Latest Articles

Umbra on motorcycles

Dear Umbra, I recently read a claim that “motorcycles produce far more pollution per mile than your typical car, truck, or SUV.” Is that true? I’ve got a friend who’s currently making her (bad-ass) way across country on a Harley — 60 mpg, baby — and we are both curious about the environmental impacts compared […]

Tulun: Too Late?

The tiny islands of Tulun and Takuu off the coast of Papua New Guinea are being swallowed by the Pacific Ocean, posing a danger so immediate that their 2,400 residents are being urged to evacuate at once. The islands, also known as Carteret and Mortlock, could become victims of global warming, which is thought to […]

Umbra on minivans

Dear Umbra, We have a six-year-old daughter, a three-year-old daughter, and — surprise! (well, not completely) — a new baby girl due in the next two months. Our fuel-efficient car cannot fit two car seats and a booster across the back seat, and according to Washington state law (“six-years-old and 60 pounds”), my petite six-year-old […]

The rebuilt World Trade Center complex could be a model of sustainable building

Early one morning last month, over fresh-squeezed orange juice and silver platters of breakfast treats, a coterie of New York’s leading architects, developers, politicians, and environmentalists convened in a chandeliered room at the Embassy Suites hotel in lower Manhattan for a conference entitled “Greening Our Downtown.” The keynote speaker was Gov. George Pataki (R), who […]

Santi-ugho

The city of Santiago, Chile, located in the shadow of the snow-capped Andes Mountains, is blessed with one of the most breathtaking natural surroundings of any urban area on Earth. But from May to September, you wouldn’t know it; heavy smog obscures the Andes entirely and lends the word “breathtaking” a different meaning. A poll […]

Bottleneck

Evian, Perrier, Poland Spring — bottled water has become ubiquitous in the U.S., and the resultant plastic containers are posing an increasingly serious problem by clogging landfills and contributing to air pollution. In California, where bottled water is particularly popular, the state Department of Conservation is unveiling a campaign this week to convince consumers to […]

Mobil-ized

Gas and oil giant ExxonMobil has increased its donations to organizations that oppose government regulations to limit greenhouse gas emissions and question the notion that humans cause global climate change. Although the company has pledged $10 million a year for 10 years to climate research at Stanford University, it is also giving generously to the […]

Lisa Goodman, River Alliance of Wisconsin

Lisa Goodman is the northern coordinator for local group assistance at the River Alliance of Wisconsin, a statewide nonprofit that advocates for the protection, enhancement, and restoration of Wisconsin’s rivers and watersheds. Tuesday, 27 May 2003 MADISON, Wis. Today began with a paddle. It is a short portage from house to river. Crossing a street […]

Community and sustainability go hand in hand

Some years ago, I was part of a group that set out to create a community where we could work toward living with less impact on the environment. One of the first steps we took was to write down a list of principles to guide us as we worked to turn our vision into reality. […]

Go, West, Young Man

Jason West, a 26-year-old member of the Green Party, is shaking things up in New Paltz, N.Y., where he was elected mayor earlier this month — an outcome that has the local political establishment in a tizzy. West ran on an ambitious environmental platform that rallied support from many students at the State University of […]