Climate Culture

All Stories

  • Umbra on chewing gum

    Dear Umbra, I shudder at the triviality of the question, but so far nobody I’ve asked has been able to provide a satisfying answer. So here it is: Is chewing gum biodegradable? Can I spit it on the compost instead of sticking it under the chair? Would green stalks sprout from the gum-spot-riddled sidewalks if […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • Umbra on cell phones

    Dear Umbra, After many years of idealistic holdout, I have finally decided to own a cell phone; changes in my lifestyle have made the benefits too heavy to be outweighed by the detrimental effects. However, I would like to minimize the impact of my decision (brain tumors notwithstanding), so I am searching for the most […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • The green take on insect repellents and sunscreens

    As summer finally rolls in, most of us are eager to shed our layers and splash in the surf or hike through the woods. Along the way, we might slap on some SPF 30 sunscreen to ward off skin cancer and hose down our arms and necks with skeeter repellent. But rather than go wild […]

    P.W. McRandle, for the Green Guide & Molly Rauch Culture

  • Terror Alert Level: Peach

    Suzy Becker Culture

  • 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 […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • 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, […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • 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 […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • 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 […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • 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 […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture