Rescuing Fruit Diversity
By Gary Paul Nabhan / On October 23rd, 2008
As mentioned in last week's post, Renewing America’s Food Traditions (RAFT), of which I am founder, learned that at least seventy of the heirloom apples unique to New England that remain are so infrequently featured in nurseries, farmers markets and roadside stands that they can be considered threatened or endangered.
Postcard from Beijing
By Terry Tamminen / On October 22nd, 2008
What do Starbucks and smog have in common? Opportunity.
As I walk around Beijing, the signs of the 2008 Olympics fading into memory, I am struck by the fact that every corner has a Starbucks, not to mention other ubiquitous American iconography — Sizzler, Nike, 7-11, Hummers, and CNN to name a few. I'm also struck by the fact that the smog problem remains untamed, despite efforts pre and post Olympics to reduce pollution from traffic and smokestacks. So why do these two forces — American companies and smog — have anything to do with opportunity?
Nuts and Bolts of Green Building
By Walker Wells / On October 22nd, 2008
Fall is housing conference season, at least on the west coast. Having presented at the three main regional conferences - Non-Profit Housing of Northern California (NPH), Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing (SCANPH), and San Diego Housing Federation (SDHF) - off and on for the past five years, it is interesting to see how the tenor of green has changed.
Island Press at SEJ Conference 2008
By Admin / On October 21st, 2008
We arrived in Roanoke for the 18th Annual Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) Conference ready to
Apples of Our Eyes, Nose, and Mouths
By Gary Paul Nabhan / On October 16th, 2008
When the leaves of New England begin to glow with crimsons, purples and golds, many of us remember that it's time for crimson, purple and gold apples to be picked, packed, sequestered in storage sheds, or processed into cider, butter, sauces or pies.
Apples exemplify that taste of the fall for many of us, but just what kind of apples we taste depends upon just where exactly we live, and how well we know our neighboring orchard-keepers.
How Would You Spend It?
By Terry Tamminen / On October 14th, 2008
Congress passed the bailout plan with a price tag of nearly a trillion dollars, but the ink was hardly dry on this new Monopoly money when quite a few experts began to predict it wouldn't be enough. Some estimates hope the "investments" that taxpayers will make in bad debts could ultimately turn a profit, but how likely is that?
Green Products and ROI
By Walker Wells / On October 14th, 2008
Financing isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you here the term green building. Instead it's usually solar panels, bamboo flooring, or a piece of plumbing equipment you're not sure you really want to understand. But just like other building materials, green products cost money. What makes them different is that green products typically provide a greater return on investment than conventional products.
New Lessons from Old Europe
By David Wilcove / On October 9th, 2008
Scientists tend to distrust conclusions that are not based on empirical data and adequate sample sizes. So take what I'm about to say with a large grain of salt, since it is neither empirical nor based on sufficient data.