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Lina Zeldovich

Lina Zeldovich

Lina Zeldovich grew up watching her grandfather fertilize the family’s organic orchard with composted sewage and thought that the whole world did the same. Thirty years later, she had won four awards for covering the science of poo and focused her book on the novel solutions to the world’s oldest problem—keeping humans free from their own excrement. In writing The Other Dark Matter, she toured a slew of smelly sewage plants, hopped over many stinky street gutters, stuck her nose into a stool bank—and lived to tell the story. When she isn’t digging into humanure in India, Madagascar or North America, she lives in New York City and tends to a compost pile in her backyard.

Milk in glass jugs at a supermarket

Got Milk? You Probably Got Fire Retardants, Too

“Forever chemicals,” also known as PFAS, have been found in 43 states so far, turning up in milk, eggs, and fish.
Closeup shot of a group of unrecognizable people holding plants growing out of soil

Five Green Living Resolutions for 2020

We won't solve all of the pressing environmental problems, but we can help mitigate some.
Tofurkey

Vegetarian Thanksgiving Dates Back to the 1900s

Tofu Turkey was created in 1990, but some Americans celebrated Thanksgiving with veggie dishes over a century ago.
A pile of manure for fertilizing crops

A History of Human Waste as Fertilizer

In eighteenth century Japan, human excrement played a vital role in agriculture. Can similar solutions help manage waste today?
Ducks caged for foie gras

New York City Bans Foie Gras

The practice of eating fatty goose livers dates back to at least 2500 BCE. Is there a humane way to produce it?
A bag of coffee beans

Environmental Challenges Ahead for Coffee Beans

The issues aren’t limited to extreme weather events or pest attacks.
Grapes on a vine

Will There Be Wine After Climate Change?

Vintners may have to adjust their centuries-old traditions to keep the wines flowing
"Denver Steak" courtesy Porter Road Meats

How to Carve Up a Cow, Sustainably

The industrial method of meat harvesting wastes a lot of food. Eco-conscious butchers are changing that.
Stale bread

The Ancient Art of Brewing with Stale Bread

Brewers are once again making beer from things that typically end up in one’s household trash, a 7,000-year-old custom.
A tall wind turbine in the midst of a yard

The Brewery Powered by a Wind Turbine

Inspired by the legendary Wright Brothers, local brewers on the Outer Banks of NC are harnessing wind power for their pints.
Several beers in a row

Did Humans Once Live by Beer Alone? An Oktoberfest Tale

Some scholars have suggested that humans first started growing domesticated grains in order to make not bread, but beer.
A solar-panel equipped ship moves down the Amazon River

Can Sustainable Travel in the Amazon Help Reduce Forest Fires?

A rainforest evangelist hopes that Brazil’s 55-million year old jungle can survive 21st century human impact.
An electric school bus

Why Aren’t Yellow School Buses Green?

There is a new push for electric school buses, which would pollute less. But the electric-powered vehicle is actually a very old technology.
A road beside some mountains and a lake

Why Plastic Roads Lead to a Cleaner Ocean

To prevent several millions tons of plastic from flushing into the ocean every year, engineers are paving roads with it.
A person swimming near a coral reef

Can Eco-Tourism Save Coral Reefs?

Eco-tourism can be a boon—or an ecosystem destroyer.
A child on a farm looking at chickens

Why You Should Visit a Farm This Summer

Agritourism may sound like a hot new trend, but it's actually been helping farms stay in business for over a century.
A fisherman on the dock with his catch.

How to Eat Seafood — Sustainably

Fish stocks are collapsing. But you can still enjoy your freshest local seafood without feeling too guilty—and here’s why.
A pod of dolphins

How Eco-Conscious is Your Eco-Tour?

Wildlife sighting business is booming. Here’s how to choose the tour operators that care about the animals.
The Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 high speed train travelling at approximately 300 km/h through Himeji Station, Japan

Will the U.S. Ever Catch a High-Speed Train?

Over 20 countries have high-speed train travel, carrying 1.6 billion passengers a year. The United States is lagging behind.
The shadow of an airplane on a field

Will You Ever Fly in a Plane Propelled by Plants and Seeds?

Airlines have already flown planes fueled with biofuel-petroleum mixes, and more are coming.
Courtesy SeaDream

A Century After They First Appeared, Electric Boats Are Making a Comeback

In the late 1800s, electric boats were a promising new technology. They are now enjoying a revival.
Flakes of sea salt spilling out of a jar

A Grain of Solar-Made Sea Salt

 Artisanal sea salt makers are reviving the ancient method of sustainably harvesting salt.
Lou-seal being released

The Seal That Flew 1000 Miles To Get Home

Found stranded on a subtropical beach, the mystery seal finally comes home to its North Atlantic waters.
Plastic waste floating in the sea

Is Plastic Pollution Depriving Us of Oxygen?

Plastic debris is killing the ocean’s “invisible forests,” which produce ten percent of the oxygen we breathe.
Potted herbs sitting on a windowsill

Three Ways to Turn Your Apartment into a Sustainable Garden

Even the smallest city dwelling has enough space for a mini-meadow or a few flower pots.