Climate Culture

Umbra on eco-tips in event programs

Dear Umbra, My bat mitzvah is coming up, and at my synagogue, we give out programs. This year, in my program, I would like to include some tips to lead a more eco-friendly life (when to turn off lights, etc.). Will you please help me with these ideas? Talia Minnetonka, Minn. Dearest Talia, Mazel tov! […]

Movie, music bring awareness to conflict gems

A diamond is forever. A diamond is a girl's best friend. Lucy in the sky with diamonds. Neil Diamond.

Call it bling, call it ice, call it the most beautifulest piece of sparkly you've ever seen and yes-yes-yes-I'll-marry-you. Diamonds are more than just super-polished rocks. They symbolize true love and economic status. They adorn everything from ring fingers to pierced ears, gangsta grillz to bra straps.

But a recent string of films, music, and media coverage is beginning to shed light on the, shall we say, less-than-sparkling reputation of the industry that produces these gems. The New York Times has even called it "Hollywood's multifaceted cause du jour."

From Prince to Prints

Purple reign How could he just leave u standing, alone in a world that’s so cold warm? The Charles currently known as prince is recruiting climate-change bigwigs, labeling his Duchy, and cooking up other eco-plans. He’s also giving up his little red Corvette. Photo: Anwar Hussein Collection / ROTA / WireImage.com The big O Grist […]

Bra-vo

Victoria’s Secret pledges to end use of endangered-forest paper in catalogs The parent company of sexed-up retailer Victoria’s Secret announced yesterday that it will nip a bad trend in the bud: sourcing its catalog paper from endangered forests. Succumbing to two years of pestering from ForestEthics and other green groups, U.S.-based Limited Brands agreed to […]

The eco-Martha greens parties and gift-giving

Eco-guru Danny Seo, otherwise known as the Asian male green incarnation of Martha Stewart, has jumped headfirst this year into the world of publishing. His book Simply Green: Parties launched this summer, and now he's released the second in the series, this one focused on gift-giving.

While I can't support all the ideas in the book (Dryer sheets as wrapping paper? Really?), and a few of the crafts are a bit involved (washable soap gift tags, a chandelier made from tree branches and holiday cards), some of the suggestions are ingenious. Ever thought of using old VHS video tape as ribbon? Yeah, me neither, but it actually looks pretty cool. Ditto for the fruit bowls made from those old cardboard globes (cut in half of course).

Both books (Parties and Giving) are available now via Grist's new Amazon store. And we get a small cut for everything purchased there ... so get to shoppin'!

From Dancing to Dumping

Crappy feet Violence! Homosexuality! Anti-Christianity! Environmentalism! Beware the dangerous propaganda lurking in the “darkest, most disturbing feature-length animated film ever offered by a major studio.” (That, friends, is what we like to call a tap smear.) Photo: © Warner Bros. Pictures Bear ass Endangered giant pandas of the female persuasion are ready to mate for […]

A review of Happy Feet, the wildly successful musical-penguin eco-flick

Dear Children of America, I used to be one of you. I used to beg and wheedle and whine and kick and scream to go to the cartoons. Any cartoons. Mumble channels Gregory Hines in Happy Feet. Photo: © Warner Bros. Pictures There was just something about those drawings-come-to-life (computer animation was just a twinkle […]

Moby reflects on his new “best of” album and his not-so-new social activism

Moby stops to chat about his new album Go, and his politics. Photo: Danny Clinch Earlier this month, DJ-turned-pop-star Moby released Go, a two-disc “best of” collection featuring songs from his multi-platinum albums and a new track with vocals from Debbie Harry. But despite reaching that benchmark, this is not your typical self-indulgent star. While […]

The newest trend for green celebs

You heard it here first, folks.

A couple of weeks ago, Lance Bass spilled his green landscaping secrets (aka hungry goats) to Grist at the Environmental Media Awards. Now TMZ.com is reporting that Lance is touting the joys of goat-powered lawn mowing on his MySpace page.

Hmmm. Could goats be on the verge of supplanting the Prius as the celebrity eco-trend du jour?

The latest hipster trend

Some folks on the right are having fun with this article about ... brace yourselves ... ecosexuals:

Welcome to the latest turn of the wheel in the obsessive trend-creating machine that brought us "metrosexuals." Ecosexuals are an evolving breed of city dweller for whom keeping green is every bit as important in their romantic life as in their choice of household cleanser, dinner food, or wall paint. Sure, everyone has a checklist of qualities they want in a mate: smart, funny, good-looking, six-figure potential, listens to Beck, and so on. But now we're adding characteristics like "sexy conservationist" or "romantic recycler" to the list.

It's easy to make fun of this kind of self-righteous, finicky elitism, especially reading stuff like this: