Climate Culture
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Josie Maran launches eco-cosmetics line, ends dance career
Model Josie Maran may not have made it past the first round of Dancing With the Stars last night, but she’s got plenty else to celebrate this month — including the launch of her eponymous eco-conscious cosmetics line. Available (for now) at Barneys New York and San Francisco, Josie’s line includes products with carefully chosen […]
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Britain will phase out incandescent light bulbs
Britain announced a voluntary initiative today that will phase out traditional incandescent light bulbs in the country by 2011. Officials predict that phasing in compact fluorescent lights will keep up to 5.5 million tons of carbon dioxide a year out of the atmosphere. Brilliant! “Britain is leading the way in getting rid of energy-guzzling light […]
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This family is sticking with eco-alternatives
This summer, my family and I took an overnight trip to Chicago that started out pleasant enough. We were well packed and tidy. Just before boarding our train, my husband took a few pictures of us, joking that this would begin our slow descent into madness. Consider the alternatives. Photo: iStockphoto Descent into madness. That […]
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Time to reinvest in the school-lunch program
At private schools across the country, good cafeteria food is becoming as de rigueur as French classes taught by native speakers, Associated Press reports. Schoolyard vegetable gardens bloom, tended by future Ivy Leaguers under the watch of “sustainability coordinators.” In the kitchen, trained cooks transform that bounty into food worthy of enjoying, not merely enduring. […]
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The road to disodium inosinate is paved with good intentions
Mea culpa. That’s the only way I can honestly write anything about getting older kids to eat healthy foods. Because I’ve been a sucker for the look my 11-year-old gets on her face if I plop down a bowl of nuclear-orange SpongeBob mac-and-cheese in front of her. Sheer joy: that’s the only way to describe […]
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New electric bike spiffy but spendy
The Pi electric bicycle from Electrobike is engineered with cradle-to-cradle design, assembled in California almost entirely from local components, can go 25 miles in motor-only mode before being plugged in, has a recyclable battery, and produces zero emissions, natch. Intrigued? It can soon be yours for a mere $7,500!
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Umbra on kids’ birthday parties
Dear Umbra, I have a wonderful daughter who is just about to turn 5. She is currently the only grandchild and niece to our families, and therefore has everything she needs (still less than many kids we know, but plenty). Therein lies my dilemma: I don’t want the plastic detritus and clutter that come along […]
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An illustration and explanation of today’s tainted toys
Seems you can’t turn around these days without hearing about some trusted toy being yanked from the shelves. (Dora, we hardly knew ya!) If you want to keep on top of the latest recalls, check out the Consumer Product Safety Commission database or BabyCenter’s product recall finder. Meanwhile, we offer a graphic cheat sheet below, […]
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Where to turn when you’re sick of disposable doodads
Block to basics. Photo: iStockphoto Keeping up with Ken and Barbie got you down? Check out these companies invested in making eco-friendlier playthings for your little ones. (And read about one mother’s no-crap crusade.) Dwelling These soft, handmade toys are created by a women’s knitting collective in Kenya, under the guidance of a nonprofit that […]
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Can a crusade against crap toys ever succeed?
Is it just me, or is anyone else sick of fairies? Because personally I am sick to hell of wee folk and their tiresome fantasy ilk — unicorns with rainbow horns, mermaids with cotton-candy hair, and tarty princesses. Oh, I’m especially sick of the princesses. Is there some unwritten law that princesses have to dress […]
