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| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
Atoning for a carbon footprint?
Ian McEwan writing a novel about climate change -- with funniness! |
Lisa Hymas |
04 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Ian McEwan. Photo: Eamon McCabe Booker Prize-winning British novelist Ian McEwan, now best known for Atonement, is at work on a new novel about climate change that will include 'extended comic stretches,' The Guardian reports. The unnamed work isn't due out for another two years, but McEwan read an excerpt to an audience in Wales on Sunday. The protagonist of the forthcoming novel is Nobel Prize-winning physicist Michael Beard, who aspires to save the planet, ... |
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| Topics: books, green living, climate, gossip (all these topics) |
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Discover Planet Green
Discovery's new green network launches tomorrow |
Sarah van Schagen |
03 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Do not adjust your television set. What you are seeing -- the rebranding of Discovery Home Channel as Planet Green -- is perfectly normal. Actually, it's better than normal; it's making 'green' normal.Beginning at 6 p.m. EDT tomorrow, some 50 million homes will be introduced to 250 hours of original green lifestyle programming as the 24/7 Planet Green network launches. Here's a look at the lineup:Premiering in JuneAlter EcoThe Show Formerly Known As The ... |
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| Topics: celebrity, green living, messaging, TV (all these topics) |
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Are we medicating and educating our solutions away?
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JMG |
02 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Best talk on education ever, from Sir Ken Robinson: |
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| Topics: education, green living, parenting (all these topics) |
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Some like it really hot
An Inconvenient Musical plays on |
Sarah van Schagen |
02 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Think the idea of An Inconvenient Opera is a bit off-key? You might be singing a different tune after reading this: Apparently, An Inconvenient Musical opened to sold-out crowds in Toronto last summer. Says Kurt Firla, co-director/writer of the production:It's a satirical look at the climate crisis, corporate greed, and the general public's reluctance to do anything about the problem. It features some of Toronto's top improvisers/comedians, and we're giving $1 from ... |
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| Topics: An Inconvenient Truth, Canada, climate, green living, music (all these topics) |
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A Lung Time Coming
Ozone-depleting asthma inhalers being phased out |
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02 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:27 AM on 02 Jun 2008 Asthma inhalers containing ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons will be phased out by the end of 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Friday. The phaseout of CFCs is required under the Montreal Protocol, an international treaty that the United States actually deigned to sign on to. Alternatives to CFC inhalers use hydrofluoroalkanem as a propellant; HFA inhalers may taste differe ... |
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| Topics: Food and Drug Administration, green living, health, international treaties, news, ozone (all these topics) |
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On the Ball: For compete's sake
Your sporting roundup for the month |
Sarah K. Burkhalter |
02 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Apparently, people are still playing sports. Who knew? Beijing Olympics 2008: The Games will be 'basically' carbon neutral, according to one official. Technology Minister Wan Gang predicts that the Olympics will emit 1.3 million tons of carbon dioxide -- thanks in large part to athletes' travel -- but that keeping cars off the road and planting trees will 'ensure that emissions will be balanced.' China's Environmental Protection Minister expressed cautious optim ... |
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| Topics: China, green living, Olympics, sports (all these topics) |
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Hurdles for new transportation technology
More hybrid electric bikes hit the streets |
biodiversivist |
31 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| I have received hundreds of emails from people wanting to build a hybrid electric bike. I have a standard response that attempts to dissuade them, which seems to work pretty well: You will have to spend about $1,400 on parts, excluding the bicycle. When it breaks -- and it will break -- you will be on your own to fix it. If you are not a reasonably fit cyclist and expect this bike to perform like a scooter, you are going to be disappointed. This generally takes ca ... |
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| Topics: bikes, green living (all these topics) |
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Leading to problems
Implications of the study linking childhood lead exposure and adult criminality |
Liz Borkowski |
30 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| A study just published in the journal PLoS Medicine (and written up in the L.A. Times) suggests a link between childhood lead exposure and adult arrests for violent crimes. Studying 250 adults for whom they had prenatal and childhood blood lead level measurements, University of Cincinnati researchers found that each 5-microgram-per-deciliter increase in blood lead levels at age 6 was associated with a nearly 50 percent increased risk of arrest as a young adult (the ris ... |
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| Topics: environmental justice, green living, health, parenting, scientific research, toxics (all these topics) |
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When Casual Friday Means Pajamas
More employees encouraged to telecommute, work short weeks |
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30 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:20 PM on 30 May 2008 Employers across the country are offering workers the option to telecommute or work a four-day week to help cut down on fuel costs. Compressed work weeks are particularly attractive to employees who work in places without reliable mass transit -- especially since a 10-hour day can mean coming in early and leaving late enough to avoid rush hour traffic. As an added bonus, ... |
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| Topics: green living, news, placemaking (all these topics) |
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From Libretto to Liquor
What's on our radar this week |
Sarah van Schagen, Sarah K. Burkhalter |
30 May 2008 |
The Grist List |
| By Sarah van Schagen and Sarah K. Burkhalter 30 May 2008 Truth or falsetto An Inconvenient Truth gives its encore performance -- at the Milan opera house. Climate change ain't over 'til the fat Albert sings. Photo: Gil Cohen Magen / Reuters Lookin' fin Feel like a fish out of water? Slip into an itsy bitsy teeny weeny salmon skin bikini. Made from discarded scales and trimmed in Lycra, they may cost a lox, but your chums will surely filet envious. Pop on pop Think t ... |
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| Topics: green living, Grist List, lists (all these topics) |
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Candy-shaped rat poison on its way out
EPA gives manufacturers three years to adjust to new regulations designed to protect children |
Fawn Pattison |
30 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The U.S. EPA announced today that it would be tightening up the safety requirements on ten nasty rodenticides that are blamed for poisoning around 10,000 children -- mostly black and Latino inner-city kids -- every year. Those ten chemicals will no longer be available in the form of little pellets that look like candy, and that small children are so prone to stick in their mouths. The new rules will require non-agricultural users of rat poison to use it only inside tam ... |
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| Topics: green living, health, parenting, regulation, toxics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Mow and mow worse
My yard, a source of shame |
Katharine Wroth |
30 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| When my fella and I bought our house last year, we tried to make thoughtful decisions as we accessorized our new lives -- years of editing Umbra have left me with little choice. So we bought a reel mower -- completely manual, no gas, no cord, just a few blades and some sweat. And I'm here to report: Our mower sucks. It rattles. It doesn't cut all that well. It completely misses the tall, thin weeds that have populated our lawn this spring, so that even after a fre ... |
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| Topics: green living, gardening (all these topics) |
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Together at the Table
Toward a civil, inclusive national conversation on food -- over a savory tart |
Kurt Michael Friese |
29 May 2008 |
Chef's Diary |
| As the date for Slow Food Nation -- the big sustainable-food conference scheduled in San Francisco this coming August -- draws near, I've been thinking about attitudes toward food in the erstwhile Fast Food Nation. Like a big pot of water that's been on high heat seemingly forever, our national conversation on food seems to be reaching a boil at long last. Slow F ... |
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| Topics: Chef's Diary, food, green living, recipes (all these topics) |
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Truth or falsetto
Inconvenient Truth gives an encore -- as an opera |
Sarah van Schagen |
29 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Climate change ain't over 'til the fat Albert sings ... |
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| Topics: Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth, green living, heroes (all these topics) |
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A fool and his money
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David Roberts |
29 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| I'm guessing these people just want attention, so I'll give them a little: Conservative grassroots group Grassfire.org wants people to waste as much energy as possible on June 12 by 'hosting a barbecue, going for a drive, watching television, leaving a few lights on, or even smoking a few cigars.' But only a little. |
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| Topics: dumbassery, energy, green living, holiday, websites (all these topics) |
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Metro Effectual
City residents emit less CO2, study says |
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29 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 6:58 AM on 29 May 2008 Residents of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the United States emit less carbon dioxide pollution per capita than the U.S. average, according to a new study. The Brookings Institution analyzed data on household and transportation energy use and found that the average U.S. resident was responsible for about 2.87 tons of carbon pollution a year, but that residents of the U.S.'s 100 largest metro areas ... |
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| Topics: green living, news, placemaking, United States, urban planning (all these topics) |
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Heating heaven
Early appearances of climate change in popular literature |
Erik Hoffner |
28 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Last week, I picked up a copy of the newly reissued 1971 Ursula Le Guin classic The Lathe of Heaven, which takes place in dystopic, post-collapse Portland, Ore., circa 2002 or so. It's typical brilliance from Le Guin, of whom I can't read enough, but I was interested to see that the novel begins by describing Mt. Hood devoid of snow due to the greenhouse effect. The climate is entirely different from that of the 1960s, with blue skies a thing of the past and rainfall pa ... |
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| Topics: books, climate, climate change impacts, green living, Portland (all these topics) |
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Recount
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David Roberts |
28 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| I watched Recount last night, and my god, it is a gut punch. |
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| Topics: green living, movies, politics, shenanigans (all these topics) |
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Michigan WIC whacks organic
Evidently, women, infants, and children in need don't deserve organic |
Tom Philpott |
28 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The Women, Infants, and Children program provides food aid to 'low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk,' according to the USDA website. The federal government funds the program through grants to states, which then decide how to allocate the cash. Evidently, in Michigan -- a state undergoing severe economic strain -- some bureaucrats have bought into ... |
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| Topics: environmental justice, food, green living, health, Michigan, organic food, parenting, shopping (all these topics) |
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Confirmed it through the grapevine
Brangelina drink to life on an organic vineyard |
Sarah van Schagen |
27 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Back in August, we hinted at the possibility that Brad and Ange were looking to sample some eco-friendly wineries. But now we've heard official word (through the grapevine) that they've chosen a lovely organic variety in the south of France. The Jolie-Pitts have purchased Château Miraval, a 1,000-acre property featuring two swimming pools, two gyms, 20 fountains, a lake, a moat, and a lush organic vineyard. The $60 million estate also includes 35 bedrooms -- ... |
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| Topics: celebrity, food, France, gossip, green living, organic food (all these topics) |
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Miles Outlandish
How to green your commute |
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27 May 2008 |
From A to Green |
| With a greener commute, you might even look forward to Mondays. Greening your life in lots of areas is a relatively simple affair, involving you, your conscience, and your wallet. Greening your commute is a tad bit more complicated, involving you, your conscience, and your job -- that annoyingly mandatory life entity that puts scratch in the aforementioned wallet. Complicating matters further, the eco-level of your commute depends to a gr ... |
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| Topics: advice, cars, climate, From A to Green, green living (all these topics) |
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Gonna wash that orangutan right out of my hair
New website shows which shampoos, foods kill lovable primates |
Glenn Hurowitz |
27 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| While doing the research for a Los Angeles Times op-ed about the dangers and prevalence of palm oil, I came across a great new website from the Rainforest Action Network. It lists hundreds of products that contain this orangutan-killer. (In case you haven't been following palm oil coverage on Grist and elsewhere, rainforests -- the homes of the orangutans and many other rare creatures -- are being destroyed at the fastest rate in history in Indonesia and Malaysia to m ... |
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| Topics: animal welfare, grassroots activism, green living, habitat loss, shopping, websites (all these topics) |
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Deforestation
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David Roberts |
26 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The T-shirt. |
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| Topics: deforestation, fashion, green living, shopping (all these topics) |
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He's Got the Remedy
Jason Mraz sings the praises of a simpler life |
Sarah van Schagen |
23 May 2008 |
Grist Feature |
| Jason Mraz is strumming up support for sustainability. Jason Mraz may still be the geek in the pink, but these days, the pop-rock-rhymer is hoping to distance himself from his cigarette-puffin', girl-chasin' past and move toward a simpler, more sustainable life. Since returning from his Mr. A-Z tour two years ago, Mraz has focused his attention on greener, non-music-related pastures. Last year ... |
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| Topics: climate, energy, green living, interview, music (all these topics) |
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From Oprah to Okra
What's on our radar this week |
Sarah van Schagen |
23 May 2008 |
The Grist List |
| Photo: E. Charbonneau/WireImage.com The color green Oprah Winfrey has gone meat-free, and she's using the "V word." No, we're not talking "vajayjay" ... we're talking "vegan." Consider this news tops on our list of Favorite Things. Meat lovers need not apply Single green seeking same for two awkward minutes of eco-chat over generous doses of liquid courage. Please, no coal gasification. If conversation is susta ... |
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| Topics: green living, Grist List, lists (all these topics) |
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