Janus, the Roman god of transitions, is often depicted as having two faces, symbolizing an ability to look both backwards into the past year’s accomplishments and forward into unannounced adventures yet to come. The Environment Team looks back with pride at the range of topics covered this past year in...
The clock keeps ticking, and the weeks and months fly by until it is time to start thinking once again about planning for the holiday season ahead. Some people have opted out of gift-giving and let us know this quite clearly, others not; but it is wise to remember that...
Although he’s lived almost eight decades several states away from his native one-horse farming community where he was born, my Dad is a self-described “farm boy.” My Mom was a city girl whose closest contact with the garden was to cut my Dad’s wildly abundant roses for a floral arrangement. In high school, I...
Manufacturers would like us to think that recycling is the answer to our waste problem: buy, use, recycle – easy – 
our consciences are clear. But is it? And are they? Humankind (7.6 billion people) produces 2 billion tonnes* of waste per year and of that, perhaps 20 percent is recycled. It is estimated that the US produces...
Armed conflict is bad for people, but most of us don’t think about the fact that it also has very bad and lasting effects on our natural environment. Land, air, water, plants, animals and all living organisms comprise the “natural environment.” A geographical environment is also called a natural environment, as it interacts with...
In the northern hemisphere, the sun is shining warmer and brighter every day. It might be 7 °C/45 °F outside, but here in Oslo, 
I join in the time-honored Norwegian tradition of sitting outside by a sun/drenched wall to soak in the precious rays. The vernal equinox marked the start of spring. It was also...
