“Online merchants changed the way we shop—and made ‘reverse logistics’ into a booming new industry.”
sustainability
Posted inEditor's Pick
Waterworld
“Riese is taking cues from the element he considers most beloved, going with the flow and flowing where he’s able, taking opportunities as they come, and sharing why we should care about water with anyone who cares to listen.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
On Mother Trees: What Old-Growth Trees Taught Me About Parenting
“I was helpful, but unlike the giving tree, I was not entirely happy.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Disappearing Art of Maintenance
What do you do with a subway car that’s been operating 25 years longer than it was designed to? What do you do with a phone that’s only designed to work for three? In this thoughtful essay, Alex Vuoco suggests that we look to the make-it-last ethos as a course out of the increasingly wasteful […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
Will Northwest Seaweed Farming Finally Take Off?
In this piece from late 2020, Stefan Milne explores the incredible potential of kelp as “a tool to fight ocean acidification, feed the world, and restore Native food sovereignty.” One study estimated a “marine garden” the size of Washington state could provide enough protein to feed earth’s population, all while cleaning pollutants. He dove into […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control: Inside Shein’s Sudden Rise
Online fast-fashion giant Shein has grown dramatically and sells a massive volume of super-cheap, disposable clothing for budget-conscious teenagers. But the Chinese company has disclosed very little about its production, reports Vauhini Vara, that it’s hard to measure its environmental footprint. Lu, the University of Delaware professor, found that in a recent 12-month period, the […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Power of Shit
Can modern society evolve and see poop as a natural, fully renewable, and sustainable resource? Lina Zeldovich explores the ancient societies that understood and saw the potential in human excrement, and the forward-thinking ways we can use our own dark matter for good. With so much smart tech, why haven’t we closed our metabolic rift? […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
New Urbanism Sells Faux Sustainability as a Luxury on Florida’s 30A
“Developments like these along 30A are selling environmentalism as a commodified luxury good—and making a declaration about who can and can’t thrive in the face of climate change.”
Posted inFood, Highlight, Nonfiction, Quote Posts, Quotes, Science & Nature
This Visionary Chef Has Unlocked the Secrets of the Sea Floor. Can He Change the Way We Eat?
Harvesting rice from the sea? This Spanish chef dreams big.
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Highlight, Nonfiction, Quote Posts, Quotes, Science & Nature
‘Anyone Can Walk in the Woods, But Who Truly Knows Them?’
Tristan McConnell writes about the forests of Mount Kenya, and the people there with a deep understanding of the land and the trees.