Latest Articles

Fossil fuel giant is betting on a bright future in solar

National climate change legislation may be dead as global warming skeptics take power in Congress. But if you want to see where some big businesses think the future of energy lies, pay attention to NRG Energy.

Young farmers need help from the USDA — and the next Farm Bill

The U.S. needs more new farmers, and the USDA says it wants to encourage them. But as the stories of several young farmers show, money and help aren't easy to get.

Mythbusting: Cheap food does not equal higher quality of life

Does our cheap food system bring us higher quality of life than other countries? A food industry flack believes so, but facts suggest otherwise. And I'm starting to think that we can't really reform the food system until we reform the economy.

Perverse policy makes distributed renewables more expensive

I’ve talked previously about the perversity of using tax credits to incentivize renewable energy production, increasing transaction costs and reducing participation in renewable energy development. But there are other perversities in U.S. state and utility renewable energy policies, especially with upfront rebates and net metering.

Climate defeats come from D.C., not Copenhagen and Cancun

The climate war isn't over, but those who are fighting to cut emissions haven't won lately. The latest defeat, however, did not occur at in Cancun. Rather, it took place in Washington, D.C.

A talk with Galina Tachieva, author of 'The Sprawl Repair Manual'

A planner says the economic crisis gives us an opportunity to fix the vast, sprawling expanse of suburban America. And she's got the tools to do it.

If efficiency hasn't cut energy use, then what?

One of the most penetrating critiques of energy-efficiency dogma you'll ever read is in this week's New Yorker. "The efficiency dilemma," by David Owen, has this provocative subtitle: "If our machines use less energy, will we just use them more?" Owen's answer is a resounding, iconoclastic, and probably correct Yes.

U.K. chef goes from zero-waste restaurants to affordable co-op supermarket [VIDEO]

When restaurants brag about how green they are, they've usually just switched to compostable takeout containers. But to chef Arthur Potts Dawson, that isn't enough.

Memo: Fox News reporters ordered to promote Climategate conspiracy theory

In a memo obtained by Media Matters, Fox News Vice President Bill Sammon ordered his reporters to question global warming, citing conspiracy theories about scientists based on Climategate.

Chicago has got it growing on

Growing Power’s Chicago outposts show that plants can be art as well as food, while Growing Home nurtures people whom society would throw away.