Climate Culture

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:

Umbra on weather-stripping

Dear Umbra, With rising heating costs on the horizon, we’re looking to install a storm door, seal gaps, etc., around the house to prevent air leaks and increase efficiency before old man winter arrives. What are some good resources (how-to’s, sustainable product suppliers, etc.) for the job? Scott Roswell, Ga. Dearest Scott, Hi-dee-ho, dee-ho, to […]

Population, that is

It's conventional wisdom that economic growth requires a growing population; thus the gnashing of teeth over shrinking numbers in, e.g., Italy. Last week, Fred Hiatt took a look at Japan, where the birthrate is down to 1.25 (2.1 is required to maintain a stable population) and the population shrank by about 21,000 last year.

Activist Sam Pratt, featured in a PBS documentary, answers Grist’s questions

Sam Pratt. What work do you do? I advise citizens’ groups and campaigns on how to win against the odds, and I’m working on a manual of strategy and tactics for underdogs. When neighbors work closely together in a smart and structured way, there is no such thing as a “done deal” — no matter […]

Gift ideas and holiday cheer from Grist readers and staff

The holiday season is upon us, and you know what that means: bajillions of crazed consumers seeking sales assistants full of cheer, good tidings of markdowns, and the joy of reaching the last TMX Elmo just before that little old lady in the wheelchair does. Photo: iStockphoto What’s a jaded green to do? Turn to […]

From Say It to Spray It

Word. Beating out Sudoku, bird flu, and persistent vegetative state, the New Oxford American Dictionary’s word(s) of the year for 2006 is (are?) “carbon neutral.” Personally, we wonder what happened to lanced, santorum, and Maf54. Which is why they don’t let us write the dictionary. Photos: iStockphoto Tongue tried It’s a dream come true: a […]

A dispatch from an eco-showroom evening full of luxurious goods

Emily Gertz is an environmental journalist based in Brooklyn, N.Y., who has contributed to Grist, Plenty, WorldChanging, and other independent publications, and blogs at OneAtlantic.net. Emily Gertz. Thursday, 16 Nov 2006 New York, N.Y. I want to believe. I want to believe that we can create an ecologically sustainable and socio-economically just future for the […]