Guinness Stout, a favorite for St. Patrick's Day, may look black, but it's also green. The company, which received recognition for its environmental commitment last year, now has technology in the works that could make it even greener.

From the smallest municipalities to booming cityscapes, locally focused policymakers are helping to usher in an era of green neighborhoods and green expansion.

The U.S. Green Building Council officially launched its LEED-ND standard for sustainable neighborhood development last year. And as a new guide from the NRDC shows, the principles of LEED-ND can have broad application beyond building certification.

From coast to coast, and in every professional sport, teams and their owners are making significant progress on reducing their environmental impacts, from solar-powered scoreboards to stadiums located in the heart of neighborhoods, rather than beyond city limits.