A Lesson in Tranquility … From a Porcupine
A midnight run-in with a spiny interloper forced me to re-evaluate my priorities.
Health & Happiness
How Wolves Help Yellowstone’s Trees Grow Taller
In some parts of the park, the average height of the trees quintupled over six years.
Will My Visually Impaired Daughter Ever Read? (And Why Does That Question Scare Me So Much?)
I've learned not to worry about whether others approve of my life. But applying the same thinking to my daughter is a challenge.
7 Ways to Garden Like You Know What You’re Doing (Even If You’re Just Getting Started)
A few simple guidelines to follow when breaking out the trowel and gloves.
Will My Daughter Grow Up to Be a Farmer Like Me?
I made the choice to give up a career in law and return to my family farm. Now, I wait to see if my daughter will do the same.
How Macklemore’s Trumpet Player Is Bringing Music Back to His Kenyan Hometown
The Madaraka festival is a celebration of African cultural heritage and modern-day entrepreneurship—and the proceeds will help build a recording studio for 68 youth in Kenya.
5 DIY Musical Instruments You Can Make From Stuff Around the House
Craft instruments from easy-to-find materials and invite more music into your family's life.
Why Are We More Optimistic About Ourselves Than About Our Society?
It's easier to be hopeful about our individual futures than our collective ones because we have more control over them. But the two are inextricably linked.
Winter 2014: Dr. Edward Tick’s Response to “Support for Veterans” Essay Winners
Dr. Edward Tick, co-founder of Soldier's Heart and author of "Heal the Warrior, Heal the Country," responds to winners of the Winter 2014 "Support for Veterans" essay competition.
10 Things Creative People Know
Everyday creative activities like knitting and cooking can boost your levels of serotonin and decrease anxiety.
How Better Health Care for the Poor Makes a Stronger Economy for All
By keeping workers healthy, the Affordable Care Act will help the working poor achieve greater financial stability—and will probably boost the economy as well.
Unleashing Empathy: How Teachers Transform Classrooms With Emotional Learning
The secret to learning self-awareness, cooperation, and other “social and emotional learning” skills lies in experience, not in workbooks and rote classroom exercises.
5 Habits of Highly Compassionate Men
Having compassion leads to increased happiness, freedom from gender stereotypes, and better relationships with others.
You Can’t Bounce Off the Walls If There Are No Walls: Outdoor Schools Make Kids Happier—and Smarter
New approaches to kindergarten offer us a glimpse of what childhood used to be, and still could be—the modern re-creation of the children’s garden. If we looked to these examples, we might be able to rescue childhood.
Soul Food That’s Vegan and Healthy? A Cooking Remix Made in Heaven
From the author of Vegan Soul Kitchen, this cookbook charts a new course for southern, African American, and Caribbean cuisine.
A New Story for a New Economy
David Korten's new essay (available to read as a PDF) connects the work of finding a new sacred story with the effort to build a new economy.
A Happy Life or a Meaningful One—Do We Really Need to Choose?
Researchers continue to debate whether people face a genuine trade-off between seeking a happy life and a meaningful one.
Teenage Defender of First Nations Rights Becomes Literal Superhero
Shannen Koostachin, a teenage activist who died before ever seeing the results of her work, has inspired a new hero in the DC Universe.
The Radical Homemaker Turns 40
I've learned to embrace the dreams I most deeply desire, but also the burdens that so often work against them.
My Year Without Porn: Some Surprising Lessons
Since I quit watching porn a year ago, I've become more present in the moment, more loving, and a better friend to the women in my life.
This Couple’s Marriage Healed the Planet and Cost Just $3K—Here’s How They Did It
Four ways to have an equitable, earth-loving, and awesome wedding.
How an American Lama Finds Joy in Turbulent Times
Lama Tsomo is a Tibetan Buddhist lama, a former homesteader, and an heiress to a family fortune who lives a quiet life in the mountains of Montana. Now she is beginning to teach the practices and insights gained through years of solitary retreats and study.
How a Library with No Books Could Change the Way We Read (And Bring Us Closer Together)
The Empathy Library is a new digital archive where people can point to the books, movies, and other media that help us learn to understand one another.
“We Shall Overcome”: Democracy Now! Remembers Folk Icon Pete Seeger
Folksinger and lifelong activist Pete Seeger passed away on Jan. 27. He was a constant presence in the labor and antiwar movements, and an innovator in the use of music to create solidarity and social change. In this video, Democracy Now! commemorates Seeger's life and work.
Fresh and Fly: Denver Rapper Teaches Kids to Be Gardeners Not Gangstas
For Ietef "DJ Cavem" Vita, HIP HOP is not just a form of music, it's a way of life—one he's using to teach kids about cultivating the earth and eating fresh veggies.
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