You may have recently heard the buzz about the world's bees disappearing but you're not quite sure what the big deal is all about. "What's up with the bees?" you ask your country bumpkin friends. Oh, you...

A few years ago, I replaced my cranky, rusty front lawn with native and drought tolerant plants. I felt so empowered by ending that co-dependent relationship with my thirsty lawn and I've never looked back. My neighbors were curious when they saw me in the bed of my pick-up truck...

This November, Californians will vote on a historic proposal that would require genetically modified foods in supermarkets to be labeled. For some reason,

Though worldwide bee health has been on the decline since the 1990s, it wasn't until the fall of 2006 that beekeepers nationwide began noticing millions of bees vanishing from their hives. This syndrome, named colony collapse disorder, or CCD,...

This was previously published in the Pacific Sun newspaper, September 6, 2012. Used with permission by author.

Okay, soil sommeliers, compost queens, Earth science professors (nerds!), organic gardeners and worm-worshipping tree huggers: this is your moment to shine. Documentary...

Wondering how to create a city-wide plastic bag ban or a green building ordinance, or how to stop a government planned aerial pesticide spraying of your own 'hood? Two dynamic sustainability experts and community organizers were recently involved in all of the above changes in their own communities. And now...

When my son was a hell-on-wheels toddler I attended a parenting workshop on disciplining strong-willed children, led by Michael Simon, founder of www.PracticalHelpForParents.com. As Simon waved goodbye on the last day of class, he gave us our final pep talk and said...

Last week, I interviewed Laurie Syms, co-director of Rachel's Network, an advocacy group that promotes women's leadership, both in the environmental community and government. I learned that women, overall and regardless of party, consistently vote more in favor of environmental protections and policies than their male counterparts in...

How did a girl raised and hardened on the streets of New York City become a passionate environmentalist, geeky master gardener and full-fledged compost queen? I read Rachel Carson's bestseller, Silent Spring. Carson, a marine biologist, wrote about...

Though worldwide bee health has been on the decline since the 1990s, it wasn't until the fall of 2006 that beekeepers nationwide began noticing millions of bees vanishing from their hives. This syndrome,...

Photo courtesy of www.Woollypockets.com. Grow a garden anywhere with these fabric squares made from recycled plastic bottles!

1.Grow Your Own
I grew up in NYC in an apartment building, yet somehow I can now grow organic fruits and vegetables. And so...

Last month, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide held its 2012 annual sales conference in San Francisco, California. Over 2000 general managers and sales personnel from over 500 Starwood Hotels (Westin, St. Regis, Sheraton, Le Meredien, W...

What, all run by gigantic corporations? Is that really the answer? I think not. That would be the absolute destruction of everything and the classic way of ensuring that there is no food in the future. Millions...

It's wintertime, but that doesn't stop us hortiholics from daydreaming about next spring's garden and everything flowery. This is the time we start planning on what we'll do different next year in our backyards to create a naturally sustaining and flourishing ecosystem. In other words; impress our neighbors. Here are...

One of the latest trends in gardening is to grow ornamental or edible plants vertically up a wall of a building or a backyard fence. Horizontal, low gardening on the ground, is so 20 minutes ago! If you want to be with the horticultural trendsetters you gotta get high.

Patrick...

Photo:Annie Spiegelman

Cheap food is great, and we have to acknowledge that achievement, but we also have to acknowledge the cost of it. If you understand what it takes to make food cheap, you lose your appetite. -Michael Pollan, speaking last month on the...

Annie, Pickles and the organically grown, man-eating, fence-bending white Lady Banksai climbing rose. (Courtesy Bill Buzbuzian)

Excerpted from Talking Dirt: The Dirt Diva's Down-to-Earth Guide to Organic Gardening (Penguin Group) Author: Annie Spiegelman

Here in California, I usually prune my...

Well, now I can add "interviewed a crap farmer" to my esteemed resume, while checking it off my bucket list. My parents will be so proud. My parents will be so proud. This so totally surpasses...

Americans will purchase roughly 110 million roses for Valentine's Day gifts. Purchasing fresh flowers for our sweethearts while poisoning farmers and their families is so yesterday. Come on already! Today it's about purchasing flowers from a floral company that cares about environmental,...