Green News Update is ready to swing into spring – with a raft of interesting and urgent stories to share on revitalization and sustainability. Here’s some of what is on tap in the coming months:

Farming and food is near the top of our list – urban farmsteading, bees and other pollinators, reducing food waste, going beyond meat, and why women are key to the future of agriculture.

Building community gardens at the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum

Cities in April will focus on museums and major arts centers that are stimulating urban vitality and economic development –examples from Oslo, Marrakech,  Addis Ababa, Rotterdam, Tokyo, Linz and more.

Oslo Opera House Foto: birdseyepix.com/Christopher Hagelund

Cities in May looks at urban mobility: guided walks, bikability, antique streetcar lines, bullet trains.

No, it’s not Amsterdam. The UC Santa Barbara bicycle “parking lot.” UCSB ranks #1 in 2013 Cool Schools Survey. Photo courtesy of Jonas Krant.

Animals at risk continues, with an evergrowing list, from Magellenic penguins to urban coyotes, and suggestions on what you can do.

Magellenic penguin chicks Photo by Dee Boersma Univ of Washington

Solar Decathlon Europe: 20 collegiate teams compete at Versailles in June for the most energy efficient house.

Building Team Sweden’s Halo House at Datong Solar Village in 2013

More books: Come back and be surprised by the dozens of new and recent books that did not make our 2013 Christmas list.