Climate Culture

Research on changing behavior

Frank Zaski is a retired auto executive who has made something of a name for himself by pursuing a campaign to get shopping mall owners to turn down the heat. He put together some interesting thoughts on how to get people to use energy more wisely:

Umbra on leather vs. pleather shoes

Hi Umbra, As a devoted vegetarian, I try to make it a point to avoid leather footwear. However, after too many hours of deep thought on the subject, I am now conflicted about the environmental ramifications of my choice to buy processed petroleum shoes, i.e., pleather. Leather is, after all, a natural material; pleather is […]

United States scores badly in world environmental assessment

The United States ranked poorly in a recent international environmental assessment, coming in 39th out of 149 countries. Nations were ranked according to their performance in key categories, including agriculture policies, air pollution, sanitation, greenhouse-gas emissions, and more. Countries in Europe scored well as a whole; seven of the top 10 nations were European: Switzerland, […]

Green films premiering at Sundance Film Festival

If you’re a super-hip journalist with awesome connections and a sweet gig, you’re spending a cush week writing about the Sundance Film Festival from snow- and celeb-covered Park City, Utah. If you’re me, you’re sitting in front of a computer screen in an office building in Seattle reading about all the super-hip journalists with the […]

Shorter work week bleg

I’m writing a short piece on the environmental benefits of a shorter work week. There’s lots of stuff out there on the social benefits (more time for family, better health, etc.) and the economic benefits (higher productivity, higher employment), but very little on the environmental benefits. If anybody out there has thoughts on the matter, […]

A review of six Central American coffees

Coffee surely counts as one of our more problematic daily pleasures. Java-slugging Grist readers should know that coffee deserves some of the blame for global warming. A lucid account by University of California-Santa Cruz historian Chris Brooks tells the sad story, which encompasses slave labor, razed rainforests, and the colonialism of the 19th century. Six […]

From Bling to Brothel

Air of mystery Hmm, should we buy the ridiculously expensive “green” MacBook Air, or the ridiculously expensive “green” Air Jordans? What do they think we are, Million Airs? Photo: Apple.com Under where? When it comes to what we wear under there, we prefer eco-lingerie … though, truthfully, we’re most happy when we’re wearing nothing at […]

Vegan vixen designs shoe collection

Everyone’s favorite gangsta (and Official Grist Girl-Crush) Natalie Portman has designed a collection of vegan shoes for specialty retailer Té Casan. Styles range from satin sandals to faux-patent pumps to ballet flats. “As a vegan, it’s been challenging finding designer shoes made of alternative materials,” Portman says. “This collection offers a great selection without compromising […]

How are you greening your suburban life?

Are you a green-living suburbanite? Do you want to tell your story to a major news organization? Even majorer than Grist?

Tell us about your creative green approaches to living in the suburbs. Have you replaced your lawn with switchgrass? Offered to install solar power for everyone in your cul-de-sac? Organized a carpool to a commuter-transit junction? Share your adventures below in comments.

Joel Stein of Time takes a poke at the locavores

The contrarian in me grinned when I read the concept. Time columnist Joel Stein pulls an anti-Pollan: He will cook dinner using only ingredients that traveled at least 3,000 miles from his home in L.A. And — deliciously — he will do his shopping at Whole Foods, which he declares “the local-food movement’s most treasured […]