Climate & Coastlines

US: 250 Years Later – Part 59: Gas

by

In 1776, energy smelled like forests and fireplaces. Homes relied on wood, labor, and animal strength while combustible gases remained little more than scientific curiosities. Two hundred and fifty years later, gas and petroleum have reshaped transportation, industry, economics, and everyday life while creating profound new questions about sustainability and dependence. This letter follows America’s changing relationship with fuel and asks whether humanity can build the next energy age without becoming trapped by the one that powered the last.

Read the letter →

US: 250 Years Later – Part 51: Farming

by

In 1776, farming was not simply an occupation. It was the architecture of survival itself. Families lived by the rhythms of weather, seasons, soil, and shared labor, shaping communities through the daily work of cultivating life. Two hundred and fifty years later, agriculture has evolved into a world of GPS-guided tractors, drones, data systems, and global food networks. This letter follows America’s changing relationship with farming and asks whether technological progress can strengthen efficiency without losing humanity’s connection to the land.

Read the letter →

US: 250 Years Later – Part 23: Climate Control

by

In 1776, climate control meant opening windows, gathering around fireplaces, and learning how to live with nature’s moods. Two hundred and fifty years later, Americans move through carefully engineered worlds of heating, cooling, and manufactured comfort, while confronting an entirely new challenge: humanity’s growing influence on the climate itself. This letter follows America’s journey from surviving the weather to reshaping the atmosphere and asks what comfort may ultimately cost.

Read the letter →

“In Memoriam: A Memorial Day Advent Series” – Part Fifteen: The Bermuda Triangle

by

A place that vanished as quickly as it appeared – where stories outlived the mystery, and the real question was never about what happened, but why we ever stopped wondering.

Read the letter →

We Didn’t Start the Storm

by

(But We Can Change Its Course) Another storm is spinning in the Caribbean – this one named Melissa.She’s gathering power over warm water that should have cooled months ago,breathing in the heat we’ve poured into the air,and exhaling it back as wind. The headlines will call her a “natural disaster,”but let’s be honest – there’s … Read more

Read the letter →

Ocean City Declares State of Emergency

by

Dear Ocean City Beach (and All the Shrinking Shores) You were never supposed to need saving.You were the savior — the healer.You took in our footprints, our broken bottles, our children’s laughter,and somehow turned them all into something softer. But now you’re vanishing.Dragged away grain by grain by a climate we keep pretending we can … Read more

Read the letter →