Latest Articles

Be more like Manhattan to save the earth, and don’t go halfway

The greenest place to live is a dense city like New York, David Owen argues in his book Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less Are the Keys to Sustainability. We chat about urban vs. rural living and pitfalls of "decorative transit" and "density light."

Baltimore seeds city farms as path to sustainability, jobs

Forget "Homicide" and "The Wire." In some Baltimore circles, there's now a lot more talk of sustainability and green living than of the murder rate, and ambitious plans for workforce training and job opportunities are under way -- on places like Great Kids Farm and Real Food Farm.

Elena Kagan's childfree status: The mean take and the green take

Pundits have seized on the fact that new Supreme Court justice Elena Kagan has no kids. Even "feminists" say she comes up short for being childfree.

The spill is gone, but uncertainty haunts the Gulf

Will sea life be permanently damaged by the huge dose of crude? Will consumers ever eat anything that's been swimming around in that toxic soup?

Can the climate bill's death help build a living climate movement?

Environmentalists who want to solve the climate crisis need to stop using institutional barriers and opponents' unfair tactics as an excuse for failure, and instead build a grassroots movement that can overcome both. Such a grassroots movement must put forth exciting, attractive policies to fight climate chaos, rather than limp, pre-compromised proposals nobody can work up enthusiasm for.

My Lexus debate

I was part of a live debate in Chicago this past Thursday, facing off against Steve Everley of American Solutions at an event sponsored by Lexus and Patron and moderated by Mark McGrath, who you may remember as the frost-tipped lead singer of the band Sugar Ray, beloved to millions for their 1997 hit "Fly." Yes, that's all as weird as it sounds.

Ask Umbra on what stinks about perfume, cologne, and fragrant body products

Ask Umbra is fuming about perfume. Here she addresses some of its negative impacts on our bodies and the planet!

Corn industry fights back over my depiction of corn's role in the Gulf dead zone

A National Corn Growers Association rep calls one of my posts about the Gulf of Mexico dead zone "snobbish" and the "rantings of an elitist with an anti-corn agenda." In addition to those fighting words, she took a swing at my facts. Too bad she missed.

An open letter to all people and organizations working to combat global warming

Bill McKibben, Billy Parish, and other activists want to hear from you about the best ways to move forward in the fight against climate change.

Urbivore’s Dilemma, Week 9: The well-traveled vegetable

A takeout eater turned farm-fresh foodivore takes her vegetables on vacation and tries to figure out where to compost their remnants. Should she get a worm bin? Weigh in!