Climate Culture

In which I stumble upon one of the most happenin’ environmental conferences in the country

Last weekend I abandoned my cot in the supply closet at the Grist office to get out of Seattle for a spell and see the world. Specifically, I went to help celebrate a friend's birthday down in Eugene, Oregon, and go to a Clumsy Lovers show in Corvallis.  Sadly, the band's bass player had strep, but I did discover that Corvallis' Sunnyside Up bakery makes a tasty and cleverly-named treat called the "you're doin' a heckuva job brownie (with raspberries)." Hopefully a portion of its hefty $2.25 price tag goes towards ameliorating the heckuva disaster response that continues in New Orleans today ...

The even more exciting part of last weekend's adventure, though, was the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference going on at the University of Oregon campus in Eugene.  Though my emergence from the dark grey raincloud known as Seattle had me sporting the classic President-Bush-squinting-into-the-sun look all weekend, I somehow managed to spot a flyer for the conference and showed up just in time to see excellent keynote addresses by two figures that Grist readers are familiar with:

From Principles to Principals

A first: Rock musicians refuse Hummers All the cool bands, from heavyweights Smashing Pumpkins and Talking Heads to up-and-coming indie darlings Trans Am, The Thermals, and Four Tet, have given the official H2 salute to big-money offers from Hummer to license their music for commercials. Said Thermals singer Hutch Harris, “It’s just so evil.” Word. […]

Stats on how much Americans pay for essentials

$1.99 — price of a gallon of 1% milk at Fred Meyer, a big-box chain store, in Seattle $5.69 — price of a gallon of organic 1% milk at Whole Foods in Seattle $4.29 — price of a Big Mac Extra Value Meal at a Seattle McDonald’s (Big Mac, medium fries, medium soft drink) $3.65 […]

Academy Awards nominees include several green films

So what do perch, penguins, Pocahontas, and Participant Productions have in common (other than alliteration)? Oscar.

This Sunday night, the 78th Annual Academy Awards will feature a bevy of nominated films with environmental themes -- from pesky perch to egotistic energy execs to badgered, um, badgers.

If you couldn't care less about the movies and you're more into people watching, check out this week's Grist List to see what eco-swag green celebs will be receiving.

For the rest of you, the nominees are ...

While the wealthy may strive for “simple living,” the poor try simply surviving

In the early 1990s, I knew a 10-year-old boy named Davy who had never been to Toys “R” Us. When I told his story, people would often respond to this part of his life with a sort of sentimental longing. “How wonderful that he has never been to that awful place,” they’d say. Davy’s lack […]

Umbra on love

Dear Umbra, I long to have a partner join in (or be excited and supportive) when I participate in an environmental event, or write a well-researched and poignant letter about a pressing environmental issue. I have broken off three serious relationships in the past few years because I decided the men were not environmentally sensitive […]

An interactive illustration of how the other half lives

Click on the image to see a full-size version. The wrong side of the tracks: we often talk about a figurative gulf between rich and poor in the United States, but as this phrase suggests, there is also a literal chasm between the classes. If you live in poverty in this country, odds are you […]

Umbra on wedding registries

Dear Umbra, I am getting married and would like to register for some socially and environmentally responsible household and kitchen items: pots, pans, etc. I found plenty of resources on organic cotton and hemp, but other than that I have come up with nothing! Paige Doughty Cambridge, Mass. Dearest Paige, This is a potential stumper. […]

From Willie to Waste

Can you hot box in that thing? Willie Nelson’s on the road again … in a limited-edition “Willie’s Willys” pickup, which will run on pure BioWillie, natch. Just 500 of the re-created 1941 Willys hot rods were made — and one can be yours for the low, low price of $97,000. Willie’s BioWillie-run Willie’s Willys […]

From Hilton to Honey

Plaster of Paris Paris Hilton got covered in white powder, and no, she wasn’t partying with Kate Moss. Instead, the famous-for-being-famous socialite was walking next to fashionista Julien Macdonald, whose fur-heavy designs aroused the ire of PETA. So they pelted him with flour, hoping he’d “rise to the occasion.” Dude, you got antique‘d. Elle in […]