Nov. 15, 2007 The number of green business stories published in the country's ten largest newspapers this year has already doubled last year's total, according to a new study (PDF) by the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism.

The research found that of all the business stories on environmental sustainability published since 2000, half appeared in 2007.

While few businesses editors have dedicated a reporter solely to green coverage, the subject has been added to some existing beats, according to the study. Editors say they carry a story with a green angle as often as once a week. Most tellingly, none felt that reader interest in the topic has peaked.

Coverage of business aspects of the environment is relatively recent, but the dollars involved and the publics interest in it speak loud and clear, says Andrew Leckey, director of the Reynolds Center.

Representative of this green trend is the Business of Green special section of the New York Times, which debuted in May 2006 and has appeared in both May and November of this year.

The study also notes that sustainability stories published in the business section still represent only a fraction of the green-themed stories found throughout the newspaper.