Mary Jane Jagodzinzki nervously anticipated the arrival of a busload of building professionals. As it turned out, she needn't have been too concerned.
The scent of portobello mushrooms wafts through the air as two of the three co-owners of Roots prep for their morning customers.
An industrial park seems an unlikely location to find a native plant garden.
Southern California has a vast array of transplants lured by the moderate climate and endless days of sunshine, and perhaps none are more exotic than the urban parrots that have come to colonise bedroom communities ringing major cities like San Diego and Los Angeles.
Behind the double security doors at the California Western School of Law campus is a small, unconventional legal practice embedded inside the academic institution.
A low-rise bungalow on a busy street here serves as the world headquarters and nerve centre for Whale Tails, a tortilla chip company dedicated to making healthier snack food - and healing the planet.
Sandalistas are on the march here to create a homegrown organic food movement, encouraging gardeners to tear up their lawns for healthier, more natural alternatives.
Grass lawns in the United States cover nearly three times more area than any irrigated crop, and consume billions of liters of water per week, say environmentalists.
A new breed of prospector is hunting for buried treasure on the sea floor, this time looking for breakthrough drugs derived from the natural heritage of the world's oceans.
In a conservative industry focused on the bottom line, Patti Mason doesn't sound like your ordinary bank president. The former airline accountant turned banker is animated while discussing the merits of commerce as a form of economic empowerment.
Oregon's spectacular coastline could become the United States' centre for wave energy development in coming years, with plans underway to install power buoys in locations with enough potential to meet the state's future energy needs.