Climate Culture
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Celebrate Earth Day with free stuff that isn't just more crap
HuffPo and Re-Nest both have roundups of Earth Day free sh*t and deals, and the implication is clear: The best way to celebrate the Earth is to CONSUME, CONSUME, CONSUME. This is hella depressing. Some places are offering free shipping as their Earth Day deal, which … just go away, I will be over here […]
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Take a ride on a Barcelona streetcar in 1908 [VIDEO]
Sometimes, on a Friday, all you want is to look at something that is just plain wonderful. To that end, I submit this film, shot from a Barcelona streetcar back in 1908. It’s a delightful artifact of a time when streets functioned very differently than they do today — with bicycles, pedestrians, horsedrawn carriages, trams, […]
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Don’t spray it: Ask Umbra on air fresheners
Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, According to their new ads, Air Wick air fresheners now have 100 percent natural propellants. OK, so they got rid of the solvents, but what about the other horrible chemicals that are in the product? Isn’t this greenwashing? Brozafan Wynnewood, Penn. There’s no substitute for truly natural […]
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Stocking the Broke-Ass pantry, and the magical three-day chicken
Making great meals from bubkes is easy when you do it the Broke-Ass way!Broke-Ass has often been asked how she feeds her family of five on bubkes. The answer is: Shop as little as possible, and buy what only what you must, as cheaply as possible. Cutting down on marketing means you not only have […]
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Five ways to green your marijuana habit
Happy 4/20! Sorry to harsh your buzz, but indoor pot growing is a major bad trip for the environment. (All right, no more mixed drug metaphors. Maybe a couple.) Let’s be blunt (okay, one more): If marijuana ever becomes legal in the U.S., we'll have to start thinking about how to keep it from bogarting […]
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Amazon says America is buying green
We can learn two things from this map, based on Amazon.com's purchasing data: One, many parts of the country are at least buying green products and books about sustainability and conservation, which is a start. Two, Amazon needs a proofreader. There are more charts, too, breaking down who's buying books and products for water conservation, […]
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How to build a prefab high-rise
Prefab houses are pretty awesome. Dense living is definitely awesome. And Sustainable Living Innovations is getting the prefab peanut butter in the density chocolate, designing modular high-rise buildings that unfold like cootie catchers. This video shows how it works. The result is a block of modern, open-plan apartments that is LEED Silver certified, and maybe […]
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What Google predicts for the future of life on earth
XKCD has collated Google's predictions for the next century, and it is dire, and also optimistic, and also weird. Another excerpt and some key findings below the fold, or see the whole thing here. Here's how the future is shaping up, according to Google: Jesus will return in 2018 and again in 2023, and will […]
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A warm welcome: Ask Umbra on green housewarming gifts
Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, A friend has finally been able to buy a home in Florida, and I want to send a gift card. I know she will have plenty of occasions to patronize the big chain hardware stores, but I am wondering whether there is a green alternative — either […]
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With a rain barrel, April showers can bring more than flowers
Barrel essentials.Photo: kierkierAs the old adage goes, April showers bring May flowers. But for those looking to green their homes, April showers also provide an easy way to reduce water bills and water waste. Rainwater harvesting is a simple and efficient way to capitalize on the naturally occurring precipitation in your area, and reduce dependency […]
