Savor the journey and the destination. Leave the car behind, explore stunning wilderness, and end each day with a comfortable bed, a glass of wine, a good meal, and maybe even a soak in a hot tub. Walkabout California: Hiking from Inn to Inn is an engaging series of essays that guides the reader through multi-day hikes walking from inn to inn through the wilds of California. Walkabouts guides include the Marin and Mendocino Coasts, Lassen Volcanic Park and hiking over the Sierras on the Emigrant Trail. Each chapter, a trip of its own, describes the natural and cultural history of the land as well as the details needed to plan a trip.

Walkabouts range from challenging hikes with occasional 15 to 20 mile days to leisurely strolls of 5 to 7 miles. Each Walkabout is available for electronic download at www.WalkaboutCalifornia.com where readers will also find a lively discussion generated by Walkabout enthusiasts

After 16 hours of traveling from Hawaii to our Nation's capitol, 4 hours of sleep in a 50 degree hotel room (the heater was broken), we awoke at 7am Tuesday morning to join millions of other Americans trekking to the Mall to watch the swearing in of our new President. We braved two stops on the packed metro, 2 miles walking briskly in the subfreezing air, finally venturing under the packed 3rd street tunnel (only open to pedestrians) to find our way through the security lines, port-a-potty lines, and finally to the place where we witnessed history in the making.   Read more...

FORA.tv's Michael Cronan catches Amory Lovins at the EG 08 conference and talks about the bright future of energy efficiency.   Read more...

You search and they grow trees. That's Ecocho's philosophy on their status as the "first green search engine".

Their website says, "Ecocho is a new search engine trying to make a difference for climate change. For every 1000 searches users make on Ecocho we'll counter balance or "offset" a ton of greenhouse gases. We do this by sponsoring two trees via advertising on the site."   Read more...

Vegawatt is a brand new state of the art technology currently being used in restaurants that converts waste oil into electricity and hot water. It was developed by the Owl Power Company in Massachusetts and launched in January 2009.

"The unit, which is about the size of a refrigerator, is placed outside the building the same way central air conditioning units often are. It hooks up through one electrical cable to the electric system. There is also a hot water feed and return system. Your hot water heater won't have to work as hard now because the water has already been partially heated by the system," their website explains.   Read more...

Lawrence Lessig discusses the importance of finance reform on Capitol Hill and argues that large corporate political donations destroy the public's faith in a honest government.   Read more...

This is an in-depth look at the astonishing mental capabilities of Daniel Tammet, born in Britain, and from a young age able to do extraordinary calculations in his head. Skeptics have thrown a number of challenges at him, for instance testing his ability to recite to 22,500 decimal points the calculation of Pi, as well as learning a language in a week. Tammet, in his gentle unassuming way, has passed all the tests and offers this concluding statement about the phenomenon of savants: "The line between profound talent and profound disability is a surprisingly thin one."   Read more...

The Catalog for Giving of New York City started 15 years ago as a nonprofit that supports children and youth throughout the city. They believe they are making a difference especially at a time when our nation is "...poised to answer President Obama's call to service."

They say their mission is to transform the lives of New York City children. Many of the youth they work with have lives that are severely limited by poverty, crime, drugs, and violence.   Read more...

People in Need Partnership is a remarkable program to form real, dynamic relationships with people living in extreme poverty. It is a transformative way of thinking about how to deal with global suffering, but addressing the root of the problem: broken relationships.

For $12 - $25 you can become a partner of a child slave, a hungry girl not able to go to school, or the mother of a starving family. In addition to many programs that will give them the tools to eventually achieve their dreams, you will have many opportunities, through messages, photos, and video clips and conversations, to become a true partner and friend.   Read more...

Macaroni and cheese, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, warm chocolate chip cookies with a tall glass of milk, chicken noodle soup and teddy bears -- these are some of the great comforters of our young lives. Many of which endure well into adulthood. (I'm 40 and most of these bring me that wrapped-in-a-blanket feeling to this day.)

This may be why Hough Elementary, where both my kids attend school, hosts a Teddy Bear Picnic once a year. Children are able to bring their bears (or any other stuffed animal, for that matter) to school, sit the cuddly critters next to them during class and bring them to the cafeteria for a lunch of deli sandwiches and teddy bear graham crackers. The kids love it. "It's one of their favorite days of the year," attests Candy Wallis, Hough Para-Professional, cross-walk attendant and joy-spreader extraordinaire.   Read more...