Julie Thibodeaux

North Texas cities have long been connected by highway and rail line but city leaders are saying the end is in sight for a continuous biking and pedestrian trail connecting Dallas and Fort Worth.

Plastic has become ever present in our culture and dealing with the nonbiodegradable material when we’re done with it has become a challenge. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, about 32 million tons of plastic waste were generated in the United States in 2012.

Michael Sewanaku of Arlington is hoping his new enterprise selling mobile solar systems will redeem himself for his early career choice. The 34-year-old founder of Sunraiden, maker of solar inverter/chargers, was born and raised in Canada.

Deb Terrell loves loofahs. The Wise County resident lives on 14 acres near Aurora and has dedicated a half-acre to growing them. She sells loofah (or luffa) products at farmers markets through her business Luv a Luffa. It's her passion about loofahs that has earned her the nickname Luffa Lady.

The bees and Monarchs have been battling for survival lately and Jillian Jordan of Keller decided she couldn’t sit on the sidelines any longer. Instead she’s launching a whimsical offense to help these iconic beneficial insects – a fundraising bike ride called the Great Seed Bomb.

According to the book Greening Healthcare, the U.S. health sector is second only to the food industry in contributing to waste production. Aware of this statistic, the city of Dallas waste management department realized that if it was going to achieve its zero waste goal by 2040, it needed the buy-in of one of its largest producers of landfill waste.

Jill Stein, who is vying to be named the Green Party’s presidential candidate in 2016, swung through North Texas on a state-wide tour last week. Stein, a physician by training, was the Green Party presidential nominee in the 2012 race, in which she received 0.36 percent of the popular vote, according to Aljazeera.com.

John Klingseisen’s students at Northwest High School's STEM Academy in Justin are preparing for careers in science, technology, engineering and math. But as a social studies teacher, he wanted them to ponder technology’s impact on the environment.

The Texas Veggie Fair aims to show folks there’s a lot more to a plant-based diet than salads. Attendees will find all their favorite comfort foods prepared vegetarian style at the annual fest. For vegans and vegetarians, it’s a plant-based Disneyland, where the vegan cheese fries, corn dogs and cupcakes flow.

We have scrambled to find a new location for our second annual 5K Run for the Environment ever since Cedar Hill State Park cancelled our booking to perform park maintenance. Finding all of the familiar venues booked, we finally located an alternative in Bob Jones Nature Center.

Food waste in the U.S. has increased dramatically over the last 50 years. According to a Washington Post article, Americans throw out three times more food now than they did in 1960. Local sustainability advocates say it's time to address the issue in North Texas.

Back in the 1980s, Bill Ziske worked in the nutritional department of a health food store in San Antonio while in college. The job not only helped pay his way through school, it fueled a lifelong passion for natural products and food.