Science, Environment, Wildlife, Gardening
University of Georgia
Russell McLendon is a science journalist with more than a decade of experience covering a variety of topics related to environmental and human health.
He is especially focused on humans' connections with nature, from biophilia and home gardening to our roles in the climate crisis and wildlife declines.
McLendon has broad experience writing about science and sustainability. His areas of strongest expertise include natural science, wildlife and wilderness conservation, ecology, climate change, renewable energy, farming and gardening, and outdoor recreation. This is rooted partly in his decade as science editor and writer for Mother Nature Network and Treehugger, where he regularly covered these and many other topics.
McLendon now writes for Treehugger as a contributor, covering topics including wildlife, recycling, and pollution.
He also writes and serves as senior editor for The Healthy, a health and wellness site from the publishers of Reader's Digest. He previously served as a copy editor for the weekly news and entertainment magazine Creative Loafing, where he co-wrote a cover story on fossil fuels and climate change.
McLendon is an avid gardener, and aside from growing vegetables in his own backyard, he has traveled to Arkansas for gardening workshops with P. Allen Smith and worked at a permaculture house in England as part of the WWOOF program.
He also enjoys hiking and backpacking, and has hiked in national parks ranging from Acadia and Great Smoky Mountains to Yosemite and Hawaii Volcanoes.
McLendon holds two bachelor's degrees—in magazine journalism and environmental anthropology—from the University of Georgia, where he graduated in 2005.
Our mission at Treehugger, a Dotdash Meredith brand, is to provide advice, clarity, and inspiration for both the eco-savvy and the green living novice. We hope our content gives you the confidence to purchase a better dishwasher, build a green beauty routine, or simply learn more about the world around you. Learn more about us and our editorial process.