A new effort near Tahoe, California, brings farmers and food buyers together to buck the system.
Growth & Sustainability
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Will this desert community survive its water overdraft problem?
Borrego Springs, California, was founded on the promise of endless water. Now they must conserve — or else.
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California Coastal Commission fires its executive director
The decision exposes the quintessential coastline to damage, development and closures.
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Should this national monument become a national park?
An Idaho town hopes changing Craters of the Moon to park status will boost its economy.
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Forest Service leaves control of water rights to ski resorts
How does industry control of water affect public land management?
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How do we define climate pollution’s cost to society?
Every year, the government recalculates how much money a metric ton of carbon costs us.
Posted inJanuary 25, 2016: The Forever War
The road to better eating, in an era of compromise
A review of Megan Kimble’s “Unprocessed: My City-Dwelling Year of Reclaiming Real Food.”
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Economic downturns fuel Sagebrush Rebellion events
Natural resource-dependent rural economies help explain why disputes happen where they do.
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Nevada decision guts the state’s thriving solar industry
Electric utility pushed effort to sour economics of rooftop solar.
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How some Western cities are leading on climate action
Despite faltering national policy, some communities are forging ahead.
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How the feds can ensure Western states get more water in 2016
Key legislation failed in 2015. Will this year be any different?
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Can plant-based feeds make aquaculture sustainable?
Some scientists are replacing sardines and anchovies with soybeans and corn as food for farmed fish.
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California relocates residents whose wells have gone dry
Residents explain why the new drought program may or may not work for them.
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Where private land meets public interest
A group of landowners on the Colorado-New Mexico border aim to conserve a contested landscape.
Posted inDecember 21, 2015: Secrets of the Deep
Two visions collide in Utah’s Wasatch Range
As ski resorts push for a mega-connection, backcountry skiers try to save some wild.
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Millions in debt, a community wonders if its water source will provide
This master-planned community must keep building to survive, despite the drought.
Posted inDecember 7, 2015: Good Neighbors
Who really killed Keystone?
An unusual coalition is fighting new fossil fuel infrastructure, and they’re starting to win.
Posted inDecember 7, 2015: Good Neighbors
Latest: California’s plan for conservation-minded energy development takes its first step forward
The Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan is intended to guide energy development, while protecting wildlife and recreation.
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Can roads designed for cars be safe for bikes?
Pam Jahnke was riding her bike on a section of Highway 89 near Lake Tahoe, in an area where Caltrans, California’s road and bridge department, had just installed a new storm-drainage system. “The minute my tire hit the drain, I was air-bound and smacked down on the pavement in the middle of the road.” she […]
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Pot growers put huge energy demand on the grid
Utilities should view legalization as an opportunity, not a threat.