Climate Culture

Balls to the Wall

Global warming hits sports world, sports world hits back Forget the safety of coastal dwellers — let’s focus on the truly important question. What is global warming going to do to sports? As Sports Illustrated reports in a cover story on climate change, fans are already being forced to adapt. The too-sweaty Miami Dolphins have […]

Umbra on landfills vs. incinerators

Hi Umbra, Is there an environmentally preferable choice between sending your trash to a landfill or an incinerator? I know to think of the three R’s first, but what’s the better way to dispose of the remainder? Incinerators convert waste into energy but generate air pollution. Landfills (ideally) recover and utilize methane but much of […]

A chat with Inconvenient Truth co-producer and Hollywood bigwig Lawrence Bender

Meet Lawrence Bender, the Hollywood producer who lent his big-screen savoir faire to the success of the Oscar-winning sensation An Inconvenient Truth. Lawrence Bender. It’s not Bender’s first brush with Oscar fame. He produced Academy Award best-picture nominees Good Will Hunting and Pulp Fiction, as well as Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill, and other Quentin Tarantino […]

Umbra on disposing of toxic chemicals

Dear Umbra, Now that I’ve caught the environmental bug, I don’t know what to do with the toxic cleaning products (e.g., Ajax) that I have on hand. As a bulk buyer, I’ve got 5 to 6 bottles in my garage. Is it better to use them up, throw them away, or just have them stay […]

Lisa Day of socially conscious film company Participant Productions answers questions

Lisa Day. What work do you do? I am the vice president of social action and advocacy at Participant Productions. What does your company do? Participant is a film company with a twist — we only make “issue” movies, and for each movie we create social-action campaigns. Our films have included An Inconvenient Truth and […]

Star is driving a converted electric car

AC Propulsion announced delivery of their first eBox to Tom Hanks. Its a Scion xB with the engine replaced by a 35 kW lithium ion battery -- delivering an impressive 150 mile range. And for $55k, they'll upgrade your Scion, too.

And I had no idea Tom Hanks was such a regular guy. From the press release:

Just before he drove off, silently, in his new eBox, Hanks observed, "There are three electric cars sitting on the moon, and now another one in my garage. The eBox makes even more sense in Los Angeles than in the Taurus-Littrow Valley of the moon. I can drive all weekend, hauling dogs and helping my friends move, and the only reason I'll need to stop at a gas station is for beef jerky and lottery tickets."

Tom Hanks: Trekkie and a fiend for beef jerky. And apparently the go-to guy in Hollywood when starlets can't find anyone to help them move apartments over the weekend.

On greening your roommates

I live in an apartment with roommates and will probably stay in this living situation for a few more years. How do I make the transition to a more environmentally conscious style of living without annoying them, or making them think I’m weird? For example, I really want to begin composting, but I doubt they […]

From Aliens to Australians

Roswell that ends well Says Yahoo! News: “A former Canadian defense minister is demanding governments worldwide disclose and use secret alien technologies obtained in alleged UFO crashes to stem climate change.” And nothing we could say would make that funnier. Photo: iStockphoto They dream of greenie Generation Insomnia is growing up in Britain as half […]

My aborted adventure on Fox

I’ll tell you a little secret. Late last week, for a few brief, surreal hours, I was scheduled to appear on the Fox News show Hannity & Colmes to discuss … well, allegedly the greening of the Oscars, but as anyone who’s seen the show knows, the real topic was always going to be the […]

Share with friends and family

I just talked with a reporter from CNS News — a right-wing media site — about the Al Gore pseudo-scandal. Who knows how my comments will end up being represented in the piece. Probably something like, "Al Gore … does it … with … hogs." But just to keep a public record, here are the […]