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Today, hundreds of citizens are on the forefront of the climate movement; 20 years ago, in the summer of 1989, the fight against global warming had only two well-known spokespeople: Senator Al Gore and NASA Scientist Jim Hansen...

People sometimes ask me what they will learn by reading Heatstroke. Basically there are two key messages. One I’ve already highlighted in past blogs and in a recent op-ed. Simply put, the first message is this: we’ve got a problem...

The western United States is characterized by highly variable and seasonal rainfall patterns. To deal with the constant threat of drought, the West relies on intensively managed water systems...

What comes to mind when you hear the words “natural resources?” Oil. Water. Nature. Nature? In fact, yes, nature is one of the big ones...

The 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) sounds like a contradiction in terms–conferences are business-like and dull while parties are, well, fun...

My extended family tells me they’re getting a little depressed about hearing all the bad things that might happen from global warming. So I guess it’s time to point out that maybe it’s not as bleak as it seems. Here’s the good news. We live in a world that, despite the unwitting impacts

Sowing seeds of good health and of unity Ever since President Obama took office in January, he’s kept his eye on the grand prize of making political discourse more civil...

I admit it. In my heart of hearts, I’m hoping for the best. Those scenarios of climate change we see splashed across the newspapers and magazines include a wide range of possibilities, and I keep my fingers crossed that we’ll end up closer to the best case. But just three weeks ago the best [

Be afraid (but don’t panic). On the first day of spring, the only thing I was afraid of (maybe even a little panicked) was that I didn’t have enough warm clothes. I was in Boston, mid-afternoon, and the thermometer on my dashboard registered in the low 30’s—that would be Fahrenheit. Spring...

When you’re in the middle of a forest fire, trees exploding all around you, smoke burning your lungs, and fireballs dropping from the sky, it’s hard to think about much except getting out of there alive...

Cities, neighborhoods and regions will be designed to use energy sparingly by offering walkable, transit-oriented options for all supplemented by renewably-powered electric plug-in vehicles...

The sixth Resilient City model is the Place-Based City...

In times of great trial, the best politicians strive for Churchillian rhetoric – or better yet, simply quote Churchill...

You almost never see a cow in a tree. That’s why I was so surprised that day in February when I encountered one at the Docklands, a new green redevelopment district in the City of Melbourne. The Cow (and tree), it should quickly be noted, were in fact part of an unusual art installation, and [..

I know of a scientist who wrote that changes in small constituents of the atmosphere-namely carbon dioxide-could greatly influence the heat budget of the Earth...

If anyone doubts that the world’s environment is in a state - if not of crisis then of grave concern - I suggest attending a major scientific conference...

Cities and regions will move from linear to circular or closed-looped systems, where substantial amounts of their energy and material needs are provided from waste streams. Eco-efficient cities will reduce their ecological footprint by reducing wastes and reducing resource requirements...

Watch Paul Ehrlich talk about his book The Dominant Animal: Human Evolution and the Environment: The Dominant Animal by Paul R. Ehrlich and Anne H. Ehrlich from Island Press on Vimeo.

I don’t think we talk enough about wonder in planning schools today. That sense of fascination, awe, of being spellbound by the immensity, delicacy, beauty of something, is an essential ingredient of our human spirit, and to making life joyous and meaningful...

The potential to grow energy and provide food and materials locally will become part of urban infrastructure. Photosynthetic processes in cities will reduce their ecological impact through replacing fossil fuels and can bring substantial ecological benefits through their emphasis on natural systems...

Two weeks ago I had the chance to visit the Los Angeles Ecovillage (LAEV), and spent time with its visionary creator Lois Arkin. The story of the LAEV is inspirational and instructive...

The seven key innovations of resilient cities are set as city models (being detailed over the next several weeks here at “Eco-Compass”). While no one city has shown innovation in all seven areas, some are quite advanced in one or two...

It would be an interesting exercise to inventory the “things” we have in our homes and offices—the objects, the equipment, specialized things, electronic and otherwise, that occupy space.Along with this accounting, might be some estimate of how recently the thing has actually been used, and...

Green building consultant Jerry Yudelson has published his “Top Ten” list of green building trends for 2009...

The seven key innovations of resilient cities are set as city models (being detailed over the next several weeks here at “Eco-Compass”). While no one city has shown innovation in all seven areas, some are quite advanced in one or two...

When I lived in Oregon many years ago there was a humorous expression: “Oregonians Don’t Tan, they Rust!” There was much truth to that as much of late fall and winter in the Northwest is damp and rainy. Yet, this weather system is one of the aspects of place I remember most fondly; I can

Perhaps because we are such Olympians at moving, at shifting and transitioning to new lives, new jobs and new houses, Americans know relatively little about the places in which they live...

Nowadays when I see bees in my garden, I pay close attention. I have noticed at least four different types. They buzz purposely—so focused on the periwinkle blue flowers of my rosemary hedge...

The seven key innovations of resilient cities are set as city models, which will be detailed over the next several weeks here at “Eco-Compass.” While no one city has shown innovation in all seven areas, some are quite advanced in one or two...

Much of my research and writing over the years has focused on telling stories—innovative efforts at moving cities and urban neighborhoods in the direction of sustainability, at finding ways to build economy, reconnect to place and environment, and at once to enhance quality of life and reduce...

Lately, I’ve enjoyed giving greater attention to what I eat and where it comes from...

As we come to the end of another holiday season, it is a fair question to ask whether, for those of us concerned about sustainability, if any of the giving (and holiday consumption) has had any sort of positive effect on places in which we live and care about. Those who view consumption as a [...]