Climate Culture

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.

Jason Edens, rural solar advocate, answers questions

Jason Edens. Where do you work? I work at the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance, a grassroots nonprofit organization whose mission is to make solar power accessible to people of all income levels. What does your organization do? At RREAL, we install solar heating systems onto the homes of low-income families qualifying for energy assistance. In […]

E-Waste Not, E-Want Not

Washington Gov. Gregoire signs far-reaching e-recycling law On Friday, Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) signed into law the toughest electronic-waste recycling measure in the U.S. — good news for a state brimming with Microsoft techies who upgrade their systems once a quarter. The bill will require TV and computer makers to collect, transport, and dispose […]

Tiiiiiime Is on Our Side, Yes It Is

Time cover story propels global warming into the mainstream “Be worried. Be very worried.” So warns the latest issue of Time magazine, which focuses on every Johnny-come-lately’s favorite topic: global warming. The cover story — the contents of which will be old news for devotees of scrappy nonprofit environmental magazines that need and deserve your […]

From Rodents to Rainforests

I’d put my acorns in those cheeks Squirrel sex is hot. So hot, in fact, that Canadian researchers are studying the relationship between global warming and the mating habits of flying squirrels — small rodents that glide from bush to bush. And to think the government’s decision to fund this research was questioned. Nuts, we […]

This Is Your Train on Drugs

Environmental Defense and Ad Council debut edgy new climate ads You know what would really inspire us to turn off our thermostats, sell our cars, and fight global warming with all that we’ve got? Seeing a little girl almost get hit by a train. Or so seems to be the thinking of Environmental Defense and […]

Rabbi Michael Lerner calls on environmentalists to develop a spiritual vision

As we strolled through downtown Seattle in search of coffee, Rabbi Michael Lerner casually pointed over my shoulder and said, “That’s where I was in jail.” Rabbi Michael Lerner. Photo: Mark Werlin. He was referring to his membership in the Seattle Seven, a group of Vietnam War protesters whose 1970 arrest and trial sparked a […]

Umbra on baby nurseries

Dear Umbra, I am pregnant and wondering if you know of any websites or resources for setting up a nursery — for green furniture, bedding, and mattresses. We’re painting the nursery with low-VOC paint and looking for low-VOC carpeting, and we gratefully accept used toys and clothes from friends and family. Janine OlsenPine Brook, N.J. […]

From Portman to Polo

It’s better than Mickey Mouse Club Just when you think Natalie Portman can’t get any cuter without doing irreparable harm to the space-time continuum — she’s immune to bad hair days, we tell you! — it turns out she used to perform in the World Patrol Kids, which rocked such adorably memorable kiddy tunes as […]