Climate Culture

Umbra on spending wisely to help the environment

Dear Umbra, I read your column on how best to spend six hours of time a week on environmental issues, but how about the best way to spend limited financial resources on environmental issues? Obviously, giving a gift to Grist would help, but what can I do with my limited pocketbook to make the most […]

If you mainstream it, they will come

I took two tidbits away from this interesting Clint Wilder piece on framing clean energy (via Sustainablog). Here's the first:

In opinion research conducted last year in Rhode Island, the Clean Energy States Alliance and marketing consultancy SmartPower found that the label of "clean" energy had a much more positive public reception than "green" (too political), "renewable" (too niche), or "alternative" (too much of an implication that its users must adopt a new lifestyle).

These kinds of things are small but important to know for everybody who writes or talks about environmental issues. Little bits of repetitive framing add up. For my part, I'm going to make a habit of using "clean energy" instead of the alternatives.

Here's the second:

But even when viewing clean energy as positive for the environment, the public was skeptical of its ability to replace fossil fuels.

...SmartPower ran a public information campaign, including TV ads narrated by actor Peter Gallagher spotlighting renewable-powered houses, hospitals, and factories with the tagline, "Clean energy: It's real. It's here. And it's working." The result? A thousand new customers switched to the local utility's green power option in 100 days, and the number of people who agreed that clean energy is as reliable as fossil fuels jumped from 40% to 51% in the same period.

That's a pretty extraordinary shift in opinion in response to one ad campaign.

I draw the same lesson from this that I drew from the news that 75% of people consider themselves "green shoppers" -- there's broad interest in green issues out there. Mainstream America is sniffing around at organic food and clean energy. Folks don't know if the stuff is ready for prime-time, and they're not yet willing to go out of their way (or pay lots more) to support it, but once they're convinced it's legitimate they are willing to take the leap. (See: Prius, Toyota)

There's a huge market waiting.

Steve Lippman, green investment expert, answers questions

Steve Lippman. What work do you do? I’m the senior analyst on the Social Research and Advocacy team at Trillium Asset Management, a Boston-based investment management company dedicated solely to socially responsible investing. The biggest part of my job is actively engaging with companies we hold to encourage them to improve their social and environmental […]

Yes, clothes really do make the activist

If environmentalism is dead, then that ratty sweater has to go, too. Ditto for sandals as everyday footwear — only one man ever pulled off that look, and that was during King Herod’s reign. One more thing: piling your dreads under that knit cap makes your head look like a Jiffy Pop about to explode. […]

Message in a Bottle Bill

U.S. bottle-recycling rates fall as bottled-water sales rise Plastic bottle recycling rates in the U.S. have plunged, at least in part because of the boom in sales of bottled water — from some 3.3 billion bottles in 1997 to 15 billion in 2002. So, what to do? Some environmental activists argue that one of the […]

It’s Not Watching Cars Go in Circles That Does It

NASCAR race-cars spew lead What’s the connection between NASCAR racing, diminished mental capacity, and increased criminal behavior? If your answer was “lead,” well, we commend your high-mindedness. Indeed, that is the answer: Though leaded gasoline was phased out in the U.S. decades ago, the racing industry (along with aviation) was exempted. Despite years of pleas […]

Umbra on bathroom mold

Dear Umbra, Do you have any tips on dealing with the nasty black mold that appears in bathrooms without dousing it in highly toxic chemicals? Kirsten Dearest Kirsten, I read that hydrogen peroxide would work, so I tried it for you in the Grist Test Bathroom. The recommendation was to dilute the solution in a […]

Brenda Way, artistic dance director, answers questions

Brenda Way. What work do you do? I founded ODC (originally the Oberlin Dance Collective) 35 years ago as a multidimensional arts organization — that is to say, not just for dance jocks. We moved to the Bay Area from Ohio and now own 33,000 square feet of dancing/teaching/performing space in San Francisco. My primary […]

Reversal of Fortune Cookies

China passes U.S. as reigning consumerism champion America, for years the world’s largest, proudest consumer, has been dethroned. Say hello to China, now the world’s most consumingest nation, according to a recent survey by the Earth Policy Institute. China now beats the U.S. in consumption of four out of five basic commodities, including grain, meat, […]

Ask Your Dealer Today!

Organic marijuana certification sought in California county Need your pot, but worried about all the chemi … dude, you gonna eat that? Wait, where were we? Oh, for all those who prefer their pot free of toxic chemicals (and have a user card allowing them to smoke it for medical purposes, of course), there’s good […]