Climate Culture
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Belgian city goes veg one day a week
The Belgian city of Ghent will be the first in the world to go meat-free one day a week in an effort to cut the city’s carbon footprint, battle obesity, and say “veggiedag” as many times as possible. They’re even passing out “veggie street maps” to help citizens find vegetarian eateries around town. But not […]
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Against the grain of industrial agriculture, truly local bread stages a comeback
David Bauer of Farm and Sparrow BakeryPhoto: April McGregerOn a recent vacation to Asheville, North Carolina, I headed to the market to get a loaf of bread. Asheville is home to a large a number of small-scale bakeries, many of which sell primarily at tailgate markets and wholesale to nearby specialty food shops. I found […]
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World’s first eco-article about “world’s first” eco-items
Part of my job is to keep an eye on developments in the illustrious world of green living. Sometimes it’s celebrities writing letters about which electric vehicles they actually own. And sometimes it’s product news. And boy is there a lot of product news lately: the “world’s first” eco-this and “world’s first” eco-that. Which reminds […]
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Ask Umbra on escalators
Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, Nice column on elevators. Since most elevators are counterbalanced, there is much less energy use involved than most people would expect. It’s nice to see the addition of hybrid technology to recapture the braking energy, though. On the other hand, those ESCALATORS ….. ! I have seen […]
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Facebook app translates online efforts into real-world environmental change
Climate change may take place in the offline world, but that doesn’t mean the online world is relegated to mere words and worry about it. A clear example is the dedicated crew of young eco-activists at Hot Dish, a climate news-‘n’-action application on Facebook. Hot Dish aims to move people from online engagement with climate […]
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10 ways to change the world through social media
Citizen journalism, open government, status updates, community building, information sharing, crowdsourcing, and the election of a President. Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Max Gladwell, a blog specializing in social media and green living. Our children will inherit a world profoundly changed by the combination of technology and humanity that is social media. […]
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Gear up for Bike to Work Week
It’s Bike to Work Week, which means it’s the perfect time for you to dust off that two-wheeler and start pedaling (or feel a bit smug-er about already being a committed cyclist). For tips on converting to a cycle-based commute, check out our handy how-to or the entertaining Umbra video at the bottom of the […]
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The non-survivalist’s guide to stocking up for hard times
Dear Lou,As a resident of South Mississippi, I think it is officially time to stock my swine flu/tornado/hurricane/foreign invasion pantry. How do I do this without filling it with a bunch of processed crap, but still manage to stock away flavorful and nutritious staples? Kelly S. Dear Kelly,This particular swine flu pandemic–which may or may […]
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I sold my car, and I couldn’t be happier … I think
It’s all yours.iStockI recently committed a subversive act: I sold my car, and I’m not buying a new one. I’d thought that I’d feel virtuous and free — and I do — but it’s turned out to be a bit more complicated than that. Never too attached to my particular car, I considered it transportation, […]
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Plastic bags get a new life in Jerusalem
Read more about Eric Pallant’s West Bank wanderings in his story about keynoting a green-building conference there. There is a hamsin today, so the wind is whipping hot Saharan air and dust across the landscape. Despite the limited visibility, I can see that the cities that string south back from Ramallah, where I lectured at […]
