Stories by Tara Lohan

Tara Lohan, a senior editor at AlterNet, has just launched the new project Hitting Home, chronicling extreme energy extraction. She is the editor of two books on the global water crisis, including most recently, Water Matters: Why We Need to Act Now to Save Our Most Critical Resource. Follow her on Twitter @TaraLohan. subscribe to Tara Lohan's feed

One Company Thinks They've Created Fast Food With a Conscience -- Are They Right?

Posted on: Feb 8, 2010, Source: AlterNet

Chipotle has a great record when it comes to buying more sustainable ingredients, but it has done one thing that has human rights activists howling.

Food and Investigations: Feed Your Appetite For Top-Notch Reporting

Posted on: Jan 29, 2010, Source: AlterNet

AlterNet's hottest new sections -- Food and Investigations -- have just launched. Find out how to get the latest stories.

Got Milk? A Disturbing Look at the Dairy Industry

Posted on: Jan 25, 2010, Source: AlterNet

Most dairy enthusiasts would be horrified to know the conditions cows endure and how closely dairies are tied to veal operations and the rest of the meat industry.

National Enquirer Wants Pulitzer for Reporting on Edwards' Affair

Posted on: Jan 22, 2010, Source: AlterNet

This may be what they mean by the end of journalism.

Sitting Deemed Dangerous for Your Health: What's Next?

Posted on: Jan 20, 2010, Source: AlterNet

The AP is reporting about a new study that concludes that sitting, yep, just sitting, is deadly. WTF?

'Ghettotainment'? Pay $65 and Take a Bus Tour Through Gang-Ridden L.A.

Posted on: Jan 20, 2010, Source: AlterNet

This may be why the term "ghettotainment" was coined.

Why a Burger Should Cost $200

Posted on: Jan 15, 2010, Source: AlterNet

Raj Patel battles Stephen Colbert.

Priceless: Divorce Rates Rising Only in States That Ban Same-Sex Marriage

Posted on: Jan 13, 2010, Source: AlterNet

We all know all the right-wing family values stuff is bullshit, so this just helps put the icing on the cake.

Pioneering Towns Are Rushing to Kick the Carbon Addiction -- Has Yours?

Posted on: Jan 13, 2010, Source: YES! Magazine

This is a cultural shift involving people at all levels of the community, from tiny rural towns in red states to major metropolitan areas.

4-Year-Old Boy Suspended From School for Months Because His Hair Is 'Too Long'

Posted on: Jan 12, 2010, Source: AlterNet

So what's this really about? Messed up cultural norms.

Outrage: Guess Which Company Has Over 12,000 Clean Water Violations

Posted on: Jan 11, 2010, Source: AlterNet

We still have an EPA, right?

Most Unhealthy Restaurant Meals (and Not From Fast Food)

Posted on: Jan 9, 2010, Source: AlterNet

Fast food joints aren't the only ones serving up heart attacks with a side of obesity.

Expose the Bigots: Help Get the Prop 8 Trial Televised

Posted on: Jan 6, 2010, Source: AlterNet

Act now and please pass this on.

Dogs Have Bigger Carbon Footprint Than SUVs?

Posted on: Jan 4, 2010, Source: AlterNet

Researchers advocate swapping household pets like cats and dogs for edible 'pets' like chickens or rabbits.

Why Is Crappy Fast Food Safer Than School Lunches?

Posted on: Dec 28, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Thanks to the USDA, at school our kids are eating the equivalent of pet food.

Deal Reached in Copenhagen ... And it Looks Like Crap

Posted on: Dec 18, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Even when you are expecting this, it still sucks.

8 Things We Love That Climate Change Will Force Us to Kiss Good-Bye

Posted on: Dec 17, 2009, Source: AlterNet

We face losing everything from 50,000 species a year to the world's best wines. How to put it all in perspective?

San Francisco Launches Pioneering GlobalTap 'Refilling Stations' That Are Strangely Similar to, um, Water Fountains

Posted on: Dec 17, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Sometimes though, we have to laugh at ourselves a little. And this seems to be one of those moments.

McDonald's to Have Free WiFi in 2010: Don't You Really Want to Hang Out There Now?!

Posted on: Dec 16, 2009, Source: AlterNet

It seemed a little pathetic when they started serving lattes, but this is really just too much.

Naomi Klein: US Lowering the Bar in Copenhagen, Doing More Harm Than Good

Posted on: Dec 16, 2009, Source: AlterNet

"The US has lowered the bar and set goals so low, it's been destructive."

Flip Flop Alert: Sarah Palin Just Recently Decided to Join the Idiot Ranks of Climate Deniers

Posted on: Dec 15, 2009, Source: AlterNet

There was a time, not so very long ago, that Palin actually saw the merits of science.

Study Says Eco Shoppers More Likely to Cheat, Steal

Posted on: Dec 11, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Yeah, this is bad (and also a little funny).

Sex Workers Offer Freebies for Climate Change Delegates in Copenhagen

Posted on: Dec 7, 2009, Source: AlterNet

It's not too late to get out there for part of the meeting.

December Is National Buy a Book by a Black Author and Give It to Somebody Not Black Month

Posted on: Dec 4, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Time to branch out from Toni Morrison.

10 Companies to Avoid This Holiday Season

Posted on: Dec 4, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Yes, there's Wal-Mart, but also a bunch of surprises, too.

Righteous Porkchop: Vegetarian Rancher Explains How to Raise Animals the Right Way and the Ills of Factory Farms

Posted on: Dec 3, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Nicolette Hahn Niman's new book offers a much-needed addition to the debate about whether we should be eating meat.

The Story of Cap and Trade: More Scam Than Solution

Posted on: Dec 3, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Free permits to big polluters, fake offsets and distraction from what's really required to tackle the climate crisis.

GA Jail Goes Pink to Deter Repeat Offenders

Posted on: Dec 1, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Everything is pink. Pink shower shoes, pink wash clothes, pink towels, pink sheets, even pink handcuffs.

Hey Gov. Kaine, Restore Voting Rights for Felons

Posted on: Nov 28, 2009, Source: AlterNet

This is pretty basic, folks.

Japan Fines 'Fat' People, Companies Must Measure Waist Lines of Employees

Posted on: Nov 25, 2009, Source: AlterNet

And 'fat' here is most definitely a relative term.

Considering a Faux Turkey for the Holidays? Better Read This First

Posted on: Nov 21, 2009, Source: AlterNet

A review of four "birds" -- and it's not pretty.

The War on Soy: Why the 'Miracle Food' May Be a Health Risk and Environmental Nightmare

Posted on: Nov 20, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Vegetarians aren't the only ones who should be concerned; there's soy in just about everything you eat these days -- including hamburgers, mac 'n cheese and salad dressing.

Yes Men Strike Again, Launch New Coke Brand Bottled Water Called 'Deception' [with Video]

Posted on: Nov 18, 2009, Source: AlterNet

The best part is when they run into an actual Coke employee.

Sorry Monsanto, You're Wrong: More GE Crops Mean More Pesticides

Posted on: Nov 17, 2009, Source: AlterNet

When do we get to officially call the "green revolution" an environmental nightmare?

What's Really So Frightening About Burger King's $1 Double Cheeseburgers

Posted on: Nov 13, 2009, Source: AlterNet

There is so much wrong with a $1 burger, it's hard to know where to start.

MIT: Eating Local Food Is the Key to Solving Our Obesity Epidemic

Posted on: Nov 11, 2009, Source: AlterNet

It's nice to hear someone other than Michael Pollan driving that point home.

PETA Teams Up With Glenn Beck to Bash Al Gore

Posted on: Nov 6, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Apparently Beck thinks PETA is as rad as the NRA. Who knew?

GOP Senators on Environment Committee Hit All-Time Low, Third-Graders Have More Maturity

Posted on: Nov 4, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Why the Party of No is now being called the Party of No Show.

50 Things Restaurant Servers Should Never Do

Posted on: Oct 30, 2009, Source: AlterNet

This a little above the hand-washing kinda thing.

Sorry Deniers, There's No Such Thing as 'Global Cooling'

Posted on: Oct 28, 2009, Source: AlterNet

An AP reporter takes the hot air out of deniers' sails.

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