2020 November/December

2020 November/December

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Feature

Nature Is Returning

The pandemic gives us a chance to reset our relationship with the animal world

By Rachel Nuwer

October 28, 2020

Departments

Anna, Ugo, Emma, and Mila Angeletti pose with Back2earth bins, a shovel, and a wheelbarrow.

Do-Gooder

For These Siblings, Composting Is a Family Affair

Ugo Angeletti and his sisters tackle food waste in Miami

By Elizabeth Watson Chaney

November 11, 2020

A group of people hand-feed macaques on a street in Thailand.

Editor’s Desk

Hitched to Nature

The pandemic has illustrated how connected humans are to wildlife

By Jason Mark

October 28, 2020

George Turner Jr., owner of Penuel Bicycles

Faces of Clean Energy

In L.A., a Bike Shop Owner Sees a Boom in the Pandemic

George Turner Jr. of Penuel Bicycles talks about his surprise success

Adapted from an interview by Judith Lewis Mernit

November 14, 2020

Illustration shows a field at night and the outline of a critter with glowing eyes.

Eyewitness

I Know I'm Not Seeing Everything As I Stare Into the Brush

Out here, there's no clear delineation between predator and prey

By Darby Minow Smith

October 31, 2020

A dirt trail leads down toward rolling hills of green in Iowa's Loess Hills.

Field Trip

Surprise Thrills on Iowa's Most Intense Trail

A writer goes on a grand adventure at home after postponing a Grand Canyon trek

By Cheryl Graham

November 6, 2020

The components of the game Wingspan, including a small birdhouse, eggs, bird cards, food chips, and customized dice.

Critic’s Notebook

Birdwatching Meets Board Game Night in Wingspan

Inside the hit game that's making hobby ornithologists out of gamers

By Allison Braden

November 7, 2020

Four illustrations show the writer and wife Jackie at a rocky beach, with people standing close to the ocean's edge, people suddenly underwater getting bounced around then looking beaten up and confused once the water recedes, followed by the writer and h

Survive

How to Survive a Sneaker Wave

A trip to the beach takes an unexpected turn in Hawai'i

By Michael Shapiro

November 10, 2020

Infographic shows an aerial view of a solar array and EV charging station.

Stress Test

Preparing for Disaster While Making Electricity

Most microgrids run on diesel generators, but a solar microgrid makes its own fuel

By Heather Smith

November 9, 2020

Material World

One Triple-Crown Thru-Hiker's Trail Must-Haves

Nine items that truly go the distance

By Brendan Curtinrich

November 5, 2020

Changemaker

Vicki Dobbins on Coal and COVID

This Sierra Club activist knows all about industrial pollution

Interview by Wendy Becktold

November 12, 2020

Illustration shows a room with a large built-in closet, a man putting away shoes, and a woman opening a drawer of clothes.

Taste Test

Smart Ways to Greenify Your Closet

Because our wardrobes create unfashionably massive environmental issues

By Elizabeth L. Cline

November 4, 2020

A large rattlesnake lunges from behind a cactus, mouth wide open, while a ground squirrel (blurry) leaps away from it.

Photo

Great Escape

A ground squirrel avoids becoming a rattlesnake's dinner

Photo by Karine Aigner

November 2, 2020

Books

A Bird's-Eye View of the More-Than-Human World

Helen Macdonald reflects on breaking free in "Vesper Flights"

By Jason Mark

November 8, 2020

Books

Cynan Jones's Waterless World

In "Stillicide," sparse prose chronicles hope amid dystopia

By Wendy Becktold

November 8, 2020

A grizzly bear looks up from a half-eaten bison with several ravens surrounding him and rocky hills in the background.

Protect

Grizzlies Become a Sacrificial Lamb to Protect Cattle Interests

Federal agencies are killing grizzly bears to make the woods safe for cows

By Aaron Teasdale

October 30, 2020

Ask Ms. Green

How Can I Disinfect for the Coronavirus Without Triggering Asthma?

Here are some green, less-toxic ways to protect yourself

By Jessian Choy

November 11, 2020