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Ask Umbra on giving advice

Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, This fall, as part of an environmental ethics course, I would like to create a class blog somewhat along the lines of your column, with students posting questions and answers to environmental quandaries specific to our campus. I wonder if you have any words of wisdom. What […]

Copenhagen: turning point or more of the same old same old?

This coming week, in New York City and Pittsburgh, there will be important United Nations and G20 meetings that could advance the process of coming up with a new international treaty to address the climate crisis.

Ford goes Hollywood to tout electric cred

Ford custom built two battery-powered Ford Focus cars for Jay Leno, who will put celebrities behind the wheel for a segment on his new primetime NBC show.Courtesy Ford / Jay Leno ShowHollywood has is green crusaders. But Jay Leno, whose garage in Los Angeles (despite solar paneling, a steam engine and wind turbine power) is […]

PARK(ing) Day puts people and greenery, not cars, in transformed parking spaces [SLIDESHOW]

I think you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who thinks parking spaces are prettier and more fun to relax in than public parks. Which is one reason you may see people parallel parking themselves instead of their cars on pavement for PARK(ing) Day 2009, which is September 18. Across the world artists and citizens are […]

Lamar Alexander loves the earth too much to support solar and wind

Alexander unveiled his nuclear plan in July.One of the few Congressional Republicans who talks about the need to address climate change, Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, made an interesting argument against wind and solar energy this week. He’s concerned about the amount of land required to produce energy from wind and solar, writing in the […]

Climate doomsday film ‘The Age of Stupid’ still hopeful, says director in video interview

We can’t believe what’s going on today either, Pete.Courtesy of The Age of Stupid “Why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?” asks the main character of Franny Armstrong’s new film, The Age of Stupid. Living in a world of climate catastrophe, this solitary character, played by Oscar-nominee Pete Postlethwaite, serves as […]

VW L1 hybrid: “most efficient car in the world”

Via The Huffington Post. Volkswagen has traditionally been known more for its quirky branding than its bold claims. That didn’t stop the German automaker from recently declaring that it had built “the most fuel-efficient car in the world.” Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/18/vw-l1-hybrid-most-efficie_n_291257.html Though, it won’t be available until 2013, the two-seater L1 — which stands […]

Climate-news poem: Shush edition

As our throngs of loyal poetry readers no doubt noticed, the weekly climate poem took a bit of a breather after its last appearance. Apparently it has senatorial aspirations and was just “trying on the whole multi-week break thing for size.” But it’s now back in session. Like students overwhelmed by back to school, Our […]

Soylent Green is … toxic algae?, and other not-so-tasty morsels from around the web

When my info-larder gets too packed, it’s time to serve up some choice nuggets from around the Web. —————- Get ’em while they’re hot.  • One of the most potent–and disturbing–aspects of industrial agriculture is its ability to stamp out culinary difference. You don’t turn a restaurant into a national juggernaut by catering to a […]

Can we protect kids from the toxic trappings of modern life?

From Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring to current headlines in the news, there’s long been mounting evidence that we’re being poisoned by everyday items in our lives. I was crushed by the revelation that my trusty Nalgene bottle was leaching bisphenol A into my Brita-filtered water. The first time I had to purchase my own housecleaning […]