Tara Lohan is a senior editor at AlterNet and heads up the Environment and Water coverage. She is the editor of the newest title from AlterNet Books Water Consciousness: How We All Have to Change to Protect Our Most Critical Resource. She has worked as a writer, editor and organizer on environmental and social justice issues for ten years. She has a master's in literary nonfiction from the University of Oregon and bachelor's in English and Environmental Studies from Middlebury College.

Blog Entries by Tara Lohan

Thanks to Climate Change, You Can Kiss These 8 Amazing Things Goodbye

Posted December 18, 2009 | 06:15 PM (EST)


If we don't work quickly to curb the effects of climate change we may lose the bird-eating fanged frog. Most of us may not miss that one, but there is an enormous list of species and places we may never see again unless we reverse this crazy climate...

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Nicolette Hahn Niman: A Vegetarian Ranchers Explains How to Raise Animals the Right Way

Posted December 8, 2009 | 01:56 PM (EST)


It's not easy to debate the nuances of eating meat with vegans or dedicated carnivores, who tend to see the issue in black or white terms -- either you do or you don't eat it. Most of us lie somewhere in between, and for those of us who are trying...

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5 Things You Need to Know About the Big Climate Meeting in Copenhagen

28 Comments | Posted October 29, 2009 | 08:29 PM (EST)


This story originally appeared on AlterNet.

There's a lot of buzz about COP15, the big climate-change meeting coming up -- what exactly is all the hype about, and why should you care? Here's a simple breakdown.

1. What the heck is it?

COP15 is the 15th meeting...

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Seven Ways Americans Are Kicking Their Gas-Guzzling Habit

4 Comments | Posted September 30, 2009 | 02:42 PM (EST)


Americans get a lot of flack for their big cars. And often for good reason.

After sales figures for the first half of 2009 came in, it's looking like Ford's F-Series pickup trucks are set to make their 28th year at the top of the charts, with nearly...

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Can You Survive Life After Cheap Oil? It May Be Time to Find Out

20 Comments | Posted September 17, 2009 | 08:23 PM (EST)


Do you know how to make shoes? Can you build a house? How about grow food? Do you have a doctor and a dentist in your circle of friends?

These are the questions that Andre Angelantoni thinks you should be able to answer in order to plan for the next...

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My Adventures in Urban Foraging

Posted September 9, 2009 | 01:25 PM (EST)


After spending an afternoon with Iso Rabins, it has come to my attention that I have no useful skills. And by useful, I mean the kind that could save my life if I was plucked out of the warm embrace of industrial, consumer society.

I can type with all 10...

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Farm-Raised Salmon Are Turning Our Oceans Into Polluted Feedlots

9 Comments | Posted September 3, 2009 | 02:40 PM (EST)


The fish makes gourmets rejoice. Smoked-salmon quiche, grilled salmon with lime butter sauce, salmon sushi, poached salmon fillets with dill crème fraîche -- really the choices with salmon are endless and delicious.

The omega-3-fatty-acid-rich fish is also coveted for its health benefits. And, if you're looking for protein, eating salmon...

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Has Lays Gone Too Far in Claiming Their Chips Are "Local"?

2 Comments | Posted August 20, 2009 | 02:20 PM (EST)


A few weeks ago, Chicago commuters witnessed the unbelievable -- as busy subway travelers at the Jackson stop bustled between trains in a tunnel, many were shocked to see that the ceiling tiles had broken away above them to reveal the fat bulbs of potatoes growing out of clumps of...

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The Cove: Japan Has a Dark Secret It Hopes the World Will Never See

6 Comments | Posted August 6, 2009 | 04:36 PM (EST)


Ric O'Barry almost looks crazy. He is driving a car, with a mask over his mouth, crouching low in his seat, hoping not to be recognized.

If the authorities catch him, there's no telling what will happen to him. He's cruising through the misty streets of Taiji, Japan, a small...

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Top 5 Myths About Coal

Posted February 17, 2009 | 08:41 PM (EST)


A longer version of this story was printed on AlterNet.

The facts are pretty simple, the U.S. Department of Energy said: "Burning coal is the dirtiest way we produce electricity." And yet oddly the Obama administration, which has embraced climate legislation and green jobs, is a supporter of...

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New Report: We're Heading for "Water Bankruptcy"

Posted February 2, 2009 | 06:47 PM (EST)


In case you haven't been following recent headlines around water, they go something like this:

"Argentine farmers face ruin as drought kills cattle, crops" (CNN)

"Nevada a natural disaster area due to drought" (AP)

"Kingdom braces for drought-like conditions" (Jordan Times)

"Calif. facing worst drought in modern...

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Finding the Best, Local Food Near You Just Got Easier

Posted November 17, 2008 | 01:42 PM (EST)


Food is making big headlines, and it's about time.

In a year marked by rising food prices and riots throughout the world, we've seen what happens when the reality of our energy, climate and water crises collides with trying to feed a planet.

As Vandana Shiva writes in her newest...

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