We all tell ourselves stories: as humans, it’s our birthright. We create narratives to explain the world, and to find meaning for our lives within it.

Low cost wind power is extending its reach throughout the U.S., even in regions where wind conditions aren’t exactly optimal for powering a wind turbine. New transmission lines like the Grain Belt Express are helping to make that happen, and there could be a third option on the horizon if all goes well for Clean Wind Energy Tower, Inc.

McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish will carry the Marine Stewardship Council’s ecolabel starting in February, the fast food chain announced recently. The ecolabel means that strict standards were followed to ensure the traceability of the fish back to sustainable fisheries.

Researchers at the University of Michigan have come up with a low-cost way to manufacture high-grade silicon, based on a concept familiar to anyone who has tried to make rock candy at home.

I’ve used a mushroom-growing kit before and seen folks growing mushrooms in those innoculated logs, but over the weekend I stumbled on a different – and versatile! – way to grow mushrooms: in a laundry basket!

In a potentially breakthrough discovery, researchers at Northwestern University have designed a new type of organic solar cell that will very likely lead to much higher efficiency and cheaper solar power.

The people at America’s Test Kitchen are my heroes!

I’ve subscribed to their magazine — Cook’s Illustrated — for years. If you’ve never read an issue, please, please, please hunt one down. (You can find single issues in most large bookstores.)

Geothermal developers from AltaRock Energy, a Washington state-based company, have been working on creating geothermal reservoirs with their own technology.

We are in an economic crisis. But don’t panic, there are always good things that come out of crises. It’s all a matter of being aware, being ready, and being educated.

Our economy, put simply, really sucks right now. But the United States is not alone. Other countries are facing the same pain. There are several factors that have had a hand in the decline.

Here is a simplified example:

A country has good currency and a strong economy. It sees a population growth and economic growth. More programs are implemented (public works, healthcare, public housing assistance, welfare, Social Security, Medicare, Workman’s Comp., etc.), aiding in influence in economic issues and politics…and then the money and influence gets channeled into a huge military fund/presence. The military is then utilized, and enormous expenditures occur (funding wars). This transfer of money, or wealth, is the cause of economic pain for most of the population, and results in inflation and the declining value of the dollar.

These healthy whole wheat vegan carrot muffins are so moist and delicious that no one would believe that they are made without the use of refined sugar or white flour. Pure maple syrup lends the perfect sweetness and the combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves creates the perfect amount of spice!

Who doesn’t love a good quinoa recipe, right? This honey-soaked version adds a little sweetness to this healthy grain.

Sperm whales are fierce squid hunters, but they also have a softer side. In a serendipitous sighting in the North Atlantic, researchers have discovered a group of the cetaceans that seem to have taken in an adult bottlenose dolphin with a spinal malformation, at least temporarily. It may be that both species simply liked the social contact.