The sights and sounds of spring are in the air, and it is the perfect time to think about improving the world around us by planting a tree. Share the following stories with your family to teach everyone how important trees can be.

What do death and ecological conservation have in common? More than you might think.

This three-volume set introduces students to issues surrounding both current energy sources and alternative energy options. While there is significant discussion of the non-renewable resources now used to meet the majority of the world's energy needs (oil, coal and natural gas), the primary focus of the set is on newer options to meet the ever-growing demand.

Multidisciplinary by nature, GreenFILE draws on the connections between the environment and a variety of disciplines such as agriculture, education, law, health and technology. Topics covered include global climate change, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling, and more. The database provides indexing and abstracts for more than 612,000 records, as well as Open Access full text for more than 9,100 records.

Each time I approach the walk to my mother's home, I stop to study the lawn just outside of her house. Tucked under the shade of large white oaks and nestled by half-century old camellias and azaleas, her once-groomed lawn has faded into a menagerie of weeds. At least, these small plants are what most of us would call weeds, but, I hasten to add, they are beautiful weeds. Broadleaf and narrow leaf grasses, mosses, violets, small ferns, and everything in between, this area of shade loving plants is a study in shades of green. The effect is so soft, so lacy, that I have to wonder just how we as a nation became so enthralled by having a solid green mass of lawn.