Climate Culture

All Stories

  • Meet the eco-activist athletes who’ll be competing in Beijing

    Photo: Mansoor Ahmed/WireImage LeBron James, U.S., Basketball The Cavaliers’ superstar forward LeBron James not only passed Olympic muster this year, but also met SpongeBob SquarePants’ approval. The two celebs have teamed up as part of Nickelodeon’s Big Green Help campaign aimed at encouraging kids to go green.

    Grist staff Culture

  • Edible landscapes can outgrow the elite

    Monday's New York Times had a great opinion piece about My Farm's Trevor Paque -- the same guy recently profiled in the Times' Style section. In fact, I had to look twice to make sure it was the same T. Paque because the two articles emphasized such different aspects of the urban CSA mission. Kim Severson, in the style piece, describes it thus:

    Call them the lazy locavores -- city dwellers who insist on eating food grown close to home but have no inclination to get their hands dirty. Mr. Paque is typical of a new breed of business owner serving their needs.

    She devotes so much time and script to the eco-chic aspect that I, like Tom Philpott, was initially put off by the idea of armchair gardening. But just like Tom, who later posted that he was "too hard" on it, I softened after reading Allison Arieff's opinion piece. She writes:

    Maywa Montenegro Culture

  • Getting to the meat of the matter with Boston chef Jamie Bissonnette

    Jamie Bissonnette. In my most recent article, I described my experience attending a hog-butchering workshop led by Boston chef Jamie Bissonnette. He mentioned during the workshop that he had been a vegan when he was younger. I wanted to find out more about what would make someone change his eating habits so dramatically, so I […]

    Roz Cummins Culture

  • Tips for bridesmaids wanting fair-trade frocks

    As if the list of bridesmaidsy duties (party-planning, dress-bustling, photo-posing, tear-wiping, etc.) isn’t long enough, finding an ethically sourced, eco-conscious, and, um, attractive frock for the occasion is no piece of (multi-tiered) cake. Today, The Guardian addresses this very dilemma: One of my dearest friends will be getting married next year and has asked me […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • Artificial turf found not harmful to children

    Artificial field turf does not expose young children to harmful levels of lead, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission concluded Wednesday. “Our message is: go out and play,” says a CPSC spokesperson. Because it’s durable, easy to maintain, and doesn’t require pesticides, synthetic turf has increasingly replaced grass fields across the U.S. Manufacturers insist that […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • What to do with your dumpster now that you recycle/compost everything

    Before you trash your dumpster (now that you recycle/compost everything, natch), consider this awesomeness:

    Grist staff Culture

  • Princeton Review rates green colleges

    With the Princeton Review’s newly released college rankings and ratings for 2009, prospective students can suss out a school’s academics, dorm quality, party scene — and greenness. In partnership with marketing agency ecoAmerica, the review rated 534 U.S. colleges on their commitment to environmental responsibility, provision of “healthy and sustainable” campus life, and preparation of […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • Umbra on diesel hybrids

    Dear Umbra, I have been wondering for years now — with the hot trend toward hybrids and the new “clean” diesels hitting the market, why doesn’t anyone talk about a diesel hybrid? Sounds like the best of both worlds to me. Just think: a hybrid running on biodiesel! Is this in the works? Mike H. […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • A buzzworthy review of DEET-free bug repellents

    Itchin’ to scratch that itch. They say the ants go marching one by one. That may be so. But the flying, nibbling critters — the mosquitoes, the gnats, and the flies — come in swarms. How to keep them at bay? Unfortunately, many of the insect repellents on the shelves today contain the chemical DEET. […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • Liz Hurley to star in reality show about her organic farm

    Actress-turned-organic-advocate Liz Hurley will soon star in a reality show about life on her organic farm in the U.K. and the launch of her organic brand: Hurley Meat. Says Hurley, “People always imagine me with perfect hair, but that’s not who I am.” Hm … are you sure that’s how they imagine you?

    Grist staff Culture