Climate Culture

Off-road vehicle use has surged in Western wilderness areas

Motorized outdoor enthusiasts are converging in increasing numbers on Western public lands — not only in areas marked for such outdoor enthusiasm, but in wilderness areas where rules against off-roading are nearly impossible to enforce. Registration of all-terrain vehicles and motorbikes in four Western states tripled from 1998 to 2006. The surge is traceable to […]

When do green ads translate to green action?

The greening of the U.S. of A. still has a ways to go. We’re plundering Canada’s tar sands and mining the Midwest’s topsoil to keep our cars on the road. We lay waste to ton after ton of Chinese coal to fuel our cheap-stuff habit. And so on. But if our habits remain environmentally ruinous, […]

The wide world of green sports, in easily digestible nuggets

There are various and sundry things to report on the green sporting goings-on from the last — ahem — two months, so with no further ado: The synthetic-turf debate hits the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, The Nantucket Independent, the Port Washington News, and some small rag called The New York Times. Also, golfers at Luxembourg Airport […]

The ear as an underutilized data input port

I've been experimenting with audiobooks, not only because they may one day replace the tree-eating variety, but also because I like the idea of listening to a book while performing other less entertaining tasks. Meetings fit that definition but turn out not to be good candidates for other reasons.

My brain has two main data input ports: my ears and eyes. Of the two, my ears seem to be the least utilized. However, I didn't know if I could listen to a book and chew gum at the same time so I decided to test the idea out before I made a significant investment. I visited my public library's audiobook section to see what books are available and in what format.

It turns out that finding a device that will play them is much more difficult than it should be.

Consumers shopped less this holiday season, testing brand loyalty

Holiday retail sales took a hit this year, even at stores like Starbucks, Coach, and Target that enjoy strong customer loyalty. Expensive gas, dropping home prices, and an uncertain economy — or a society-wide trend toward reduced consumerism? Hey, we can dream.

It’s almost 2008, and Beijing’s air is still polluted

The city of Beijing has been striving to clear its air for the sake of the Olympic athletes who will descend upon the city this coming summer — but whether it will be able to pull off blue skies remains to be seen. Beijingers were warned to stay inside today, as pollution hit “as bad […]

The Best of Grist List 2007

Art attack With more subtlety than a “wash me” message, reverse graffiti artists have hit the streets to take a bite out of grime. And as to the softer side of urban art? Knitta, please. Photo: Alexandre Orion Go fuzz yourself The hatas who wanted to give Knut the boot better watch their backs ’cause […]

Online shopping better for the earth than going to the mall, says study

Online shopping is better for the planet than multiple trips to the mall, says a somewhat ill-timed study. (Start your online shopping today, spend $3,000,000 for shipping.) “Using several assumptions and data from several authoritative sources, we can reasonably estimate that nearly [500,000 metric tons] of carbon dioxide are kept out of the atmosphere by […]

Top green music stories of 2007

Here are the Official Top Green Music Stories of 2007, listed in very particular order and determined via a very scientific process (a combination of my memory and Grist’s archives): 5. Sheryl Crow proposes a one-square limit on toilet-paper use; TP-users fail to get joke. 4. Oscar awarded to Inconvenient Truth‘s eco-song. 3. Industry-wide search […]

Top green celeb stories of 2007

Here are the Official Top Green Celeb Stories of 2007, listed in very particular order and determined via a very scientific process (a combination of my memory and Grist’s archives): 5. Brad Pitt adopts Maddox Pax Thien Zahara New Orleans. 4. Leo DiCaprio releases 11th Hour, which sinks into obscurity faster than the Titanic. 3. […]