“Penn State will lead in the creation of comprehensive solutions to the fundamental challenges of providing safe and abundant water, clean and accessible energy and plentiful and nutritious food, in an economical and sustainable manner that respects, protects and adapts to the environment for future generations.” Nick Jones, Penn State Provost [Read on here.] As … More Sustainability, Penn State, and Real Patriotism

The thing about partisanship these days is that it’s ugly. The other thing about it is that it is hyper-contentious. So much tension in our politics. Tension can be bad, like hypertension and the extreme stress that we can put on one another or the kind of tension that leads to people doubling down on … More Creative Tension

“We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.” – Quotation attributed to Winston Churchill Yesterday morning I got an email from a friend asking me if I’d given any thought to low impact development (LID). Yes I have. In fact, just a few weeks Laura Dininni and I were discussing it. I was really glad … More When we shape the world we shape ourselves: Low impact development

Well, I just got my paperwork from the Board of Elections for Centre County. Time to accept my nomination as the Democratic nominee for Ferguson Township’s Ward 2. And there’s a bit to catch up on since returning from the Transylvania Epic and getting caught up with work (I work at Penn State’s Sustainability Institute). … More Tipping Points and Dominoes

The top seemed so far away. Each pedal stroke reluctantly turned the wheel from legs barely able to push. My body felt like sand. Like molasses. I had never felt so bad on my bike. I quit. Four years ago I entered the Transylvania Epic (TSE), a seven-day mountain bike stage race that covers over … More There is honor in failure.