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Island Press Staff Picks

This week is my staff pick. I'm Jason Leppig, the marketing manager at Island Press and I also edit this blog. I've been with Island Press for nearly six years and for part of that time I was pursuing a master's in natural resources from Virginia Tech. I took Dr. Brian Czech's Ecological Economics course and read Island Press' textbook on the subject.

Conservation Efforts for the Rare Lakela’s Mint, Dicerandra immaculata

This unique member of the mint family (Lamiaceae) is found only in Indian River and St. Lucie County.  It is a short-lived perennial with showy pink flowers that bloom in the fall that are pollinated by bees.  Lakela’s Mint is one of six species of Dicerandra, each of which are endemic to only Florida and have their own unique minty aroma arising from a particular mixture of essential oils that are produced in glandular capsules on their leaf surfaces.
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Imagination + Visualization = Approval?

Austin’s streetcar proposal has been burning up the transit headlines recently, and for good reason. After years of planning, the first leg of the route has finally come into focus, ready for approval. But there is contention. Not so much with the route choice, but whether Austin needs a streetcar in the first place. As to be expected, most of the objection is coming from motorists; folks who simply cannot imagine themselves using transit.
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Now Coveted: A Walkable, Convenient Place

Walking isn't just good for you. It has become an indicator of your socioeconomic status. Until the 1990s, exclusive suburban homes that were accessible only by car cost more, per square foot, than other kinds of American housing. Now, however, these suburbs have become overbuilt, and housing values have fallen. Today, the most valuable real estate lies in walkable urban locations. Many of these now pricey places were slums just 30 years ago.
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Island Press Staff Picks

This week's staff pick is from Island Press's publicity manager, Jaime Jennings. She writes:

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