I had so many special hideouts in nature growing up – tucked behind the boughs of Grandma’s weepy plum tree, under the cedar beside the frog pond on Huckleberry Lane, on the cool patch of grass inside the heady lilac thicket. Perhaps you did, too. Treehouses never quite captivated me the way a quiet spot beneath a live tree could. In first grade, I would frequently get in trouble for wandering far from the playground into the woods by myself, and for bringing back leaves and pebbles for safekeeping in …

Tags: earth , nature , photography

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Getting back to nature – same thing as roughing it? If you find yourself loathe to ditch your oh-so-self-indulgent rituals like “warmth”, “being clean” or “eating actual food” you’ll be delighted to pitch in with a hot new approach to the great outdoors – glamping. Luxury without ostentation, eco-tourism without eco-terrorism – and everything catered for so you can enjoy your surroundings without worrying if you’ll survive the night in them.

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Tags: glamping , lifestyle , luxury , nature , sustainable

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No one growing up during the upbeat, Mattel-directed Sixties figures they’ll be worse off in middle age, forced to scrounge harder for work, buy less, live smaller.

Those Barbie songs my sister and I sang along to in our pink and green room constituted teenage visions of a supercalifragelistic future that we owned, co-starring Dick Van Dyke, four kids, a shiny Lincoln and full-service yacht.

“Here’s a cake, that you and I can make, I’ll share the recipe, if you say yes to me.”

But due to the recession and soaring costs …

Tags: affirmations , aging , birthday , blessings , book clubs , children , conservation , debt , Disney , family , green , jewelry , Life in the Green Lane , luxury , Mary Poppins , menopause , nature , pets , recession , San Francisco

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Sit on the grass; look out at the trees; wake up in the field; float on the water.

These four frolics in nature are woven into the fabric of the vintage French furniture reclaimed by Chair Couture, a delightful contemporary source that seeks to make stuffy, highbrow seating more down to earth.

In salvaging original French antiques for her quirky collection, owner Margaret Elman carefully selects fabrics that fits the mode. She says the recycled polyester or organic cotton used is derived from photographs of nature.

It’s all designed to bring the …

Tags: dandelions , fabric , French furniture , furniture , grass , green , nature , ocean , photograph , polyester , recycle , upholstery , vintage

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Cell phones, laptops, the Blackberry, iPods, texting, Twitter. Do you ever feel a little too in touch with the world? Next time you’re suffering from technology overload, cut the cord and spend some quality time with Mother Earth for a weekend. Here are some basic tips for a few days off the grid and out in nature.

Make a list of everything you need and check it twice. There won’t be a convenience …

Tags: guide , lifestyle , nature , Off the Grid , tips

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Last year, the Union of Concerned Scientists and Penguin Classics joined together and went looking for interested citizens to participate in a new anthology.

The topic: personal stories about global warming.

The response: overwhelming. There were over 1,000 submissions from established writers and new voices from across the country.

The result,  Thoreau’s Legacy: American Stories About Global Warming, is a collection of 67 essays from scientists, students, activists, parents, journalists, grandparents, artists and business people, all of whom have stories to tell and views to express.

Named after Henry David Thoreau, …

Tags: anthology , conservation , global warming , nature , philosophy , stories , Thoreau , Thoreau's Legacy

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Raze the roof for green.

I’ll let you in on one of my secret eco-dreams: to tear down dilapidated buildings and allow nature to recover the land. As it turns out, this just might be a new municipal strategy in combating urban blight.

The first site of this radical experiment? Flint, Michigan: a sprawling and impoverished, underpopulated city. At 34 square miles, Flint requires a lot of maintenance and upkeep (think: garbage trucks, road repair, electricity lines).

So, how to maintain a city’s integrity without the taxpayer base to support it? …

Tags: city , city planning , flint , michigan , nature , urban decline , urban sprawl

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Since the beginning of time, we’ve been beautifying ourselves with the plant kingdom’s best skin and hair care helpers, and if you buy wholesome, natural cosmetics (like Juara, Pangea, or Angelface Botanicals to name a few), you’ll notice your ingredient list is full of plant names. But let’s face it, these little beauty potions can be pricey. Thankfully it’s not difficult to create your own homemade beauty products using common herbs and essential oils. It doesn’t take a huge expense to ensure you have …

Tags: beauty , cosmetics , DIY , hair , herbal , herbs , natural , nature , skin , skincare

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Back in the day when I was in elementary school, scouting was the road most traveled by children wanting to explore the great outdoors. These days, scouting is still around, but it’s hardly the draw it was in past decades. Instead, we rely on costly summer camps to help wean children off the Wii controls and laptops and get them into the woods, challenging their bodies and imaginations.

But if you’re like me, you don’t want camp staffers to have all of the fun teaching your kids about their natural world. …

Tags: bonding , camping with kids , canoe trips , conservation , ecoAmerica , family outdoor fun , family recreation , family summer vacations , hiking , kayaking , nature , scouting , snorkeling , swimming , wildlife

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