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  • Caption needed! UPDATE: Caption found

    When you discover a picture of Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack posing with Cookie Monster and broccoli, it’s caption contest time! Submit captions below in comments. Funniest idea gets a priceless Virtual High Five. UPDATE:  The winner of the Virtual High Five is … Ed Abbey! Scroll down to see the new caption. Thanks for playing! […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • JoBros, Miley Cyrus send on eco-message, and more

    Photo: Mark O’DonaldWake up, America!Miley Cyrus, the JoBros, and other Disney mouseketeers tweensters want you to “send it on” — your love for the earth, that is. However, when it comes to this sugar-pop single, we suggest you only send it on to your worst enemies.                   […]

    Sarah van Schagen Culture

  • Climate-news poem: Tween-pop edition

    Show them all the Jonas they possess inside. It’s easy to smirk at Selena and MileyThey don’t seem to work, and they’re far too smiley.And when they record a new eco-song,Who can afford to listen for long? But here is the thing us fogeys must know:When tween angels sing, even if the songs blow, The […]

    Katharine Wroth Culture

  • A test of six recycled-paper napkins

    Apparently I have a confession to make: I was, until this time, unaware of the fascinating depth of the world of paper napkins. Word.osde8info via flickrTo begin with, there was my discovery that there are “lunch napkins” — the square, scratchy kind — and “dinner napkins,” the comparatively elegant, rectangular, softer kind. Seriously? I’d never […]

    Katharine Wroth Culture

  • 10 green royals

    What comes to mind when you think of royalty? Luxurious palaces, the Queen of England, and overused puns on Marie Antoinette’s infamous one-liner? How about chemical-free gardens, recycling, and sustainable seafood? Ruling families from around the globe are using their media magnetism and sovereign sway to draw attention to a variety of eco-causes, fighting climate […]

    Vanessa Kerr Culture

  • “Acid Test” documentary on ocean acidification premieres tonight

    Photo: Yuriy via PicasaDive into the NRDC’s new documentary Acid Test and you’re immediately immersed in a beautiful undersea world complete with vibrant coral reefs, graceful kelp beds, and rhythmic schools of fish. But Acid Test is no Blue Planet, thanks to heavy use of green-screen technology. And what’s in front of those screens is […]

    Sarah van Schagen Culture

  • Ask Umbra on corn plastic

    Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, I’ve been noticing lately a lot of “green” businesses and restaurants in my area using compostable plastics, usually made of corn, if I recall correctly. I can’t compost (I know, I know, but I live in a tiny apartment on the third floor with no porch or […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • The obvious advantage of organic food over conventional

    A bit of nitrogen with those veggies? A recent literature review [PDF] by the U.K. Food Standards Agency concluded that organic foods offer no nutritional advantages to ones grown with conventional chemical agriculture. The report quickly bounced around the media and the internets and has congealed into received wisdom. For example, in a recent chat […]

    Tom Philpott Culture

  • Just say no to disposable bags — here are alternatives

    While Seattleites squabble over whether to impose a fee on disposable bags, we offer up alternatives for lugging your goods home from the store (and ideas for what to do with the plastic bags you’ve already accumulated). Fantastic plastic alternatives Nothing says cool like a Cap-sac.For smaller items: With Cap-sac, the neon fanny pack for […]

    Claire Thompson Culture

  • How Barack Obama is like Marvin Gaye

    “President Obama has lit a fire under people. He’s actively engaged in taking on big issues: energy; two wars; health care; the economy. 

I haven’t seen a brother take on so many issues at once since Marvin Gaye put ‘What’s Going On,’ ‘Mercy Mercy Me,’ and ‘Inner City Blues’ all on the same album.” — […]

    Kate Sheppard Culture