Climate Culture

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  • Umbra on peeing at the beach

    Dear Umbra, When at a beach with no bathrooms, is it better, environmentally speaking, to urinate in the ocean or behind a sand dune? Tom Greenville, N.C. Dearest Tom, A good, silly summer question to consider as regards our impact on the natural environment. There are non-environmental concerns with beach urination as well, such as […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • More rockin’ for the planet

    Seattleites, take note:

    For anyone not willing to stand on an ice floe in subzero temperatures or pony up the cash to make it out to one of the other Live Earth concerts, you have another option. Local public-radio darling KEXP is hosting a benefit concert on July 7, 2007, to raise funds for the Shoreline Solar Project. The project promotes the use of solar energy and has installed solar photovoltaic systems in a couple of local schools. Part of the show will be streamed live on the KEXP website.

    What about other cities? Anybody know of other enviro-shows happening on July 7?

    Katy Balatero Culture

  • From Sexy to Sexier

    Who doesn’t appreciate a good asset? G-Money is trying to get ScarJo on board for Live Earth. And why not? She’s got great assets — which is, alas, more than can be said for the rockers in Antarctica. We heart geeks and all, but they ain’t no Kelly. Photo: John Sciulli/ WireImage.com Cue violin music […]

    Katharine Wroth & Sarah K. Burkhalter Culture

  • Noah Scape

    Big-budget, zero-carbon comedy Evan Almighty opens today Today marks the debut of a movie that is, depending whom you ask, either a shining star in the eco-entertainment pantheon or a crass manifestation of green gone bad. Evan Almighty, with Steve Carell as a latter-day Noah, bills itself as “the first major motion picture comedy to […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • Communities taking action for clean water

    Communities around the country are getting wise to the threat posed by the common practice of flushing old drugs, which inevitably end up in rivers after passing straight through sewage treatment facilities, feminizing fish, mutating frogs, and worse, probably.

    One recent effort in coastal Maine collected hundreds of pounds of drugs for proper disposal, but this impressive total was crushed by another grassroots "clean sweep" that collected over a ton of pharmaceuticals plus an estimated $500,000 in narcotics in Michigan's Upper Peninsula in April.

    These initiatives make the point very well that there is no "away" when it comes to society's waste. More resources and collection program info for Berkeley, Calif. and the states of Missouri, Maine, and Washington are listed by the Green Pharmacy Campaign here.

    Erik Hoffner Culture

  • 15 Green Musicians and Bands

    Give a round of applause to these green-leaning musicians, then cheer for your own favorites in the comments section at the bottom of the page.   Photo: Danny Clinch Pearl Jam These down-to-earth rockers made headlines during their tour last year when they donated a total of $100,000 to nine organizations working on climate change, […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • In Black

    Hey, L.A.-area folk — if you’re around this weekend, head to the Jazz Bakery in Culver City at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 24, to watch talented teenage jazz musicians In Black. (Here’s their MySpace, with songs for your listening pleasure.) The Culver City stop is part of the group’s climate-focused Solutions Tour, and you […]

    Sarah K. Burkhalter Culture

  • Well, There’s One Thing They Can Agree On

    National party conventions aim to go green You’ve maybe noticed that green is the Hot New Thing these days — and the U.S. political arena is no exception. The 2008 Democratic and Republican national conventions both plan to get hip to the greenness. Denver, Colo., site of the Democratic potlatch, is primed to beat eco-friendly […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • A valedictory to Colin Fletcher

    For most of us who care about ecology and the environment, there was some personal experience that brought us there. For me, it was wilderness hiking, beginning 30-plus years ago in the Grand Canyon and continuing across the American West. Two books helped instigate my journeys and those of thousands of fellow adventure-seekers and nature-lovers. The Welshman who wrote them, the intrepid and blessedly individualistic Colin Fletcher, died earlier this month, at 85.

    I can't recall which I read first -- The Man Who Walked Through Time, in which Fletcher chronicled his 400-mile hike through the Grand Canyon, or his compulsively detailed guide to backpacking, The Complete Walker. That's probably because I read them both repeatedly and obsessively.

    Charles Komanoff Culture

  • Umbra on solar funding

    Dear Umbra, I have been looking high and low regarding ongoing tax credits and incentives for solar installations on private residences. I may be looking for something that doesn’t even exist, but the rumors certainly do. Is there some website I can confer with to see if there really is such a thing? I have […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture