From Cooling to Cooing01 Sep 2006
![]() Photo: xeeliz, via Flickr Burn, baby, burnThe Nevada desert is hot. So, coincidentally, is the planet. Enter Cooling Man, an online carbon calculator for this week's Burning Man arts festival (which features such sweet creations as the electric cupcake-mobile.) "We think Cooling Man is pretty cool," says one overbaked burner. And of course, by "overbaked," we mean "sunburned."Oh yeah, we're wheelie scared now ...Americans complain about the feds tapping phones and monitoring library checkout habits. Whiners. Meanwhile, Bin Brother is tracking U.K. recycling habits through tiny microchips on residential![]() Photo: iStockphoto Hirsute yourselfInstead of crying over spilled oil, harried Filipino prisoners are helping mop up by donating their head and chest hair. What, no Brazilian wax? How selfish. Officials hope to use the hair, along with chicken feathers, to keep the slick from reaching land. Next up: implants for receding coastlines.The British are texting! The British are texting!Brit mob ph users cn nw offset their carbN emissions by sendg a short txt msg. Conservation grp wrld l& Trust wl uz d txtN fE (about $2.86) 2wrd reforestation projex WW. (Transl8ion here.)![]() Photo: iStockphoto ![]() Photo: iStockphoto Coo coo achooTo gather data on L.A. smog levels, homing pigeons (not to be mistaken with tourist pigeons) are being equipped with bird-size "backpacks and cell phones" -- but, alas, not birdie diapers. The winged rats will be reporting their results in an online journal, and be paid tuppence a blog.
Seen something weird, wacky, or wonderful in the environmental world? Think it deserves a place on The List?
Grist does not testify to the quality of consumer goods, guarantee the pop-cultural significance of trends, or vouchsafe the accuracy of news stories featured in this column. For all you know, we just made it up. Use it at your own risk.
|
Also in Grist
The Week's Most Popular
From the Archives
From Hurley to Hetchy, in The Grist List.
From Kinky to Kicky, in The Grist List.
From Hova to Happy Meals, in The Grist List.
|
|
You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have a Gristmill account, log in below. If you don't have a Gristmill account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five.