Latest Articles
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Throwaway Economy Headed for Junk Heap of History
In their book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, American architect William McDonough and German chemist Michael Braungart conclude that waste and pollution are to be avoided entirely. “Pollution,” says McDonough, “is a symbol of design failure.” The challenge is to re-evaluate the materials we consume and the way we manufacture products […]
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Here’s what to buy so you can stop living in self-denial
Trying to reduce a building’s energy footprint is so dang hard, especially when it involves leaving pee in the toilet, sweating through hot days, and nagging your significant other to please turn off the goddamn lights when leaving the house. And while some people might want to live like that, most people don’t. Normally we […]
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Top chefs go to ‘food policy boot camp’
Chefs as sustainability advocates? Absolutely, says the James Beard Foundation, which invited 15 chefs to take a deep dive into issues of antibiotic overuse and the farm bill earlier this week.
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The U.S. may be gripped by terrible drought, but we’re still America, dammit
The USDA declares basically everywhere west of the Mississippi a disaster area. But at least we have funny ways of talking about it!
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Umbra’s second helpings: Shaving the planet [VIDEO]
Caught up in a hairy situation? Umbra shaves the day.
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Win a bike by channeling famous authors
Rule No. 1 of Grist List: Never pass up an opportunity to win a free bike. Especially if the opportunity involves the chance to channel P.G. Wodehouse. The Paris Review (TPR), a venerable lit magazine not particularly concerned with green living but very concerned with style and general braininess, is offering up this snazzy Beater […]
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The 20 best names of rocks on Mars
Guys, did you know that rocks on Mars have amazing names? (I found out through a link in this story.) You might think this is not really related to sustainable living on Earth, but a) shut up and b) if we totally bone the planet, we’re going to have to move SOMEWHERE. Mars is one […]
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Brazilian inmates can reduce their sentence by providing human-powered electricity
Brazil is pioneering a new sort of jailhouse workout, in which inmates ride bikes instead of pumping iron. The bikes, unlike weightlifting or prison-yard basketball, help power a nearby town.
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New York City shuts down home-brewed community park
The lot at Woodhull and Columbia Streets had sat vacant for 35 years. Around the corner, in Brooklyn’s Carroll Gardens, the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel pours into the Gowanus Expressway. The lot was a mess, a trash bin for the remnants of drug use and a home for rats. Lou Formisano decided to do something about […]
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Fuel tanker explosion in Nigeria kills more than 90
This tragedy is only the latest in a string of fuel transport-related disasters.
