Yesterday was World Sparrow Day and today I’m going to deviate from my usual postings dedicated to this common, yet dwindling bird species. Sparrows have always been a ubiquitous bird that has easily adapted to life in the cities. However the increase of urban structures, lack of trees, increase in noise, pollution, and temperature has [...]

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By Peter Kareiva, Robert Lalasz and Michelle Marvier By its own measures, conservation is failing. Biodiversity on Earth continues its rapid decline. We continue to lose forests in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. There are so few wild tigers and apes that they will be lost forever if current trends continue. Simply put, we are [...]

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The Club of Rome and the Smithsonian Institution’s Consortium for Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet are hosting a symposium on March 1, 2012 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the launching of Limits to Growth, the first report to the Club of Rome published in 1972.

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Monsanto likes to think of itself as a sustainable agriculture company. They proudly trumpet their commitment to improving crop yields in the face of an ever-increasing human population, which they put forth as the very essence of sustainability. In truth, they are pursuing a sustainable objective in an unsustainable fashion. UCS senior scientist Doug Gurian-Sherman claims that Monsanto, “is producing more engineered seeds and herbicide and improving its bottom line, but at the expense of conservation and long-term sustainability.”

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Biodiversity loss is probably a challenge that is often ignored as climate change looms. Currently the world is losing species at a rate that is 100 to 1000 times faster than the natural extinction rate, further, it is currently seeing the sixth mass extinction. The previous mass extinction occured 65 million years ago, and was caused by [...]

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My recent stay in Detroit and current trip to Doha have opened my eyes to how citizens are taking matters into their own hands and building more sustainable economies.

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Last week the USDA’s Animal and Plant Inspection Service (APHIS) announced that it was allowing unlimited, nonregulated planting of Monsanto’s MON 87460 genetically modified corn trait, which was designed to be resistant to certain kinds of drought. This trait will be combined with other traits also approved on the same date, to provide corn that [...]

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So what happens when you put together Sylvia Earle, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Richard Branson, Neil Young and Ted Turner? Apart from a really great dinner party conversation, these are the founding members of OceanElders. OceanElders is basically a group of global leaders organized to promote ocean conservation. Joining them are Jackson Browne, Rita Colwell, Graeme Kelleher, Sven [...]

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Urban wildlife conservation is a growing branch of conservation ecology with good reason. Due to increase in human encroachment on forest lands, more and more people are encroaching on natural habitat. In addition, many lakes and rivers near cities are severely polluted and in desperate need of restoration. It is important to protect these areas [...]

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Opponents of the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam system in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon are mounting a “last stand” attempt to halt development in the wake of the government awarding the contract to Norte Energia and the start of construction. Opposition groups say building what would be the world’s third-largest hydroelectric system would be a “folly” of epic proportions on economic, technical and environmental grounds.

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With $700 million annual revenue from cookie sales, Girls Scouts has recently come under fire for not only failing to adequately address, but for unethically censoring critiques of the company regarding its palm oil use. The organization has claimed to have done its part by joining the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), but critics [...]

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Biodiversity – By Dr. Reese Halter A century ago the most dominant tree in the U.S. – the American chestnut towered the land and ruled the East Coast forests from Georgia to Maine. In a manner of a human lifespan this majestic tree has not only disappeared; it has in many cases been forgotten. Chestnuts [...]

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The following is a panel summary from a session in the International Development track at SoCap10, the Social Capital Markets conference exploring the intersection of money and meaning. It is provided as both a record of the information disseminated at the session and an opportunity to continue the conversation. SoCap10:  International Development Track Fort Mason, [...]

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By Terry Mock    Follow Terry on Twitter: @SustainLandDev We are part of nature too… In previous articles published in this magazine, I have supported a more environmentally-friendly approach to land development. “Understanding the Sacred Bond we have with Trees” pointed out the historical importance of wood to the rise of major civilizations and the link between deforestation [...]

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By Terry Mock Follow Terry on Twitter: @SustainLandDev It is the combination of life forms, and their interactions with each other and with the rest of the environment, that have made Earth a uniquely habitable place for humans. Biodiversity — the variability within and among living organisms and the systems they inhabit — is the [...]

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On a recent trip to Costa Rica, I had the chance to speak with a veteran fisherman and environmentalist who took us out for some sport fishing and snorkeling. I was encouraged to hear about recent studies conducted in Costa Rica regarding commercial fishing that demonstrate the economic value of species left in situ, as [...]

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By Alison I. Somilleda for the Green Chamber of Commerce German sportlifestyle company PUMA, known for its groundbreaking work with environmental and social awareness, and global peace initiatives, has partnered with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to support global awareness of biodiversity through the “Play for Life” campaign. The campaign will promote habitat and [...]

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Despite the erection of physical barriers and, as I noted in a post last week, the enterprising solutions aimed at overfishing them into extinction, it might already be too late to fully protect the Great Lakes from their next greatest threat: the Asian carp. The DNA of Asian carp have been detected in Lake Michigan. [...]

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I love so many Indian exports, I barely know where to start: bollywood films, bhangra music, glass bangles, gold earrings, multicolored silk, chana masala, chai tea and mango lassi to name a few. Among these exotic indulgences, my favorite is Indian food. Basmati rice is perfectly sticky and light, the sauce on chicken tikka masala [...]

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