Climate Culture
All Stories
-
Umbra on Valentine’s Day
Dear Umbra, Do you have any advice on how to have a guilt-free, pleasurable Valentine’s Day? I would like to give my husband gifts that are good for him and the environment. Krista Ashley Gadsden, Ala. Dearest Krista, Love, love, love. Does greeting him at the door dressed in strategically placed hemp napkins count as […]
-
From Dreams to Desert
Girls. Crushing cars. We had a dream: Automobiles, being recycled. But first being crushed, slowly, by heavy machinery. All the while surrounded by skeezy dancing girls in bikinis. Well, we bring good news, brothers and sisters. The dream is real. The dream is real. Photo: Aachen Auto/Keith Bragg. Redressage in a bottle A lovelorn sailor […]
-
Two new photo books focus on food
In the valuable new book Fields of Plenty: A Farmer’s Journey in Search of Real Food and the People Who Grow It, author Michael Ableman rambles across the country in a VW van, visiting small-scale farmers to talk with them at the table and in the field. Vine and dandy. Photo: Chrissi Nerantzi. Not surprisingly, […]
-
Umbra on bamboo flooring
Dear Umbra, We will be putting in new flooring in the very near future. My first choice was hardwood, but I have recently read a lot about bamboo. Because it is renewable, it seems to be a better option. But how is it grown? Who is harvesting it? Are the people in the industry fair […]
-
Umbra on flooring options
Dear Umbra, If I have to replace my old carpet, what are the environmental pros and cons of the different choices? (Ceramic tile, carpet, or the laminate flooring sold at Home Depot seem to be the most common.) And can I recycle my old carpet? Claudia Bloom Mesa, Ariz. Dearest Claudia, I’m going to lay […]
-
From Bobby to Breeders
Do these pants make my opposition to wind farms look fat? Seeking to battle charges of out-of-touch, upper-class elitism, Kennedy scion Robert F. has taken up … modeling? Yup, he and his fam are featured in a new fashion campaign by sportswear maker GANT (in exchange for a “six-figure” partnership with RFK’s Waterkeeper Alliance). Tres […]
-
Al Gore and electric car star in films unveiled at Sundance
At 25 years of age, Sundance is the country’s premier festival of independent film. But a lot has changed over that quarter century. Well, actually, one thing has changed: m-o-n-e-y. There’s a ton of Hollywood cash spent at Sundance, and I could see it everywhere I looked last week. The “VIP” corporate parties on Main […]
-
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 […]
