Image credit: Grist For the democrats, a sudden tough move on finance reform is producing results. Over at Grist, Jonathan Hiskes wonders if a similar action on the climate bill could be successful....Read the full story on TreeHugger

Image credit: Good The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake did serious damage to many of the raised highways in and around San Francisco. For many, the only option was to tear them down—leaving broad areas of urban space that to this day remain unused. Citizens living near one of these areas, however, have transformed the former highway into a farm....Read the full story on TreeHugger

Firefighters face a wildfire in Northern California. Image credit: mattspinner/Flickr Every summer, wildfires rage across the western and southern regions of the United States. These fires threaten homes, animals, and ecosystems, and they are also responsible for something else: carbon emissions. For decades, the primary strategies for dealing with these fires has been to prevent them at all costs then contain them when they erupt. New research, ...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Image credit: Sightline From a $350 electric commuter bike to fancy German e-bikes that apply electric assist direct to the power train, we've had no shortage of cool motorized bicycles here on TreeHugger. And they've even ignited some important debate, including Trevor's musings on whether his elec...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Leaking water supply pipe. Image credit:Alliance For Water Efficiency. Yesterday I performed a web search on "water rate hike" and as expected, water rate hikes that range from 1.8% to as high as 35% are being asked. It's a situation found in many US municipalities. And there is anger to follow. A common rationale is that 'customers used less water last year.' Because operating costs are relatively constant, the argument goes, (same pipe maintenance and health regulations to meet regard...Read the full story on TreeHugger