Climate Culture
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Ask Umbra: How can I de-stink secondhand clothes?
Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, I strive to reduce/reuse/recycle, but as someone who is sensitive to chemicals, purchasing used clothing presents problems. Sometimes soaking the clothes in borax or vinegar, and washing as much as a dozen times (in less toxic, unscented detergent) fails to remove the ferocious stink of the previous […]
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Palestinians can’t get statehood, but at least they’ve got these zero-emissions schools
Yeah, it kinda sucks to be a Palestinian these days, what with the failed peace talks and everyone but you having an Arab Spring. That doesn't mean your non-state state isn't making progress, though: Just check out the plans for this zero-emissions school. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency is going to roll out […]
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Fleeced again: How microplastic causes macro problems for the ocean
On Black Friday, outdoor retailer Patagonia took out a full-page ad in The New York Times asking readers to “buy less and to reflect before you spend a dime.” Beside a photo of their iconic fleece jacket, the headline read: “Don’t Buy This Jacket.” And, while their message about retail consumption undoubtedly made a splash, […]
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My holiday wish? Ixnay on the iPod
The author’s beloved crap.Photo: Thomas HaydenCross-posted from Last Word on Nothing. Black Friday is behind us, and Cyber Monday too. But those are just start dates: The pressure to buy, buy, buy isn’t going to let up for another month at least. And that has me thinking about one of my favorite gadgets — a […]
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Ask Umbra: Which Christmas tree is the greenest?
Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, Which is greener — real Christmas trees or fake? I know you answered this question in the past, but I wonder if there’s any new data? Ginger C. Littleton, Colo. All this tree needs is a little love.A. Dearest Ginger, Of the many wonderful and cherished traditions […]
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The Greenie Pig is on a (carbon) diet
I’ve become quite the calorie-counter lately. With the holiday season upon us, I’m really tightening my belt, carefully calculating the number of calories I’d consume from all kinds of daily choices and sniffing out ways to trim the buggers from my diet. Like many a calorie-counter before me can attest, it’s frustrating work. Of course, […]
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Stop crying: Environmental tales don’t have to be ‘The Lorax’
Cross-posted from the Last Word on Nothing. I’ve spent a lot of time this past year thinking and writing about extinction, which means I’ve also spent a lot of time drinking thinking about the tragic narrative in environmental journalism. There’s a lot of genuine tragedy on the environmental beat, and it doesn’t take a partisan to see […]
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The wrong way to recycle your fluorescent bulbs: Eating them
This video is bananas. But fluorescent bulbs are not bananas. So don't eat them, like these guys do, and also don't do any of the other things in this video. Criminey. If you do have mercury-containing fluorescent bulbs that need to be disposed of, the EPA has a guide to what you need to do […]
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A gift guide to bike stuff that people actually want
Photo: Adams CarrollI’m not going to hate on shot glasses with bikes on them or leather holsters for carrying wine bottles by bicycle, but if you want to give someone a bicycle-related gift this holiday season that is actually useful on a daily basis, this guide is for you. I’ll start small and build from […]
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Wasting energy = blue balls, apparently
It seems to be a pretty time-honored advertising strategy that when you want your message to really hit, you need to connect it to things men want/don't want to happen to their penises. In this example, found on Tumblr, wasting energy is … blue balls, or maybe priapism? And turning off the light is an […]
