Is it possible for us to utilize new technologies to enable us to responsibly and sustainably build with wood? Michael Green, an environmentally conscious architect from Vancouver, thinks so. Green warns, however, that current building codes stifle the ability to innovate and explore these ideas. “When the
Read more →Human beings are a funny lot. Since the 1940s, we’ve studiously developed and deployed over 75,000 unique chemicals for use in food, water, our environment, our pets and even our own bodies. A lot of people are of the opinion that there are agencies at work that
Read more →What do actors Tricia Helfer and Katee Sackhoff have in common? Aside from co-starring in Battlestar Galactica, both love to ride and both have a penchant to use their fame to good purpose. Since meeting, the pair put together a charitable foundation called Acting Outlaws. In Oct
Read more →Very few of us ever get to experience real darkness. In fact, many city dwellers go through their entire lives having never experienced a dark sky. This can have all sorts of interesting consequences, including stars and planets being reported to authorities as being UFOs during blackouts.
Read more →The European Food Safety Authority published a study in GM Crops and Food that brings to light a disturbing problem with the majority of GMO products in North America: A hidden viral gene that has far-reaching health implications. The gene, called Gene VI, is found in many
Read more →There are few truths more unassailable than this: Mother Earth sustains us. Without her “health and well-being”, humankind has little chance of surviving. Many of us conceptually know this, but we don’t act in a fashion that helps to sustain that well-being. I’ve spent a fair bit
Read more →Part of the big picture of a Utopian future must include efficient use of resources. Efficient use of resources often is depicted as limiting our use of fossil fuels and preserving our forests. These are both important elements of efficiency, but they aren’t the whole picture. Food
Read more →There’s a struggle going on between Big Agriculture and small, family owned farms. It doesn’t get much coverage on the news, but the family farm as we grew up to know it is disappearing. And with it, not only is a way of life being left behind,
Read more →One of the more interesting elements of human thinking is our tendency towards optimism. The vast majority of emotionally healthy individuals exhibit a strong bias of believing that things are going to turn out for the best. Regardless of whether that be getting a promotion, not getting
Read more →If you’re at all like I am, I grew up having friends and family in the farming community. I got to hang out with cows in the pasture, was chased by geese while trying to cross the yard, drove tractors and simply enjoyed the freshest produce possible.
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