Conservation News

Backpacker Magazine asks outdoor companies to make a carbon-neutral shoe

your burger may come with a side of salmonella and flame retardant

Castor oil replaces petroleum in plastics, from ski boots to shades.

The Energy Audit

Vendors who sell at Walmart will now have to know and share their products' ecological impact.

A week aboard the Maine Schooner Mary Day can be pretty close to a carbon-neutral vacation

Auden Schendler shares the trials and tribulations of trying to do the right thing

Wherein we learn how to tell if your house leaks energy--and how to fix it

The European Union bans iodine for use in water treatment

How energy efficient is your own home? Here's how to find out

Aladdin/Stanley keeps the water flowing and plastic bottles out of the landfill at this year's music fest.

This eat-anything farm animal offers a greener path to yard maintenance

one man's quest to understand his impact

Obama brings together adversaries, comes up with standards automakers can work with

H2O: it's the new climate change

The Seven Sins of Greenwashing

Aladdin takes an eco crisis and turns it around

next steps in the eco evolution

What happens to the stuff in your blue bin.

Keep up the good work, and the world will be a better place.

The carbon cost of spam may be suspect, but power down your PC and you'll save money and reduce CO2

Be a cop for the EPA by keeping an eye out for environmental fugitives

How to minimize the environmental impact of your (great looking) lawn

NPS teams with EPA to reduce carbon at National Parks

Viruses may be the next source of juice in your AA, AAA and laptop batteries

Government loophole leads to organic certification for vinyl and some PVC

Northwestern loggers look for work in forest conservation and alternative energy

Recycle your old cell phones; consider Motorola's carbon neutral Renew

Omnibus Pulic Lands Management Act passed by congress

It's not just good for you, but now has tax benefits

Clothing and gear makers reduce, reuse, recycle, and rethink their businesses.

a bad economy sprouts new gardners

Buy new shoes, and La Sportiva will donate $1 per pair

Zebras, wildebeest and rhinos all call this Tanzanian volcanic caldera just another place to eat.

Millions of years ago, these crazy rock formations were formed in Turkey due to volcanic activity.

Montana's park losing its namesake sooner than predicted

We're wiping out forests more literally than we think

Part of it's climate impact reducing strategy is to eliminate its carbon footprint.

Sometimes collecting poo is the fast track to free fuel

Be conscious and conscientious, and be the change you want to see in the world

Nikwax Alpine Bellweather Grant funds photogs to document climate change

Soon you can Google it

Eating cow is a big contributor to global warming

Sattelites gather data to make up for lazy earthlings

Patagonia partners with Mountain Soles to keep shoes out of the landfill

A new process uses electricity not water to dye wool, reducing water use and pollution

Wilderness gains 2 million acres, and Alaska gets a road through it

Bush puts proposed National Park up for auction; Utah student makes a bid

UV rays are still harmful even when the temperature drops. We'll show you how to protect yourself against the sun, even when it's cold.

Environmental News that's Inspiring and Relevant

Check out Katie Herrel's author page.

Check out Katie Herrel's author page.

Check out Katie Herrel's author page.

Backcountry enthusiasts deserve a president who cares about trails. So we asked John McCain and Barack Obama ten tough questions–then polled 989 BACKPACKER readers to find out what matters to you in this election.

Grand Canyon raft guide and Havasupai tribal member Shana Watahomigie becomes a paddling–and Hollywood–pioneer.

Lightening your planetary load - sneaker style

Head to one of the last truly wild places in the Lower 48: Wyoming's Red Desert. Read the story, follow our author on the trail in our video report, see more photos of the journey in a gallery of outtakes, and download the GPS Track.

Like it or not, national parks are officially in the business of business. Will this focus destroy the soul of a national institution - or save it in these lean times?

Alaska is the last frontier, but energy development and climate change promise to change the face of our wildest state in your lifetime. Here's how.

Pacific Outdoor ECO Thermo 6 Sleeping Pad, REI Global Warming Initiative, and the Timberland Green Index are tops to the green eyes of Backpacker

Global warming creates conditions that invite larger and more frequent forest fires. Here's how.

Rising alpine temperatures and polluted snow are threatening snowpack–and the water it generates.

What do Florida's Everglades and Alaska's Wrangell-St. Elias have in common? Both face uncertain futures as temperatures rise.

When a day hike turns into an overnight, learn how to take care of yourself.

Thanks to melting ice and snow, climate change is effecting the future of our mountains

Information on 19 more "green" companies and an interview with Big Agnes's Bill Gamber

Learning to determine winter weather signs depends on where you are.

Warming temps can wreak havoc on snow-packed adventures. Learn the conditions and warning signs that can cause a dangerous, sudden thaw.

New Hampshire's Mt. Washington is know for its evil weather. Learn how to survive a winter storm from one of the peak's experts.

Quicksand isn't just in old Westerns, it's also a real backcountry hazard. Learn how to save your life when faced with the slippery stuff.

Like it or not, national parks are officially in the business of business. Will this focus destroy the soul of a national institution--or save it in these lean times?

Can you see the forest through the trees? Join a bittersweet trek through an old-growth wilderness in its final days.

Drought has brought the canyon back. Would national park status keep it that way?

How can you tell if your representative supports national parks?

Your answers could mean the difference between a nice, quiet hike and one you share with ORVers.

To understand the full impact of logging, you need to rise above it all.

Activist and former backpacker David Brower reflects on his life in the political trenches and on the trails.

How to track where your environmental charity money goes.

David Brower led environmentalists in shaping the America we see and hike.

Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbit knows he can't please everyone. So rather than try, he spends his time righting environmental wrongs and preserving wildlands.