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  • 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

  • Shop till you drop? There’s a better way

    It's that time of year again. The bells are jingling and the registers are ring-ting-tingling, too. Black Friday has come and gone, and Cyber Monday orders are in the mail. Now we're wasting time in parking-lot traffic jams and long checkout lines, all the while trying to maintain our holiday cheer.

    The National Retail Federation predicts that Americans will spend $474.5 billion this holiday season. That's up 4 percent from last year's whopping $456.2 billion spent on clothes, video games, and hot tech toys.

    Do we really need to repeat history? Recent tradition, supported by plenty of well-crafted holiday advertisements, says "Yes."

    Our current state of consumer mania -- our manufactured wants, must-haves and can't-live-withouts -- was born during the post-World War II era, when our country was trying to rebuild its economy. The best strategy, according to retail analyst Victor Lebow, was to make consumption a way of life. And boy, have we ever!

    Annie Leonard Culture

  • Umbra on paint disposal

    Dear Umbra, A friend of mine is a painter. He is concerned about the environment and has been trying to find out how to dispose of his paint buckets, extra paint, and other supplies in a way that is eco-friendly, but he’s come up with nothing. We live in Chicago, and you would think that […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • Retailers beef up the packaging

    For Christmas last year, I received an iPod Nano (through which I now get my weekly fix of podcasts from NPR Environment, PRI Living on Earth, and of course, Grist). That the Nano weighs a mere 1.74 oz. and is so slim it easily gets lost in an overstuffed pocket is pretty impressive. Nearly as impressive, however, is that I walked out of the store toting this pygmie player inside an slick, white, matte, double-ply plastic behemoth of a bag, with sturdy woven cords that cinched the neck; it could have easily fit 100 Nanos with room several real apples to spare. I've been using it as a gym bag ever since.

    Apparently, that's exactly what Apple had in mind:

    Maywa Montenegro Culture

  • From Desire to Doherty

    Pimp my ride Before Seattle hustled to rename its brand-new streetcar, the city was all set with acronyms: the Experience Music Project (EMP), the Seattle Art Museum (SAM), and the South Lake Union Trolley. Ahem. Photo courtesy Kapow Coffee Rhino, no, no We appreciate the sentiment, Santa — really, we do — but if this […]

    Sarah K. Burkhalter & Sarah van Schagen Culture

  • Minnesota will ban mercury in cosmetics

    On Jan. 1, Minnesota will become the first state to ban mercury from mascara and other cosmetics. Which begs the question: Why the hell is there mercury in mascara in the first place?

    Grist staff Culture

  • A review of compact fluorescent bulbs

    Worth the switch — but which to pick? Photo: iStockphoto Part of our work here at Grist is to give advice to curious readers, and one thing we find ourselves saying a lot is, “Change those bulbs to CFLs!” But you can only socket to ’em so many times before such broad advice starts to […]

    Katharine Wroth Culture