Climate Culture

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  • Hollywood infuses green movement with star power

    All signs on Capitol Hill point to a royally depressing Earth Day 2005 (that would be next Friday): inertia on global warming, revival of the industry-friendly energy bill, a widely reviled plan to address mercury pollution, the looming prospect of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. And though it’s the 35th anniversary of the […]

    Amanda Little Culture

  • A Hug’s Life

    Survey reveals truth to tree-hugging Californian stereotype It is often said that Californians are unfairly stereotyped as bleeding-heart tree huggers. Turns out it’s not true. The “unfairly” part, that is. A new survey reveals that more than 60 percent of Californians really have hugged trees, some 24 percent have surfed, and 21 percent think mud […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • Dems and Republicans buy different kinds of cars; guess who likes big American SUVs?

    You could probably guess that Prius drivers tend to be Democrats and Hummer drivers tend to be Republicans. But that's just the tip of the iceberg on car-and-driver political connections, writes John Tierney in The New York Times, summarizing new market research that I find both fascinating and hilarious.  

    Jaguars, Land Rovers, and Jeep Grand Cherokees are very "Republican" vehicles. Volvos are the most "Democratic" cars, followed by Subarus and Hyundais. (Funny comment from Slate columnist Mickey Kaus: "Subaru is the new Volvo --that is, it is what Volvos used to be: trusty, rugged, inexpensive, unpretentious, performs well, maybe a bit ugly. You don't buy it because you want to show you have money; you buy it because you have college-professor values.")

    Lisa Hymas Culture

  • Umbra on conserving water

    Dear Umbra, Twenty years ago, I lived off the grid and learned how to conserve water. That lesson stayed with me, and it’s agonizing for me to witness the cavalier, wasteful treatment of precious freshwater. My elderly mother moved in with me two years ago, and all is lovely and fine, except that she wastes […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • Girl, You Trippin’!

    Cameron, Arnold lead brigade of celeb eco-spokesfolk What formative experiences led to movie star and galactic hottie Cameron Diaz’s commitment to the environment? “Nothing, dude. Life! Life!” We couldn’t have said it better. Or hotter. Diaz will be bringing her commitment to a new MTV series called Trippin’, debuting tonight, in which she travels around […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • Robyn Griggs Lawrence, editor of Natural Home & Garden magazine, answers questions

    Robyn Griggs Lawrence. What’s your job title? Editor in chief, Natural Home & Garden magazine. How does it relate to the environment? Working under the tagline “Living Green, Living Well,” our magazine’s mission is to show mainstream America that living lightly doesn’t mean giving up a thing — that they don’t have to go live […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • Hearth Warming

    Biofuel catching on in the home-heating arena Using biofuel — a mix of vegetable oil and diesel — to power vehicles is already popular in certain highly vocal circles, but using biofuel to heat homes is just starting to catch on. A recent surge has taken place largely in the U.S. Northeast, where there remains […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • Dust, but Verify

    New study finds toxic chemicals in household dust Samples of household dust from 70 residences in seven U.S. states were found to contain a toxic cocktail of industrial chemicals — all of which have been shown to harm animals, all of which are legal and commonly used. The study, conducted by consumer-advocate group Clean Production […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • How a little blue pill could get big results — in species conservation, we mean

    Quick: what do sea turtles, black bears, and Philippine fruit bats have in common? Rise up on behalf of the turtles. At first glance, not much. They don’t look alike, and they have very different ranges and habitats. In fact, one would be hard-pressed even to find them on any of the same guest lists. […]

    J. Smith Culture

  • Too Crunchy for My Shirt, So Crunchy It Hurts

    New York fashion show highlights eco-friendly garb Green may soon be the new black, some fashionistas say. Case in point: the FutureFashion runway show last month during New York’s Fashion Week. Everything worn in the show — including clothes by high-profile designers Oscar de la Renta and Proenza Schouler — was made with eco-friendly fibers […]

    Grist staff Culture