Climate Culture

A conversation with climate journalist Elizabeth Kolbert

Elizabeth Kolbert. Over the past year, a perfect storm of scientific studies, dire weather events, and media coverage lifted global warming onto the mainstream national agenda. No writing had more impact than a series of closely observed pieces in The New Yorker by journalist Elizabeth Kolbert, which have now been collected and expanded into a […]

The barnstorming band that’s changing the world, one campus at a time

Singing a new song: Guster rocks out for eco-awareness. Photo: Ian B. Johnson.   After welcoming some 1,500 fans to a concert at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash., last week, Ryan Miller — the curly haired front man of pop/rock band Guster — asked the audience if they had noticed that he […]

Media Shower: Green is the new black

Taking a cue from Alex over at WorldChanging, I'd like to point out all the print pubs covering enviro issues.

From Thandie to Tahoe

Newton’s first law of vandalism On a scale of one to WTF, we rate this a solid WTF: Greenpeace activist leaves anti-SUV sticker on random land yacht; random land yacht turns out to belong to B-list movie star Thandie Newton; Newton takes anti-SUV message to heart, buys Prius, writes impassioned letter to fellow celebs urging […]

We’re in it!

(photo credit: Mark Seliger, exclusively for Vanity Fair.)

I have here in my hot little hands the latest issue of Vanity Fair, which, though alleged not to hit newsstands until April 11, mysteriously arrived at the Fremont PCC several days early.

It's the "green" issue, with great feature pieces from Al Gore and Mark Hertsgaard, and a 20-or-so-page photo spread with environmental notables of various sorts -- including the "E-gitators," pictured above. Go e-gitators! (I guess that makes Chip's new kid an e-gitator tot.) From left to right: Graham Hill of Treehugger, Jennifer Boulden and Heather Stephenson of IdealBite, Laurie David of StopGlobalWarming, and our very own Chip Giller.

Debate rages about who came off as more rakish and handsome, Graham or Chip. I think my wife more or less nailed it when she said, "Graham is more WB handsome; Chip is more Discovery Channel handsome." I guess we can live with that. (Good call keeping the stubble, Chip!)

But ladies ... can we talk about the Mary-Tyler-Moore-style sweater belts? Did this get trendy when I wasn't looking? Cause I don't care if your belt is made of bamboo and crafted by workers in a well-paid Guatemalan peasant collective, sweater belts is fugly, and I'd hate to see such lovely, talented, committed e-gitators end up getting fugged.

Anyway, as far as I know, none of the content is available online yet -- so just go out and buy it on a newsstand near you. You can put Chip on your wall!

He's come a long way, baby.

Two new nature books for city slickers

Lately, green is the new black in the American metropolis. Here in New York City, the cabbies are driving hybrids and the fashionistas are wearing organic jeans. Even in my decidedly un-hip Brooklyn neighborhood, the corner deli sells organic milk and cookies. Green is busting out all over. Photo: iStockphoto. Green-tinted consumerism is probably gaining […]

Umbra on talking to friends about climate change

Dear Umbra, I need a good stick-it-to-ya comeback to friends who, while they acknowledge global warming and hear me rattle off all that is bad about it, are liking the direct effects, which right now are sunnier and warmer days. What can I do or say to get them to snap back into reality, especially […]

Carsten Henningsen, green mutual-fund founder, answers questions

Carsten Henningsen. What work do you do? I am the cofounder of Portfolio 21, a global mutual fund investing for a sustainable future. I am also chair of Progressive Investment Management, the investment adviser to Portfolio 21. How does it relate to the environment? Portfolio 21 (the 21 is for 21st century) invests in companies […]

From Pam to Pitt

We particularly look forward to the melons appetizer Everyone from brawny Texas firefighters to glitzy Hollywood celebs is going veggie, which just goes to show tofu’s power to bring not only indigestion, but peace to the world. Maybe the fellows from Engine 2 should stop by the latest chichi bistro and eat from Pam’s menu. […]

On his book, Last Child in the Woods

This is the second part of my interview with Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. The first part is here.

Louv is not just interested in healthier kids and families, though that's obviously his abiding passion. He also realizes in a way few other environmental leaders seem to that connecting kids with nature is vital for the future of the environmental movement and, well, the environment. As he says below, kids learn about environmental problems earlier and earlier these days, slowly coming to associate the environment with doom and hopelessness.

But this next generation has perhaps the greatest challenge ever faced by humanity: to remake society in a sustainable way. They need hope, and they need that sense of wonder and visceral connection that comes only from getting out into nature.