Millions of spectators.  Hundreds of athletes.  Sixteen days of action, triumph, and heartbreak. For the past week, I’ve been glued to coverage of Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte’s battle in the pool. South African “blade runner” Oscar Pistorius, American gymnastic sensation Gabby Douglas, and other lesser-known but still-awesome sporting events.  In between witnessing amazing feats of endurance and strength, my [...]

With temperatures pushing triple digits across the country, my thoughts have drifted to cooler times.  From jumping into cold ocean waves on summer vacation back in the day to knocking back cool drinks with friends more recently, the summer soundtrack below accompanies many a sunny flashback.  Just as John and I gifted you our hipster Christmas playlist in December, I’m happy [...]

It happens at the worst times. Most notably: when you’ve thought up or been handed an unfathomable project with a fast-approaching due date and your mind goes blank.  Your creativity vanishes and you panic.  What if you can’t get out of your slump?  What if you can’t break through the brick wall holding your imagination and productivity hostage?  We can’t [...]

Twenty years ago, world leaders gathered in Rio de Janiero for the first Earth Summit.  Current UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon explains that they “agreed on an ambitious blueprint for a more secure future. They sought to balance the imperatives of robust economic growth and the needs of a growing population against the ecological necessity to conserve our planet’s most [...]

Are you ready for an epic roadtrip – windows down, music up, driving to the next kitschy sight while basking in blue skies and sunshine? Or are you the international type – ready to fly halfway around the world to feast on authentic cuisine and immerse yourself in traditional customs? Or are you the quintessential beach bum – ready to [...]

Did you know that nearly 75% of Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania current residents were born in their respective states, but less than 40% of Alaska, Arizona, DC, and Florida residents were born there? Or that, in 2010, DC was home to the highest percentage of same-sex couple households in the nation (just over 4%), while Wyoming was home to the [...]

As much as I love hiking through the mountains and swimming at the beach (both of which I’ve done in the past week), city structure fascinates me.  Maybe it’s because I was informally introduced to the sights, sounds, and smells of Cleveland as a youngster – shopping for fresh meats and produce with my mom at the West Side Market, [...]

Food Geekery I have never self-identified as a geek.  This is most likely due to the fact that my classmates labeled me as a geek – and laughed about it – in elementary and middle school which traumatized me for years to come.  Well, maybe traumatized is a bit harsh.  But diving into what I love most and unabashedly sharing [...]

I am no Jim Cantore or Al Roker, but the weather last month was a bit extreme.  From record-shattering high temperatures to early tornado outbreaks, weather historians and climate researchers described March’s weather madness as mind-boggling, science fiction-like, and off the scale weird. EXTREME WEATHERRR! Nearly 15,000 new records for daily high temperatures and warm nighttime lows were recorded.  Rochester, [...]

When it comes to gas prices jumping higher and higher, I can’t help but smile.  Not because I get a kick out of the partisan bickering and flawed campaign strategies that have erupted as a result of $4 gas prices, but because I think higher gas prices are a fantastic thing. I wish that portions of the higher prices were [...]

I’m jumping ship.  Well, not really.  This week, I’m taking a step off my environmental soap box and delving into the worlds of data and design – tackling the phenomena of information visualization.   We are drowning in data.  Given the global increase in research, we now have more data on more subjects in more detail than ever before.  And [...]

Climate change is happening.  In fact, it’s been happening for millions of years.  But over the past 150 or so years, humans have exponentially increased greenhouse gas emissions which continue to alter climate patterns across the globe.  While many people – including 97-98% of all climate scientists and every national academy of sciences on the planet – believe this to [...]

Apple Inc. topped Fortune Magazine’s list as the “most admired company in the world” last year.  The technology giant won the award in 2008, 2009, and 2010 too. Not only is Apple the “most admired,” but Bloomberg News reports that “Apple is the only company competing with, and now beating, Exxon for the title of “most profitable company ever.””  Indeed, [...]

In 2011, fracking became part of the national lexicon.  It cracked, if you will, the public consciousness.  And while that is a really good thing, we must keep the conversation going.   What the frack is fracking? Hydraulic fracturing – hydrofracking or fracking – is a means of deep-shale natural gas extraction.  Vertical wells are drilled several thousand feet deep, [...]

While we may joke with friends about the impending end of the Mayan calendar and subsequent apocalypse on December 21st of this year, NASA scientists assure us that the world “should expect nothing more [this] year than the winter solstice, the longest night of the year.” That’s the good news.  The bad news is that we still have a number [...]

I’m taking a break from my normal environmental ranting to cover a story that, for me, captures the true spirit of the Christmas season – sharing a bit of holiday happiness with others. About two weeks ago, a story popped up on my newsfeed about a woman paying off the layaway accounts for nearly 50 families at a Kmart in [...]

The Republican-controlled House shared some holiday cheer with Democrats late yesterday, passing a spending bill that extends pay roll tax cuts, prevents cuts in reimbursement to doctors who see Medicare patients, and extends unemployment insurance.  While Democrats may have wanted to jump for joy, last minute GOP-endorsed provisions led to disappointment and promises of defeat by Senate Majority Leader Harry [...]

The holiday season is an environmentalist’s worst nightmare: tons of packaging and wrapping paper thrown in the trash, thousands of twinkling lights using needless electricity, and hundreds of miles driven to find the perfect gift.  Good news is that you do not need to be an all-out Grinch in order to be a little greener over the coming weeks.   [...]

Succulent, herb-infused turkey.  Melt-in-your-mouth sweet potatoes. Fresh, crisp greens.  Gooey homemade mac-n-cheese.  Warm apple pie and delicious pumpkin whoopie pies. Washed down with a pint of homebrewed imperial blonde ale. Now that you’re drooling, you might be wondering what’s so different about this Thanksgiving menu. Yes, most of the dishes use the same recipes and kitchen gadgetry as you’ll be [...]

Last week, the U.S. Department of Energy released new calculations that indicate 2010 saw the largest increase in average global carbon dioxide emissions on record.  Surprised?  Probably not, but you should be. Despite a decade of growing emissions, the world witnessed a 1.3% decrease in emissions 2009.  Growth of carbon dioxide emissions has been closely associated with the growth of [...]