As a neurologist and an environmentalist, I spend a lot of time thinking about the health of humans and the nature that surrounds them. Residue from pharmaceuticals is one thing threatening both. How do pharmaceuticals end up in the environment? Let’s take a step back. These days, we’re prescribed medications for a variety of health […]

Globally, we now cycle through a million plastic bottles a minute—only about 9 percent of which are recycled. Single-use bottles are harmful to the environment, and we can do better. With all the beautiful reusable water bottles on the market these days, there really is no excuse to drink out of a plastic one. Make […]

Many brave veterans who risk their lives to serve our country come home to nothing and are left in the streets. That’s why Nashville is launching the “90 in 90” campaign to give homeless veterans a home within 90 days. The “90 in 90” campaign will give homeless veterans a permanent home and reduce the […]

At 2 a.m. on a chilly May morning, Norman Franks sat slumped in a chair in a TV lounge at the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center, fighting for snatches of sleep under the glare of ceiling lights, he said. A Navy veteran of the late 1970s, Franks had led a troubled life. His addiction […]

On a windy fall Saturday afternoon in Marana, the spirit of kindness was in the air. Vietnam vet Richard Eaton is doing what he hopes others will do for him. “I have no living heirs and I hope somebody would show up to my funeral,” Eaton said. 33 homeless or unclaimed veterans from various wars […]

Prince Harry has opened the Invictus Games in Sydney, where more than 500 competitors will be taking part in 13 sports. It is the fourth Invictus Games to be held, following similar events in London, Orlando and Toronto. The prince, accompanied by the Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, a Games ambassador and three athletes, climbed […]

Believe it or not, until recently the United States—and a handful of other countries—were shipping a large portion of their recycling off to China. As of January 1, though, China stopped accepting foreign trash, ushering in what some are calling “a new era of recycling.” China claimed that so much of the recycling they received […]

Ever since I embarked on a zero-waste journey, I’ve realized that it’s a long, slow process that brings about new challenges every day. When you really pay attention to your trash production, things that you’ve never thought twice about doing before—accepting a sample at the grocery store, sorting through mail—can lead to a fair amount […]

A new roof for a worthy homeowner. Murfreesboro veteran James Voss is getting a new roof put on his home, and crews were out Wednesday working on it. “I’m a disabled war veteran. I was in the Iraq war in 2004 and 2005 and I got hurt a little bit in the war,” said Voss. […]

Up to a third of food grown never makes it to our mouths, and an estimated 1.4 billion tons of food are wasted each year. Confusing expiration dates, oversized portions, and a general disdain for “ugly” plates have contributed to this massive global problem. While trailblazers like France are enacting policies that make it illegal […]