Climate Culture

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  • Umbra on water softeners

    Dear Umbra, I live in an area that has fairly hard water. The calcium build-up on the sink faucets, shower enclosures, and even the dog water bowls is really bad, and hard to remove. So I have considered a full house water softener. However, I know nothing about them — but I do know you […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • From Clooney to Cocoa

    CloFu-bar Dear PETA, the meat-eating masses are not going to be swayed by flavored tofu. No, not even if you flavor it with George Clooney’s special sauce. Lexicon-artist Oxford’s kiddie tome has undergone a Gen-Y makeover, replacing nature words like beaver, newt, and parsnip with techno-speak like blog, MP3 player, and voicemail. Also newly added? […]

    Sarah van Schagen Culture

  • A volunteer army takes on oceans of trash

    This photo of a trash-covered beach in the Philippines was taken during the 2008 cleanup. Photo: Tamara Thoreson Pierce On a single day last September, some 390,000 volunteers collected 6.8 million pounds of garbage from coastal locations and waterways throughout the world, providing a stark and detailed snapshot of the trash polluting the world’s oceans. […]

    Jonathan Hiskes Culture

  • Umbra on incendiary topics

    Dear Umbra, Your investigation for the raw milk advice apparently didn’t trip over the Real Milk Campaign of the Weston A. Price Foundation. I hope you can remedy the oversight in a future column. Stephen Guesman Alabama Dearest Stephen, Thank you for your kindly upbraiding and the opportunity to further discuss the problem of incendiary […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • Schwarzenegger tells techies to go ‘green’

    HANOVER, Germany — California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger kicked off the world’s biggest high-tech fair Tuesday, telling executives to seize the economic crisis as a moment to shape up and go “green”. Schwarzenegger, this year’s guest of honor at the sprawling CeBIT fair in this northern German city, toured stands with Chancellor Angela Merkel as the […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • Umbra on cleaning cars inside and out

    Dear Umbra, I recently bought a new-to-me car (fuel efficient!). It’s the nicest car I’ve ever owned, so I want to keep it well-maintained and clean. What are some environmentally friendly ways to keep my car clean, both inside and out? I’d rather not use gross chemicals and harsh soaps. Will good ol’ vinegar and […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • From Mafia to Mushroom

    Three cheats to the wind “Italy police arrest eight in Mafia wind farms plot.” And the climate takes another hit. Can you rig it? Oil rigs: The new wind farm eco-resort. Home is where the Honda is Living out of your car? Take the junk in your trunk and turn it into an auto-mobile home. […]

    Sarah van Schagen Culture

  • When the season’s first edible weeds poke through, it’s time for gumbo z’herbes

    You can’t beat them, you might as well eat them. Here in central North Carolina, the harbingers of spring have arrived. No, not daffodils. I’m talking about my favorite wild greens: pepper cress and dandelions. Just this week, I’ve tucked handfuls of these herbs into sandwiches, topped pizza with them, and folded some into soft […]

    April McGreger Culture

  • Umbra on LCD vs. plasma TVs

    Dear Umbra, My husband and I are going to be buying a new television soon. Between an LCD and a plasma set, which is the more environmentally friendly? Lorraine B. Ossining, N.Y. Dearest Lorraine, Welcome to the promised follow-up to our previous examination of the digital television revolution. This week we finally take an opportunity […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • In our latest tasting, organic beer comes of age

    Imagine Norman Bates, twisted hero of Hitchcock’s Psycho, stumbling into a funhouse of mirrors and finding Mother at the center, her image reflected on a thousand surfaces surrounding him. He might freak out, right? That’s a bit how I feel when I walk into Carrboro Beverage Co., a small and extremely well-stocked beer store in […]

    Tom Philpott Culture