Climate Culture
All Stories
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Lifestyles of the Green and Crunchy
In an effort to raise both funds and consumer consciousness, the Sierra Club is preparing to put its name on a range of eco-friendly products that will hit stores this fall — toys, jackets, pillows, bedding, and organic coffee and tea. “Our products will make it possible to create a total Sierra Club lifestyle,” said […]
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Reader responses on family cars, the internal combustion engine, and more
Dearest Readers, How I enjoy your letters! I’m sorry I’m unable to answer them all; lest you fear that they vanish into the void, I assure you they do not. I read each and every one of them down here in Stacklandia. I must in particular thank those of you who write in to correct, […]
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Toyota Story
Toyota is racing to make its cars at least as recyclable as those of its European rivals, Volkswagen and DaimlerChrysler. The Japanese automaker announced yesterday that the vehicles it produces in Japan and Europe should be at least 85 percent recyclable by 2006 and 95 percent recyclable by 2016, up from 83 percent today. The […]
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Muggles Get It Right, for Once
The Canadian edition of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” — to be released later this month as the fifth book in J.K. Rowlings’ phenomenally popular series — has been printed on chlorine-free, 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper. With a first print run of 935,000 copies, this is by far the largest recycled […]
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Umbra on scooters
Dear Umbra, I was thinking of buying a scooter with the idea that (in addition to being fun) I would be using a more fuel-efficient means of transportation on days when the weather was good. Then I got the edition of the Daily Grist telling me how dirty motorcycles are. Now I’m worried: Are scooters […]
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Umbra on motorcycles
Dear Umbra, I recently read a claim that “motorcycles produce far more pollution per mile than your typical car, truck, or SUV.” Is that true? I’ve got a friend who’s currently making her (bad-ass) way across country on a Harley — 60 mpg, baby — and we are both curious about the environmental impacts compared […]
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Umbra on minivans
Dear Umbra, We have a six-year-old daughter, a three-year-old daughter, and — surprise! (well, not completely) — a new baby girl due in the next two months. Our fuel-efficient car cannot fit two car seats and a booster across the back seat, and according to Washington state law (“six-years-old and 60 pounds”), my petite six-year-old […]
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Community and sustainability go hand in hand
Some years ago, I was part of a group that set out to create a community where we could work toward living with less impact on the environment. One of the first steps we took was to write down a list of principles to guide us as we worked to turn our vision into reality. […]
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Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut …
Macadamia-nut shells will soon be the source of electricity for more than 1,200 Australian homes. Construction began this week on a biomass cogeneration plant in the northern Australian state of Queensland that will produce renewable energy by burning more than 5,000 tons of shells generated by the nation’s native macadamia nut industry. “This project … […]
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Wisconsin anglers band together to protect an elusive fish
Every winter, on the outskirts of Appleton, Wis., the world’s strangest subdivision suddenly appears. Thousands of shacks, each about the size of a two-hole outhouse, proliferate on the frozen expanse of Lake Winnebago. Dick Koerner in his shack on Lake Winnebago. Photo: Erik Ness. Early in the morning on Feb. 8, Dick Koerner jockeyed his […]