AlterNet

In his forward to James McCommons' new book, Waiting on a Train: The Embattled Future of Passenger Rail Service, James Howard Kunstler lays out the case for investing in a revival of passenger rail.

Tara Lohan reviews David Owen's new book, Green Metropolis, which extols the ecological virtues of Manhattan. In her opinion, Owen doesn't ask the right questions and ignores some inconvenient facts.

The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now has a remarkable record of grassroots anti-poverty and community development campaigns, writes David Morris.

Forage SF promotes the idea of eating uncultivated food found growing naturally, and even sells boxes of "wild food." Reporter Tara Lohan joins a forager, or "freegan", as they collect goodies from the streets.

In this review of James Lovelock's new book "The Vanishing Face of Gaia", Alexander Zaitchik explains the author's view that, while nothing can be done to stop climate change, there is reason to believe that some form of civilization will survive.

Climate models show that California -- the source of one third of America's food supply -- is running out of its reliable water supply.

A water- and chemical-intensive process to mine natural gas may pose a threat to the watershed supplying drinking water to 14 million people.

A disturbing new report on sea-level rise projections for California warns that the state must start planning now for the anticipated flooding of its coastline, which could wipe out over $100 billion worth of built infrastructure.

Beneath the shiny allure of Dubai lies a litany of human rights and environmental abuses so severe that collapse cannot be far away, writes Johann Hari.

A new British documentary looks back from the year 2055 to show how humanity gradually destroyed the planet.

More urban professionals are finding the only way to make housing affordable is to live with roommates.

America is not just overspent, it is over-malled, and the next wave of foreclosures will hit retail and other commercial real estate.

Environmentalists worry that development pressures -- even for higher-density transit-friendly communities -- are eroding Florida's complex natural environments.

In this excerpt from their new book, The Urban Homestead, authors Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen point out all the ways city dwellers can move away from industrial agriculture.

The massive flood of coal ash sludge in Tennessee may be the most serious environmental disaster in the nation's history and promises to be a flashpoint for opponents of coal power. [Includes slideshow of spill damage].

Las Vegas has always epitomized American excess. But with its water supply running out and its constant illumination warming the planet, it also represents the extent of our economic and ecological unsustainability.

Amory Lovins, co-founder and chairman of Rocky Mountain Institute, believes that governments and the private sector need to identify and remove barriers to energy efficiency, rather than simply promoting "conservation."

The way out of the foreclosure crisis may not be as difficult or as complex as it has been made out to be, argues Dean Baker of the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

David Morris of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and Maude Barlow, Chair of the Board of Food and Water Watch lay out key priorities for an Obama Administration in terms of transportation and water policy.

Solar energy initiatives are taking off all across the country, despite some reservations over the impacts of large-scale installations.