Climate Culture
All Stories
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Hitting the Vegas strip to see the world’s largest LEED certified building
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas … except when it comes to spreading the news about exciting green ventures. To do that, Todd and I hit The Strip (official work business, I swear!) to visit the world’s largest LEED certified building: the brand-new Palazzo Resort-Hotel. Situated next to the Venetian, amongst […]
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Reusable shopping bags not so green if you don’t use ’em
These days, you can’t swing a dead cabbage without hitting a reusable bag. The darlings of the environmental movement (totes, not cabbages) are increasingly being provided free or cheap to green-minded consumers. And they serve a good purpose: four or five reusable bags, used at least once a week, can replace the use of 520 […]
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Tesla’s motoring toward sustainability one sports car at a time
If you wanna talk about moving toward a greener future, surely the sexiest way to do that is in a Tesla Roadster. This car goes 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds — faster than a Ferrari — without guzzling a single drop of oil. All you need is about three hours plugged into the wall, and […]
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Swimming in chlorinated pools linked to childhood asthma, study says
Kids who swim regularly in outdoor chlorinated pools are up to five times more likely to develop asthma than youngsters who have never been in a chlorinated pool, according to a new study by Belgian researchers in the European Respiratory Journal. The same research team found a few years ago that kids who swim regularly […]
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Solar-panel thievery taking off in U.S.
Solar-panel thievery, long a problem in Europe, has been gaining popularity recently in the United States courtesy of high energy prices, rising demand for solar, lax security measures to protect panels, and solar’s sexy chic. (After all, you don’t see anyone running off with your energy efficiency do you?) While no official statistics exist, solar […]
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A quick stop at Google HQ
During our travels in the Bay Area, Todd and I ended up near Mountain View and took the opportunity to make a quick stop at Google HQ. We were hoping for a tour and maybe a lunch at their super-sustainable cafeteria, but apparently the place is closed to the public so all we ended up […]
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Oregon’s capital far behind its bigger sister
From LoveSalem: So we were talking about keeping chickens as part of a scheme for implementing the "Food Not Lawns" ideal (Victory Gardening for The New Reality). Someone thought you could keep hens but not roosters. Someone else thought you couldn’t keep either. It all led to an inquiry to the powers that be, who […]
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Umbra on small steps with big impacts
Dear Umbra, This year my family is not in the position to make any major CO2-reducing changes. We will not be purchasing a new car, a smaller house, or more efficient appliances. And honestly, with two small children living in a suburb, public transportation is not a realistic option. Still, we’d like to reduce our […]
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Colleges given green grades
How green is your alma mater? Check out the 2009 College Sustainability Report Card, which grades 300 U.S. and Canadian schools on their green practices. The colleges are evaluated in areas including climate and energy, food and recycling, green building, student involvement, and transportation. Many pass those categories with flying colors, but in areas “like […]
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A review of Tom Friedman’s Hot, Flat, and Crowded
I have a book review in the latest issue of the American Prospect, covering three books: Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution — and How It Can Renew America, by Thomas L. Friedman Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 438 pages, $27.95 Earth: The Sequel: The Race To Reinvent Energy and Stop Global […]
