Climate Culture

Critical List: Earthquake strikes Turkey; ‘Environmental concierge’ exists

More than 200 people died in a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Turkey.

California finished its cap-and-trade plan with minimal drama. Here's how they did it.

If you are rich and worried about your environmental footprint, you can hire a whole other human being to screw in LED lightbulbs for you, run your errands on a bike, and buy cleaning products with fewer chemicals in them.

Ask Umbra: Should I wash out my zip-lock bags?

Don't lose sleep over plastics and food. Instead of worrying about how to handle your baggies and bins, purge plastic from your kitchen.

Jon Bon Jovi opens pay-what-you-can ‘soul kitchen’

Does anyone else remember those Ben Stiller Show sketches where Bruce Springsteen would, like, deliver a baby? Jon Bon Jovi is basically that, but for real. He's opening a community kitchen in New Jersey where patrons pay what they can afford -- or, if they can't afford it, they can get gift certificates in exchange for volunteer work in the kitchen, the kitchen garden, or elsewhere in the community. (And don't act like you're too good to work in the kitchen. You know who works in the kitchen? JON BON JOVI works in the kitchen. No fooling, he washes pots and stuff.)

Communal farming in Vermont [VIDEO]

A cohousing community in Vermont shares everything -- from farm chores to fun -- and knows it's better that way.

What if population grows faster than the experts project?

Many demographers believe that global population will peak at 9.5 to 10 billion this century and then gradually decline as poorer countries develop. But what if they're wrong?

Use peer pressure to make your friends go green

Peer pressure gets a bum rap -- you hear it and you think of vaguely threatening junior high schoolers going “come on man, what are you, chicken?” But it’s not always bad news. For instance, peer pressure works to change the environment -- when people see their friends and neighbors going green, they’re more likely to change their habits. This infographic gives a taste of how that works; for more instructions on the science of peer pressure, check out the whole thing.

Jam on it: Uncanny adventures in food preservation

The Greenie Pig gets over her fear of botulism and partakes in some serious home economics.

Occupy Catan

Let's not forget the importance of land use and resource allocation.

Are Americans more worried about population than climate change?

A recent poll found 29 percent of Americans listing "overpopulation" as a major environmental challenge, while just 27 percent named global warming.

Can we turn mining pits into underground cities?

Architect Matthew Fromboluti designed this inverted skyscraper to make use of abandoned open-pit mining operations in Bisbee, Ariz. The 900-foot underground building (maybe we should call it a mantle-scraper?) wouldn't just be for residences -- it would comprise an entire self-sufficient subterranean city, including crops fed by skylights.