Latest Articles

Dolphins take Manhattan

New York is becoming quite the haven of wildlife! There's the pigeons, the giant monkey on the Empire State Building, and now dolphins have been spotted in New York Harbor. The frisky sea critters haven't gotten into an empire state of mind in two years, so this is a big deal — it means the […]

New trend: Going produce shopping in abandoned gardens

Most cities these days are chock-full of foreclosed properties. Some foreclosed properties are chock-full of fruit trees, vegetable gardens, and other sources of fresh produce. That adds up to a lot of tasty plant matter going to waste -- unless people take it upon themselves to harvest food from abandoned houses, either for their own use or to distribute to shelters. That's not legal, but as a New York Times piece makes clear, that doesn't mean it's not a good idea.

Solar-powered bulb brings both light and commerce to developing countries

Steve Katsaros, inventor of the Nokero solar-powered lightbulb, recently told CNN that he decided to sell his bulbs rather than give them away even though it runs counter to the traditional model of aid to the developing world.

In a world of 7 billion, what does the typical person look like?

Here's a new take on the "new normal." National Geographic has run some calculations on our population averages, now that we're staring 7 billion in the face. The verdict: The most typical human right now is a 28-year-old Han Chinese man — there are over 9,000,000 people in the world fitting that description! — who […]

Lake Michigan has become unfishable

While lobster fishermen in the Long Island Sound are stubbornly — but just barely — hanging on, people who depended on the fishing stock in the Great Lakes for their livelihood can no longer make it. Lake Michigan is a "liquid desert," reports Dan Egan in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Even the most devoted fishing family Egan can find is sending one of its own up to Alaska, because "he can catch more fish in one day in Alaska than he can catch all winter off Milwaukee."

Record-breaking electric car gets 1,000 miles to the charge

What's that? Could it be the whip-crack of range anxiety being dragged out back and shot?

How do you calculate your plastic footprint?

Companies are on board with reporting their carbon usage, but what about the amount of plastic they produce? It's a different sort of problem than carbon emissions, but although the negative impacts of humanity's plastic habit have been known for years, the amount being used is only increasing.

This fall, the Hong Kong-based Ocean Recovery Alliance is moving forward with its Plastic Disclosure Project, which will ask companies to calculate and disclose their "plastic footprints," just as they report their carbon footprints.

Call to action: Stop the environment

Are you kidding me with this? Two former members of The State AND Deputy Hawk getting all Modest Proposal on climate change? Shut down the internet, please, I want to go out on a high note.

Critical List: Shell spills oil in the Arctic; the Northwest Passage opens

A Shell oil platform in the Arctic is leaking oil. The company won't say how much but will say that the spill is under control.

The Interior Department is looking into treatment of Arctic scientist Charles Monnett, who is under investigation for his work on polar bears.

Why real world fuel efficiency is so much lower than fuel efficiency standards.

Grass is good: Natural meats benefit the economy and family farms

Graham Meriweather's new documentary American Meat celebrates American farmers and their efforts toward a more sustainable food system.