Green Living

A new month brings a fresh start for those who decided to join in on the Bird-a-Day Challenge. The official challenge, taking place on birdaday.net began on New Year's Day. Since then I have been trying to play along, just for fun, counting how many days in a row I can find a “new” bird. (New = recorded for the first time in this game.) So far, I’ve lasted five weeks. Making it this far has already been tough, and it’s only going to get harder.

Plenty of people are playing along, some from as far away as the UK. And a number of new people recently started counting from Feb 1.

Image: Delancey Underground Project

From the time New York City’s High Line Park opened in June 2009, it’s caused a stir. In a city that can feel packed with people, any new nook for trees is a blessing. This park in particular was a reminder of how an aging urban space—in this case, former freight train tracks—could be reused and recycled into something new. Two new proposals for NYC could provide more inspiration.

Whether you fancy yourself a serious “lister,” a novice birder, an outdoor enthusiast, or a hard-core competitor, you may be interested in a challenge that is about to begin when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve.

It’s called “Bird-A-Day.” The objective: Count how many days in a row you can find a “new” bird. (New = recorded for the first time in this game.) The rule: You must never repeat a species, nor go a day without seeing a new one. If you do, you are out of the challenge.

Donna Trussel

The chilly winds of winter are settling in and many birds are searching for feeders that will provide them sustenance to survive the cold months ahead. Audubon biologist Steve Kress offers 11 of his top tips for attracting birds to your backyard. 

Grant Matthews, Flickr Creative Commons

A four-year, 74-million Euro plan to cover the 1,000-foot-tall Eiffel Tower in plants apparently isn’t happening. At least not now.

Test-tube turkey sounds like a science experiment gone terribly wrong, but it could be an ethical and environmental breakthrough.

A new set of design guidelines can help us all do right by our feathered friends.

Bigeye is one of the unconventional fish gaining in popularity. Photo: Total Catch Market
 
Although bycatch remains a dirty word for many conservationists, reflecting waste in the industry, a growing national movement aims to shift American attitudes about seafood. By expanding people’s palates to include sometimes strange-looking fish caught in local waters, they hope to promote more sustainable fisheries.

When the fiery red, orange, and yellow leaves fall from the trees and land on your lawn, pilling them high for jumping can be a family affair. And when you’re sufficiently exhausted from diving in the heaps of foliage, you can use the leaves to nourish your garden, shrubs, and trees. Instead of putting them in a bag, mow, mulch, mix, or compost them.

When we were putting together our special food issue earlier this year, I was struck by the wide range of topics that we covered: factory farms, technology, pollution, nutrition, agricultural traditions, labor conditions, poverty, and so much more. That interconnectedness is being celebrated across the nation today, the first annual Food Day. Modeled on Earth Day, it’s a grassroots drive to improve our food system, sponsored by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest. There’s plenty that needs fixing.