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Peeling Back Pavement to Expose Watery Havens

SEOUL, South Korea — For half a century, a dark tunnel of crumbling concrete encased more than three miles of a placid stream bisecting this bustling city. Today, after a $384 million recovery project, the stream, called Cheonggyecheon, is liberated from its dank sheath. The environmental benefits can now be quantified. 
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White Roofs Catch On as Energy Cost Cutters

Jon and Kim Waldrep were routinely met by a wall of heat in their Sacremento home.  All that has changed; their solution is a new roof: a shiny plasticized white covering that experts say is not only an energy saver but also a way to help cool the planet.
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The Upside of Depression

History largely records the 1930s as a bleak chapter in American life. But some famous survivors fondly recall a time of resourcefulness, altruism, and even joy. We can use their experiences as a guide for how we may eventually recall our own so-called Great Recession—as a period of hardship, but also a time of hope and opportunity. 
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Home Burials Offer an Intimate Alternative

PETERBOROUGH, N.H. — When Nathaniel Roe, 92, died at his 18th-century farmhouse, his family did not call a funeral home to handle the arrangements. Like a growing number of families who want not only to cut down on costs, but to make this part of life a more natural and loving experience, they chose to do a home burial.  » Full Story

Jellyfish May Help Keep Planet Cool

Studies suggest that jellyfish are ferrying cold water to the surface and warm water into the depths of the sea with each feeding cycle. In the process, they may be taking dissolved carbon dioxide with them far beneath the sea, changing the overall carbon balance in the atmosphere. 
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The Joy of Less

Moving from a busy life as a magazine writer in New York City to a pared down life as a freelance writer in Kyoto, writer Pico Iyer at some point, decided that, "for me at least, happiness arose out of all I didn’t want or need, not all I did." He takes a clear, hard look at what really leads to peace of mind.

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Russia's dacha gardens feed body and soul

Summer retreats provide not only solace but lots of produce – and even more of it now, amid economic hard times. Russians have been feeding themselves in this way for a thousand years and, despite the mass urbanization and industrialization of the past century.
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Reconciling faith, feminism, and Islam: One woman's push for change at her hometown mosque

Returning home from some turbulent years to her local mosque, Asra Nomani discovered it was now heavily influenced by extremists, men who discriminated against women and were intolerant toward non-believers. Believing that intolerance within a religion often leads to violence and must therefore be confronted, Nomani opted to fight for the rights of women within that mosque and, by extension, in Islam.  » Full Story

Leading by an achievable example

A promise that the Maldives will go carbon-neutral in 10 years is not just good for PR, says the country's president Mohamed Nasheed. In this week's Green Room, he argues that the goal sets an example for the developed world proving that a green country is not only practical, it is profitable.  » Full Story

Rhythms of Basketball and Music

Musician Wynton Marsalis talks with sports columnist William C. Rhoden about "virtuosity on the form" on both the bandstand and the hardcourt.  » Full Story