Climate Culture

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  • 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.

    Grist staff Culture

  • 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 […]

    Sarah K. Burkhalter Culture

  • 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 […]

    Sarah K. Burkhalter & Sarah van Schagen Culture

  • 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 […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • 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 […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • 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. […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • When is a Tundra a better buy than a Prius?

    This never fails to fascinate me:

    fuel consumption_328
    The chart shows how much fuel is consumed over 15,000 miles by cars of different fuel efficiencies.

    The curve matters a lot. It means that from the perspective of fuel conservation, it's not terribly important to trade in your Honda Civic to buy a Prius. But it's hugely important to trade in your Dodge Durango for a Toyota Tacoma.

    I'll use some rough numbers to illustrate. You trade in your Civic, which averages about 32 miles per gallon, and buy a Prius, which gets a whopping 47 mpg. You've bumped up by 15 mpg -- a big deal, right?

    Sort of. Over the next 15,000 miles of driving, you'll have reduced your fuel consumption by 150 gallons. That's fine. But consider what happens when you upgrade your SUV. That's where the real action is.

    Eric de Place Culture

  • Top British scientist tells women to stop drooling over gas-guzzling males

    Hey ladies, wondering how to help fight climate change? It’s simple: just stop encouraging men who waste resources! In particular, said U.K. climate scientist David King this week, “stop admiring young men in Ferraris.” King’s comments were immediately pounced upon — not by feminists, but by Ferrari owners, who protested that their vehicles spew less […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • Fat-fueled speedboat will undertake second circumnavigation attempt

    One of our favorite heroes is back in action. Pete Bethune, who attempted to set a global circumnavigation record in a biodiesel-powered speedboat in early 2007 — and donated his own ass fat to the fuel mix to garner publicity — has announced a second attempt, kicking off in March 2008. Baby got back onboard.

    Grist staff Culture

  • Umbra on organic mattresses

    Dear Umbra, I need a new mattress and really want to buy one that is not doused in chemicals — in other words, an organic mattress. I’ve searched a number of sites online and have been horrified by the prices. They are really, really expensive! How bad is it if I buy a regular old […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture