| Aug 5, 2015 | Environment / HealthBack in 1898, New York City hosted a global environmental summit. Flummoxed, the assembled experts disbanded early without agreeing on workable solutions. What daunting crisis brought about this precursor of today’s big UN climate conferences? Fast-growing...
| Jul 15, 2015 | Environment / HealthClimate action is finally gaining ground in Washington. No, not that Washington. Following their victory in a Seattle court, eight children are pressing Washington State’s Department of Ecology to crack down on carbon pollution. The agency has until August 7 to reach...
| Jun 24, 2015 | Environment / HealthIf 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...
| | Economy / BusinessWhen Pope Francis unveiled his letter to the world about how we must stop trashing the planet, he nearly broke the Internet. The pithy document included hundreds of zingers, including this line: “Whatever is fragile, like the environment, is defenseless before the...
| Jun 18, 2015 | Environment / HealthPope 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...