People are accustomed to environmentalists standing up for what's threatened -- the polar bear, forests encroached upon by development, our waterways. Rightfully so, we see the protection of our nation's land, air, and wildlife as intrinsically linked to our own survival.

As an environmentalist, I'd like to see us...

The heart of Appalachia's coal country might not be the first place you'd expect to see cutting edge public health initiatives -- it's one of the least healthy regions in America. But a group of residents is determined to change that. In Williamson, West Virginia, neighbors are coming together to...

It is not fun being fat. Being overweight is the physical manifestation of emotional pain. A lot of heavy people pretend they're joyful and happy. In fact, they're filled with shame. What those of us who are overweight need is to be showered with love -- a love that is...

Budget. Congress. Hope; now, those are three words that you don't often see together. With all of the political drama around our nation's economy, it's easy to forget that the federal budget process offers a tremendous opportunity, not just a tremendous headache. Our leaders in Congress have a chance right...

Throughout history, nearly all of the progress we've made toward a more just and peaceful world has started with seeds of discomfort with the status quo, and a growing sense that a better way is possible. That feeling is what gave birth to the bold, audacious visions that fueled our...

Throughout history, music has played a key role in helping inspire and breathe fire into efforts to combat injustice and create a better world. And it was never more important, or more memorable, than during the Civil Rights movement.

"The freedom songs are playing a strong and vital role...

Portland resident Sary Dobhran never thought she would end up on welfare. But when she was four months pregnant, her son's father passed away, leaving her on her own to support a small child in the worst economy since the Great Depression.

Fortunately, she didn't give up. She enrolled...

As we launch into 2013, we face some daunting challenges. We've had a frightening glimpse at the havoc global warming threatens to bring -- from floods and drought to wildfires and super storms. And our most vulnerable folks continue to be hit hardest and hit first. Meanwhile, big polluters are...

As we launch into this new year, one of the best pieces of news I've heard was the decision by Congress last week to extend important tax credits to one of America's most promising industries: Wind power.

Over recent months, essential job-generating tax credits for American wind...

Co-authors:
Michael Brune, Executive Director, Sierra Club
Phil Radford, Executive Director, Greenpeace

It's not an easy time in America. The problems we face are daunting and disturbing--from gun violence to poverty, joblessness, and climate change. In times like this, we want to be able to...

On December 14, the White House is expected to release updated safeguards for soot and other fine particulate matter, requiring coal plants to cut back the amount of soot pollution they pump into our air. The regulations are modest, but would go a long way in making our communities healthier...

Of all the lessons from Hurricane Sandy, there is one that lingers in my mind. In the face of the disaster, neighborhoods with strong local networks were able to help each other, respond better, and bounce back more quickly. In some cases, people waited in vain for help from federal...

Once considered one of the most conservative cities in the country, and known largely for its industrial manufacturing history, Indianapolis may seem like an unlikely leader in the movement to create more vibrant, healthy, equitable communities.

In fact, the city is nurturing a promising green economy that serves as...

Lately it seems like no one wants to talk about global warming. The issue has received so little attention from our political candidates during this election cycle that you'd think the problem had evaporated. That is until this week when Hurricane Sandy hit, flattening coastal neighborhoods, leaving millions of Americans...

We've heard a lot in the past week about equal pay for women. It's an issue that's real, and it's important -- not just to the women whose paychecks are 23 percent smaller than their male counterparts -- but to the households they support. When you shortchange women, you're shortchanging...

If you lived in the Cleveland area during the 1950s and '60s, you might have witnessed the disturbing sight of a local river, the Cuyahoga, engulfed in flames. For years, the river was so contaminated by oil and other industrial pollutants that it was nearly devoid of fish, and its...

It's hard to imagine why anyone in this country would fail to get behind a sector like clean energy, which is putting Americans to work while keeping our air and water healthy. It's even harder to understand why they would actively try to destroy it. Yet that's exactly what's going...

America is in a tough place right now. In a recent poll, nearly half of voters said they think our country's best days are behind us. It's understandable, then, that many of us may be looking back and longing for the past, when life seemed a little bit...

When the fire broke out at the Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, California last week, this is what families living nearby--including some of our own staff at Green For All--experienced: Their windows rattled and their houses shook. Some of them watched fiery explosions and plumes of dark smoke pour from...

It seems like all we hear these days is bad news -- rising poverty, increasing violence, unprecedented weather disasters -- the list goes on. But there's another story out there, one we don't hear enough about. It's the story of a transformation that's quietly unfolding as the green economy takes...