A recent report to our state utility commission indicated that demand for electricity could outstrip local supply as early as 2014. Consequently, our region could see rolling power outages during summer peak demand. Citizens can help the state meet this challenge by reducing electrical demand. Home Performance with ENERGY STAR®, a partnership between utilities, the EPA, and the Department of Energy, is a program designed to assist homeowners become more energy efficient. We liked this because we could save money, reduce our carbon footprint, and contribute to the energy sustainability of our region....

In 2004, my dad passed away at the age of 96. In his Last Will and Testament, he designated cremation for his body but did not specify what to do with the ashes. After the cremation and memorial service, I asked my mother what she thought we should do with them and she suggested perhaps spreading them somewhere in nature, since he liked nature walks. However, I was concerned that spreading them in nature was like littering. My chief concern was that the ashes may contain toxic chemicals and therefore it would be irresponsible to spread them in nature. Since no one else in the family was interested, I...

I am reading “Producing and consuming chemicals: The moral economy of the American Lawn” by Paul Robbins and Julie T. Sharp for a Society and Sustainability class at Arizona State University, where I am a nontraditional student studying sustainability. This blog post came up when I was researching for a less technical article. Teatown is in the next town over from where I grew up. I remember it well. Here is a website for growing and maintaining a sustainable lawn: http://www.safelawns.org/ Peace Should the Traditional American Lawn be an Endangered Species? In recent years, it has become clear that...