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Umbra advises on web hosting

Q. Greetings Umbra, To save energy and limit greenhouse gas emissions, I’ve so far resisted establishing my own website. However, because I’m an author and these days almost all authors use websites to further their careers, I’m now thinking of setting one up. How much energy do websites actually consume? Are there ways to make […]

Eco driving tips for Earth Day

In advance of Earth Day, PR reps flooded Grist with "save the planet: green your driving" tips and press releases. In keeping with our "Screw Earth Day" theme, we just want to stress the need to drive like every day is Earth Day -- TAKE THE BUS! No, seriously, if you're going to drive, then you gotta know how to drive in an eco-friendly manner.

Raise a glass to sustainability at Seattle Carrotmob event

Photo: Scott Beale / Laughing SquidToday is Earth Day. (Whoopee?) And there’s no better way to celebrate than with a nice, cold pint of beer. No, really! To make it truly Earth-Day-worthy, however, make sure you’re chugging buying it at Seattle’s Pike Pub & Brewery today. Why there and why today? Seattle Greendrinks has partnered […]

Washington state can lead the way to a green economy

Since 1970, Americans have set aside April 22 to celebrate the wonders of the big blue-green globe we call Earth — and to renew our resolve to protect it for our children and grandchildren. On this Earth Day, I want to remind us all that there is no more time to waste. The respected writer […]

The secret history of Earth Day

If 40 years of Earth Days have taught us anything, um … While the Earth Day movement has had undeniable successes, critics charge that, uh … Whatever, screw it. Here’s the “real” story (with jokes!): 1970: Twenty million Americans celebrate the first Earth Day, but bloggers opine that it’s just a fad and will be […]

Our fourth annual Earth Day list of the year’s goodies, oddities, and inanities

The hottest eco-activist in the White House, the awesomest surprise benefit of eating locally, the manliest organic body product on the market, and more!

Catholic Climate Covenant seeks aid for world’s poor

Courtesy Catholic Climate CovenantCiting dual obligations to care for God’s creation and the world’s poor, a broad coalition of Catholic groups today announced a new commitment to take action on climate change. The “St. Francis Pledge,” named after the patron saint of animals and ecology, urges Catholics to pray for those affected by climate change, […]

The band Lady Antebellum adopts green habits to last beyond Earth Day

My band — Lady Antebellum — is doing something different this year. We want to practice realistic green habits that we know we can do year-round, not just on Earth Day. We just released our latest video for a song called “I Run to You,” which is all about paying it forward. The idea of […]

CHP primer: Fun with thermodynamics

Those of us who believe (as I do) that there are massive opportunities to reduce US energy costs while simultaneously lowering our greenhouse gas footprint spend a lot of time getting into arguments with bad economists.  These folks remember just enough of freshman theory (supply, demand, price, blah blah blah) to assert confidently that if […]

Every job can be green, part three

This is the third and last installment of my chapter, “Green jobs in a sustainable economy,”, published recently in the book “Mandate for Change”.  You can read part one and part two, in which I discuss the first six out of eight ways in which to create an environmentally sustainable economy. Seventh, the global agricultural […]