Latest Articles
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Finding local, sustainable seafood in Minnesota [VIDEO]
Around Minneapolis, fishing is a huge sport and there are trout farms, but there aren't many sources for sustainably caught fish. Among of the exceptions are the few commercial fishermen left on Lake Superior, like Harley Tofte.
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Rent a stranger’s car (or rent out yours) with RelayRides
Think ZipCar minus the communal cars, and you've got RelayRides. You can rent out your vehicle for an hour or find a ride nearby if you're carless.
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Ask Umbra Book Club: What should we do about cats killing birds?
Umbra sparks discussion of her Book Club pick "Freedom" with video of author Jonathan Franzen talking about how to get people to care about the environment.
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New report on state transportation policy shows a long road ahead
The best hope for reforms that would lead to a reduction in carbon emissions from transportation might lie with the states. Emphasis on might.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.