Grist | Topics | 167 Results

RESULTS		Results 51 – 75 of 167
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Headline	Author	Published	Section
Retail Oriented Consumers shopped less this holiday season, testing brand loyalty		27 Dec 2007	News
Posted at 2:52 PM on 27 Dec 2007 Holiday retail sales took a hit this year, even at stores like Starbucks, Coach, and Target that enjoy strong customer loyalty. Expensive gas, dropping home prices, and an uncertain economy -- or a society-wide trend toward reduced consumerism? Hey, we can dream. source: The New York Times From the Archives Building Anticipation. Portland, Ore., green-bui ...
Topics: consumerism, green living, holiday, news, shopping (all these topics)

How SUVs can save the climate When is a Tundra a better buy than a Prius?	Eric de Place	20 Dec 2007	Gristmill
This never fails to fascinate me: The chart shows how much fuel is consumed over 15,000 miles by cars of different fuel efficiencies. The curve matters a lot. It means that from the perspective of fuel conservation, it's not terribly important to trade in your Honda Civic to buy a Prius. But it's hugely important to trade in your Dodge Durango for a Toyota Tacoma. I'll use some rough numbers to illustrate. You trade in your Civic, which averages ...
Topics: green living, fuel efficiency, energy, cars, consumerism (all these topics)

Jewell in the Crown REI chief Sally Jewell on sustainability, shoes, and sedentary schoolkids	Sarah van Schagen	18 Dec 2007	Grist Feature
The statuesque athlete sitting across the table has just handed me her shoe. As I examine it, she begins to point out the various fibers used in its construction and tells me about the manufacturer's sustainable practices. Clearly, this is a woman who is well aware of her footprint. Sally Jewell. Dressed in casual pants and a blue fleece jacket, Sally Jewell doesn't nece ...
Topics: business, consumerism, ecological footprint, greening biz operations, shopping (all these topics)

A season for stuff Shop till you drop? There's a better way	Guest author	18 Dec 2007	Gristmill
This guest essay was contributed by Annie Leonard, the activist and writer behind the new online film The Story of Stuff, which looks at 'all our stuff -- where it comes from and where it goes when we throw it away.' ----- It's that time of year again. The bells are jingling and the registers are ring-ting-tingling, too. Black Friday has come and gone, and Cyber Monday orders are in the mail. Now we're wasting time in parking-lot traffic jams and long checkout lin ...
Topics: green living, holiday, shopping, waste, consumerism (all these topics)

Little shopping bag of horrors Retailers beef up the packaging	Maywa Montenegro	17 Dec 2007	Gristmill
For Christmas last year, I received an iPod Nano (through which I now get my weekly fix of podcasts from NPR Environment, PRI Living on Earth, and of course, Grist). That the Nano weighs a mere 1.74 oz. and is so slim it easily gets lost in an overstuffed pocket is pretty impressive. Nearly as impressive, however, is that I walked out of the store toting this pygmie player inside an slick, white, matte, double-ply plastic behemoth of a bag, with sturdy woven cords ...
Topics: waste, shopping, consumerism, green living (all these topics)

Lumen Essence A review of compact fluorescent bulbs	Katharine Wroth	14 Dec 2007	The Bottom Line
Worth the switch -- but which to pick? Photo: iStockphoto Part of our work here at Grist is to give advice to curious readers, and one thing we find ourselves saying a lot is, "Change those bulbs to CFLs!" But you can only socket to 'em so many times before such broad advice starts to seem a bit ... dim. So I've cranked up the Unofficial Grist Wringer and am ready to feed some of these notorious compact ...
Topics: consumerism, green living, green products, shopping (all these topics)

And to all a good fright ... California yanks kids' jewelry from stores	Katharine Wroth	13 Dec 2007	Gristmill
Bangles and baubles may make fun stocking stuffers, but beware: the California Department of Toxic Substances Control has yanked a dozen types of kids' jewelry from 11 retailers -- including Macy's, Marshalls, and the Gap -- after finding lead levels measuring approximately in the skazillions. 'The problem is much more pervasive than we would like to be seeing,' said Department Director Maureen Gorsen. Who deserves a tiara for being Queen of the Understatement -- ...
Topics: California, consumerism, green living, toxics (all these topics)

'The Story of Stuff' Another reason to procrastinate about my Christmas shopping	Katy Balatero	11 Dec 2007	Gristmill
From the producers of 'The Meatrix' and 'Grocery Store Wars' comes 'The Story of Stuff,' a short video about production and consumption, just in time for the holiday shopping binge. Click here for the full movie (sample clip embedded below).
Topics: business, consumerism, green living, recycling, shopping, waste (all these topics)

Hybrid sales up 82 percent in Nov. 2007 vs. Nov. 2006 Gas prices impact car-purchasing decisions in the U.S.	Joseph Romm	09 Dec 2007	Gristmill
Hybrid sales are taking off again as gasoline prices soar: Reported sales of hybrids in the US in November rose 82% year-on-year to reach 33,233 total units, representing 2.8% of all light-duty vehicles sold during the month. GM does not break out its hybrid sales separately, and so is not reflected in the hybrid number -- thus, the actual hybrid total and new market share will [be] slightly higher. Toyota posted a strong month, with Prius sales hitting 16 ...
Topics: business, cars, consumerism, electric vehicles, hybrids (all these topics)

Prius smackdown, round two High gas prices make hybrids look even better	Clark Williams-Derry	07 Dec 2007	Gristmill
A couple of years ago, I ran some numbers trying to figure out which was the better buy for the planet -- a biodiesel Jetta or a hybrid Prius. And I came to the tentative, but perhaps counterintuitive, conclusion that the best buy was ... wait for it ... a Toyota Corolla. The Corolla, you see, was thousands of dollars cheaper than the Prius (the runner-up), even after I accounted for all the savings on gas from driving a fuel-miser. And if you were a gre ...
Topics: cars, consumerism, electric vehicles, energy, green living, hybrids, Prius (all these topics)

Keep Cool, the game Gift idea for the eco-educator on your list	Erik Hoffner	04 Dec 2007	Gristmill
Maybe the kids won't think this is as cool as an XBox ... perhaps it's better for a classroom's holiday wishlist: Keep Cool! is a "Risk"-style board game about "gambling with the climate." (Or put another way: setzen sie das klima aufs spiel! The half-English half-German directions in this are as interesting as the game itself -- the authors are from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact in Germany.) Each player takes a role in global climate p ...
Topics: holiday, green living, consumerism (all these topics)

The Way We Live Now Energy efficiency just leaves more money to squander, says study		29 Nov 2007	News
Posted at 2:19 PM on 29 Nov 2007 As more and more vehicles and appliances become energy efficient, Americans save money -- then spend that money on more and bigger vehicles and appliances, a new study finds. Sigh. From the Archives A Plan With Garrett. Midnight Oil frontman is Australia's new environment minister. Another Headache. FEMA sets deadline for Katrina trailer park closures. ...
Topics: consumerism, energy, energy efficiency, news (all these topics)

Who's the true 'G'? Cheap, possibly green PC hot item at Wal-Mart	Jerome Woody	28 Nov 2007	Gristmill
Wal-Mart has always been a place of consumer frenzy at the beginning of the holiday shopping season, and this year is no exception. What's different is that one of the items flying off the shelf faster than they can restock it is the "Everex gPC," a cheap (less than $200) desktop computer. The tech news world has been buzzy about gPC's popularity, in particular questioning what the "g" stands for. It could stand for "green," thanks t ...
Topics: consumerism, green living, green products, tech, Wal-Mart (all these topics)

Don't forget	David Roberts	23 Nov 2007	Gristmill

Topics: consumerism, green living (all these topics)

The Problem With Christmas Are you brave enough to say no to a high-stress holiday?	Bill McKibben	20 Nov 2007	Grist Feature
The problem with Christmas is not the batteries. The problem isn't even really the stuff. The problem with Christmas is that no one much likes it anymore. Start thinking outside the cart. Photo: iStockphoto If you poll Americans this time of year, far more of them regard the approaching holidays with dread than anticipation. It has long since become too busy, too expensive, too center ...
Topics: consumerism, green living, holiday, shopping (all these topics)

Oh, You Shouldn't Have 10 great ideas for 'stuff-free' holiday gifts	Katy Balatero	20 Nov 2007	Grist Feature
10 great ideas for "stuff-free" holiday gifts By Katy Balatero 20 Nov 2007 So you want to give ... nothing to your loved ones this holiday season? Or at least nothing that'll end up on a dusty shelf or in a landfill? Consider these stuff-free gift alternatives. Purchase carbon offsets Tangible gifts are so 20th century. Photo: iStockphoto Plane flights during the holidays can be packed with irritations: crying babies, sick people hacking and coughing around you, ...
Topics: consumerism, green living, holiday, shopping (all these topics)

Something Comes From Nothing Celebrate Buy Nothing Day on Friday; no purchase necessary		20 Nov 2007	News
Posted at 2:48 PM on 20 Nov 2007 Thousands of people the world over plan to celebrate what's usually the biggest shopping day of the year by ... not buying anything. That's right, it's almost time for Buy Nothing Day, celebrated Nov. 23 in the U.S. and Canada and Nov. 24 in the rest of the world, drawing attention to how easy it is to stop, drop, and not shop. The poor, the hungover, and the lazy aren't the ...
Topics: business, consumerism, green living, holiday, news, shopping (all these topics)

Bough Wow On organic Christmas trees	Umbra Fisk	19 Nov 2007	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Is there such a thing as an organic Christmas tree? How chemical-intensive is conventional Christmas-tree farming? If I want a Christmas tree, what's the most eco-friendly way to go? Your fan, Lisa Seattle, Wash. Dearest Lisa, Since you are not only a fan but also my senior editor, who told me you are considering purchasing your own Christmas tree for the very first time this winter, the "Christmas spirit" has ...
Topics: consumerism, green living, holiday, shopping (all these topics)

Big-Boxing Day A gift guide for eco-minded shoppers headed to big-box stores	Sarah van Schagen, Sarah K. Burkhalter	19 Nov 2007	Grist Feature
By Sarah van Schagen and Sarah K. Burkhalter 19 Nov 2007 More Advice Looking for more holiday gift ideas? Check out our past gift guides: Gifts Recommended by Grist Staff and Readers Even More Gifts Recommended by Readers Gifts for Young Folk Gifts for Every Stereotype on Your List When it comes to gift-giving this holiday season, 'twould be best to give nothing at all but experiences and bits of wisdom. But if you happ ...
Topics: consumerism, green living, green products, holiday, shopping (all these topics)

The Innkeeper's Strife On green hotels	Umbra Fisk	14 Nov 2007	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, My husband and I are Americans who own a small budget hotel in Rome, Italy. We try to be as eco-friendly as possible: our cafe is local, organic, and vegetarian, we use compact fluorescent bulbs where we can (although cannot find an alternative for the halogen lighting systems we have), we use eco-friendly cleaning products, including the old standbys like vinegar and baking soda, we recycle and use all recycled paper p ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, consumerism, energy efficiency, greening biz operations (all these topics)

Who will reincarnate the electric car? Automakers want to delay the transition to electric vehicles	Joseph Romm	13 Nov 2007	Gristmill
The following is a guest essay by Marc Geller, who blogs at Plugs and Cars, serves on the board of directors of the Electric Auto Association, cofounded Plug In America and DontCrush.com, and appeared in Who Killed The Electric Car. ----- The IEEE Spectrum Magazine for November 2007 touts on its cover: 'Battery or Fuel-Cell Cars? A California Cabal Will Decide.' Interesting choice of headlines. Surely a strong argument can be made that something approaching a caba ...
Topics: business, consumerism, hybrids, cars, energy, electric vehicles, innovation, tech (all these topics)

Preorder your high-end plug-in hybrid now! Plug-in sports car to hit showrooms in 2010	Joseph Romm	11 Nov 2007	Gristmill
Fisker Automotive is taking orders for its $80,000 (only $1,000 down!) '4-door plug-in hybrid sports sedan': The specs released so far (PDF) are: Performance details for the first car are impressive achieving 50 miles (80 kilometers) on a pure electric charge [sic]. Additionally, by further utilizing a gasoline or diesel engine offered by Fisker, one can extend the total range of their Fisker to more than 620 miles (1000 kilometers). The first Fisker will a ...
Topics: cars, consumerism, electric vehicles, green living, hybrids (all these topics)

The Wipe Stuff A review of recycled toilet-paper brands	Sarah van Schagen	06 Nov 2007	The Bottom Line
Time for a new roll, but what's your type? Photo: iStockphoto Deciding what kind of toilet paper to buy is a delicate issue. Perhaps most significantly because you want to protect those delicates -- but what about this delicate planet of ours? According to the NRDC, if every household in the U.S. replaced just one roll (500 sheets) of virgin-fiber toilet paper with 100 percent recycled TP, we'd save almo ...
Topics: consumerism, green living, green products, shopping (all these topics)

Grow locally, manufacture locally Manufacturing a new economy	Jon Rynn	31 Oct 2007	Gristmill
If we eat food from local sources, we can decrease our ecological footprint, reduce carbon emissions, and eat better food. In addition, any society that cannot produce its own food is vulnerable, as it cannot create one of society's main sources of wealth. It just makes sense to grow food locally. The same principles apply to manufacturing. Grow locally, eat locally; more generally, consume locally, produce locally. In the case of manufacturing, "produc ...
Topics: business, consumerism, green jobs (all these topics)

Brit's Eye View: The future becomes us Envisioning possible green futures helps create a greener future	Peter Madden	23 Oct 2007	Gristmill
Peter Madden, chief executive of Forum for the Future, writes a monthly column for Gristmill on sustainability in the U.K. and Europe. There has been much discussion lately of the need to turn the green agenda from a negative to a positive one. I think that an important part of this is developing some more positive visions of what living in a sustainable future might be like. My organization, Forum for the Future, has set itself this task. Partly because we think the ...
Topics: placemaking, green living, consumerism, shopping, green products, business (all these topics)

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