Climate Culture
All Stories
-
Umbra on wood stoves
Dear Umbra, When you suggested that someone may want wood heat because it “makes you feel like a country stud,” you made an erroneous assumption — that your audience is entirely urban. Here in Skamokawa, Wash., many a mile from the nearest natural gas line, the choices are essentially wood or electricity. In September, my […]
-
That Ken-do Spirit
London’s Mayor Pushes Solar Panels London’s lefty mayor, known (either fondly or derisively, depending on whom you talk to) as “Red Ken” Livingstone, is calling for the “vast majority” of new homes built in London to include photovoltaic solar panels. The requirement is part of a set of strict building and planning rules for local […]
-
Streaming Media
Judge Bans Pesticide Use Near Northwest Salmon Runs A federal judge Thursday banned the use of a wide range of pesticides in and around thousands of miles of waterways in the Northwest frequented by endangered salmon, and required stores selling seven of the most dangerous banned pesticides to display signs reading “salmon hazard.” U.S. District […]
-
Leipzig Lizards!
World’s Largest Solar Energy Plant Planned for Germany The world’s largest solar energy plant — projected to meet the power demands of some 1,800 households — will soon start soaking up rays outside the eastern German town of Leipzig this year. The $27 million plant, to be built by the Royal Dutch/Shell’s Solar Group, will […]
-
English Beat
U.K. Sets Ambitious CO2 Reduction Goals The British government yesterday announced a plan to not only meet but beat Kyoto Protocol requirements for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The nation will aim to cut its carbon dioxide emissions 20 percent by 2010 through a combination of regulations and pollution credit trading systems. Industry groups in the […]
-
Umbra on intransigent non-recyclers
Dear Umbra, I am a completely eco-friendly person and strive to have my family follow in those footsteps. We have a recycling system — one my canned-beer-drinking dad refuses to abide by. (Not that I’m criticizing canned beer or my father. Both are good.) He refuses to recycle his cans, and I’m a little tired […]
-
Umbra on recycling widgets
Dear Umbra, I am a huge fan of Guinness, often referring to it as Nectar of the Gods. Question is, are the cans with the cool nitrous plastic doohickeys in them recyclable? I’ve got a bet riding on this with the significant other. Thanks for enlightenment. MelissaDenver, Colo. Dearest Melissa, Yes. Guinness recycling is good […]
-
Umbra on beer containers
Dear Umbra, My friends and I consume a fair amount of beer, and we’re wondering: What’s worse for the environment, buying beer in cans or in bottles? KellyManitoba, Canada Dearest Kelly, Thank you for giving me a reason to look up the Earth’s mineral-reserves map in my atlas. I’ve learned fascinating things about aluminum and […]
-
Oh, Yes! It’s Mr. Bill!
Mr. Bill to Serve as Spokesperson for Louisiana Coastal Campaign With a $14 billion, 30-year restoration plan — potentially the largest public works project in American history — at stake, an educational campaign meant to raise awareness about Louisiana’s eroding coastal marshes has turned to the one voice capable of spanning generations, articulating the scope […]
-
Endless Summer
Climate Scientists Predict More Hot Summers for Europe Thanks to global warming, summer heat waves like the one that killed close to 20,000 people in Europe in 2003 could recur up to once every two years by the end of the century. So claims a study conducted by a group of scientists from Swiss Federal […]
