Latest Articles

Local dressing is the new local eating

The wool and cotton for all of the clothes in Rebecca Burgess' closet was grown within 150 miles of her home in the Bay Area. The wool was spun there, too; the dyes were grown there; the sweaters were knitted there. In fact, the clothes were entirely locally sourced from what Burgess calls her local "fibershed" — the network of farmers, millers, weavers, designers, dyers, knitters, and seamstresses that it takes to make clothes.  

Walk Score's new apartment finder lets you build your perfect commute

Sure, there's a tool for finding the apartment with, say, the most bars in walking range. But eventually you're going to need to go to work, and if your commute is miserable, even having a bar for every day of the month won't save you. (Though it'll help.) Luckily, the Walk Score guys have put together a new tool that lets you search for an apartment based on how long it'll take you to get there from work.

Critical List: Nebraskans ‘debate’ Keystone XL; Yellowstone temps could rise 10 degrees

Are Nebraskans really “split” over the Keystone XL pipeline, as Canada’s ambassador says? Sounds like a whole lot them know what they want, which is not tar-sands oil running through their state.

Homeowners who want solar panels but don’t want to pay a $30,000 installation cost could start paying utility bills to Google instead.

The EPA’s pushing back the deadline for releasing fuel efficiency rules.

The U.K. could have commercial tidal power within the next four years.

Guitar Antihero 2: Lawless logging and slaughtered wildlife didn’t stop Gibson Guitar

A federal action accuses Gibson Guitar of importing wood from Madagascar, even after Chinese logging gangs pillaged the country's national parks.

Food Studies: why I love in-flight meals

After living all over the world, Chi-Hoon Kim has found a home in Indiana, studying how food expresses national identities.

Berry toxic: Decoding the organic strawberry debacle

Food advocates and farmers want to close a loophole that allows farms to sell organic berries that have spent as much as half their lives in conventional nurseries.

Climate Dog voting

I'm impressed: You guys really brought it. The competition was fierce. The paws are tired. But I've finally narrowed down the finalists. Now it's time to pick some winners.

U.S. government gives food speculators the thumbs up

Since the housing crash, food prices have been at the center of Wall Street speculator's games. Can government regulation make a difference?

Guitar Antihero 1: How Gibson Guitars made illegal logging a conservative cause célèbre

Republican leaders are bashing well-respected trade regs that protect American jobs. Behind the coup: Tea Party groups and Gibson Guitar.

Attention, pundits: We have the makings of a serious U.S. solar program

Three ambitious projects could put the U.S. on course for a major solar expansion -- if they get enough attention and support. Thomas Friedman, listen up!