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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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

Factory-farmed pork: it’s the inspirational other white meat!

Be inspired!: Near a giant hog factory in North Carolina, downed pigs fester while sprayers spread untreated manure onto fields. Photo: Steve WingPork has a new-and-improved slogan. In an announcement that is guaranteed to avoid mockery or satire, the National Pork Board (NPB) has shifted from declaration to exhortation. No longer will pork’s tagline be […]

Could US-Mexico agreement lead to cleaner and more efficient vehicles in Mexico?

This post was written by Rich Kassel. According to Forbes and other reports, U.S. President Barack Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderón have reached an agreement on resolving the two nations’ long-standing dispute over cross-border trucking.  The two presidents met in Washington today, and supposedly agreed to a phased-in plan that would authorize both Mexican […]

House GOP may actually be trying to poison us

Photo: Lance RobotsonAll right, now we’re starting to get suspicious. The GOP isn’t just trying to decimate the EPA’s ability to protect our air and water from toxins — they’re also defunding poison control centers. What the … is this a Dorothy Sayers novel? Are the Republican reps fabricating a will and then bumping us […]

Climate change satellite goes out in blaze of ‘Glory’

Photo: NASANASA’s Glory satellite was supposed to measure both solar radiation and the Earth’s capacity to retain it in the course of global warming. Instead, it died trying. The satellite’s launch platform, a “Taurus XL” rocket that is every bit as janky as its namesake automobile (3 duds out of 9 launches, so far), failed […]