A Luxury Vacation with No Modern Conveniences

A Luxury Vacation with No Modern Conveniences

When you read this, I’ll probably be out in the wilderness on a 220-mile hike along the John Muir Trail. Embarking on this journey through California’s breathtaking Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia National Parks reminded me of a conversation I had in Mexico...
Pixar’s Lesson for Kids — and Adults

Pixar’s Lesson for Kids — and Adults

Pixar’s latest flick holds some major life lessons for kids — and adults, too. Inside Out takes place inside the head of an 11-year-old girl, Riley, as she and her parents move from Minnesota to San Francisco. The main characters are cute personifications of the...
Francis vs. Washington

Francis vs. Washington

Pope Francis, the humble yet bold leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, has offered an inspiring 21st century vision to all people. It’s a vision that’s been sorely missing in the halls of power. In an encyclical focused on the environment,...
Solar-Powered Friars

Solar-Powered Friars

If you visit the Franciscan Friars Conventual of Ellicott City, Maryland, you’ll notice a large solar array standing in one of their fields. The friars have dramatically reduced their electricity bill, but that’s not the primary reason they invested in renewable...
Solar-Powered Friars

5 Key Things Pope Francis Says about Climate Change

Pope Francis just released an “encyclical,” a fancy word for a sort of intimate letter that is meant to serve as a guide to understanding our personal relationship to some of the most complex issues of the day through religious doctrine. This particular encyclical is...
A Noxious Double Whammy

A Noxious Double Whammy

Here’s the good news: President Barack Obama has committed to reducing the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least 17 percent by 2020. The bad news? A rise in fracking for natural gas could make the United States fail to keep this pledge. Unfortunately, a...