What does dragging an old car onto an ice-covered lake have to do with informing your community about the perils of climate heating? Potentially a good deal. The latest TipSheet explains how waning winters and the potential impact on the entertaining tradition of ice fishing can serve as an entry into more serious matters. A dozen story ideas and resources to get you started.

A new book makes the case that U.S. cities have had their environments, their housing and their businesses warped by parking policies. BookShelf contributor Jennifer Weeks, who shares her own parking-related frustrations, explores the arguments made in “Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World,” and also takes a look at what the author sees as “parking-light” solutions.

Veteran environmental freelancer Christine Woodside makes the case for fostering long-term connections with editors to keep your journalism work coming in. In the latest Freelance Files, the column’s co-editor shares three things that tend not to work in gaining trust and two things that do. What a weird job for a beer heir taught her about building freelance relationships.

With the world in the midst of wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, it’s time for journalists to appraise — and report on — the intersection of conflict and the environment, argues the new Backgrounder. That means considering the environment not only as a victim of war, but also as the cause of war and a means of carrying it out.

What environment stories will matter most in 2024 to communities of color and Indigenous communities? Columnist Yessenia Funes sheds light on concerns ranging from the environmental damage in Gaza and extreme weather across the United States to the fallout from the U.S. presidential election to the local impacts of the clean energy transition. Insights in the latest Voices of Environmental Justice.