A Swamp Forest Grows in Brooklyn

by Ginger Strand
Photographs by Kenta Nagai

A New York dance troupe secretly used an abandoned urban reservoir as their studio.

The Headbonker’s Ball

by Matt Jenkins

Scores of native bees inhabit California's cities, and one scientist is on a crusade to help them thrive.

Seed Banking

by Adrienne Shelton, Buckland, Massachusetts

Developing a seed bank for local communities.

Healing Sculpture

by Daniel McCormick

Creekside creations give nature a boost, then slowly disappear.

Saving Seals

by Brenda Peterson
Illustration by Michael McCurdy

Two friends keep watch over a baby seal hauled up on a beach. Both are compelled by a love of this world, though one is seduced by thoughts of the next.

If Nature Had Rights

by Cormac Cullinan
Drawings by Amy Falstrom

In a different kind of justice system, a lawyer might advocate on behalf of an aardvaark, or a river, or our atmosphere.

Extracts from Wild Law

By Cormac Cullinan

Artist as Public Servant

by Terry O'Day, Forest Grove, Oregon

An artist redirects her creative energy toward new community-building projects.

Fluid Values: Battles Over Water Rights

by Matt Jenkins

When our understanding of a river's "purposes" shifts, what happens to those left high and dry?

Reclaiming a Toxic Legacy Through Art and Science

by Erik Reece

It takes more than science to reclaim a toxic coal field and a sense of pride in an Appalachian town.

Don Berto’s Garden

by David G. Campbell
Illustrations by Molly Bang

The plants of the ancient Maya whisper their secrets to those who speak a shared language.

Self-Portrait as Revealed by Trash

For 365 days, every time Tim Gaudreau threw something away, he photographed it.

The Rabies Principle

by Sandra Steingraber

Why there is no number for the Cancer Prevention Hotline in the front of the phone book.

Lessons from the New World

by Gina Cassidy

The successors of the settlers who starved among America's abundance have yet to learn the true art of survival.

Land, Farmer, Community: A Sacred Trust

Photograph and text by Lisa M. Hamilton

Japanese families join with farmers in a spiritual practice whose goal is nothing short of world peace.

Low-Cost Conservation

by Dave Colavito, Rock Hill, NY

An important initiative toward sustainable development

Condo Picchu

by Robert Michael Pyle

Are those cozy coastal clusters of condos signs of social cohesion or extreme maladaptive behavior?

Everybody’s Doing It

by Michelle Nijhuis

Motivations to save the planet differ; apparently, even your credit card has something to say about it. A short piece about human nature and incentive.

Ricekeepers

by Winona LaDuke

Poling their canoes through the murky waters of patent claims and genetic contamination, the Ojibwe strive to protect the Creator's gift from corporate agriculture.

Energy Co-op, Sabbath Sustainability, Localvores in Vermont…

by Lynn Benander, Jenny Holmes, Janisse Ray

Motivated by peak oil and climate change, as well as good common sense, Orion readers envision a better future and move toward it. Read their stories in Orion's newest department, Making Other Arrangements.

Burgers à la Thomas Jefferson

An interview with Tod Murphy

A Vermont diner embodies one farmer's faith in the nexus of food, democracy, and community.

Being on the Land

Photographs and text by Robert Semeniuk

By going out on the land, the Inuit enact archetypal connections that are more universal than they appear.

Housing, Sailing Vessels, Survival…

by Betsy Hands, Dmitry Orlov, and Hank Lentfer

Orion readers envision the future motivated by peak oil and climate change, as well as good common sense.

Making Other Arrangements

by James Howard Kunstler
photographs by David Maisel

James Howard Kunstler's plea: Get over the car and get real about living in an oil-scarce future. Read the article, then tell us (and everybody else) about your own "other arrangements" for a more sustainable life.

Limestone Cowboy

an interview with Robert Hughes

Spotlight: Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation