Climate Culture
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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 […]
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Lululemon goes from new-agey to Ayn Rand
Lululemon, which makes overpriced yoga clothes, used to give customers the option to purchase sustainable shopping bags printed with the company's "manifesto." (It's not the one above; that's a parody.) That meant they were covered in quotes that were a mix of faux-Buddhism, The Secret, Dove Promises wrappers, and complete nonsense ("children are the orgasm […]
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Ask Umbra: Are cosmetics companies lying to my face?
Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, I just heard an ad for hair-care products that are allegedly “certified hypoallergenic.” There’s no such thing, is there? And is it illegal to make that claim? Shirley C. Wynnewood, Penn. A. Dearest Shirley, Hark! The holidays are here, and many of us might soon find ourselves […]
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Rue Mapp: Black and green and web all over
Grist is proud to present the Change Gang — profiles of people who are leading change on the ground toward a more sustainable society and a greener planet. Some we’ve written about before; some are new to our pages. Some you’ll have heard of; most you probably won’t. Know someone we should add to the […]
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Luck and gratitude
At this time of year I am always keenly aware of my good fortune. In particular, I am aware the huge role that sheer chance has played in the most pivotal episodes of my life. I met my wife because I went to a bar one random weeknight with my friend Peter, who was being […]
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Occupy Black Friday
Image: Occupy RenoThis Thursday night, while many families are still wrapping up Thanksgiving leftovers, the annual Black Friday shopping frenzy will begin, with 74 million people expected to head to stores over the weekend. But Friday also marks the 20th anniversary of Buy Nothing Day, an alternative celebration that invites us to “wean ourselves off […]
