Today I’m thrilled to welcome Matthieu Mehuys, Belgian-born landscape architect, regenerative garden designer, award-winning author, and an inspiring voice in practical ecological living. Raised on a farm and trained in landscape design, Matthieu has spent years helping everyday people transform their yards into thriving, biodiverse ecosystems that save time, nurture health, and heal the planet, one backyard at a time. […]
Last week, I was contacted by a reporter from Civil Beat (https://www.civilbeat.org/) asking me about my proposal I submitted to the Honolulu City Charter. In preparation for the conversation, I decided to write a quick elevator pitch for why I think people-focused cities are better. After writing it, I decided it probably makes for a good blog post…So here it […]
We all have a version of ourselves we want to be…Who cooks real food instead of reaching for takeout.Who walks to the store instead of driving a mile.The person who buys less and repairs more.Who chooses reading a book over scrolling Instagram. But then… life happens. We get tired, we get busy, we forget. And little by little, our daily […]
Elspeth Hay is a writer and food systems thinker who’s inviting us to radically rethink how we grow our food. In her book Feed Us with Trees, she uncovers a forgotten story—one in which humans once thrived by cultivating staple foods like acorns, chestnuts, and hazelnuts in forest gardens rather than plowed fields. Through conversations with Indigenous knowledge-keepers, scientists, nut […]
I used to think companies were just giving us what we wanted. If people asked for faster cars, cheaper clothes, or tastier snacks, companies would listen and deliver. The market follows demand. Right? But then the day came when I realized that I was wrong – it works the other way around. Companies create what they want to sell, and […]
Nine months ago, I stopped shopping at Amazon. Not because it was inconvenient or because I found a better deal somewhere else, but because I couldn’t ignore how harmful the company is for both people and the planet. Amazon is the undisputed king of capitalism – It’s won the capitalism game. It has built its empire by squeezing workers, suppliers, […]
Bridget A. Lyons is a writer, artist, and explorer whose new book Entwined: Dispatches from the Intersection of Species takes readers on a journey into the wisdom of the more-than-human world. Blending memoir, science, and travelogue, Lyons explores what octopuses, owls, kelp, stingrays, and countless other beings can teach us about resilience, relationships, and living in harmony with our planet. […]
A few weeks ago, I went to the supermarket, and I took a few minutes to play a game: spot the items without plastic. Everywhere I turned, something was wrapped, sealed, or bagged in it. Even produce that already comes with its own natural protection—like oranges or avocados—was sitting in plastic trays or shrink-wrapped sleeves. Here are a few photos […]
When we talk about sustainability, the conversation so often turns into a discussion on what we have to give up — convenience, speed, comfort. People say things like, “I could never do that,” or “It’s too hard,” or “The impact of that is so small it doesn’t even matter.” But here’s what I’ve learned: after shifting my mindset, it doesn’t […]
Danae Wolfe is an award-winning conservation photographer, writer, educator, and the founder behind the @chasingbugs social media handle, focused on fostering appreciation and stewardship of backyard bugs and wildlife. Ever the pragmatic, she believes that everyone has the power to make a difference in combatting climate change and biodiversity loss. Danae was the 2022 recipient of the Garden Communicators International Emergent Communicator award, and […]