Ryan L. Cooper, the able young web editor over at Washington Monthly, is the guy who remixed my TEDx talk to such nifty effect. Now he’s finished a new climate video of his own, which he produced and narrated.
Ryan will be the first to tell you that he’s not a video production guru. He’s an amateur, figuring stuff out on the fly. He just feels like he needs to be doing something, so he’s doing something. Would that there were more like him.
I just got back from the Bloomberg New Energy Finance Summit in NYC. It was a mixed bag, like all conferences — not sure I understand the rationale behind inviting so many fossil-fuel shills to an event like this (Canadian oil minister Joe Oliver? really?) — but the ratio of new-and-interesting to Christ-how-many-times-have-I-heard-this was substantially above average. Congrats to the crew at BNEF, whose work, I hardly need to point out, you should be following.
One of the highlights of the event, as I expected, was BNEF head honcho Michael Liebreich's keynote address on trends in clean energy investment. It was centered around the conference’s theme of a “new ROI,” i.e., resilience, optionality, and intelligence. (I wrote a piece on that theme a little while back.)
If you have a few minutes and are interested in the present and future of clean energy, I recommend watching it:
This weekend marked the 40th annual meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which brings together a broad array of attendees from across the right-leaning spectrum, from older white people to younger white people, hyper-conservatives to severe conservatives.
Needless to say, climate change was not a big topic of conversation. So Mike Stark of FossilAgenda.com brought his camera along and asked a few of the younger CPACers what they thought of it. Here’s what they said:
Along the way, we’ve depended on you to share stories and insights about this warming world, what we see as the most important issue of our time. A big thank you to all our readers, and we can’t wait to give you a front-row seat to whatever 2013 has in store. To be continued …
Winter is coming. Unbowed, unbent, unbroken by your heating bills? Even a Dornishman could benefit from a little wiser electricity use. Here are Umbra’s energy-saving tips for keeping toasty:
This year marks the 10th anniversary of our Ask Umbra advice column, and to celebrate, we’re pulling a favorite gem of eco-advice out of the archives each week.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of our Ask Umbra advice column, and to celebrate, we’re pulling a favorite gem of eco-advice out of the archives each week.
Since Hurricane Sandy, the historic Belle Harbor Yacht Club in the Rockaways — one of New York City’s hardest-hit neighborhoods — has become an indispensable hub for supplies, volunteers, and a much-needed round of drinks. Three weeks after the storm, the oft-maligned Long Island Power Authority still hasn’t reconnected this building, not to mention its neighbors, back to the grid, leaving locals to face the prospect of a cold, dark Thanksgiving.
But outside, the sun is shining, and three local solar power companies have seen an opportunity to bridge the gap left open by the electric utility. The yacht club, among several area buildings, is now plugged into a portable solar power generator, which frees volunteers from the endless gas lines that plague those dependent on traditional generators and leaves them ready to dish out hot plates of turkey and stuffing to the beleaguered community.
The Hostess brand is facing an uncertain future. What better time to learn how to make your own Twinkies? Umbra’s here to fill you in.
Some of the references in this video are dated. (For example, Michael Pollan’s “new book” Food Rules came out in 2009.) But just like the conventional treats this recipe was modeled after, a good Umbra video never gets old:
Umbra mixes up her cooking verbs a bit. Don’t fold on trying out the recipe if you’re confused: Get the text version here.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of our Ask Umbra advice column, and to celebrate, we’re pulling a favorite gem of eco-advice out of the archives each week.
Hurricane Sandy took away a lot of things: power, homes, even lives. For residents of Moonachie, N.J., a small town just across the Hudson River from New York City, the storm took a stab at their basic right to vote. After severe flooding here, much of the town remains without power, which led local election officials to decide over the weekend to close all the polling places and redirect residents to consolidated locations nearby.
It’s the same story all across the state: Some 300 polling places shut down or moved, according to the governor’s office, creating a logistical nightmare for election planners and a headache for voters (for what it’s worth, Gov. Chris Christie (R) announced plans to allow votes to be emailed or faxed in). And while New Jersey, a solidly blue state, has never seen less than 70 percent turnout for a presidential election, residents here say until the lights come back on, casting a vote is the furthest thing from their minds.
This story was produced as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
These are tough times, what with the crazy weather, political shenanigans in full swing — and the weekend coming up. You don’t want to be caught having a bad hair day.
Then again, what is all that stuff in the ingredients list of store-bought shampoo? And do you really have to unload your bank account to get the products that don’t contain crude oil?
Fear not, good people. Umbra Fisk, Grist’s green advice columnist, feels your pain, understands your needs, and just wants to help your family. Here she is with a little advice for getting the scare products out of your hair products.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of our Ask Umbra advice column, and to celebrate, we’re pulling a favorite gem of eco-advice out of the archives each week.
