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Author |
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Section |
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 ... |
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| Topics: cars, consumerism, electric vehicles, green living, hybrids (all these topics) |
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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 ... |
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| Topics: consumerism, green living, green products, shopping (all these topics) |
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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 ... |
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| Topics: business, consumerism, green jobs (all these topics) |
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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 ... |
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| Topics: placemaking, green living, consumerism, shopping, green products, business (all these topics) |
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Seamly Behavior
Three designers tell all during Seattle's first Green Fashion Week |
Sarah van Schagen |
03 Oct 2007 |
Grist Feature |
| If you still think eco-friendly fashion means shapeless, earth-toned duds, you've not yet met the 20-some designers showing their latest creations this week in Seattle. From Heatherette to Diane von Furstenberg to Oscar de la Renta, these eco-minded artisans are whipping up "fashion with a conscience" faster than you can say "green is the new black." (And really ... |
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| Topics: consumerism, fashion, green living, green products (all these topics) |
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Total Recall
Over 500,000 more toys recalled due to lead |
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27 Sep 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 7:05 AM on 27 Sep 2007 Another round of recalls was issued yesterday for over 500,000 children's toys or accessories that were found to exceed allowable lead levels, including more Thomas the Tank Engine paraphernalia and the now conspicuously gloomy Happy Giddy Gardening Tools from Target. Federal regulators were quick to point out that this recall won't be the last. "After the first set of recalls, retailers and manufactu ... |
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| Topics: consumerism, health, news, United States (all these topics) |
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Simple Gifts
On kids' birthday parties |
Umbra Fisk |
26 Sep 2007 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I have a wonderful daughter who is just about to turn 5. She is currently the only grandchild and niece to our families, and therefore has everything she needs (still less than many kids we know, but plenty). Therein lies my dilemma: I don't want the plastic detritus and clutter that come along with your traditional American birthday party, but the party itself I love. In years past, I have ducked this issue by suggesti ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, consumerism, green living, parenting, shopping (all these topics) |
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Alterna-Toys
Where to turn when you're sick of disposable doodads |
Katy Balatero |
25 Sep 2007 |
Grist Feature |
| Block to basics. Photo: iStockphoto Keeping up with Ken and Barbie got you down? Check out these companies invested in making eco-friendlier playthings for your little ones. (And read about one mother's no-crap crusade.) Dwelling These soft, handmade toys are created by a women's knitting collective in Kenya, under the guidance of a nonprofit that helps connect artisans to international markets. All of ... |
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| Topics: consumerism, green living, health, parenting, shopping, special series (all these topics) |
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Play Lady Play
Can a crusade against crap toys ever succeed? |
Lou Bendrick |
25 Sep 2007 |
Grist Feature |
| Is it just me, or is anyone else sick of fairies? Because personally I am sick to hell of wee folk and their tiresome fantasy ilk -- unicorns with rainbow horns, mermaids with cotton-candy hair, and tarty princesses. Oh, I'm especially sick of the princesses. Is there some unwritten law that princesses have to dress like down-market 1980s bridesmaids? Can't today's little girls take their cue from Camilla Bo ... |
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| Topics: consumerism, green living, health, parenting, special series (all these topics) |
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Fit to Be Tide
On green laundry detergents |
Umbra Fisk |
24 Sep 2007 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, What are the "green" high-efficiency detergents for washers? Thanks, Marilyn Dearest Marilyn, A perfect question for parenting fortnight. Children have such tiny clothing that you wouldn't think it would add up to an increase in laundry volume. Until you saw the proof. Too bad keeping them naked (cuuuute!) and periodically hosing them off is only feasible in warm weather. Pin your hopes on NPE-free. Photo ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, consumerism, green cleaning, green living (all these topics) |
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A Clean Sweep
An eco-entrepreneur's advice on kid-proofing your cleaning supplies |
Lynda Fassa |
21 Sep 2007 |
Grist Feature |
| Photo: iStockphoto As a practically perpetually pregnant person -- I'm a mom of three and have been either pregnant or breastfeeding for 10 years of my adult life -- I've needed to make my surroundings clean in a nontoxic and green way. Don't get me wrong, I'm no snooty domestic diva. I strongly believe cobwebs not only keep mosquitoes at bay, but also lend a bit of atmosphere to a roo ... |
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| Topics: consumerism, green cleaning, health, parenting, special series (all these topics) |
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To Freak or Not To Freak?
How four green parents deal with the plastics scare |
Katharine Wroth |
20 Sep 2007 |
Grist Feature |
| Pop quiz time: plastic baby bottles are a) completely safe, or b) a risk to you, your baby, and every other living thing in the entire universe? The answer lies somewhere in between -- but you wouldn't know it from most media reports. Over the last year, countless stories have sprung up citing research about the dangers of endocrine disruptor bisphenol A leaching from clear plastic baby b ... |
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| Topics: consumerism, green living, health, parenting, shopping, special series, toxics (all these topics) |
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10 things we can do: Rebuilding civil society
It's not that individuals can't do anything about climate -- they just can't do it by thems |
David Roberts |
13 Sep 2007 |
Gristmill |
| I've been thinking about this debate over voluntary individual action and its place in the larger fight for sustainability (see here, here, and here). It's missing something. A huge gulf has developed in America between public and private life. This has put green activism -- all of progressivism, actually -- on the horns of a dilemma. On the one hand, private life has become all but coextensive with consumerism -- what we choose to buy. Shifting consumer dolla ... |
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| Topics: consumerism, grassroots activism, green living, politics (all these topics) |
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'The privatization of responsibility'
Alex Steffen on individual action in context |
David Roberts |
13 Sep 2007 |
Gristmill |
| The perennial debate over the value of voluntary individual action -- recently revived by Tidwell's piece and the sociologists' response -- reminded me that some of the best, or least my favorite, writing on the subject comes from Worldchanging's Alex Steffen. Like this: And here's the essential break between lite green and bright green thinking: the reality is that the changes we must make are systemic changes. They involve large-scale transformations in the ways ... |
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| Topics: consumerism, environmental movement, green living (all these topics) |
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On the Ball: What they said
Washington Post vets green sporting gear |
Sarah K. Burkhalter |
12 Sep 2007 |
Gristmill |
| The Washington Post takes a look at athletic products claiming to be green -- surfboards, sports balls, skateboards, bikes, and snowboards -- and gives a rundown of their eco- and consumer-friendliness from both a layperson and expert perspective. |
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| Topics: consumerism, green living, green products, sports (all these topics) |
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Truth in advertising
Norway bans generic green terms from auto advertising |
David Roberts |
07 Sep 2007 |
Gristmill |
| This is funny and kind of awesome: No car can be 'green,' 'clean' or 'environmentally friendly,' according to some of the world's strictest advertising guidelines set to enter into force in Norway next month. 'Cars cannot do anything good for the environment except less damage than others,' Bente Oeverli, a senior official at the office of the state-run Consumer Ombudsman, told Reuters on Thursday. |
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| Topics: advertising, cars, consumerism, green living, messaging, Norway (all these topics) |
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Outfit to Be Tied
Inexpensive clothing industry has a big impact on the environment |
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06 Sep 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 4:14 PM on 06 Sep 2007 That $5 T-shirt you're wearing may have been a great find for your wallet, but the impact of such thrifty threads is far-reaching. A globalization-fueled glut of cut-price clothing has inspired many consumers to think of their duds as disposable. It's a phenomenon some are calling "fast fashion" -- the apparel equivalent of fast food. Most fast fashionistas are obliviou ... |
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| Topics: consumerism, fashion, green living, news, shopping, waste (all these topics) |
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Frock hunter
Steve Irwin's daughter launches Bindi Wear eco-clothing line |
Sarah van Schagen |
05 Sep 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Bindi Irwin, the 9-year-old daughter of the late Croc Hunter (R.I.P., mate), has launched her own children's clothing line:The T-shirts, jumpers, swimwear, sleepwear, hats, bags and shoes carry environmental messages. The tags are made from recycled cardboard, the soles on the shoes are made with recycled rubber and 100 per cent of the profits she earns from the clothes will be used to fund Australia Zoo's conservation programs.The clothes are expected in Aussie ... |
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| Topics: Australia, consumerism, fashion, green living, recycling, shopping (all these topics) |
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Put Some More Lead on the Barbie
Mattel recalls another batch of lead-painted toys |
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05 Sep 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 6:11 AM on 05 Sep 2007 Toy giant Mattel on Tuesday issued its third round of major recalls in recent weeks for a variety of its toys that contained "impermissible levels of lead," according to the company, including some Barbie play sets and Fisher-Price toys. In all, the most recent round of recalls covers some 840,000 items. "We've worked very hard on [testing toys]," said Robert A ... |
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| Topics: business, consumerism, health, news (all these topics) |
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Bumblingshoot
Trash bins overflow with plastic bottles at the 'green' Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival |
JMG |
04 Sep 2007 |
Gristmill |
| They won't hear the message over the sound of your actions. |
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| Topics: consumerism, green living, music, recycling (all these topics) |
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Smeg me
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David Roberts |
01 Sep 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Pardon me a little gadget porn as I ogle these Smeg refrigerators, which have made it to the states at last. Despite the unfortunate name, it's on my Christmas list: They're extremely efficient, too: 305 kWh / year. I know, I know. If I was a real enviro I wouldn't refrigerate food. |
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| Topics: consumerism, energy, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics) |
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Hour Town
Leo's feel-good press conference is interrupted by a feel-bad question |
Kate Coe |
29 Aug 2007 |
Grist Feature |
| Leonardo DiCaprio at the premiere of The 11th Hour. Alex Berliner © Berliner Studio/BEImages When celebrities embrace environmental concerns, cranky naysayers pop up like toadstools after a rainstorm. But the mansions and private jets those critics seize upon, while easy targets, might not be the real problem. It might just be that green-leaning celebrities and their handlers need to open the ... |
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| Topics: celebrity, consumerism, green living, Leonardo DiCaprio, messaging, movies (all these topics) |
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Shopping causes global warming
Australian newspaper identifies consumerism as warming culprit |
Tom Athanasiou |
28 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| I was just in Australia, spending some love miles (my wife is an Aussie) but also giving some talks, and while there I was interviewed by a journalist named Wendy Frew from the Sydney Morning Herald. She did a nice piece (August 9) on Greenhouse Development Rights called 'Rich will have to help poor to save climate,' which is perhaps notable for containing the dulcet phrase 'coal is the enemy of mankind.' But that's not what I'm writing about.What I'm writing a ... |
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| Topics: climate, consumerism, ecological footprint, green living, greenhouse-gas emissions, shopping (all these topics) |
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Your food mileage may vary
A small grocery chain uses food mileage as an advertising tactic |
JMG |
27 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Roth's, a tiny (11 store) grocery chain in Oregon's mid-Willamette Valley, is promoting a 'Go Local' campaign that's interesting in many respects, including its 'Support our Northwest food system' slogan and ads: 'Go Local' products are grown, caught, or produced in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, or Northern California. Look for the 'Go Local' icon on products in your weekly Roth's ad. Buying these products will help build a regional food economy, ensuring farms in our community [ ... |
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| Topics: consumerism, food, local food (all these topics) |
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Gristmill shameless product placement: Working Assets
New WA cell phone is 'climate neutral' |
David Roberts |
27 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| In the interest of persuading the company's extremely tenacious PR person to give me a moment's peace, I'd like to direct your attention to the new (and world's first!) "climate-neutral phone" from Working Assets.(Moral hazard alert: The phone is climate neutral through the purchase of offsets, which we all know are just medieval indulgences that allow you to continue guilt-free with your decadent, profligate, cell-phone-talking life, you dirty consumerist sc ... |
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| Topics: consumerism, green living, green products, greenish companies (all these topics) |
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