The Roberson is almost complete. Located in Tacoma's Theatre District on 7th and Market, this condominium complex is a shining example that looks don't have to be sacrificed for safe, healthy living.

It was tough figuring out where to put all those mountains and rivers.

I never know whether to check Student or Employed Full-Time on surveys that want to know how I spend my time.

Globally top soil is eroding and running off into the oceans making the continental shelves spread out further than ever before. Correcting this requires local action. Here's how to begin.

Now that organic food has hit the masses by becoming a Walmart staple, everyone is talking about it. Are organic foods any different, are they better, are they always going to be so expensive?

People often wonder about paper recycling; what can go and what can't go. I could summarize all the facts out there or I could just send you to my favorite online fact sites!

The one fact about recycling paper that I want to share with you is that pizza boxes cannot be recycled. The animal fats in or on them make them impossible to recycle, so just throw your pizza boxes out or use them to decorate your walls!

Now, onto everyone else's facts:

http://www.paperrecycles.org/recycling/faqs/index.html Great site with fun facts about recycling!

I recently moved to New Orleans for graduate school. New Orleans has very strong college and post-graduate opportunities. But for kids in Kindergarten-12th grade, educational choices feel limited due to the poor quality of the public school system.

But in the last 10 years, and especially after Hurricane Katrina, charter schools with strong focuses on maths, sciences, and even environmental issues are entering the city.

One of these is the Samuel J. Green Charter School, found online at:

The best definition that I've heard for environmental sustainability was stated in a presentation by a fellow student at John Brown University and is:

The idea of living in the world in such a way that seven generations from now our ancestors can live in their world in the same way.

This may seem a bit short but it incorporates:
-using our resources properly
-understanding our Ecological Footprint (exactly how much arable land we are using up as individuals each year, a great place to test this is at http://www.earthday.net/footprint/index.asp)

FOR THOSE UNCOMFORTABLE IN THE POLITICAL ARENA (OR WHO JUST DON'T HAVE THE TIME): Plant a garden or plant a tree. In the same way that humans and animals take in oxygen and dispose of carbon dioxide, plants and trees take in carbon dioxide and convert it into oxygen. And with the high speeds of deforestation due to slashing and burning around the world, this is the time to save the world and plant something living and green.

1) Ride a bike, ride a horse, ride public transportation, walk, or kayak your way around town. A good friend of mine just busted his transmission while moving from one state to another and is now a convert to the bike. Biking saves money, often time (not spent waiting in traffic), your health, and the environment. But be creative, find alternatives to your personal car.