We all know the basic school model: the Principal is the face of the school, making sure everything is running smoothly, the Assistant Principal(s) are in charge of disciplinary problems, and teachers are responsible for making sure students are learning. But what would happen if you did away with all of the administrative positions and [...]

How many cosmetic items do you use every day? Deodorant, Sunscreen, Shampoo, Soap, Hair Gel, Shaving Cream, Makeup … the number of products can add up quickly. And according to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, so can the chemicals and toxins within them. The coalition along with The Story of Stuff Project and Free Range [...]

Department of Energy buildings across the country are about to get a lot cooler. On Monday, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that “cool roofs” will now be installed during any new roof or roof replacement construction done on DOE facilities. Cool roofs, which are essentially just roofs that are painted white, reflect heat from [...]

If you’ve been feeling the effects of the lackluster economy or the dismal job market lately, then it can be hard to think of yourself as wealthy. But if you’re reading these words on a computer you own, you probably rank among the richest people on the planet. How does your income compare to [...]

Back in April I wrote about The Conflict Minerals Trade Act (H.R. 4128), a bill that would demand more transparency and accountability from importers and refiners of conflict minerals. Although that particular bill is still in committee, I am happy to report that another bill has been passed by Congress that will require any companies [...]

Public debt in the U.S. is increasing at an alarming rate. It is predicted by the Peterson-Pew Commission that the debt will rise to 85 percent of GDP by 2018 and 100 percent by 2022. So how do we get out of this financial mess? Everyone has criticisms of how politicians spend our tax dollars, [...]

When traveling long distances it’s not always easy to find environmentally friendly modes of transportation. That’s why it’s great that Greyhound has rolled out some new eco-friendly buses that, when full of passengers, equate to taking about 40 cars off the road and put out almost three times less carbon dioxide per mile than a [...]

As someone who enjoys a good graphic novel or comic every now and again, I am always impressed with the way those literary genres tackle difficult subject matters, bringing them into public view — whether it be war in Iraq, homelessness, or violence amongst urban youth. Teshkeel Comics, through their creation The 99 is also [...]

If you’ve spent any amount of time on Facebook, you know how popular FarmVille is. Chances are you have played the game yourself, or are friends with at least one of the 32 million people who play the game every day. I’ve never actually played FarmVille myself, but through friends’ status updates and reading others’ [...]

Overfishing has become a huge problem — so much so that many scientists believe that if we don’t change our seafood eating and catching habits then we are likely to see a total collapse of all fished species by 2048. As more and more fish become closer to finding themselves on the “endangered” or “extinct” [...]