I'm terrified of being poor, I always have been. It's growing up as a Methodist. I'll spend that bit of extra money to get a better seat on a train sometimes, because it's quieter and calmer, but I refuse to spend money on clothes.

Building your own house is a primal urge, one of those universal genetic drives like the need to provide for your family.

Building your own home is about desire, fantasy. But it's achievable; anyone can do it.

Building a house from scratch in the middle of a field is a bit like building a prototype car. As with all prototypes, if you're building a car you usually have the luxury of producing several prototypes before you arrive at the production line version - so the opportunity for changing things is quite rich.

When I visited the Water Institute's Baton Rouge offices overlooking the Mississippi River, I couldn't find a drop of the charged politics that drives so many environmental conversations in Washington.

When it comes to dealing with the world's climate and energy challenges, I have a simple rule: change America, change the world.

I get around nature. I have a vegetable garden, and I enjoy being outside. I do work quite a bit around the house.

In the state of Wisconsin it's mandated that teachers in the social sciences and hard sciences have to start giving environmental education by the first grade, through high school.