Most of the public spaces that define the American landscape today foster a sense of loneliness, isolation and fundamental discontent -- at least according to New Urbanist Andrés Duany. Many cities and their surrounding suburbs have been constructed in such a way as to discourage public interaction, thereby engendering...

Despite the potential that farmers' markets and community gardens have for changing eating habits and consumer behavior, they need government support in order to succeed, especially in low-income communities and in neighborhoods where they have never existed. Unlike large-scale farms that receive massive government support, and whose output ends up...

It's not just finances and availability keeping low-income individuals from eating better food--though the two issues are undeniably at the heart of the problem. More complex still, is the urban and social structure upon which low-income neighborhoods are built: namely, the construction of urban landscapes and the...

Prevention is at the heart of the health care debate, but low-income and minority communities are often deprived of the nourishing options they deserve. Worse still, they're frequently blamed or held in contempt for the diseases that result. Needless to say, the health of all Americans has never mattered...

"Tell me what you eat and I'll tell you who you are." Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Food is everything, in the best of ways. It is what ties us to our friends and families, what holds us to our traditions and the planet, what keeps us coming together each day...

Logan Scott, age 7, owes his life to a goat and a backyard garden. In 2006 Logan's parents, Aaron and Stephanie Scott, began a small experiment to save their son from a severe nutritional deficiency. A mere three years later, the Scotts have created their own small enterprise, "Southern...

Put away your tin foil, Giada de Laurentiis enthusiasts; lay down your many meats, Guy Fieri fans, and please, Sandra Lee watchers, resist buying all of the pre-packaged ingredients you can easily make on your own. Food Network viewers be warned: your favorite celebrity chef is encouraging wasteful, unhealthy behavior...

For decades, Alice Waters has commanded attention for her love of the freshest, most local food. Last week, her crusade was the focal point of national attention, as Michelle Obama finally agreed to plant an extensive vegetable garden at the White House.

If Ms. Waters is serious about...

Contemporary education and global warming are critical issues and, according to journalist Richard Louv, they're two sides of the same coin. In his book, "Last Child in the Woods," Louv argues that the future of our planet, and our children, begins outdoors.

Louv's book explores the link between...

I am not a native to the lone star state, but I've recently come to understand the old adage, "Don't Mess With Texas." While some non-Texans may associate this phrase with staunch federalist tendencies and a love of guns, the sentiment runs deeper than stereotypes, and is a concept we...

I'm not a gadget aficionado, but in the age of near-total reliance on technology, it's more important than ever to understand your impact and your options. I'm not sure there's anything worse than buying technology that you don't need, but when it comes to "must-haves" like computers, power chords and...

Yesterday, Amazon revealed the Kindle 2.0. By all accounts, it seemed disappointingly similar to the original version, despite the new speakers, keyboard and rounded corners. The lack of innovation is surprising because, except for Amazon's claims that the original version is selling like it's going out of style, it...

Sustainability is partly about the environment, and wholly about the way we choose to live. It is a new way of referring to a very old thing: a trendy way of repurposing lessons handed down to us from the scriptures--or at least from our grandparents. It is the golden rule,...

President-elect Barack Obama has a lot on his agenda -- and in January his plate will be even fuller. But perhaps come spring, the President can fill the actual White House china with sustainable, homegrown fare. After he saves the economy, begins timely withdrawals from Iraq and negotiates with unruly...

I spend most of the week worrying that the EPA or Washington or the big three are going to forget about being green. I also spend a lot of time online, perusing the latest lists of "Ten Ways be Greener at Home." All of them make changing my light bulbs...

Food needs a piece of that seven billion dollar pie. For fortunate Americans, food is as much a source of entertainment as it is nourishment. Yet despite the lore of culinary shows and specialty markets, there remains a deep, gastronomical divide: some demographics have trouble finding or affording basic produce,...

The Sunday after Ike, I visited Austin for the first time. Power seemed weeks away, there was debris in the streets and the blessed cool front Houston enjoyed was being supplanted by an imposing heat wave. Once out of the city, the ride was a straight shot through fields and...

Ike revealed many things. Houstonians saw the city in a new light--or sometimes none at all. One afternoon we drove around our hot city, fully intact, the next we waded through cool streets with water up to our knees. From the comfort of a diner with a generator, I watched...

I'm not sure how comfortable you feel about eating an animal baby Frankenstein. If a man-made bovine doesn't frighten you, you'll likely find this article rather unimpressive. Before I launch into my conservative tirade on the FDA's position on cloned animals, may I say that generally, I am all for...

Your carbon footprint has a shadow: nitrogen. Unlike carbon dioxide, which scientists have long understood as a damaging green house gas, nitrogen is still revealing its role on the stage of climate change. Despite the complexities that ultimately emerge in the interplay between nitrogen and other greenhouse gases--especially carbon dioxide--the...