Climate Culture
All Stories
-
Mice are killing people in California, scaring away subway riders in Britain
The spread of hantavirus among mice appears to be an unpleasant side effect of climate change.
-
Keeping it in the family: BPA’s effects might last in our bodies for generations
Scientists who exposed mice to BPA at low-level, consistent doses found that it caused genetic and behavioral changes that persisted for generations.
-
Ask Umbra: My dog’s pee pads are breaking my heart
A reader wants to find a sustainable alternative to her dog's disposable pee pads. Umbra sniffs around for an answer.
-
Prescription for healthier humans: More time at the park
The average boy partakes in two minutes of “vigorous activity” each day. The average girl, just one minute. The solution is right down the street.
-
Umbra’s second helpings: Speedy showers [VIDEO]
We're rinsing off an Ask Umbra classic about power showers.
-
Is your cup compostable — or biodegradable? And why does it matter again?
As more cities adopt municipal composting programs, the range of to-go ware made from bioplastics is expanding. Here's what you need to know about what's real, what's greenwashing, and why it matters.
-
Save the median strip! Or, how to annoy E.O. Wilson
Emma Marris, author of "Rambunctious Garden," challenged noted conservationist E.O. Wilson by arguing that we should learn to value all types of nature -- human-altered places as well as pristine landscapes.
-
Out of room on the ground? Go build a house on top of a mall
No matter how much evidence we trot out about how dense living is superior, someone’s always going to demur because they want a big house with a big yard. And you can only get those in the suburbs, right? Well, not if you build them on top of other buildings, like this neighborhood on top […]
-
Honda Miimo is basically a Roomba for your lawn
Can you imagine just being able to sit around and watch television all weekend on your massive energy-sucking flat screen while someone else niftily, sustainably, mowed your lawn? Someone you didn’t have to pay? Someone you didn’t even have to talk to, because they’re a little tiny automatic lawn mower, which is, when you get […]
-
Five reasons to shop at thrift stores
An endless quest for the latest fashion trends is money-draining, space-consuming, wasteful, and takes a toll on the environment. Here's why a shift to thrift is worth it.
