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Across the U.S., a growing number of new retailers are selling mostly in bulk to customers toting reusable containers.  Tare Market's...

I wrote this story for Dwell's March/April 2023 issue.   On a single night in January 2022, 582,462 people  were experiencing...

This story appeared in the Feb. issue of Oregon Business Magazine .  In November of 2022, Thor Mikelic was working on social marketing...

In conservative parts of Oregon, one protest group is betting that a celebration of Black culture will capture more hearts than anger....

From growing kelp forests to making packaging out of mushrooms, these companies are reducing greenhouse gas emissions from every angle.  I wrote this round-up for Inc.'s Carbon Neutral package, in the May/June 2022 issue .  Entrepreneurs coast to coast are coming up with innovative technologies showing not only that we can live without carbon-based energy, but also that we can thrive without it. From a Maine startup that's growing kelp forests (which can sequester gigatons of

Once ubiquitous, farmers markets nearly vanished in the mid 20th century — until an array of forces converged to bring about their modern-day renaissance. Fennel, beets, and parsley, at the PSU Farmers' Market; Brussels sprouts on the vine  Visit the main Portland Farmers Market on any given Saturday morning and you’ll see tables spilling over with rainbow chard, beets, leeks and all kinds of lettuce. You’ll see vendors selling homemade salsa and tortilla chips, and cheesemak

I wrote this for Conde Nast Traveler back in April.  This is part of a collection of stories on the intersection of weed and travel,...

I wrote this story for Reasons to be Cheerful in May of 2022. California’s environmental achievements are something to behold. The state...

My guide on the best places to taste wine, eat, and stay in Oregon's Willamette Valley was published alongside Ray Isle's picks on which...

For Bon Appetit 's May issue, I wrote about a new continuing education program for Latinx vineyard workers in Oregon's Willamette...

I wrote about Ridwell, the Seattle startup that's building a business around collecting all the old batteries, clamshell containers and...

Farmers and ecologists are partnering to restore the state’s natural flooding patterns, allowing native fish to thrive. I wrote this...

This book review ran in the Washington Post on Feb. 11th, 2022.  In the early 1970s, American botanist Jack Harlan proclaimed that mass...

As Covid-19 approaches the two-year mark, Solace Cremation has turned out to be a service for the modern age—a web-based business that offers a safe and remote experience while allowing customers to smoothly organize a loved one’s cremation. Based in Portland, Ore., with operations in Seattle and Southern California, Solace handles the entire process almost completely online.

I wrote a profile of two powerhouse Mount Holyoke alumnae: Tami Gouveia ('96) and Kristen Elechko ('97) for the Mount Holyoke Alumnae...

This story appeared in Inc.'s October, 2021 issue, as part of the Female Founders 100. Most jeans manufacturers rely on petroleum-based dyes and pollutants. Tammy Hsu and Michelle Zhu are on a mission to revolutionize the industry with planet-friendly, microbe-based dyes. Michelle Zhu (left) and Tammy Hsu run Huue, a startup developing sustainable textile dyes to replace the ecologically destructive colorants the fashion industry uses. About 20 percent of the world's industri

I recently got to write about one of my favorite regions of Oregon: the Wallowa Mountains.  It may be a five-hour drive from Portland,...

A new pilot project in California is purchasing a mill for a school cafeteria, marking the next step in years-long effort to bring local,...

I wrote this Top Chef guide to Portland for Food & Wine back in June. In Season 18 of  Top Chef , the culinary reality competition...