I confess to a misspent youth. Until about the age of 13 or so I listened almost exclusively to country music. (Alabama, Laurie Morgan, and Clint Black were actually my first concert—but usually I pass over that and claim Smashing Pumpkins.) So I have a bit of a soft spot for Kathy Mattea. I could [...]

On Thursday I attended a presentation on eco-municipalities by Sarah James at the (beautiful) Cambridge Public Library. I expected more detailed case studies of specific eco-municipalities in Sweden, so I was a little disappointed that it was more of a sales pitch for the eco-municipalities framework. However, the broad principles of it were applicable for any [...]

On Tuesday I wrote about Green Metropolis. But while I gave you my overall impressions about the book, I didn’t go into much detail—and there’s lots of detail! I haven’t thought much about urban planning before, so David Owen’s ideas are kind of revolutionary to me. Maybe they are to you, too? We’ll Switch to [...]

Green Metropolis by David Owen gets the biggest compliment I can give a book: I wish I had written it myself. It’s a wonderfully clear explanation of why high-density, mixed-use cities like New York and Boston are more environmentally friendly than suburban or even rural communities. It seems counterintuitive at first—and you get the sense [...]

From the Farm Sanctuary: “The Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act (HR 4733) would prohibit the government from purchasing any animal products from animals raised in veal crates, gestation crates and battery cages—three systems that deny animals on farms enough room to even stand up, turn around or lie down.” Follow the link above to call [...]