Who Owns the Ocean Floor?

The ocean floor teems with metal: copper and nickel, cobalt and silver, even gold. Many consider it the next mining frontier. Yet much of the ocean remains unstudied. As we near the first deep-sea mining expeditions, scientists scramble to get a baseline before we no longer can. (Aug. 20, 2014)

Barbara Kingsolver and Butterflies

What would happen if monarch butterflies suddenly appeared at the wrong overwintering site? That’s the scenario Barbara Kingsolver paints in her captivating new novel, Flight Behavior. (January-February 2013 issue)

Follow Through

The RESTORE Act offers a potential influx of cash to Gulf States. Though how big a pot of money—$4.3 billion to $21 billion—as well as which projects get funded is yet to be determined. (September-October 2012 issue)

The Giving Spirit

Organizations at home and abroad find Bergen County residents spending time and giving money toward work aimed at bettering women’s lives. Some travel to Guatemala to build schools. Others spend a day in a less well-off Bergen County town finishing a residence for teen mothers and their babies. No matter the project, the end-goal remains […]

Priority Mail

A Virginia letter carrier, donned the mail ma’am by those who know and love her, has turned her route into a haven for nesting eastern bluebirds. In just three years, she’s installed 110 boxes…and she’s still going. (July-August 2012 issue)

Nurse Quality Check

Hospitals with the highest-ranked nurses hold accountable these caregivers and measure their success against internal and national standards.

Modern Bride

Green weddings are all the rage, with a growing number of couples are saying “I do” to celebrations that save waste and natural resources without sacrificing elegance. These tips will show you how. (May-June 2012 issue)

Group Medical Appointments Get Another Look

In a shared medical appointment, 8 to 10 patients with a common denominator—a chronic condition such as diabetes, or elderly adults in need of a road map to aging well—see the doctor together for a long visit, often 90 minutes. This model, around since the mid-1990s, is now getting more attention.

When Punk Rock, Tattoos, and Birding Collide

Paul Riss is kind of fanatical about birds. But he’s also passionate about his unique punk rock style—and about melding the two. (April 2012, online only)

Pest Control

Conservationists tend to focus on what the environment can do for birds. In a unique reversal, one researcher looked at what birds can do for their environment. She found that bluebirds were inadvertently fending off insect damage in vineyards. (March-April 2012 issue)