Climate Culture

So much good stuff, so little time to blather about it

Dear readers, as of tomorrow, I’m on vacation, visiting my ancestral homeland (the American South), not to return until July 9. My plan is to test physiological limits: just how much sleeping can one person do in nine days? There were about a gazillion things I wanted to write about before leaving, but obviously coal […]

A guide to grilling without red meat

As July 4th approaches, it’s time to prepare for picnics and BBQs — and, if you’re eating less and less red meat these days, you’re probably devising alternative strategies for these occasions. There are two main approaches to dealing with this situation: substituting other foods in place of red meat, or bumping dishes that used […]

My farm hits the newstands

It’s startling to see an article in Gourmet — the “magazine of good living” — end with a man groping for a bag of potato chips. It’s even more startling when that man is you. That’s the precise position I found myself in a few days ago, when the July issue of Gourmet (unavailable online) […]

Films should change your perspective

Manufactured Landscapes.

The trailer alone beats an entire Bruce Willis movie. Can't wait for the flick.

Umbra on water filters

Dear Umbra, I drink a lot of water. I have a food-grade stainless-steel canteen, and I filter my tap water via a Brita. I try to minimize my purchase of plastics, and I try to avoid plastics being anywhere near my food or water. But herein lies my dilemma: I’ve never seen a water filter […]

Spit on Polish

Community advocates focus on dangers of nail salons They say a rising tide lifts all boats, and the rising tide of eco-awareness is now lifting … nail salons. The fume-filled shops are getting attention from groups eager to expose their health risks, which can include cancer and birth defects. The U.S. EPA has given two […]

Greenies read the NYT

Interesting (?): Three of the four top emailed NYT stories today (or at least, at this moment) have an environmental bent. “Waiter, There’s Deer in My Sushi” is about Japan’s quest to sushify various non-fish meats — deer! duck! horse! — as restrictions have gone into place to combat overfishing of tuna. “Enjoy Your Green […]

Do parents lose or gain by taking kids outdoors?

I'm a little bitter about not playing soccer.

Or softball. Or piano. I did take dance lessons, but the name "Klutzy Chrissy" didn't happen by accident.

My parents preferred to send me outside. Even in our Detroit neighborhood, which developed a reputation during the last 30 years of offering a wide assortment of crack houses, my friends and I explored the alleys while making sure to wear shoes as protection from broken bottles.

Ah, nature.

When journalists go too far

I could have been sitting across from a writer of US Weekly or OK Magazine, but I wasn't. I was sharing an hour of my morning with a journalist from Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ), one of the oldest and most respected newspapers in Switzerland. Granted, my interview was for their "softer" weekend edition, NZZ am Sonntag, but even that paper carries the weight of its weekday counterpart's esteemed name. That's why I was shocked to read a spuriously devised, albeit glamorous, story of my life when the article appeared.

Let's get one thing straight: The "journalist" did not slander my name. It was quite the opposite: He had me sharing a photo shoot with Mayor Bloomberg; saving sharks in Miami; buttering up old-school Sierra Club veterans; and convincing motorheads to shut off their cars in exchange for bikini-clad pictures. Ooh, how naughty of me!

He even quoted me in conversations -- on topics ranging from recycling batteries to rainforest preservation -- that never took place, built off of scenarios that never happened. Even the water I was drinking during the interview wasn't "glamorous" enough for him. He had me sucking back a Starbucks coffee after a whirlwind tour around the country. Note to future interviewers: I've never drunk coffee in my life.

Now you have that song in your head, don’t you?

As the Olympics kick off in Beijing next year, the infamous torch will travel 85,000 miles, the longest relay in Olympic history. Its ascension to the top of Mount Everest will be aided by a brand-new 67-mile highway. Um … China? Methinks this is not the best way to support your claim that you’re trying, […]