Environment

Making Peace with Thanksgiving

Making Peace with Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a holiday fraught with American history. Let's get it right.

Water, Water Nowhere

Water, Water Nowhere

The historic drought has thrown the Colorado River and its water system into crisis, with federal officials warning that serious conservation is the only way out.

The World’s Glaciers

The World’s Glaciers

Glaciers, one of the world's priceless natural resources, are melting rapidly because of global warming.

The Earth’s Massive Wrinkle

The Earth’s Massive Wrinkle

Capitol Reef National Park encompasses a 100-mile-long fold in the Earth in which 270 million years of history is captured.

Let It Snow (Blizzard, Flurry, Squall)!

Let It Snow (Blizzard, Flurry, Squall)!

Snow is a deep subject. It cools our atmosphere, is a critical source of water in many regions, and creates winter travel challenges.

How Mountains Move

How Mountains Move

Mountains grow, shrink and change shape both slowly and suddenly, and human behavior is changing them in alarming ways.

How to Photograph Really Big Things

How to Photograph Really Big Things

Photographing large landmarks and buildings is always a challenge. Here's how.

Beating Non-food Inflation

Beating Non-food Inflation

With annual inflation at seven percent, we look at how you can save money on non-food items and services.

Tracking Dinosaurs in the Wild

Tracking Dinosaurs in the Wild

With a pandemic raging and snarled air traffic, it's a perfect time to head into the past and the wild to track dinosaurs.

How to Fight Inflation of Food Prices

How to Fight Inflation of Food Prices

Inflation, health concerns and climate change are at the top of the news. Wise food shopping and consumption can help with all three.

Christmas Gnome Infestation

Christmas Gnome Infestation

Christmas gnomes are on the march this year in stores, DIY projects and on social media. We look at the strong opinions the mischievous little creatures invoke.

The Sustainable Culture of Yogurt Jars

The Sustainable Culture of Yogurt Jars

Cute little glass and ceramic yogurt jars have become a DIY trend and recycling strategy.

Going On A Mammoth Hunt

Going On A Mammoth Hunt

Scientists are stitching together a DNA sequence to produce a living mammoth as well as learning more about the chubby long-haired giant.

Comeback of the Courtyard House

Comeback of the Courtyard House

The pandemic, soaring cost of housing and environmental concerns are renewing interest in courtyard houses, albeit on a miniature scale.

The Day the Mountains Disappeared

The Day the Mountains Disappeared

Salt Lake City, Utah, was the seventh most polluted city in the world last Friday, shrouded in smoke from California wildfires.

Smoke and Haze

Smoke and Haze

Western wildfires have blanketed normally pristine landscapes with smoke. What's a photographer to do?

The Booming and Broiling Southwest

The Booming and Broiling Southwest

The American Southwest is the fastest growing region in the United States, but also the hottest and most arid.

For the Love of Arches

For the Love of Arches

Arches National Park in southeastern Utah is being loved to death, and the park service is scrambling to manage the attention.

Yellowstone Roars Back To Life

Yellowstone Roars Back To Life

As the pandemic wanes in the United States, the crowds have returned to Yellowstone National Park.

Seeing the Big Picture

Seeing the Big Picture

We are living in the Great Age of Panoramas, with super wide angle photography permeating our everyday lives.

Mining Towns of the Old West

Mining Towns of the Old West

Colorful Western mining towns where the ancestors of many Americans once flocked to seek their fortunes have become upscale tourist meccas for outdoor adventure.

Saving the Great Salt Lake

Saving the Great Salt Lake

The Great Salt Lake, along with other saline lakes worldwide, is drying out. Preserving and restoring won't come cheap.

Mini Orchards

Mini Orchards

Mini orchards are part of a global movement to make urban environments greener and improve air quality as well as helping stabilize food supplies.

Japan’s Poignant Cherry Blossom Season

Japan’s Poignant Cherry Blossom Season

Japan's annual cherry blossom season conveys a timely message of renewal, transience and death in a year of global tragedy.

La Purisima Mission

La Purisima Mission

The history of La Purisima Mission in Lompoc, California, is a cautionary tale about the consequences of environmental damage, epidemics and racial inequality.

Gift Wrapping

Gift Wrapping

Wrapping gifts beautifully can help take the edge off of social distancing during the holidays.

The Real Cost of COVID

The Real Cost of COVID

Exit polls showed that many voters saw boosting the economy and controlling the pandemic as competing goals, but experts say they need to happen in tandem.

Apocalyptic Outing

Apocalyptic Outing

We take a (semi)-humorous look at what a Saturday afternoon outing is like in the fall of 2020.

Nature Trails

Nature Trails

Urban nature trails are more important than ever as other exercise and recreation venues have been closed.

Making the Invisible Visible

Making the Invisible Visible

The field of data-based infographics is helping the world see, understand and respond to the invisible threat of the pandemic.

Inside a Chinese Painting

Inside a Chinese Painting

Take a quick break and enjoy spectacular scenery on a boat trip down the Li River near Guilin, China.

Springtime in the Rockies

Springtime in the Rockies

It's springtime in Utah's Rockies. Photographer Forrest Anderson captured the stunning scenery.

Private Paradises Amid Adversity

Private Paradises Amid Adversity

Sheltering at home has been accompanied by an outpouring of creativity that can help us cope with adversity and shape our future.

What does the future hold?

What does the future hold?

Dozens of experts’ analysis of long-term trends can help us identify the challenges and opportunities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Return of the Victory Garden

Return of the Victory Garden

A resurgence of gardening has accompanied sheltering at home during the pandemic, invoking victory gardens of the two world wars.

Worldwide Fast for COVID-19

Worldwide Fast for COVID-19

A worldwide Good Friday fast to stem COVID-19 prompts a global, interdenominational outpouring of anguish and participation.

Home is a Destination, Too

Home is a Destination, Too

Need a five-minute stress reliever while sheltering at home? See these photos of my beautiful mountain village of Mapleton, Utah.

Green Thumbometer

Green Thumbometer

Gardening can be a good way to relieve stress and get fresh air during the coronavirus shutdown. Here are a new tool and tips.

Lighthouse, Tide Pools and Seals

Lighthouse, Tide Pools and Seals

Yaquina Head, Ore., has one of the Pacific Coast’s premier tide pool observation sites, a lighthouse and seal and seabird colonies.

Meditation and Japan’s Rock Garden

Meditation and Japan’s Rock Garden

Meditation is the theme of the Ryoanji dry rock garden. Find out why the garden inspires meditation and how to meditate.

Utah’s Rock Stars

Utah’s Rock Stars

Utah's spectacular scenery harbors one of the world's most complete and diverse dinosaur fossil records.

Why did the Chicken Costco?

Why did the Chicken Costco?

Costco's rotisserie chicken is among the most popular foods. Learn why and its environmental impact, plus recipes using it.

Sustainable Clothing

Sustainable Clothing

The trade war with China. Environment degradation. Household debt. To bring all of them into focus, we can look in our closets.

Mountain Men and the Fur Trade

Mountain Men and the Fur Trade

The colorful annual mountain men rendezvous at Fort Bridger, Wyoming, commemorates the 19th century global fur trade.

Reclaimed Wood Gets A New Life

Reclaimed Wood Gets A New Life

Japanese carpenters say that wood gets a new life when it is made into a new form. See some new of these new lives.

The River That Keeps on Giving

The River That Keeps on Giving

The mammoth Colorado River is the lifeblood of the southwest United States, supplying water and power for cities and agriculture.

Japanese Design Past and Present

Japanese Design Past and Present

Architect Kengo Kuma's village at the Portland Japanese Garden blends modern architecture with traditional Japanese design.

The Elephant Needs the Room

The Elephant Needs the Room

Despite tough bans on ivory trade, Africa's elephants are declining in numbers because of poaching and trafficking of illegal ivory.

Visit Utah’s National Parks

Visit Utah’s National Parks

Utah state and local governments and organizations are chipping in to keep national parks operating during the government shutdown.

How is Utah Changing?

How is Utah Changing?

The Utah population boom, fueled by economic growth and an image of a healthy, family-friendly state, is expected to be long-term.

Getting the Job Done

Getting the Job Done

The daughter of a firefighter who died while working at a U.S. Forest Service camp reflects on fire crews fighting the deadly California fires.

Fire! Is this the new norm?

Fire! Is this the new norm?

Are record wildfires the new norm in the West? As fires threaten homes and communities, here are answers to questions about them.

Making a Japanese Gate

Making a Japanese Gate

We were charmed by the beautiful gates that are the entrance to homes in Kyoto and Nara, Japan, so we decided to make our own.

Building an Arch and Cabinets

Building an Arch and Cabinets

To carve space for our office out of a larger living space, we built an arch and cabinets out of old reclaimed beams.

Garden in the Desert

Garden in the Desert

One of the Intermountain West’s most beautiful gardens is at the Point of the Mountain between Salt Lake City and Provo, Utah.

Feathers of a Bird

Feathers of a Bird

Of all creatures, only birds have feathers. These delicate, sophisticated, beautiful structures perfectly combine form and function.

Mantel from Reclaimed Wood

Mantel from Reclaimed Wood

Making a fireplace mantel from a reclaimed log requires mounting it so the supporting wall will bear its weight.

Elements of a Japanese Garden

Elements of a Japanese Garden

Imagine you're sitting in Los Angeles traffic on a hot day. Take a break and head for a cool green oasis - Suihoen Japanese Garden

Herbie rides again ... and again

Herbie rides again ... and again

The Volkswagen Beetle was among the most iconic designs of the 20th century because it was affordable, simple and cute.

The Wasatch Back

The Wasatch Back

The Wasatch Back is the chief year-round playground for residents of the booming Wasatch Front in Utah.

Timpanogos Cave

Timpanogos Cave

A wierd and wonderful cave system holds the heart of Mt. Timpanogos, near Provo, Utah.

Nail Party

Nail Party

Nails had to be extracted from reclaimed timbers to be used in constructing The Thoughtful House.

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon National Park in southwestern Utah is an adventure for all seasons.

Recycled Timbers

Recycled Timbers

The Thoughtful House will use some recycled timber from a pioneer cabin.

The Chesapeake’s Shrinking Isle

The Chesapeake’s Shrinking Isle

Smith Island in the Chesapeake Bay is rich in history but shrinking in land and population.

The Thoughtful House’s Foundation

The Thoughtful House’s Foundation

Watch our video of a skilled crew building the foundation for The Thoughtful House.

Why Isn’t Every Town Like Carmel?

Why Isn’t Every Town Like Carmel?

Carmel, California, demonstrates how design, planning and environmentalism can enhance a small town.

Salt Water Cure, Change of Scene

Salt Water Cure, Change of Scene

Changes in the air, the light and the sounds all add up to a new perspective.

Construction begins

Construction begins

Construction begins on The Thoughtful House after four years of planning and preparation.