Climate Culture

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  • Ask Umbra on rinse aids

    Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dearest Umbra, While pleased as pie to have a new super-efficient dishwasher, I remain curious as to the chemical composition of the required rinse aid. This dishwasher relies on a hot water rinse and its stainless steel tub to somehow dry the dishes — there is no energy-sucking, plastic-melting […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • Fiber Arctic show ties crafty art to climate change

    “Ice Cold” by Kris GarlandPhoto: Sarah van SchagenGlobal warming got you in stitches? Trying to understand all the tightly knit issues by looking for common threads? Weave your way down to Schmancy (part of the “trilogy of awesome“) in Seattle, Wash., for an artsy display of embroidery, quilting, felting, and otherwise fiber-fab interpretations of the […]

    Sarah van Schagen Culture

  • Quiz: Should I see the critically acclaimed documentary ‘Food, Inc.’?

    A quiz, dear Grist reader, to determine if you should see the new documentary ‘Food, Inc.‘ (You start with 0 points. Total your points as you answer the questions.): Farmer Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm in Virginia.Photo: Food, Inc. Do you eat food? Yes, three-square meals a day. Add 1 million points. No, I’m not […]

    Sara Barz Culture

  • This Father’s Day, don’t be green — be good

    Aim high.With Father’s Day looming, it’s my duty to come up with related content on Grist, and I’ve been giving a lot of thought to how we should best mark the occasion. A list of eco-friendly gift ideas? Nah, we did that last year — plus with all the other lists of eco-friendly Father’s Day […]

    Katharine Wroth Culture

  • A tasting of seven organic ice cream flavors

    This is part one of a two-part series on organic ice cream; look for our review of select non-dairy brands later this month. In my four-plus decades on this planet, I’ve gone through many transformations. One constant has been a devotion to ice cream. Tastes like heaven.Somewhere, there exists a photo of three-year-old me with […]

    Tom Philpott Culture

  • Can a lazy environmentalist really change the world?

    “You can guilt-trip me and you can moralize and you can gloom-and-doom about it, but there are probably certain behaviors I have that I’m just not going to change. But if you presented me with solutions … if we can figure out ways to reduce my impact — that I can afford — great! I’m […]

    Sarah van Schagen Culture

  • Ask Umbra on food disposal

    Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, I’ve been trying to convince a friend to compost her food waste, now that she has a back yard. She claims that she plans to do so, but in the meantime, she’s sending all her food through the garbage disposal and says that it’s just as good, […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • Climate-news poem: mustache edition

    iwona_kellie via flickrThis time around we start off with a great big phony pactThat came from several green groups who just felt they had to act.A powerful indictment and a plan for moving on, The “Copenhagen treaty” met with no more than a yawn. Was that too rude, to write them off, to say the […]

    Katharine Wroth Culture

  • Ditch ‘warming’ and start talking ‘deteriorating atmosphere,’ PR firm says

    How to make an energy plan more appetizing.The non-profit PR shop ecoAmerica finally released the findings of its public opinion research today, bringing a trove of information about how on-the-fence Americans respond to different messages about climate change and energy. The firm conducted an impressive amount of research in February through March—focus groups, a phone […]

    Jonathan Hiskes Culture

  • Bikers seeking good ride get naked, and more

    Is that a banana seat or are you just happy to see me? The best part about World Naked Bike Day: No awkward spandex shorts. The worst part about World Naked Bike Day: No awkward spandex shorts. (Click below to see the next item in this week’s Grist List—or view them all on a single […]

    Sarah van Schagen Culture