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The Path to Happiness is Paved with Small Talk, Potlucks & Bear Hugs by Wanda Urbanska
Two people chatting on a park bench

One of the greatest perks of travel is meeting new people. Conversation starters are easy: “Where are you headed today?” or “Are you traveling on business or pleasure?” If both sides engage, you will quickly arrive at...

Wanda Urbanska: Container Gardening: Growing Plants in a ‘No-Yard’ World
yellow tomato

One of Marci Murphy-Fedderson’s main gardening goals this year is to plant a raspberry bush. While this might seem like a modest undertaking, it’s more impressive when you consider that the 51-year-old Utah woman doesn’t live on...

Spreading Honey in the Age of Bee Blight
Honeycomb

When Berry Hines retired from the military in 1994, he was plagued with a host of medical conditions, including a floppy foot, slurred speech, reflux and a mini stroke. At that time, he and his wife Annie decided to eliminate processed foods,...

What’s Lurking in Your Lipstick, Shaving Cream and Shampoo? What You Don’t Know Could Hurt You
Spilling nail polish

Back when my son was born at the end of the last century, my eco-friendly energies focused on serving him organic food and deciding whether conscience would permit the use of disposable diapers. Like many green-leaning consumers, personal care...

Poachers-- Killers for Financial Gain--Continue to Endanger World's Animal Population
Male silverback gorilla in SF zoo

Tigers--and many other animals--continue to be hunted and killed for profit, endangering the world's animal population.

Multi-generational Housing on the Upswing: Is it for you?
Wanda Urbanska with son and mother in backyard

Every evening at 7 o’clock, my 89-year-old mother walks the short distance from her cottage in my back yard up the driveway and around to my front door. The ring of the doorbell signals the start of our nightly dinner ritual. Henry, my...

Counterfeit Goods: Fabulous Fakes or Sinister Stuff?
Street vendor selling purses

With money tight and the holiday season upon us, can you really blame anyone for scooping up name-brand boots, billfolds and CDs from street vendors or flea markets, or going online to score too-good-to-be true bargains? Okay, the merchandise may...

Conversations with the Earth: Indigenous Voices on Climate Change
VillaumeSarah James, a Gwich’in community leader and spokesperson, in her home i

On Manus Island, off the coast of Papua New Guinea, the indigenous community has lived off the sea for generations. But in recent years, unpredictable winds and sudden storms have confounded traditional methods of navigation and threatened...

Fracking: Energy Bonanza or Environmental Debacle? by Wanda Urbanska
Screenshot: "My Water's On Fire Tonight"

When I told my fourteen-year-old son that I was writing my November blog about fracking, he gave me a curious look, as if the word in question was quite possibly obscene.

Reaching for the Sun: The Solar Decathlon’s Parade of Homes by Wanda Urbanska
University of Maryland entry in 2011 Solar Decathlon of green homes

I bumped into Pat Mitchell, a retired law librarian from Annapolis, Maryland, as we stood in line to see enCORE, Ohio State University’s innovative entry into the 2011 Solar Decathlon of green homes. This, the fifth US Department of Energy...