Climate Culture

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  • Ferry Godfather

    Architect shows that reusing discarded materials can be chic Greens have been going on for years about the need to reuse society’s refuse. Now, a high-end modernist San Francisco architect named Olle Lundberg is showing that scavenging is not just for the poor and idealistic. The rich can play too! For instance, Lundberg lives on […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • Are there problems with the Prius?

    Tucked into the business sections of newspapers today is this story: The feds are investigating claims that Toyoto Prius engines may unexpectedly stall out at highway speeds.

    The development may be but a hiccup interruption for Toyota, as the automaker continues to press its green advantage on American consumers while American automakers stand pat (or worse) on fuel efficiency. After all, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received only 33 complaints about stalled engines -- a small number given the something like 75,000 Priuses on the road for the model years 2004 and 2005.

    On the other hand, if there is any credence to the claims, one can envision the concerns spiralling into a whirl of negative publicity for Toyota -- something that opponents of California's clean-car standards (e.g., GM) would certainly take quick advantage of. Here's hoping that there's no opening for a "Hybrid Veterans for Truth" campaign to get off the ground.

    Chip Giller Culture

  • Maybe She’s Born With It, Maybe It’s Labeling

    USDA won’t certify personal-care products as organic Makers of “natural” cosmetics, lotions, and potions, and the consumers who love them, are vexed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recent decision not to certify personal-care products as organic. The little green USDA organic seal, which now adorns many food products in the U.S., will not be […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • Umbra on reducing emissions, one person at a time

    Dear Umbra, I want to adopt the Kyoto treaty myself and adjust my lifestyle accordingly. No waiting, and to hell with George Bush! If my nation had adopted it, I’d have to be doing it anyway. So what is my per-capita fossil-fuel ration for the next 10 years, how do I measure it, how do […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • Salarymen of the World: Untie!

    Japan adopts “no-tie” look for summer to save energy The paradigmatically propriety-conscious Japanese bureaucrat may be loosening up and dressing down, thanks to, well, orders from above. In an effort to conserve energy by reducing air-conditioner use, Japan’s Environment Ministry today launched a campaign urging government workers to leave suit coats and ties at home. […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • An Offer: They Can’t Dump E-Refuse

    NYC considers tough e-waste bill One of the toughest electronic-waste bills in the U.S. was introduced in the New York City Council yesterday. It would require producers of electronic equipment like computers and televisions to collect and recycle those devices — that is, if they want to maintain selling rights within the city. City officials […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • Can a Brit survive in North America without a driver’s license?

    In the rich mosaic of North American society, I stand rather forlornly on my own as a member of an oft-forgotten minority group: I am an adult male who can’t drive. I have a wheelie bad feeling about this. Photo: Andrew White. Catapulted into the overcrowded car culture of Vancouver, British Columbia, from the U.K. […]

    Brendan Sainsbury Culture

  • Umbra on unclogging without chemicals

    Dear Umbra, How does one unclog a clogged bathtub drain without pouring toxic chemicals directly into the waste stream? Allie CatBoiling Springs, Penn. Dearest Allie Cat, I don’t believe that’s your real name. But yours is a noble question. Let’s get motivated by reviewing a Drano material safety data sheet [PDF], where we find that […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • Umbra on the perennial packaging dilemma

    Dear Umbra, I was recently elected the social chairperson of my subdivision’s swim/tennis/social club. Now I’m in charge of party planning for a group of about 150 families. While shopping at Costco, I wondered which is better for the environment: several 128-ounce jugs of apple juice plus many plastic cups, or lots of 6.75-ounce juice […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • Mag looking for eco-gals to take it all off

    Well, for one issue. Kinda.

    From a Playboy press release dated today:

    Playboy magazine is searching for the sexiest environmentalists in America, women willing to take it all off for their favorite cause. The magazine is planning a pictorial for an upcoming issue featuring women involved in environmental causes or with groups dedicated to saving the planet or protecting wildlife. In addition to a modeling fee for each of the participants, Playboy will make a donation to the favorite causes of the women chosen to appear in the pictorial.

    But will they be as hot as Leona Johansson?

    Much as I'd love to help Grist get more exposure (ahem), I won't be entering myself. But the rest of you "enthusiastic and uninhibited environmentalists," as Playboy puts it, have at it. Call 312.373.2717 for details.

    (And you thought gastroporn was racy.)

    Lisa Hymas Culture