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Critical List: No more nuclear power in Germany; angry moose attack

Germany plans to close its nuclear reactors by 2022. Electricity generation in 2010 created more carbon emissions than ever before. Canada just looooves tar sands. So much that the country sorta kinda forgot to mention to the U.N. that pollution from the oil-sands industry increased by 20 percent in 2009. European countries are banning imported […]

Why is the United States so obsessed with nuclear power?

Why aren’t Americans more freaked out about the possibility of a nuclear accident? Photo: MikeThis is part one in a series on the United States and nuclear power. Read parts two, three, and four. After the nuclear catastrophe of Fukushima, as a German living in the U.S., I often get asked these days: What’s going […]

Greening Barbie’s Dream House

Architect Barbie is building a new Dream House, and she needs help! Members of the American Institute of Architects can submit plans that fit Barbie's criteria, which include a house that "should reflect the best sustainable design principles." But Barbie's idea of "sustainable design" needs a little tweaking. Girlfriend wants a huge closet for her […]

Spice up your sustainable pantry: Look for fair trade seasonings

Your award-winning chili recipe calls for grass-fed beef, organic tomatoes, and locally grown carrots. But what about the cumin? The salt? The chili powder? We greens have been well trained by now to look for fair trade everything, but sustainable spices have received less attention than other make-your-life-better products like chocolate and coffee. But many […]

Dim bulbs: Umbra on the supposed dangers of CFLs

Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, My sister recently posted a story about CFLs causing cancer to her Facebook feed. Is there anything to this latest attempt to vilify the little lamps? Brian Spokane, Wash. Are these maybe not such a bright idea? More research is needed.Photo: Derek GaveyA. Dearest Brian, Those little […]

Tim DeChristopher and the March on Blair Mountain

“I went in thinking that I was sacrificing my freedom by taking such an action. This is not really the case. The sacrifice had happened before: when I had spent years being obedient to a system that is powerful and destructive; when I accepted the myth I had no power to change things; when I […]

Climate change could give you brain fungus [VIDEO]

When Trudy Rosler first got sick after a visit to Vancouver Island in British Columbia, doctors were stumped. Eventually, they discovered that she had a fungus growing in her brain stem — one that was previously only known to exist in the tropics. Researchers say that subtle changes in climate over the last 40 years […]

Cycling survivor: A post-crash meditation on what really matters

Be more human, less of a machine. Also, wear a helmet.Photo: Jorgen SchybergI was badly injured in a bike accident on April 13. Eyewitness reports differ, but it’s likely that a car ran over my head, and it’s more than likely that the helmet clasped around my head saved my life. The temporal bone on […]

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, climate crank, considering presidential run

Rick Perry, conservative darling.Photo: Gage SkidmoreA weak field of GOP presidential candidates is weakening the resolve of politicians who’ve been insisting they don’t want to run. After saying for months that he had no interest in getting into the race, Texas Gov. Rick Perry changed his tune on Friday and told reporters, “I’m going to […]

Friday music blogging: The Head and the Heart

The Head and the Heart are not only a Seattle band, they’re from the neighborhood where I used to live, Ballard. They self-released their eponymous debut album in 2009 and immediately started getting huge buzz. The album was the No. 1 seller of 2010 at beloved Ballard record store Sonic Boom. Since then they’ve toured […]