Climate Culture

The Dream Reborn conference hits Memphis this weekend

Yesterday in Memphis, a crowd stood outside the Lorraine Motel to quietly honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the place where he died 40 years ago. All day long, it rained.

A couple blocks away, another sort of commemoration was going on. There was chanting. A man played a drum and a choir sang. There was lots and lots and lots of clapping.

Several hundred people had gathered in a conference room to kick off The Dream Reborn, a weekend-long event designed to ignite discussion and collaboration among leaders of the green jobs movement.

Green jobs have gotten a lot of attention lately, but in case you haven't caught the buzz, here's the idea: Green industries, including everything from solar panel manufacture to community garden construction, are creating thousands of new jobs. The green jobs movement is helping poor people find those jobs and use them to break out of poverty.

Majora Carter, founder of Sustainable South Bronx and a leading voice in the movement, explained it like this: "America must be green for all. We believe that the transitional green economy should be used to move people out of poverty, so our country can finally set the example on how to treat people with dignity and protect the earth at the same daggone time!"

Friday music blogging: Thao Nguyen

Thao NguyenThao Nguyen is a San Francisco singer-songwriter who sometimes tours with her band as Thao with the Get Down Sit Down. That’s about all I know about her. I love this song from her new album We Brave Bee Stings and All.  

From Battle to Bourdain

Talk about a motley crew Dr. Feelgood and hip-hopper Ludacris want to stand up (when they move, you move — just like that) and fight for Battleground Earth, an eco-reality competition that will pit the musicians against each other. Luda to Lee: “Move bitch, get out the way!” Photo: John Shearer/WireImage.com Wheel of footin’ Can’t […]

‘State Farm can get you back behind the wheel’

Witness the humiliation as this distinguished professional is forced to … my God, I can barely say it … ride a bike to work. Do something, State Farm! Anything! "You know that place where you’re swapping four wheels for two? Oh, man, I’m there." Says Streetsblog: "Yeah, I know that place. It’s called a city." […]

The Age of Asparagus dawned in Roman times, but the time to eat it is now

Asparagus may be associated with spring, but there’s nothing new about it. It’s been gracing tables — to the joy of some diners and the horror of others — for at least two thousand years. In the earliest known cookbook, De Re Culinaria (circa A.D. 100), proto-foodie Marcus Apicius recommends pounding asparagus tips with black […]

Seattle gets five more blocks of bike lanes

In this post, I talked about Seattle's efforts to improve bicycle safety. I mentioned that the busiest part of a key road was not striped, thanks to pressure from a local real estate baron who didn't want business disrupted. This created a dangerous gauntlet to run as bikers left the bike lane to start their long, hard slog uphill. I'm happy to report that the city has since reconsidered, and it has made a world of difference for safety.

Which gives me the opportunity to tell the story of how I got hit by a car.

Umbra on long, hot showers

Dear Umbra, The biggest waster of energy in our house right now is our 15-year-old daughter, whose never-ending daily showers must surely be responsible for warming the planet another half-degree. No matter how loudly we bang on the bathroom door and scream for her to stop, she showers on — 20, 30 minutes at a […]

Maya Lin’s latest memorial will pay tribute to the planet

Maya Lin, an artist best known for designing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., is making plans for a tribute to what has passed from the earth — literally. Her planned memorial will list the names of animals, birds, and plants that have gone extinct. “The top 10 songbirds we grew up with are […]

Rapper, rocker compete in eco-reality show

Rapper Ludacris and rocker Tommy Lee will be teaming up for a new eco-reality series called Battleground Earth. Together, the motley crew (!) will compete in various challenges aimed at highlighting green issues — though the show is actually “designed to emphasize entertainment over eco-preaching.” Hmm … ya think?

E.O. Wilson calls for kids to be set free outside, scripted activities be damned

Renowned biologist and naturalist E.O. Wilson regaled the crowd at last week’s Aspen Environment Forum with his wit and wisdom during an on-stage interview. A choice segment: The worst thing you can do to a child, in my opinion, is take them on a hike through a botanical garden where there are the names of […]