TH Exclusives

Greetings Commenters!

One of the things we like most about TreeHugger is having frank and open discussions regarding the issues that we cover. We like to publish differing opinions and have heated debates, but we've found in the past that the amount of spam we received, plus the comments that were less than civil, required a fair amount of moderation, which often stymied discussion when the iron was hot.

To fix that we've recently switched from our old commenting system to a new platform called Disqus. Our new commenting platform allows all comments to go right through and skip moderation, which means that we rely on our audience more than ever to ensure they post comments which are civil and add to the discussion.

If you see a comment that is rude, not topical, or perhaps might be spam, please take a moment to flag that comment. Flagged comments go into moderation, where we will then review them. However, just because a commentor may disagree with your stance on things, doesn't mean you should just flag it.

*One caveat is if your comment has a URL in it, it will automatically go into moderation, so keep in mind that may slow publishing your comment.

TH Exclusives

Before becoming an assistant editor at TreeHugger, David DeFranza wrote about travel, the outdoors, and frugal living for a variety of websites. Recently, he has been working to understand the complex relationship between health-care reform and the environment. Based in Washington, DC, he also covers events within and around the Beltway.

Formerly a web producer for PlanetGreen.com, David still lends a hand there to keep things fresh.

Follow David on Twitter: @ddefranza

TH Exclusives

I am an upcoming sophomore at Emory University. I am from Scarsdale, New York. Currently, I am a part-time intern at Planet Green three days a week.

TH Exclusives

Discovery Communications today announced the appointment of veteran television and film executive, Laura Michalchyshyn, to President and General Manager of Planet Green. Michalchyshyn will report to CEO David Zaslav, who made the announcement. Hit the jump for the full release.

TH Exclusives

Roberta Cruger, a freelance journalist, has covered the red carpet and green rooms, green cards and green housing, writing for publications including Salon, Smithsonian, Soma, The Believer, LA Times magazine, and MSNBC websites, among others. Her beats cover the arts and culture, media, design, travel, the quirky, and the environment, and she's edited and contributed to "insider" travel guides, such as a walking tour project for National Geographic Traveler.

When living in the Pacific Northwest, Cruger started writing on the environment for Seattle Weekly and Rescue Magazine's sustainable landscaping column. After moving to Miami Beach, she did a round-up of green celebrity news for Plenty Magazine's "Lifestyles of the Green and Famous" blog. Now based in Los Angeles again, where she previously worked in the entertainment business, she's covering the greening of the Southland – and beyond.

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Adam Lowry is the co-founder and Chief Greenskeeper of Method Products, Inc., the leading innovator in hip, healthy home care products. Adam believes that design is the most confusing word in the English language and that business is our greatest vehicle for positive social and environmental change. It is at the intersection of these beliefs that Adam has focused his work. As Chief Greenskeeper at Method, Adam’s focus is bringing sustainable innovations to the Method business. He also directs the sustainability aspects of product design, sourcing, production, and marketing.

Prior to founding Method, Adam worked as a climate scientist at the Carnegie Institiution, developing software products for the modeling of climate change. That public sector experience, combined with his earlier experience designing environmentally preferred automotive products, formed the nucleus of his unique approach of commercial environmentalism.

Adam has been honored as one of Vanity Fair’s Global Citizens and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ (PETA) Man of the Year for his pioneering work on sustainable business and product design. He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University, and lives in San Francisco with his wife Mara and daughter Kenning. You can follow @adam_lowry on Twitter.

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When Alex is not at his computer saving the planet from almost certain environmental doom, he can usually be found playing ultimate frisbee, or on a tennis court. Also check the couch in front of any television showing The Sopranos, The Wire, or The Simpsons. Alex is also interested in history (mostly medieval and European), media studies, and French, as well as trying not to come off as snobby despite being interested in medieval history and French.

TH Exclusives

But what does that mean? Well, Tonic is a news and information website that publishes stories, features and profiles about people doing great things.