Politics

Yeah, you love meat. In countless cultures, both in the U.S. and abroad, eating meat is aspirational—a sign of the good life. But as more of the earth’s residents choose to eat meat, we imperil the planet. Getting beef, lamb and chicken on your plate uses and pollutes billions of gallons of water in the…

When it comes to saving money on home heating and electric bills, our parents have said it all: Turn off the lights! Turn off that tap! Put on a sweater! Go outside!  These are all great starting points, but to really go green—and save green—you can do much more. Efficiency is the single easiest way…

Green jobs are all the rage, and the hottest sectors are in manufacturing and the skilled building trades. Roadwork, plumbing and pipe fitting, sheet metal working, carpentry, auto parts manufacturing and solar panel installation are all traditional areas of employment that are suddenly finding green applications. Recovery Act funding has put extra money behind green…

Is your house full of holes? Homes and businesses built decades ago are now, more likely than not, producing drafty nights and oven-like days. The reason? Air is constantly escaping from poorly designed windows or poorly insulated roofs. And if your home fits that description, modern weatherization could save you hundreds of dollars over time.…

You may think that riding a bicycle is only for reckless teens and hard-core city couriers, but, to go green, many Americans are remembering the virtues of going on pedal patrol. Bicycle commuting is way up across the country, from New York City to Portland, Oregon. Bike lanes are being laid down in towns and…

President Obama recently announced a plan to develop and improve high-speed rail service between major American cities. The investment could transform the U.S. transportation system in the same way that the introduction of light rail changed local driving habits, reducing the number of individual vehicle miles traveled by 5 to 30 percent annually. In addition…

It’s hard to overstate the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling. In a world where space is limited and human population isn’t shrinking, cutting down on the amount of trash we produce—from the Styrofoam you litter to that cell phone you junk—is key. Much of our waste is destined for landfills, but could just as…

According to a report I read here on TheRoot, Bob Johnson, “the billionaire founder of Black Entertainment Television says Barack Obama would not be a leading presidential candidate if he were white.” Since Johnson is a Hillary Clinton supporter, I started to wonder if his candidate would be a leading presidential contender if she were…

Philadelphia’s a fine city. I only know its hotels, and frankly that’s the kind of intimacy I prefer: plastic and superficial. I don’t need to know your Liberty Bells or your World’s Largest Cheesesteak. Lately, cities are one-night stands: hard and fast. In and out. Hours later, I’m looking down at your landmarks from 15,000…

Any day now I expect George Stephanopoulos, Sean Hannity, Hillary Clinton and John McCain to pressure Barrack Obama to renounce my endorsement. Mind you, Obama woudn’t know me from the man in the moon since I ‘ve never actually met him. But that’s splitting hairs. I’ve watched him on TV: I want him to win,…