Climate Culture
All Stories
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Pan of Green Gobbles
Sales of organic turkeys and Tofurky on the rise The organic turkey is the new Prius. If you’re planning to carve one up for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving meal, you’re riding the latest wave of eco-chic. Organic turkey sales at Whole Foods Market have doubled this year, the upscale natural-foods chain reports. And that’s building on impressive […]
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Sundae Drive
New hybrids are more powerful and sexy, if less efficient The next crop of hybrid vehicles is eagerly anticipated not only by energy-conscious geeks and early-adopter hipsters, but by regular ol’ Americans who like to have their apple pie and eat it too. Auto-industry flacks are predicting buyer excitement over soon-to-debut vehicles like the hybrid […]
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Umbra on the health/environment dividing line
Yowza. A few weeks back, in response to a question from a reader named Cassandra about the relative merits of soy milk, I asked your opinion on the dividing line between health and environmental concerns. Cassandra wanted to know if she could continue eating soy, which she considered an environmentally sound choice, without increasing her […]
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Postmodern Deconstructionism
Building recycling on the rise The demolition of buildings in the U.S. produces about 124 million tons of debris a year, most of which is carted off to landfills. But that is starting to change: Instead of indiscriminately bashing buildings with wrecking balls, companies are taking a more deliberate approach, dismantling structures and recycling the […]
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I’d Like to Buy the Crops a Coke
Indian farmers use Coca-Cola as a pesticide Urban legend has it that Coca-Cola works well to remove rust spots, clean corroded batteries, polish toilets, and — we can confirm this one — dissolve baby teeth that have fallen out of an innocent 5-year-old’s mouth, thus yielding a lifelong terror of soft drinks. But Indian farmers […]
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Home Is Where the Bloat Is
American homes are growing and consuming more electricity American homes are sucking more and more energy, contributing to a cycle of rising prices that is putting a financial crunch on poor and fixed-income families. In 1970, the average new home was 1,500 square feet; in 2003, it was 2,230 square feet. Even that startling statistic […]
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Umbra on protecting decks
Dear Chip, You may remember me; we met most recently at Jenny’s parents’ house for dinner when you all were here in New Jersey. Anyway, the reason I’m writing you is because I’m looking for some advice. Do you have any recommendations on environmentally conscious ways to protect household decks? Lori and I just bought […]
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Victoria’s Dirty Secret
Enviro group launches campaign against Victoria’s Secret catalogs An enviro group called ForestEthics has trained its sights on the Victoria’s Secret catalog, urging the company to make the shift to more eco-friendly paper and avoid fiber that comes from endangered forests. The real target is Victoria’s parent company, Limited Brands Inc. Limited Brands procures coated […]
