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New Wal-Mart documentary may be a sign of upheavals to come
Last week’s release of Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price — not, for the most part, in movie theaters, but rather in “churches, family businesses, schools, living rooms, community centers, and parking lots,” as the film’s website puts it — marks a high-water moment in leftist media-based organizing. Image: walmartmovie.com. Director/producer Robert Greenwald adopted […]
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Chelsea Glintin’
Green amenities catching on in new housing complexes In Chelsea, Mass., new condos in the Forbes Park development come with access to a fleet of DaimlerChrysler Smart cars — two-seater mini-mobiles that get great mileage. Every unit at Buzz, a Dallas loft project, will include an eGo electric moped. They’re more useful than the traditional […]
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Umbra on composting toilets, again
Dear Umbra, I’m attempting to “green” my home, room by room. I’ve heard of low-flow toilets, but someone just told me about composting toilets. Do they smell bad? Will my grandmother use it or ask for an outhouse? Thanks for your wisdom! MoiraProvidence, R.I. Dearest Moira, Excellent, manageable room-by-room plan. What in tarnation?! Composting toilets […]
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From Bras to Breaks
Our cup punneth over Hot on the heels of Japan’s “Cool Biz” program — which let businessmen shed jackets and ties to save on AC — comes “Warm Biz,” which will let businesswomen … wear furry, microwaveable bras with matching hot pants. Hello, Kitty. What’s up Down Under? Our ‘stralian mates are touting cool fuels […]
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A Green Room of Her Own
Eco-friendly dorm room is part of a greening trend at Berkeley Eco-conscious college living: not just for off-campus hippies living 12 to a house anymore! At the University of California-Berkeley, sophomore Rachael Robertson lives in what’s being billed as America’s first green dorm room, replete with energy-saving devices and a free supply of natural toiletries. […]
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Comedian Larry David chats about making global warming funny
This Sunday night, you may find yourself crying over global warming. Crying because you’re laughing so hard, that is, thanks to Larry David — co-creator of Seinfeld and creator and star of Curb Your Enthusiasm — and his eco-activist wife, Laurie David. Larry David. Photo: HBO. At 8 p.m. (7 p.m. Central) on Nov. 20, […]
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Umbra on heating with bathwater
Dear Umbra, After a hot bath, I leave the water in the tub so the heat will go into the room. My husband says the heat saved is inconsequential. How would one calculate the BTUs saved this way? J. ReimanHelena, Mont. Dearest J., I do that too. I’m trying to heat the entire office building […]
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The Turin of the Screw
Italy Winter Olympics to be carbon-neutral, but enviros aren’t mollified All right, who’s ready for a “winning the green medal” joke? Us too! Organizers say the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy, will have no net impact on global climate disruption, thanks to energy efficiency, clean-energy tech, and tree planting to offset carbon dioxide […]
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From Cosmo to Cornhose
Hand’s across America Vermonter Thomas Hand — of Project BioBus and the Road to Detroit campaign, recently featured in our illustrious pages — now has a spot of honor in Cosmo‘s 2005 Bachelor Blowout. He describes his love of the outdoors and why a single flower bests a dozen roses. Two words: drea-my. Renew it […]
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Umbra on coffee
Dear Umbra, I am a seriously indulgent coffee drinker. Lately, there have been a ton of “green” coffee shops popping up. I like to support local coffee shops, and I want to believe that they are “shade-grown, fair-trade, organic,” but I’ve wondered if they are being honest. How do I know if they are legit? […]
