Sustainable Development

Simplifying the Economics of Happiness with Helena Norberg-Hodge

Helena Norberg-Hodge, courtesy of ISEC In 1975, before India’s northern region of Ladakh became a popular tourist attraction; Helena Norberg-Hodge went with a film crew. It was here... Read More

A Vision for the Future: Founder of Earth Trust, Vanya Orr

The Nilgiri Hills consists of a heart-shaped region rising almost vertically from the lowlands of the Southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka in Southern India. In... Read More

Urbanized: A film about the design of cities

Half of the world’s population now lives in cities. By 2050, it is estimated that this ratio will grow to over 75%. Put another way, 3.5 billion people live in cities now. Global... Read More

A Look at Mixed-Use Urban Development in Ghana

Plainly speaking, mixed-use developmentis the practice of having more than one form of “use” or activity (e.g., residential, commercial, office, recreational, industry)... Read More

Displacing Rural Communities for Delhi’s Drinking Water: Is the Renuka Dam Worth the Cost?

I have a love/hate relationship with the many contrasts in India: the bright green paddy fields next to red tile roofs, the smell of jasmine and fresh food mixed in with the scent of... Read More

Freeing the Elwha: Witnessing the Largest Dam Removal Project in History

This past weekend, large excavators began deconstructing two dams along the Elwha river in Olympic National Park. The project is the largest dam removal project to date and one of the... Read More

World Record Eggplant Curry Made to Protest Biotechnology Bill in India

As part of a public campaign against the upcoming Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) Bill, the largest baigan ka bharta (eggplant curry) was made just a few days ago... Read More

Complete Streets: About More than Just Bike Lanes

In many cities around the world, municipal governments are making dramatic changes to streetscapes. These changes, such as bike lanes, dedicated busways, and other traffic calming measures... Read More

Cargill Salt Pond Development a Bad Idea for San Francisco Bay

On a recent trip to Coyote Hills, a park on the east side of the San Francisco Bay, with a class of kindergarteners, we learned about marshland and a bit about salt ponds. Standing... Read More

Can Indian and U.S. Ingenuity Lead the World to Clean Energy Solutions?

Last week, India and the United States crossed another significant milestone in their efforts to create a clean energy future for their citizens and the rest of the world. Both countries... Read More

Bike to Work Day

Spring is finally here in most of the country, which means it’s time to dust off your bike and hit the road. In the San Francisco bay area, today happens to be Bike to Work Day,... Read More

New Laws Pose Potential Threat to Food Activists

In a recent New York Times article titled, “Animals, Cruelty and Videotape”, author Jennifer Mascia describes “Ag-gag” laws making it illegal to film inside slaughterhouses.... Read More

Earth Day 2011 – Duwamish River Restoration, Seattle

The Earth deserves more than just one day out of the year for us to demonstrate a commitment to sustainability and the planet. Nevertheless, it does help raise awareness, and it’s... Read More