Mat McDermott
Mat edits the Business and Energy sections of TreeHugger, as well as writing about resource consumption, animal welfare issues, and the response of religious communities to our current environmental problems.
Driving his work are two main convictions: 1) Our current environmental problems—climate change, biodiversity losses, peak fossil fuels, natural resource over consumption—are but symptoms of the greater problem of fetishizing material economic growth; and 2) only by first changing our minds, recognized the literal and metaphorical interconnected nature of all life, will we make the lasting external changes required to create an ecologically sustainable civilization.
In addition to his work with TreeHugger, Mat is an Advisor for The Bhumi Project, "a worldwide Hindu response to the environmental issues facing our planet...faciliated by the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies."
Beyond writing, Mat's creative output consists of documentary photography and filmmaking, with photographs appearing in a number of national and international print publications, as well as being exhibited in solo and group shows in the United States, France, and the United Arab Emirates. His last film, for which he was cinematographer, was Above Brooklyn and examined the dwindling but passionate pastime of pigeon fancying in New York City and Long Island.
He holds a Masters degree from New York University's Center for Global Affairs, where he concentrated in environment and energy policy. His Bachelors degree from Burlington College (Vermont) is in Writing & Literature, with research focused on the work of Rabindranath Tagore, Bengali devotional poetry, and the Beat Generation.
Mat currently lives in New York City. ૐ
In addition to Twitter and RSS below, you can also follow Mat on Facebook, and Flickr.
Latest Stories from Mat McDermott - Page 7
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Warmer Oceans May Mean Whale Songs Heard Farther Away
Global warming and ocean acidification mean that the world's seas may have sound transmission properties like they did during the Cretaceous period.
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Killington Resort Gondola Now Powered by Cow Manure
Killington's K-1 Express Gondola will get its electricity from Green Mountain Power's Cow Power program this winter.
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Photo of the Day: Bartholomew's Cobble, Massachusetts
Live in New England or New York? Want a great short hike to take in peak fall foliage? Go here.
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EU May Cut Transport Biofuel Mandate for 2020 in Half
This would mean less than half a percent increase in the mandated amount of renewable transport fuel to be used over the next eight years.
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Genetically Modified Tree Ban Urged at UN Convention on Biodiversity
Genetically modified trees could change soil structure, leading to the release of more greenhouse gases, among other concerns.
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Opposition Parties' Presidential Debate Blacked Out by US Broadcast Media - Al Jazeera Will Air It
Even with Larry King moderating a debate between the main opposition candidates for the US presidency, mainstream broadcast media apparently wants no part of it.
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River Ganga Still Holy, But It's Also Causing Record Levels of Cancer in People Living Nearby
That the Ganga is heavily polluted in large stretches by industrial and human waste is a given, but new research shows just how abnormal cancer levels are in people living along its banks.
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High CO2 Levels Indoors Impair Cognition
Even with ventilation systems that meet current standards, indoor CO2 can rise to levels that reduces mental performance, a new report finds.
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Green Party Presidential, Vice Presidential Candidates Arrested at Dem-Rep Debate Site
Topsy turvy: Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala were arrested for blocking traffic, outnumbered by police, equalling blocking traffic.
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13" Wide, Newly Discovered, Arachnid Needs a Name
A new harvestman from Laos has been discovered, but scientists haven't been able to determine to what species it belongs.
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Texas Keystone XL Protesters Hit With Restraining Order
I somehow doubt the court order will stop the protests...
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September 2012 Ties For Hottest on Record
Temperatures for the month were 0.67°C above the 20th century average.
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"Delta Boys" Documentary Goes Inside Nigeria's Anti-Oil Militancy
TreeHugger talks with documentary filmmaker Andrew Berends about his latest project, slated for iTunes release October 15.
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Ocean Geoengineering Experiment Likely Broke International Law
It may have also been done under falsely obtained consent...
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Green Party and Libertarian Presidential Candidates Go Head-to-Head in First Ever Online Debate
For a broader spectrum of political discourse than either the Democrats or Republicans can muster, check out the Green Party's Jill Stein and the Libertarians' Gary Johnson go head-to-head this Thursday, Oct 18.
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Are Decreasing Trade Winds Behind Hawaii's Drought?
New research shows that the frequency of northeast trade winds has been declining over the past 40 years.
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Renewables, Efficiency Could Easily Replace Indian Point's Nuclear Power: Report
As New York's aging Indian Point nuclear power plant comes up for relicensing, a new report shows that its electricity simply isn't needed.
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Kids Twice as Active in Natural Playgrounds Than Traditional
When you introduce more natural elements into the traditional mix of slides and bars and climbing thingamajigs in playgrounds, kids really like it. And now there's a study to prove it.
