Climate Culture

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  • How a river went from diversity to dumpsite

    A sign near the Cal Sag channel, part of the Calumet River System, warns against “any human body contact.”Photo courtesy Tom Gill via FlickrThe Grand Calumet River is about 13 miles long and flows through one of the most industrialized areas in the United States. At one time, the river’s branches and tributaries flowed throughout […]

    Leslie Dorworth Culture

  • Would you wear a garment brewed by bacteria?

    Left: A tasty vat of bacteria turning tea into trendy textile. Right: The trendy result, a “Veggie” faux leather jacket for when you’re riding your hog.biocouture.co.uk Suzanne Lee is out to infect the fashion world with an idea that’s been brewing for a while — in a vat of bacteria, that is. A Senior Research […]

    Ashley Braun Culture

  • Ask Umbra’s Book Club: Isn’t the ocean an all-you-can-eat buffet?

    Dearest readers, What did you think of Sylvia Earle’s The World Is Blue: How Our Fate and the Ocean’s Are One? I must say, it left me awed and inspired. They don’t call Earle “‘Her Deepness” for nothing. The book has such depth and range — from how whales play to the perils of ocean […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • Cleaning up Gulf oil, one f-bomb at a time

    Two guys are “mad as f–k” about all the sh*t Big Oil has undammed in the Gulf of Mexico, and they’re hoping the rest of the internet is too. Nate Guidas and Luke Montgomery are the organic-eating, vegan minds behind the dirty-mouthed campaign to Unf–k the Gulf. They’ve created a t-shirt to raise funds for […]

    Ashley Braun Culture

  • Of course population is still a problem

    There are already 6.8 billion of us …Photo courtesy James Cridland via FlickrFred Pearce keeps on saying that population growth is no longer a problem. He said it again yesterday as part of his World Population Day message. In Fred’s view, it’s very simple. Fertility rates have come down sharply over the past half century. […]

    Robert Walker Culture

  • To the population doomsayers: What do you propose?

    Fred Pearce’s recent blog post on why population is not the issue shouldn’t be controversial; it’s what most sensible environmentalists have been saying for over a decade. But a quick perusal through the comments section and it is clear that there are still many in the environmental community who think population is the main culprit […]

    Jason D Scorse Culture

  • Chicken expert Gail Damerow answers readers’ questions

    Grist’s recent Q&A with chicken expert Gail Damerow, the author of the best-selling Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens, elicited several questions from readers. Damerow took time out from her busy farm in Tennessee to answer them via email. Q. From Jean Kaiwi: I live in the country where everyone has roosters. The local chicken guru […]

    Bonnie Azab Powell Culture

  • Ask Umbra on the dangers of BPA in canning lids and canned food

    Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, My wife and I belong to a CSA. We are getting some cucumbers that I would like to try and pickle. My wife says the lids to the classic mason jars have BPA in them. Do you know how much of a concern this is in the context […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • On World Population Day, take note: population isn’t the problem

    Is population growth the cause of our troubles?A green myth is on the march. It wants to blame the world’s overbreeding poor people for the planet’s peril. It stinks. And on World Population Day, I encourage fellow environmentalists not to be seduced. Some greens think all efforts to save the world are doomed unless we […]

    Fred Pearce Culture

  • Three of our favorite politicians on two wheels

    While oil continues to gush in the Gulf of Mexico and the future of federal climate and energy legislation looks dim, there remains one relatively easy solution for those interested in saving the planet: riding your bike. And it’s nice to know we’re not the only ones who think so. Here are a few of […]

    Ashley Braun Culture