I think butterflies can save the world. Butterflies and birds and insects and hummingbirds. See, I'm a real nature nerd. And I believe that the preservation of the future depends on people getting close enough to nature to allow it to restore their sense of wonder. If they see the really cool things, maybe then they'll want to protect them.

So I spend my time running into my yard and recording the little miracles that others find mundane. I write and every now and then I'll give a seminar.   Read more...

Johnny Bunko trailer from Daniel Pink on Vimeo.

Ever since I read "A Whole New Mind" (see an article about it here: www.odemagazine.com/doc/23/revenge_of_the_right_brain), Daniel Pink has been one of my favorite writers. The good news is he has a new book out, titled "The Adventures of Johnny Bunko." I can't wait to get my hands on a copy, especially after seeing its trailer. (A trailer? For a book?! You bet.)   Read more...

While I feel that the safe (no harmful chemicals) organic skin care and cosmetic movement is rolling along a bit more quickly, it is still frustrating to see so many articles on natural and organic lines that contain toxins, many of which are designed by celebrities. When I first began my search for organic product lines who don't use harmful chemical/synthetic ingredients it was an arduous task, which is why I started OrganicBeautySource.com, an online directory. Those who visit "get it" but there are many who still need to learn the difference between organic or natural and safe organic products. Please visit and I would love to know what you think. www.organicbeautysource.com

Thanks!   Read more...

Dear EarthTalk: What makes those so-called "new urbanism" housing developments popping up around the U.S. more environmentally friendly than regular old suburban neighborhoods? -- Rusty Spinoza, Galveston, TX

The husband-and-wife team of town planners Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk are typically credited as the founders of new urbanism, a style of community design that embraces mixed use (commercial and residential) development in pedestrian-friendly and green space-rich neighborhoods—much like the old neighborhoods many baby-boomers remember before suburban sprawl made us all slaves to our cars.   Read more...

Last month I spent three weeks in the company of a handful former child soldiers in Liberia who call themselves "Future Guardians of Peace."

When the Liberian civil war ended in 2003, these kids were gaunt, hardened, physically and mentally wounded children. Now in their late teens and early twenties, they are radiant, generous, responsible young people. They have resumed their schooling, extricated themselves from the drug-and-alcohol culture of their war buddies, and are working hard to earn the respect of a suspicious community.   Read more...

Jack Barton of Local Projects is dedicated to designing innovative ways of collecting and telling people's stories. The following video tells the story of his design firm and some of its recent projects.

  Read more...

Democrats & Republicans go head to head over who’s convention is greener, rumors of the Hummer’s demise have been exaggerated, Schwarzenegger gives rides to kids on his tank, and how to keep the Treeless Squirrel from becoming your crappy roommate.   Read more...

There's a tendency to think that, as a free entry-level texting solution, FrontlineSMS is only relevant for smaller, grassroots non-profits who are most likely to lack the funds or in-house expertise to develop their own solutions. Over the past couple of years I've begun to see otherwise. As a case in point, this coffee project is being run by the UN. Not the suited, New York-based UN you see on TV, but a field-based team of UN staff and volunteers who simply wanted to try something. All they needed was a simple, low-cost tool which allowed them to rapidly prototype their idea.   Read more...

One of my New Year resolutions was to be committed to total recycling, which took me a little more effort than the average person, as I use a walker to be mobile. The plastic bins for recyclables at the curb do not work for me, as I can't get them back and forth to the curb.

So my papers and recycling are put in grocery paper bags with handles. Once a month I don't use my go green cloth grocery bags for my grocery shopping, I get the paper bags for my recycling. Otherwise, I always use my go green cloth grocery bags and any plastic bags I acquire from other shopping I take to the store to place in their plastic bag recycle bin.   Read more...

The Hyves group "This is not a game" was created to share a T-shirt design for anybody interested in protesting in favour of human rights in China. Just click on the hyve logo (notagame.hyves.nl) and save the image to use in printing your own protest T-shirt. Make many of these for your friends and family.

This graphical design should stimulate but not demand that people boycott China olympics based on human rights violations by the Chinese government: Darfur, Tibet, working conditions, child labour, press repression/censorship, screening of news and internet and so on.   Read more...