SB Missions, a new local currency in Santa Barbara, began circulating in July, soon after California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law repealing a section of the state’s corporation code that prohibited the issuance of currencies other than the dollar. Though SB Missions would have launched in July with or without that excision from the state constitution, the currency’s founder, Ben Werner, says the nod from regulators helps put the whole Missions economy at ease—which is likely to be, as in any economy, a boon for growth. And the same is likely to be true for California’s dozens of other active community currency systems.
Kellan Mogil climbed, barefoot, up a wood plank that was haphazardly perched on a mound of dirt.
For Carol Kelly, biking to and from work is a no-brainer: She doesn’t have to deal with the notorious Seattle traffic, she can exercise without visiting the dreary gym, and she saves money on gas.
Despite the negative impressions we get from the mainstream media, and the very serious consequences of global warming, I believe there is cause for real hope. There is a good possibility that inspiring human-scale solutions around the world can multiply and transform our political and economic landscape over the coming years. And it all starts with an increased awareness or consciousness.
Gravity — yes, gravity — is the latest victim of climate change in Antarctica. That’s the stunning conclusion 
Almost everywhere we look, there is an emerging debate on the importance of sharing in relation to the grave challenges of our time. This conversation is most apparent in the sharing economy movement that has now taken the United States and Western Europe by storm, opening up a new set of questions about how sharing – that most simple human value and ethic – can really serve the needs of all people and the planet. For many, the practice of sharing represents a global cultural shift towards empathy, trust and generosity, and holds the greatest source of hope for economic and social transformation. For others, the idea of integrating the principle of sharing into economic relations is vitally important and invigorating, but toothless as a strategy for resolving the world’s crises if it remains beholden to corporate interests and the growth imperative.
At a conference a couple weeks ago, an activist who does work in Africa recounted an encounter she had with the minister of agriculture of a certain African country. The minister spoke with excitement about the high-tech agricultural technologies he was bringing into the country in partnership with large agribusiness companies, so the activist brought up the topic of organic agriculture. The minister said, “Stop. You don’t understand. We cannot afford such luxuries here. In my country, people are starving.”
Wade Davis has a lot of nerve being cheerful. Someone who can list as many threats to the world’s future as he does should be a tormented wreck.
Just as we recognize the importance of biodiversity for the survival of the planet, so we must preserve the diverse ways of knowing that exist among humanity.
In the house I share with two roommates, we call our dishwasher the fourth roommate. We pity him because while he is much appreciated, he is certainly overworked. With all of the from-scratch cooking and baking going on here, there are often large pots, heavy pans that have no business in the dishwasher, and sharp knives that require hand washing—plus all of the plates and mugs that didn't make it into this load of the already overfull appliance.
Nausea, vomiting, heartburn, diarrhea, cramping, bloating, flatulence. We’ve all endured intestinal upset—sometimes at supremely inopportune moments. Digestive problems can manifest on airplanes, during business meetings, on bus trips in foreign lands, during a first date, while running a marathon and even on stage.
Despite the objections of hundreds of thousands of Americans and more than 50 members of Congress, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) granted final approval to a new generation of genetically engineered (GE) crops on Wednesday.
The 
Seattle wants its residents to compost food scraps so much the city will begin fining homes, apartment buildings and businesses that throw away too much food mixed with their garbage, according to new rules passed by the city council.
You know when your run out of sugar or salt and that you are by yourself at home and the first think you think about is going to your neighbor and ask for a little bit of sugar or salt?
If humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted, paleoclimate evidence and ongoing climate change suggest that CO2 will need to be reduced from its current levels [398 ppm.] to at most 350 ppm " ~ 
Modern medicine has enabled people to live longer lives, but what have we lost in turning our backs on traditional ways of healing? Today, heart disease is the number one cause of death around the world. An estimated 17.3 million people died from cardiovascular diseases in 2008, representing 30% of all global deaths. Although we often associate these conditions with industrialized countries, and indeed more than a third of Americans are considered obese, surprisingly over 80% of these deaths occur in low-and middle-income countries (WHO, 2012). Rates of other diseases associated with modern lifestyles, such as diabetes and cancer, are not far behind. What can we learn from indigenous healing practices to bring about less costly and more sustainable solutions for improving health in both North and South?
“I don’t cook.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — Earth's protective ozone layer is beginning to recover, largely because of the phase-out since the 1980s of certain chemicals used in refrigerants and aerosol cans, a U.N. scientific panel reported Wednesday in a rare piece of good news about the health of the planet.
Climate Change is back on the political agenda. On 23rd of September, Heads of States are meeting in New York to pledge climate action. This is good news as it is about time. The rising economic, health-related, and environmental costs of burning fossil fuels, combined with the accelerating impacts of climate change repeatedly emphasize the urgency for transitioning to 100% Renewable Energy (RE). Those ready to lead the fossil fuel and nuclear phase-out and a 100 % renewable energy transition must speak up in New York and inspire the world.
Because the vast majority of America’s farmers are aging fast, the country needs one million new farmers over the next 10 years to continue feeding itself.
There are many anecdotes about the joys of trading in a car for a bike, and now researchers in England are backing this idea with data. A 
Australian solar power scientists have developed a cheap and fast way to print solar cells onto plastic — plastic that can be used to cover an iPad or tint the windows covering a skyscraper.
Until 50 or 60 years ago, saving some of your own seed was an integral part of the gardening year for most vegetable gardeners. Over generations, their dedication helped to create a rich diversity of vegetable varieties, adapted to suit the local soil and climate. Knowledge of how to save seeds has largely been lost by amateur gardeners and today many of us assume that they are something you have to buy in packets from seed suppliers.
Many Americans were raised on the theory that eggs were loaded with artery-clogging cholesterol, and that eating them was a surefire way to promote coronary heart disease. That couldn’t be further from the truth, though. When Wake Forest University researchers reviewed some of the top scientific studies, they found no link between eating eggs and heart disease.
CHATTING WITH DAVID BRANDT outside his barn on a sunny June morning, I wonder if he doesn't look too much like a farmer—what a casting director might call "too on the nose." He's a beefy man in bib overalls, a plaid shirt, and well-worn boots, with short, gray-streaked hair peeking out from a trucker hat over a round, unlined face ruddy from the sun.
