by Sarah Lane
Both President Obama and his former opponent John McCain endorsed “clean coal” as an important element of their energy plans. But “clean coal” is a fairy tale with a very bad ending, as in the Big Bad Wolf eats and digests Little Red Riding Hood and belches out a black cloud afterward.
The Fairy Tale
Once upon a time (February 2002) George W. Bush promised the people all over the land that he would invest $2 billion dollars over ten years to advance “clean coal” technology. The people said, “What …

by Sarah Lane and Julie Hall
Our July issue features the dueling and yet associated themes of Independence and Interdependence. As living organisms, we are all more or less independent, able to perform certain functions—swallowing, moving, gripping, looking—on our own, and yet each one of is connected to all others on this planet. Whether tree, primate, amphibian, parasite, flowering plant, reptile, insect, aquatic mammal, or crustacean, we are all inextricably linked by virtue of place. Here’s an example (look here for the source):

The drop by one or two degrees Fahrenheit that …

by Pat Leonard and Christianne White, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
What kind of wild animal do you see nearly every day of your life? Birds. They are living right near you, in your neighborhood, leading busy lives, building nests, laying eggs, and raising young. They are independent from us yet also dependent on us because we have such a big impact on the places they live—especially in cities.
Fascinating Pigeons

One of the most common city birds is the pigeon. But don’t think that common means “uninteresting.”

The Rock Pigeon can fly 50 miles …

Blue Planet Run Foundation’s The Race to Provide Safe Drinking Water to the World tells the story of our planet’s interdependent relationship with water in 250 stunning images. Download the book now for free (look for the free download box on the Amazon.com page) and read it. Then choose an image that you respond to the most. And then tell us in the comments box below

the image you chose,
the page number it’s on, and
the connection you feel to the image (in 50 words or less).

We’ll choose the best response, and …

by Kirsten Corsaro, The Green Guru, Nexyoo.com, The Revolution of Consumerism ~ Empowering Positive Change
It’s that time of year again where we all celebrate our freedom in the United States: our Independence. And what great fun this is: fireworks and BBQ grills, with fun-filled gatherings of our best friends and family. We’ve been celebrating this since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. It is awe inspiring to review the last 233 years and how we’ve grown and evolved as a society. We’ve created some amazing technologies and …

by the Staff at Blue Planet Run
Consider these facts about water:

One out of 6 people on the planet lack access to safe drinking water.
Each year 1.8 million children die from waterborne diseases (1 every 15 seconds).
Women and children walk on average 6K, almost 4 miles, to collect water each day.
One quart of wastewater can pollute 8 quarts of fresh water.
Half of the world’s 500 major rivers are seriously depleted or polluted.
Four quarts of oil discarded can contaminate 1 million gallons of water.
Poor sanitation …

by Julie Hall and Sarah Lane
The inaugural edition of the green, progressive thematic monthly ProgressiveKid Reader is about something we love to do here at PK—get outside. There are many reasons we each need to get outside every day, but perhaps our kids need it even more than we do—for exercise, adventure, Vitamin D, sensory experience, connection with animals, plants, and Earth’s elements, and so much more. We all have favorite outdoor activities, from walking the dog to picnicking to bike riding, but sometimes it helps to be reminded of …

by Julie Hall, author of A Hot Planet Needs Cool Kids
Big grass lawns are dead. And if yours isn’t, you’re probably wasting water. Whether your priority is getting your kids outside, reducing CO2, eating healthier, saving money, supporting wildlife, conserving water, bird watching, or all of the above, turning your yard into an edible Eden is ecologically savvy and a fun and meaningful experience for kids. Sure, you can leave some grassy open space, but do you really need that much? A good rule of thumb is to have no …

from the National Wildlife Federation
The National Wildlife Federation’s Be Out There campaign helps parents find easy ways to for their children to get outside. Here are ten tips to get you started:
1. Enjoy The Simple Pleasures
Sometimes the simplest outdoor activities leave the most lasting memories for kids. Remember how to skip a stone, make a daisy chain, or blow a grass whistle?  These easy games could be making your child  happier, too. Research by Cornell University environmental psychologist Nancy Wells shows that children with more exposure to nature have reduced …

by Lynn Brunelle, author of Camp Out! and Emmy-winning writer for Bill Nye the Science Guy
Remember when we were kids and our parents would say, “Go outside and play!” Those were words to live by. And as kids my brother and I took those words to heart and spent pretty much every waking hour that wasn’t school time outside puttering and playing. We caught polliwogs and watched them transform as if by magic from swimmy little creatures into leggy, hoppy ones.
We gathered leaves of every shape and color. We hammered …