Climate Culture

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  • How author Betsy Block convinced her finicky family to mend their dietary ways

    In her new book The Dinner Diaries: Raising Whole Wheat Kids in a White Bread World, Betsy Block writes compellingly about trying to feed one’s family and oneself in a nutritious, sustainable, economical, and harmonious way — and dealing with various likes and dislikes within the family dining unit. Betsy Block Photo: Andrew Pockrose I […]

    Roz Cummins Culture

  • Seven green leaders reveal their favorite reads

    Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bad books bite. Photo: margolove Which books and magazines are tempting today’s environmental movers and shakers to keep the CFLs burning late into the night? Grist asked seven movement leaders for their recommended reads. (Been burning the night oil yourself? Add your own favorite reads in the comments […]

    Michelle Nijhuis Culture

  • Well-Arrested

    No, he didn’t ride a Trek to the premiere of his new movie (I can hear the cars-aren’t-green comments already!), but Jason Bateman did show up in a BMW Hydrogen 7 — billed as “the world’s first hydrogen-powered car for everyday use.” Um, maybe if your “everday” activities include winning a Golden Globe, playing an […]

    Holly Richmond Culture

  • An interview with author Bruce Barcott

    Bruce Barcott. In his new non-fiction book Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw, environmental journalist Bruce Barcott follows Sharon Matola — a former Air Force survival specialist and circus-tiger trainer turned zookeeper — as she fights the construction of a hydropower dam in her adopted country of Belize, and attempts to save the nesting site […]

    Michelle Nijhuis Culture

  • Umbra on exerting yourself in traffic

    Dear Umbra, I bus, bike, or walk to work 98 percent of the time. I was wondering, when I’m biking (or walking, for that matter), am I inhaling more pollutants than those around me who are emitting them from their gas-guzzlers? Your answer won’t change my habits, since I’m not going to drive to work […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • Staycation, all I ever wanted

    Al Gore
    Photo: matildaben via Flickr.

    "Staycation ... a portmanteau that combines "stay" and "vacation" and refers to a holiday that takes place either at or near home."

    With gas well above $4 per gallon this summer, and with airlines raising prices and canceling flights because of high fuel costs, it's not too surprising to find a word like "staycation" gaining a toehold in the North American lexicon. Google now finds nearly 200,000 web pages that use the word -- most of them added within the last few months, if my casual browsing is any indicator.

    But even back when fuel wasn't so pricey, some of my favorite vacations were spent within a 50 mile radius of home. It's easy to forget how many parks, museums, nature walks, boat rides, and all-around fun can be found close to where you live -- which makes a staycation a perfect opportunity to reconnect yourself to your home town.

    So I'm curious: Is anyone out there planning a staycation this year? Where are you, and what do you plan on doing?

    Clark Williams-Derry Culture

  • A quick read on green lifestyle magazines

    Choices are good, but good choices are better. Periodically, I find myself wandering the ever-expanding magazine aisles at local newsstands and bookstores. And I’m often overwhelmed by the sheer volume of, well, volumes. You’ve got mags for every hobby, interest, celeb, fetish, and lifestyle. So when I set out to grab some light reading about […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • High Line Park

    What’s going on in New York with the High Line Park is extremely cool. Check out this video: Yeah, some grumps will argue that public money could be better spent elsewhere, but when is that not true? Sometimes you gotta do something pretty even though it doesn’t make sense. Hardly worth being human otherwise.

    David Roberts Culture

  • An interview with Bonk author Mary Roach

    Photo: cybertoad Ah, sex. Source of carnal bliss, domestic harmony, cute infants … and global population problems. (Oh, environmentalists are such killjoys.) Overpopulation aside for the moment, sex is fundamental to humanity, and to the rest of the natural world — and besides, it’s a dang fascinating subject, as Mary Roach found out while researching […]

    Michelle Nijhuis Culture

  • R.I. court reverses ruling, says paint companies not responsible for lead cleanup

    Three paint companies should not have to clean up lead contamination in Rhode Island homes, the state Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The decision reverses a landmark 2006 ruling in which the state was victorious in alleging that Sherwin-Williams Co., NL Industries Inc., and Millennium Holdings LLC created a public nuisance by manufacturing and selling lead-based […]

    Grist staff Culture