Latest Articles
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EPA puts off long-promised coal ash protections
(This post originally appeared at Facing South.) Communities imperiled by poorly managed coal ash won’t be getting help from the federal government any time soon. The Obama administration announced last week that it would not issue long-awaited federal regulations this year after all. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson shared the news in a March […]
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Seven ways to live in a small space with kids and not go crazy
Whee! Living small is fun!Photo: Anna MSo you want to raise your family in a city but can’t afford much square footage? Never fear. Despite the challenges, it’s possible to live in a small space — with kids — without sacrificing your sanity. First, let’s define small, since our idea of an acceptable amount of […]
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Politics aside, you really DO want to move to Canada
Get used to this image.Photo: Anka KayPoliteness, Kate Beaton, and relative social progressivism are just gravy on the poutine of Canada’s superiority. Here’s the fries and curds: As global warming worsens, Canada may become the world’s wealthiest country. A short list of areas outside of “moose density” where Canada’s primed to dominate: Food security. New […]
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China’s scrap metal workers are human recycling machines
A worker at a motor scrap recycling plantPhoto: Adam Minter Cheap, un-unionized, un-regulated labor helps the environment in the U.S. and China, argues Adam Minter, a journalist who has been chronicling the “engine breakers” of Shanghai. China’s human-powered recycling plants break down and sift through junked cars and other scrap metal, searching for valuable reusable […]
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Ask Umbra on refillable cleaning supplies
Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, I’m trying to cut back on plastic waste and am wondering if you know of places that offer things like cleaning supplies in bulk, so that I can refill and reuse my old containers? Thanks!Lyda L.Harlem, NY A bottle walks into a bar and asks for a […]
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The collapse of the old oil order
No matter what comes of the protests in Iran, it’s unlikely that the country’s oil output will rise significantly.Photo: Hamed SaberThis essay was originally published on TomDispatch and is republished here with Tom’s kind permission. Whatever the outcome of the protests, uprisings, and rebellions now sweeping the Middle East, one thing is guaranteed: The world […]
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The (b)low-down on wind [VIDEO]
You know that saying about March coming in like a lion? If the roar refers to the wind, the saying holds true. Hang onto your hats as we enter the windiest time of the year. Besides being a force of nature, the wind is a promising renewable energy resource. Understanding wind is critical both to […]
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Yogis go from lotus position to lobbying
They’re turning D.C. lobbying culture upside-down.Photo: Lululemon Athletica“Yoga” and “angry” go together like taffy and dentures … or at least they used to. But maybe D.C. politicians should start looking out for flying vials of essential oil. L.A.-based organization “Off the Mat and Into the World” is turning yogis into activists next week, following International […]
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TV’s ‘Mad Men’ are all about high-speed rail [VIDEO]
So you might have heard that Vincent Kartheiser, who plays Pete Campbell on the ultra-addictive AMC show Mad Men, is a fan of public transportation. In fact, Kartheiser lives in Los Angeles and goes about his daily business without owning a car, which is pretty great. Now Kartheiser and fellow Mad Men cast member Rich […]
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Anthony Watts urges WattsUpWithThat readers to disrupt Forbes blog
Yes, discredited former TV weatherman Anthony Watts can’t stomach even a couple of scientists posting reasonable comments about an error-riddled piece from Heartland on a blog already over-run by the pro-pollution crowd. He must marshall his readership to “shout them down in the comments section.” Watts has, perhaps more than any other leading anti-science blogger, […]
