Climate Culture

All Stories

  • Advice on buying aquarium fish

    Dear Umbra, I’m an elementary school teacher and I’d like to get a pet fish for my classroom, but I’ve heard tales of such fish being caught by eco-egregious means: dynamite blasting, cyanide dumping, etc. How can I make sure I’m getting happy, healthy, sustainably caught fish for my aquarium? Ginger Dearest Ginger, Is nothing […]

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  • Umbra on recycling videotapes and laser discs

    Dear Umbra, I’m a dedicated cineaste, and over the last decade I’ve built up a large library (around 5,000 titles) of classic films on VHS and old-fashioned laser discs. I have been anxious to start adding DVDs to my collection, with all the extra features they offer, but I’ve held off because I know that […]

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  • An interview with Hollywood eco-crusader Laurie David

    Those who are quick to snub Hollywood environmental activists as dabblers in eco-chic or peddlers of a pet cause would likely have a change of heart after shooting the breeze with Laurie David. Laurie David Photo: Tierney Gearon. David began her career booking comedians for David Letterman and met her husband Larry David — co-creator […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • Umbra on getting a job in the “eco-field”

    Dear Umbra, I’m a conscientious baby boomer who would like to do things to help the planet. I’m simultaneously enjoying a midlife crisis. I have spent more than eight years in college, studying to be a psychologist/chef. Where in the eco-field is there a place for a reformed business owner/computer teacher/chef with years and years […]

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  • A Real Downer Cow

    Suzy Becker Culture

  • Film plot rings true as NOAA runs up against White House

    The brewing storm. Image: NOAA. Even after grapefruit-sized hail and monster tornadoes assault major cities in the Northern Hemisphere in the film The Day After Tomorrow, Jack Hall, a paleoclimatologist from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, still can’t get the ballooning crisis of global warming through the thick skull of the vice president. “I […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • Umbra on glitter

    Dear Umbra, What is the half-life of glitter and what is the environmental impact of said glitter on the ground? Planet DivaAustin, Texas Dearest Planet Diva, Everyone should know the truth: Write me a question about glitter and I will answer it right away. Glitter floats to the top of thousands of questions and shimmers […]

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  • Umbra on makeup

    Dear Umbra, I haven’t been reading Grist for very long, so excuse me if you’ve already addressed this topic, but what are the environmental impacts of using cosmetics such as lipstick, eyeliner, mascara, eye shadow, and especially nail polish? Since becoming an environmentally conscious consumer, I have purchased cruelty-free products, but I have only recently […]

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  • Umbra on hair dye

    Greetings, O Esteemed Umbra, I decided a while ago that I wouldn’t put toxic chemicals down the drain for the sake of vanity. However, I’m a dirty, dirty blond (um, hair color) and was wondering if there is a “safe” way to add some highlights. Besides lemon juice, are there other products or substances that […]

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  • Freecycling groups spurn the landfill and spawn goodwill

    Paint of no return. Let’s say you’re cleaning out your garage. Maybe you run across some old cans of paint and a couple of rickety chairs you’ve never gotten around to fixing. Would the Salvation Army want them? Not likely. You could throw the stuff out, but there’s that pesky issue of landfill space — […]

    Michelle Nijhuis Culture