the challenge
Can We Save the Planet and Rescue the Economy at the Same Time?
Al Gore on America’s next moon shot.
By Al Gore
The Seven Deadly Deficits
What the Bush years really cost us, and how President Obama can get the economy back on track.
By Joseph E. Stiglitz
Illustration by Guy Billout
turning point
The Most Important Number on Earth
Now that we’re way past the carbon tipping point, it’s time to freak out—and get to work.
By Bill McKibben
Illustration by Sam Weber
Are Shorter Showers Beside the Point?
We did the math.
By Steve Aquino and Gary Moskowitz
A Glossary of Sustainability Lingo
We decode green lingo, from “upcycling” to “LOHAS.”
By Elizabeth Gettelman
lose carbon now
Diet for a Warm Planet
The secret to cutting carbon? A dieting support group.
By Julia Whitty
Illustration by Katy Lemay
Your Top 20 Econundrums—Solved!
Disposable or cloth diapers? Netflix or video store? Our green advice guide goes way beyond paper v. plastic.
By Ben Whitford
Illustration by Mark Allen Miller
Ecogeek Deathmatch: Ed Begley Jr. v. Bill Nye, Science Guy
Which Hollywood do-gooder has the greenest crib? A no-holds-barred fight to the furnished.
By Kiera Butler
The Truth About Green Jobs
When they’re coming, who will get them, and how to prevent their outsourcing.
By David Roberts
Photo Collage by Tim J Luddy
What About the Dirty Jobs?
Why green-collar gurus should stop condescending to the brown-collar crowd.
By Chris Lehmann
Illustration by Jonathan Twingley
How Ford Lost Focus
For a decade, Bill Ford Jr. talked up fuel economy while his company peddled gas-guzzling SUVs and monster trucks. Is it too late for the automaker to shift gears to alternative fuels?
By Fara Warner
The Science Project
How to kick-start clean tech.
By Chris Mooney
Additional reporting by Sheril Kirshenbaum
Illustration by John Hersey
When Tree Sitters Heart Lumberjacks
America’s most hated loggers are trying to hug change. Does the Lorax need a new BFF?
By Josh Harkinson
Big Green Brother
When Wal-Mart tells its workers to live and breathe sustainability, is it (a) creepy, (b) innovative, (c) greenwashing, (d) all of the above?
By Katharine Mieszkowski
Greens Gone Wild
Who says skivvies, sex, and booze can’t factor into the sustainability equation?
By Elizabeth Gettelman
Ripe for the Pickens
Has legendary Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens really gone green?
By Josh Harkinson
Earth to Washington
What will it take for DC to wake up to global warming?
By David Corn
Illustration by Steve Brodner
Let’s Go Europe
The EU embraced sustainability. Could Brussels’ green economy sprout in America?
By Mark Schapiro
Illustration by Jean-Francois Martin
The Great Persuader
Can Obama walk his talk?
By Kevin Drum
MacGyver Without Borders
Five cool ideas for saving the world on a shoestring.
By Nikki Gloudeman
Cats v. Dogs: Which Pet Is Greener?
Tallying your best friend’s carbon pawprint.
By Ben Whitford