nature

Speak the Name of Beauty

To admit to the beauty of the natural world is to resist the modern habit of disregard for nature’s value. It is time to talk openly about the importance of beauty as the value that pervades life and as the value that increases human wellbeing.

Webinar: Taking Lessons from Nature

How long should a leaf live? When should blueberries ripen? Utilizing the knowledge of the natural world takes practice and observational skills. The real question is, why is it important to listen? This webinar discusses the importance of listening to the natural world to deepen our understanding. We'll feature panelists with a wide range of knowledge that will offer both a broad ranging and practical, on the ground perspective about learning in and from nature itself. The webinar is in partnership with Nature Camp.

Parks: A Wise Infrastructure Investment

It’s time to recognize the multiple benefits of parks and fund them as infrastructure if we want our cities to be successful and prepared for the future.

Who Speaks for the Trees?

“I am the Lorax! I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.” Dr. Seuss  

#ForewordFriday: Biophilic Cities Edition

What if, even in the heart of a densely developed city, people could have meaningful encounters with nature? The idea of a green city, a sustainable city, and even a resilient city are well-understood. Now, the emerging ideal of a biophilic city—which goes beyond green infrastructure to connect urban dwellers with nature on a deeper level—is a useful and necessary addition to the way we think about city planning and design.

Rants from the Hill: After many years of essay writing, a wave goodbye

The Rants from the Hill essay series has appeared in High Country News online every month, without fail, since July 2010. A lot has happened in those (almost) six years as we—my wife, Eryn, and our daughters, Hannah and Caroline—have lived as fully as possible our shared life here on a remote hill in western Nevada’s Great Basin Desert. And now, with this farewell Rant, I draw the essay series to a close.

Disaster assistance (finally!) takes nature into account

If a tree falls in the forest, what does it cost? From the perspective of federal disaster assistance, the answer traditionally has been “not much.” But now — thanks to improved number-crunching — the federal government is taking nature into account when it tallies the cost of disasters.

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