Our Stories

The Latest by Ben Barron

Intern

July 29, 2013

It Takes a Good Lawyer To Be a Good Steward

By Ben Barron

The idea that humans should come first when it comes to our relationship with the natural world traces back to the roots of western culture. For example, in Genesis 1:26, God orders that mankind will “have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and …

August 23, 2011

McKibben, Others Arrested In Tar Sands Protest

By Ben Barron

D.C. police have arrested 160 people and counting, in response to a non-violent protest against the Keystone XL Tar Sands pipeline. Among those arrested– Bill McKibben, prolific environmental author and co-founder of 350.org. Released today after three days in jail, McKibben encouraged the continuation of the two-week protest, which is taking place in front of …

August 10, 2011

U.S. Faces Hard Landing At Europe's Tea Party

By Ben Barron

Non-European airline carriers are up in arms over new EU regulations that would require all planes in the European airspace to either reduce their emissions or pay a carbon-offset fee after 2012. Backed by industry, the airlines are wielding the Revolutionary War cry — “No taxation without representation” —  as their righteous slogan. Only this …

August 4, 2011

America's Gut Feeling About Climate Change

By Ben Barron

When it comes to climate change, the fact is that most Americans don’t know the facts. A study by Yale professors revealed that while a majority (63 percent) of Americans believe in global warming, only half understand that it is anthropogenic (caused by human activity). And when the study tested the public on the science …

July 22, 2011

Next Time You Sneeze, Turn Off The Car

By Ben Barron

It happens to me every spring. The flowers start to bloom, and the days become warm and full of sunshine. All I want to do is be outside, sit in the grass with my dog and play my guitar, and then… Bam. My eyes start to stream, and my voice sounds like someone duct taped …

July 13, 2011

Birds of Paradise Lost in New Guinea?

By Ben Barron

Anyone who has seen the “Planet Earth” episode on jungles has witnessed the colorful plumes and remarkable displays of the Birds of Paradise. But when you’re hiking (read: struggling) through the dense growth of Papua New Guinea’s rainforest, one of the world’s largest at over 100,000 square miles and home to 38 of the 43 …