that replaced the shuttered EERE) sent out an email stating, “U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright today announced the Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to permanently end home appliance and equipment mandates that raise [...]

  Parks Associates’ 2026 State of Connected Home report says the connected home market is shifting away from selling devices and toward owning the customer relationship through data, services, and recurring revenue. The biggest growth opportunities are in platform control, AI-driven home experiences, security, and home energy management, while trust and privacy remain the main [...]