Clik here to view.
What Exactly is Christmas Tree Flocking?
Originally published at Mental Floss on Christmas morning 2015. Of the many curious holiday traditions (figgy pudding? wassailing?), one of the oddest has to be spraying down small trees with a mixture...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Harnessing the Knowledge of Plants, Online
Originally published in American Forests Magazine Winter/Spring 2016 issue. Botanical gardens are building the first online catalog of every known plant species in the world. It could be a...
View ArticleInterstellar Philanthropy: A $100M Mission to Alpha Centauri
Firing thousands of tiny spacecraft traveling 20 percent of the speed of light to Alpha Centauri using a massive laser beam is an astounding mission proposal. But Yuri Milner’s latest privately funded...
View ArticleThe Goldman Winners Are Inspiring—Too Bad Such Bold and Diverse Work is...
The exciting work of the Goldman Prize winners should be an eye-opener to environmental funders. They reflect a level of diversity and grassroots activism in marginalized communities that is sadly...
View ArticleTom Steyer’s Climate Fight Marches On, But Will Young People Follow?
Tom Steyer is in the climate fight for the long haul. His NextGen Climate is emphasizing people power in 2016, raising the question—will young people rally behind a billionaire donor? One popular, but...
View Article‘Extremes Are Becoming the Norm.’ Why Water is the Next Big Issue For...
There’s perhaps no bigger climate-related challenge than the trillions in clean energy and sustainability investments needed in developing countries. How can private philanthropy possibly make a dent?...
View ArticleCan Philanthropy Spur the Massive Climate Finance the Developing World Needs?
There’s perhaps no bigger climate-related challenge than the trillions in clean energy and sustainability investments needed in developing countries. How can private philanthropy possibly make a dent?...
View ArticleThe Prosthetic Eyeball Is a Work of Art
Originally published at TheAtlantic.com. Making a realistic eye takes more than technical skill: an Object Lesson. The eye is about the size of a quarter, resting gently in Kurt Jahrling’s hand as he...
View ArticleThe Troubling Oil Money Behind Dartmouth’s New Energy Institute
To create a new institute focused on society’s pressing energy problems, Dartmouth has accepted $80 million from a powerful oil family surrounded by controversy. Such a gift seriously undermines the...
View ArticleBest Music of 2016!
What a year, what a year of music. There were drone attacks, midnight surprise drops, the 1990s, earthquakes, tsunamis, low-flying panic attacks. Although I have to say, and this may be apparent by the...
View Article‘You Get Ideas.’ The Flatiron Institute is Bringing Together Computer...
Bring leading computer scientists together with leading astrophysicists, and exciting stuff happens—complex computer simulations of galaxy formation, algorithms churning through terabytes of data...
View ArticleA Funding Effort to Build a Stronger, More Diverse Climate Movement
Getting the United States to take meaningful action on climate change means building a lot more power, starting in communities where people are most vulnerable, and then building local momentum into...
View ArticleIt’s Time for Funders to Bankroll Climate Movement Building
The response to Donald Trump’s announcement that the U.S. will withdraw from the Paris Agreement was swift and encouraging. Hundreds of mayors, at least 10 states, and scores of businesses and...
View ArticleIn Diller Island’s Demise, a Cautionary Tale of Donor Influence
Just like that, Pier 55, a $250 million floating park (cultural island? entertainment center? performing arts pier?) to be built over a dilapidated pier on the Hudson River, is no more. A lot of people...
View ArticleThe Promise and Limits of Cities and Billionaires in Trump’s America
There’s a certain amount of comfort to be taken from living in an American city during the Trump era—that is, if you’re not thrilled with where the nation at large has lately been headed. I suspect a...
View Article
