Do you buy locally for your pets? I may be late to the game on this one but I recently added "buying locally produced dog food" to my list of ways I contribute to reducing my carbon footprint. I had been shopping at Petsmart, which I guess is the Wal-Mart/Target of the animal world but recently happened upon a local dog goods store that sold me on a higher quality dog food made locally in Texas. More

In Cuba over 7000 market gardens called organoponicos dot the outskirts of towns and cities. These intensively planted spaces provide most of the country's fresh vegetables. I was lucky enough to visit eight organoponicos in the summer of 2009 and came back filled with ideas on how to incorporate elements of this sustainable agriculture model into my own backyard garden. More

Michael Williams, the stylish proprietor behind the blog A Continuous Lean, compiled a go-list of companies and brands who make their goods in the US, and started a Tumblr blog called F*ck Yeah Made in USA featuring various factory videos. (You know, short films that show the manufacturing process, something many small independent companies are quite proud of.) While Williams' list references a lot of clothing companies, he also cites various US bicycle manufacturers and makers of home objects and accessories. More

Since last weekend, we have watched the news in horror as Texas communities surrounding our city went up in flames. Family had been evacuated from their homes; friends had bags packed, waiting for evacuation orders; we saw beautiful land and even a state park engulfed in flames and knew that hundreds of homes had been completely lost, thousands of people displaced. We felt helpless—until it became clear that there is always something we can do. More

Hurricane Irene significantly damaged some of the local farms here in NY State. In an effort to help the farmers, Greenmarket has partnered with NOFA-NY to help raise money by encouraging New Yorkers to eat locally for the month of September. More

Later this month, zHomes—the very first housing development of its kind in the States—will open in Issaquah, Washington. What makes it so special, besides the fact that it's net-zero (meaning it makes as much energy as it uses) and boasts market-rate pricing on its 10 multi-family homes? More

The Huntington Botanical Gardens is one of those gems for us Los Angelenos that can transport you to another time or place. But what a lot of folks don't know is that it was once called San Marino Ranch. In November 2010, an new project was unveiled called The Huntington Ranch, harkening back to its farming origins. Part classroom, part demonstration garden and part research lab, The Ranch is pushing the boundaries of sustainable urban farming. More

This past weekend I moved into my new home in a new city, and, you know, tropical storm aside, everything went well. Once the weather cleared on Sunday, I made the happy discovery that the neighbors are very friendly and that they've made a pastime of hanging out on their stoops. More

Green living is not just small spaces, eco-friendly materials and gardening — it's also about living in a connected community. Whenever my husband and I have moved, one of the most important features has always been location, location, location. It's crucial for our lifestyle that we be able to get to work easily by public transportation and be within walking distance to shopping, restaurants, farmer's markets and parks. But for the Slow Home, good location not just about proximity to amenities, it's also about the quality of the streetscape. More

Encouraging your community to become more sustainable is easier than you'd think. While you might expect that you'd get a lot of resistance when bringing up issues of sustainability to the decision makers in your area, they are likely to be receptive. Find out our tips for changing your community and share your own after the jump. More