Climate Culture

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  • The love child of a tractor and a bicycle

    Some people really put the “alternative” in alternative transportation. Just meet the Monsterbike. After a few weeks with it, and you’ll have Monsterquadriceps. Via thecityfix.com.

    Ashley Braun Culture

  • Tailpipe fumes are five times worse for bikers than for drivers, study finds

    Well this is a bummer: A Belgian study finds that bicyclists on urban streets inhale tens of millions of toxic nanoparticles with each breath, taking in five times as much as drivers and pedestrians on the same streets. The U.K. Times reports on the new research:  Because they are exerting themselves, cyclists breathe harder and […]

    Jonathan Hiskes Culture

  • The best books about the deep blue sea, just in time for World Oceans Day

    All reading lists are incomplete and arbitrary. This is especially true of a list limited to a dozen works about the ocean, the blue immensity that comprises 71 percent of our planet. So take this list with a grain of sea salt — and suggest your own favorites in the comments section below. ———————————————– Log […]

    Osha Gray Davidson Culture

  • Ask Umbra on celebrating World Oceans Day

    Some water over the rainbow … maybe there isn’t an oil spill.Photo: Sean Linehan, NOAAAhoy, mateys! Today is June 8th, and it’s one of my favorite holidays: World Oceans Day! World Oceans Day was officially declared a holiday last year by the United Nations. This year, I’m celebrating by taking a moment to consider the […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • Ask Umbra on rinsing recyclables, flipping off fluorescents, and poisoning yourself

    Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, How important is it to rinse out containers before they go into recycling bins? Does a failure to rinse a jar contaminate the whole bin? What about peanut butter? Cleaning products with chemical residue? Thanks! kristallyCharlotte, N.C. A. Dearest kristally, Photo: SarahIvy via FlickrAy dios mio. I’m […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • Summer in a bowl: Blueberry buttermilk ice cream

    April McGreger photos Ask me about my favorite foods, and I will inevitably list my favorite food experiences — all of which, by no coincidence, are cooked or eaten outside: boiled peanuts, barbecue, fried crappie, roasted oysters, boiled shrimp, watermelon, and homemade ice cream. Everything tastes better outdoors. With sun on our face and a […]

    April McGreger Culture

  • The absolute worst thing that could happen with the oil spill, according to Michael Bay

    If blockbuster film director Michael Bay had anything to do with it, the expanding oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico would hail the Armageddon and Matt Damon would be wearing top hats and taking junk shots at Pearl Harbor. At least, according to genius webcomic xkcd. (Move over, James Cameron!) ——————————————————————————————————————————————– Like what you […]

    Ashley Braun Culture

  • Ditching shopping carts one-ups bans on plastic bags

    Why would we want to teach our little rascals that shopping carts and cars don’t go together?Sean Dreilinger via Flickr Creative CommonsCalifornia may think it’s bag-ass for its progress toward banning plastic shopping bags. However, Sydney, Australia’s city council is pushing the limits of grocery-getters by telling a small supermarket to park its shopping carts […]

    Ashley Braun Culture

  • Children’s books about saving rainforests actually destroy them

    You’re killing me, kid.marko2marko via Flickr Creative Commons OK, parents. We know it’s tough raising kids, but as you read Junior a touching tale about sloths in the Amazon, you may be doing more razing than you think. The Rainforest Action Network (RAN), an environmental activist group, perused the pages of children’s books and found […]

    Ashley Braun Culture

  • ‘Sex and the City 2’ is the greenest movie of the year

    Forget earnest documentaries about corporatized food and natural-gas fracking and climate refugees.  The greenest movie of 2010 chronicles the latest exploits of none other than Carrie Bradshaw. Yes, even though she’s a clotheshorse who once calculated she’d spent $40,000 on shoes.  Even though, in the latest installment of the blockbuster franchise, Carrie and her trio […]

    Lisa Hymas Culture