2015 March/April

2015 March/April

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Feature

Buzz Kill

As corn yields rise, bees are dying worldwide

By Patrick J. Kiger

February 6, 2015

Departments

Terrie Bad Hand and Pati Martinson, Taos County Economic Development Corporation

Do-Gooder

Helping Taos Make Business From Tradition

Two social justice veterans meld Native American traditions with modern technology to create a better food system

By Amy Westervelt

February 13, 2015

We've overhauled the magazine's design, stripping away extraneous elements to focus on what we do best: bring you captivating stories, photos, and illustrations.

Editor’s Desk

Sierra Magazine Gets a Facelift

We've stripped away extraneous elements to focus on what we do best: bring you captivating stories, photos, and illustrations.

By Tracy Cox

February 9, 2015

In Alberta, Canada, ponds that kill birds and 24/7 cannon fire are now considered normal

From the Top

The Nightmarish Normalcy of Canada's Tar Sands Mines

In Alberta, ponds that kill birds and 24/7 cannon fire are just part of the routine.

By Michael Brune

February 9, 2015

Notes from Here & There

Did an Orangutan Die for Your Oreos?

By Dashka Slater

February 12, 2015

Peabody Energy claims that half a million people support its "grassroots" campaign to fight energy poverty, but it smells a lot like Astroturf

Notes from Here & There

Is Big Coal Buying "Likes?"

Peabody Energy claims that half a million people support its "grassroots" campaign to fight energy poverty, but it smells a lot like Astroturf

By Sarah Kessler

February 19, 2015

Lawrence Harris, Senior Team Leader, Green City Force, Brooklyn, New York

Faces of Clean Energy

How a Green Job Changed An Ex-Con's Life

Every day, the clean energy revolution is creating new jobs for American workers. As part of an ongoing series, Sierra asked one of them to tell us his story.

By Reed McManus

February 13, 2015

One of a series of still lifes in photographer Klaus Pichler's "One Third" project, which draws attention to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization's estimate that up to a third of the world's food is wasted.

Eyewitness

Are You Ripe Or Are You Rotting?

February 19, 2015

Bulletin

Vote in the Sierra Club Election

By Reed McManus

February 13, 2015

Collect eggs for breakfast, take a composting workshop in the garden, and learn to make butter at an Irish inn and cookery

Escape

Ballymaloe House

Collect eggs for breakfast, take a composting workshop in the garden, and learn to make butter at an Irish inn and cookery

By David Lansing

February 11, 2015

Kalfatindar Peak on Honstrandir Peninsula, Iceland

Field Trip

Hornstrandir Nature Reserve, Iceland

By Michael Parks

February 11, 2015

While critics call the facade "Lego-like," owner-architect Thomas Paino calls it "cloud-inspired"

Green Home

One New York City Rowhouse Takes on a Changing Climate

By Lindsay Abrams

February 19, 2015

I walked along, skipping from rock to rock and admiring the fossils until I came to a narrow sandy beach tucked into the cliffs. I lingered there, lost in my thoughts.

Survive

Disappearing Beach

By Anna Threlfall

February 11, 2015

Inside a former brewery in St. Paul, Minnesota, a company called Urban Organics is perfecting a new model of aquaponic food production.

Stress Test

Why Aquaponics Could Revolutionize Food Production

By Eliza Strickland

February 13, 2015

Repurpose

How to Turn an Old T-shirt Into an Ecofriendly Produce Bag

It's time to sack your worn-out tees.

By Wendy Becktold

February 18, 2015

alamanders are the secret mainstay of many American forests.

Critter

No Newts Is Bad Newts

The exotic pet trade could wipe out wild salamanders.

By Chelsea Leu

February 12, 2015

Kenneth Brower reflects on the "talismanic power" of his father's metal goblet

Artifact

On the Power of the Sierra Club Cup

Kenneth Brower reflects on the meaning of his father's metal goblets

By Kenneth Brower

February 12, 2015

Chew on this: American kitchens devour up to 15 percent of a household's energy, and we trash about $165 billion worth of food per year.

Material World

6 Kitchen Gadgets That Save Energy and Reduce Waste

By Chelsea Leu

February 12, 2015

Serious hikers can burn through 4,500 calories a day on the trail. Move beyond granola, beef jerky, and flattened energy bars with this food-prep gear.

Material World

Be a Backcountry Chef

By Rosie Spinks

February 12, 2015

Changemaker

A Sierra Club Activist Helps Protect L.A.'s Mountains

Roberto Morales helped to designate the San Gabriel Mountains as a national monument.

By Reed McManus

February 13, 2015

Smile

A Husband Dreams of Backyard Chickens

By David Lansing

February 13, 2015

Next Big Thing

Can Bacteria Solve All Our Problems?

From generating engine-ready propane to warding off disease, bacteria is the latest hero in science.

By Dashka Slater

February 19, 2015

Taste Test

9 Chefs Who Are Changing the World

By Avital Andrews

February 23, 2015

On the One Hand

Why White, Solar-Reflecting Paint is Greener Than a Rooftop Garden

By Dashka Slater

February 13, 2015

Green Life

3 Dam Detonation Videos that Prove Going Green is Blowing Up

By Nicholas Ibarra

March 11, 2015

Green Life

3 Green Products to Help You Welcome Aunt Flo

Making the crimson tide a little greener.

By Crystal F. Lambert

March 31, 2015

Green Life

4 Smart Ways to Conserve Water at Home

By Della Watson

April 2, 2015

When you hear the word "hibernate," you think bears. In actuality, bears aren't true hibernators.

Green Life

9 Myths About Animals You Probably Think Are True

By Phalon Joy Evergreen

March 11, 2015

Green Life

Amazon rainforest scrubbing half as much carbon as it used to, new study shows

By Nicholas Ibarra

March 20, 2015

Green Life

April Observing Highlight

Don't miss the lunar eclipse and Lyrid meteors this month.

By Kelly Kizer Whitt

March 31, 2015

Emily Schlickman reveals San Francisco's forgotten waterways in Market Street's 2015 Prototyping Festival.

Green Life

Can Street Art Get San Franciscans to Take Drought Seriously?

Artist Emily Schlickman reveals the city's forgotten waterways in San Francisco's Market Street Prototyping Festival

By Madison Kotack

April 9, 2015

A new study suggests cockroaches have individual tendencies.

Green Life

Cockroaches Have Personalities and That's Why They're Going to Survive Global Warming

By Phalon Joy Evergreen

March 10, 2015

Green Life

Discovery Channel reaches New Heights with Elevation Weekend

Sneak peeks and exclusive Q & A with adventure climber Alex Honnold

By Mikey Jane Moran

April 24, 2015

A free mobile game released by the nonprofit Cool the Earth helps kids fight climate change.

Green Life

Free Mobile Game Helps Kids Fight Climate Change

Nonprofit Cool the Earth releases the environmental app for Earth Day

By Wendy Becktold

April 22, 2015

Green Life

Guiding in Wyoming, Part One: Introductions

What other job allows a college student to boss around lawyers twice her age?

By Caitlin Kauffman

March 23, 2015

Green Life

Guiding in Wyoming, Part Three: Grassy Island

What other job allows a college student to boss around lawyers twice her age?

By Caitlin Kauffman

April 6, 2015

Green Life

Guiding in Wyoming, Part Two: Yellowstone

What other job allows a college student to boss around lawyers twice her age?

By Caitlin Kauffman

March 30, 2015

Green Life

Guiding in Wyoming: Heading Home

What other job allows a college student to boss around lawyers twice her age?

By Caitlin Kauffman

August 15, 2014

Green Life

How Honey Bees Can Alleviate World Hunger

Humans will miss more than the honey if bee die-offs continue

By Mikey Jane Moran

February 13, 2015

When you head out for the pub this year, join the growing movement of bike-only commuters and cycle there instead of driving to slash your greenhouse-gas emissions.

Green Life

How to Green Your St. Patrick's Day

March 12, 2015

A total solar eclipse arrives at the North Pole in March.

Green Life

March Observing Highlight

A total solar eclipse arrives at the North Pole in March.

By Kelly Kizer Whitt

March 9, 2015

Green Life

Paint the Town Dark

Cities worldwide turn the lights out to curb climate change.

By Mikey Jane Moran

March 25, 2015

Green Life

Rare Footage of a Wolf Catching Salmon Alongside a Brown Bear

By Nicholas Ibarra

March 18, 2015

Green Life

That Wide-Eyed Look

Six ways to inspire awe in children with math and nature.

By Mikey Jane Moran

March 18, 2015

Green Life

The New Starry Night

Filmmakers capture kaleidoscope skies before they disappear.

By Mikey Jane Moran

April 20, 2015

Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.

Green Life

To the Top of the World and Back

Kit DesLauriers on her new book, "Higher Love," and on being the first person to ski all Seven Summits.

By Phalon Joy Evergreen

March 30, 2015

Green Life

Wide-eyed and Whiskered Baby Bobcats

By Crystal F. Lambert

April 21, 2015

The wood bison, cousin to the plains bison, is returning to the Alaskan wilderness after over 100 years of extirpation, or local extinction.

Green Life

Wood Bison Return to the Alaskan Wilderness

Locally extinct for more than a century, North America's biggest land animals are back in Alaska

By Phalon Joy Evergreen

March 31, 2015

Green Life

Your Favorite National Parks. Each Sold Separately.

Lego captures the love of the outdoors in miniature.

By Mikey Jane Moran

April 14, 2015

Ask Mr. Green

Hey Mr. Green, Does My Sprinkler Replenish Groundwater?

By Bob Schildgen

April 7, 2015

Urban composting is made easy with these little guys.

Ask Mr. Green

Hey Mr. Green, How Can I Compost in an Urban Area?

By Bob Schildgen

April 14, 2015

Hey Mr. Green, how can I tell if my power source is clean or dirty?

Ask Mr. Green

Hey Mr. Green, How Can I Tell if My Power Supply is Clean or Dirty?

By Bob Schildgen

March 12, 2015

Ask Mr. Green

Hey Mr. Green, Is It More Ecofriendly to Charge My Phone in the Car?

By Bob Schildgen

April 29, 2015

Hey Mr. Green, what does "organic" actually mean?

Ask Mr. Green

Hey Mr. Green, What Does "Organic" Mean, Anyway?

Mr. Green breaks down the meaning of "organic."

By Bob Schildgen

February 11, 2015

Does it use more energy to use a clothes dryer on a higher temperature for shorter duration or lower temperature for longer duration?

Ask Mr. Green

Hey Mr. Green, What's the Greenest Way to Use My Clothes Dryer?

By Bob Schildgen

March 17, 2015

The United States and China reach a landmark climate agreement. The United States will double its rate of emissions cuts, and China will limit emissions by 2030.

ICYMI

Two Months of Environmental News, One page

Important news in case you missed it.

By Paul Rauber

February 12, 2015