Climate Culture

Umbra on eco-friendly paint

Dear Umbra, I just bought a home that needs lots of TLC, and would like to do it in a way that is best for the environment and my health. Do you have any advice about the best choice of interior paint? Every room in the house desperately needs new paint, but I’d like to […]

Umbra on cell phones vs. land lines

Dear Umbra, In this day and age, when many people seem to be getting rid of their “land lines” in favor of cell phones, I find myself wondering how these two options stack up against one another from an environmental-impact perspective. Doug QuirkEugene, Ore. Dearest Doug, I have a fairly strong anti-cell-phone bias. I am […]

Swanky New York event heats up the green scene

Emily Gertz is a regular contributor to WorldChanging.com, and an internet content and strategy consultant for nonprofits. She has written on environmental policy for BushGreenwatch, and on the intersections of environment, culture, art, and activism for The Bear Deluxe and other independent alternative publications. Thursday, 26 Jan 2006 New York, N.Y. I have seen the […]

From Pee Pee to Po-Po

Visualize world pees If you’re a fan of answering nature’s call, in nature, urine luck. Pees on Earth is a collection of photos by Ellen Jong, who documented herself poppin’ squats all over the world. She hopes the book has a trickle-down effect, inspiring others to be one with their environs. Is this what they […]

Only concrete alternatives will cajole people out of the suburbs

Often, the first step to helping people make better choices is showing them that there are choices.

One of the biggest and most important -- albeit frequently overlooked -- steps toward combating global warming, improving public health, reducing air pollution, and restoring a sense of community and fellow-feeling to American life is changing the structure of our communities.

Right now, conventional wisdom is that the choice is between suburbs -- big houses, plenty of privacy and safety, big, cheap retail readily available -- and tight, cramped, dangerous, dirty living in a city, with corner stores the only source of provisions. This perception is off, but it's not that far off. There are still too few concrete examples of dense, safe, mixed-use walkable communities with all the conveniences of the suburbs.

So, forthwith, Dave's Two-Step Plan for Cleaner, Safer Communities:

Umbra on video games

Dear Umbra, After reading some heart-rending, gut-wrenching articles on global warming, I’ve decided that I want to do something about it. I’ve started by vowing never to buy a car, or get a driver’s license. But I happen to love video games. Nothing is going to make me stop playing my video games. As I […]

Al’s Well That Pens Well

Al Gore to publish new book on global warming The self-proclaimed “former next president of the United States” — currently at the Sundance Film Festival (and, may we point out, looking quite natty) to promote his new documentary about global warming, An Inconvenient Truth — has announced that he’ll soon be coming out with a […]

A recyclable museum houses Gregory Colbert’s photos of charismatic animals

The Nomadic Museum … wandering the globe. Photos: Gregory Colbert. Over the next few months, hundreds of thousands of animal lovers, art lovers, and the odd Bill or Billy or Mac or Buddy will take a left off Santa Monica Boulevard and head down toward the Nomadic Museum, an extraordinary structure made entirely of reusable […]

Umbra on fireplaces

Dear Umbra, We pile on socks and sweaters, but there are just times you need more warmth. Should we use the fireplace or our central (gas-powered) heater? Also, can you let us know which is better, natural firewood or those chemically infused logs that claim lower particulate matter is released? Kas SutDavis, Calif. Dearest Kas, […]

From Fill-Ups to Free Parking

In other news, vegans to eat 30 cows in 30 days Leaving London this week, a pair of drivers set off on a trip around the world, pledging to use fewer than 50 tanks of gas, hoping to “show people that in these hard environmental times they can save fuel.” By driving 14 hours a […]