Climate Culture
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California license plates will go without Wyland whale tail
Some 126,000 California license plates sport a whale tail designed by artist Robert Wyland, but the famed marine muralist is now withdrawing his permission for the state to use the art. A few months ago, Wyland asked the California Coastal Commission to donate 20 percent of profits from the plate to his ocean-conservation group. The […]
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Umbra on short-haul flights
Dear Umbra, I work in the touring music business, based in the U.K. but touring worldwide. I have noticed recently that the record companies are booking cheap flights for short distances, e.g., London-Manchester, about 200 miles. Over such short distances, there is no saving in time, due to travel to and from airport, checking in, […]
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Eco-friendly outdoor outfitter resurrected
Last month, we were sad to learn that stylish, sustainable outdoorsy-fashion darling Nau was biting the dust. Turns out that goodbye for Nau was a good buy for Horny Toad Activewear, a Santa Barbara-based maker of “lifestyle apparel” that recently acquired the company. (Hee hee, they said horny!) Mark Galbraith, head of product design for […]
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Wimbledon under fire for shooting pigeons
As the Wimbledon tennis championships get underway, the real drama isn’t on the court but in the air. After the players’ lawn and an open-air restaurant were dive-bombed by pigeons, officials sent marksmen to take ’em out. The tournament employs two hawks for pigeon-scaring, “and by and large they do the job,” says a Wimbledon […]
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How to green your vacation
Wherever you go, there you are … still having an impact. Everyone needs to take a break from the stresses of life, and environmentalists are no exception. After all, vacations are a necessary part of any sustainable lifestyle. And while vacation time itself can be hard to come by, your getaway needn’t be hard on […]
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New flicks feature green themes
Photo: rpb1001 The oppressive heat of global warming got you headed to your local air-conditioned movie theater? No? It’s just the popcorn? Well, either way, you may end up seeing a blockbuster with an environmental theme. Lately there’s been a bumper crop of eco-stuff hitting the big screen or making its way there soon. For […]
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What should I ask — or tell — the (organic-cotton) suits at a fancy Colorado confab this week?
Later this week, I’ll be reporting from the Organic Summit in Boulder. Judging from the attendees list on the homepage, the summit brings together the shakers and movers behind what Michael Pollan has called “industrial organic” — the large-scale producers and processors that stock the shelves at Whole Foods and the organic sections at Wal-Mart, […]
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Preparing for Olympics, Beijing takes government cars off roads
In preparation for hosting the Olympics and Paralympics from Aug. 8 to Sept. 17, Beijing has officially kicked off its plan to clear the air by keeping cars parked. Starting Monday, half of Beijing’s 22,800 government vehicles will stay off the roads until July 19. From July 20 to Sept. 20, 70 percent of government […]
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Umbra on car seat recycling
Dear Umbra, What do you recommend for child car seat disposal or, better yet, recycling? Near as I can tell, options include giving them away to someone who needs them (a pretty discouraged practice) or sending them to Oregon or Colorado where a couple of renegade recycling programs are working to resolve this huge issue. […]
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Norwegian fuck-tivists on VH1
I’m not saying that I happened upon, and then proceeded to watch, half of the truly classy Freakiest Concert Moments of All Time on VH1 last night. But if I had, I would have been delighted to see our favorite eco-porn activists in the top slot. Yes, Tommy and Leona’s on-stage antics were #1 on […]
