The Long Journey of Produce to Your Grocery Store

Summer fruits. (Photo credit: SFB579 :))

Seeing perfectly colored and ripe fruit and vegetables at the grocery store, it is easy to forget the long journey that they have travelled. In the United States, we are used to having access to any food we desire, whether or not it is in season or can be grown locally. Pineapples, bananas and berries are everyday items, regardless of where in the country you live.

A recent National Geographic article followed a load of strawberries from Watsonville, California, to their final destination in Washington, D.C. As the author, Daniel Stone, points out: …read more

Behavior Change and Plastic Bag Legislation

plastic bag nightmare 006 (Photo credit: Zainub)

Baltimore is one of a growing number of U.S. cities considering either imposing a tax on plastic bags, or banning them outright. Baltimore City Council has been debating the issue for almost 10 years now, most recently proposing adding a 10 cent tax. If the tax passes, Baltimore will join around 100 communities nationwide that have banned plastic disposable bags or banned them outright. But what would happen if this bill passed?

The Environment

Bag the Ban, a campaign to stop the taxes and bans nationwide that is run and paid for …read more

From Vacants to Vegetables: How do I build a garden?


The lot. 414 E 26th …read more

UN Climate Panel: Poor Will Suffer More from Climate Change

bangladesh flooding 1 (Photo credit: Peter Casier)







No Clean Water? Suck It Up!


“Suck it up!” may be the words residents of developing nations begin to hear more and more when in search for clean drinking water. Well, at least that’s what social entrepreneurs from companies like Life Straw are hoping the 780 million people that lack access to clean water will do. Like more than half a dozen water purification for-profit ventures that actively participate currently, Life Straw recognizes that clean water is a global concern. morosely reports that 3.4 million …read more


Urban blight turned into gardens (Photo credit: Bob Elderberry)


But, how does one …read more

Composting in the City



Can National Governments Lead the Way On Limiting Climate Change?

English: President Barack Obama talks at the DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last week, President Obama called on the US government to lead by example and increase its use of renewable energy. The goal is for each government agency to get 20 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020, which would nearly triple the current usage standards. In recent years, the US government has been notable for its inaction on environmental issues, and climate scientists have been frustrated by a lack of positive legislation, but recent moves by the Obama administration have …read more

Poverty and Environmentalism: An Impossible Combination?

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In ‘The Poor Need Cheap Fossil Fuels’, a recent op-ed in The New York Times, Bjorn Lomborg argues that environmental concerns must come second to alleviating poverty, especially in the developing world. There are certainly problems with Lomborg’s argument, chief among them his choice to underplay the importance of climate change. His views are controversial, and have been challenged by members of the scientific community. For example, he endorses fracking, ignoring the controversy surrounding its implementation in the USA (as noted in a recent UNspOILed blog post).

However, the main thrust of his argument is valid; those …read more