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In 2015, make a New Year’s resolution that will actually change the world
How the power of positive energy turns you into a climate superhero.
How much fracking is happening in the Gulf of Mexico?
A new lawsuit is trying to force the feds to release that info. And another suit seeks info on which toxic chemicals are used by frackers.
ExxonMobil claims it’s the savior of the world’s poor
Oil giants are now trying to present themselves as poverty fighters and defenders of human wellbeing.
Tired of worrying about climate change? Vote Pitbull for president!
Hope on climate change has come from a direction you never expected.
Get ready for endlessly gross shrimp, thanks to climate change
According to a new study out of Sweden, ocean acidification is changing how shrimp taste.
Rejoice! New York is the biggest city to ban foam packaging
Now the only New York City takeout leftovers will be your Kung Pao.
Smart pedals help you find your stolen bike
These high-tech pedals alert you if your bike has moved, and tell you where it's gone, via a tracking app on your smartphone.
Nebraska Supreme Court clears the way for a Keystone decision
The court said the pipeline's planned route through Nebraska is just fine. Now the ball is in Obama's court.
We can fix the Gulf dead zone — for $2.7 billion a year
It will cost $2.7 billion to stop dumping fertilizer in the Mississippi, where it ends up killing off everything in the Gulf of Mexico. And it's worth it.
Even Detroit is hatin’ on freeways now
The Motor City is seriously considering tearing down a highway, I-375. Some city bigwigs want to blow up a second one, too.
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This horror film is about K-Cups
K-Cups are an incredibly stupid invention. This video shows the terror of bad coffee habits left unchecked.
Federal diet guidelines won’t mention food’s environment connection. Ugh.
The new dietary guidelines want you to know that your food came from the grocery store.
Here’s why the Keystone fight isn’t pointless
The battle is about power -- and the climate movement now has more of it than ever.
Planes have nobody but themselves to blame for making it harder to fly
Not only are the emissions from your transatlantic flight to Rome gassing the climate -- they're also making it harder for that same flight to get off the ground in the first place.
Why death won’t keep me from biking in the city
Our streets weren't designed to accommodate bikes and cars together, but with work, we can get there.
Is this the end of Cape Wind?
It was intended to be the first offshore wind farm in the U.S. New setbacks mean it might not get built at all.
Australia is so hot even the grapes wear sunscreen
With summer temperatures skyrocketing, winemakers in Australia protect their delicate harvest with a hearty dose of SPF.
Is it safe to drink water out of plastic pipes?
A reader wonders about copper pipes vs. PEX. Umbra plumbs the options.
Materialism makes you a broke jerk, says science
Being obsessed with stuff is eating your money, relationships, and soul, according to psychologist Tim Kasser.
Leave the damn fossil fuels in the ground, says big nerdy study
For a somewhat safe climate, 82 percent of world coal reserves and every drop of Arctic oil must not be burned.
Why do we have a Congress that hates the planet? Blame your anarchist roommate
Why not vote? An anarchist gives his reasons.
Senate Democrats plan to kneecap the GOP’s Keystone bill
The newly weakened Senate Democratic caucus is trying to muster all the opposition it can to the impending vote on the Keystone XL pipeline.
Your commute says a lot about your salary
A new study finds that New York neighborhoods with lousy access to public transit are black holes for employment.
Fracking is definitely causing earthquakes, another study confirms
This study examined 77 minor quakes near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.
Brazil’s new science minister is a climate denier
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff says she's serious about confronting climate change, but then why did she appoint denier Aldo Rebelo?
Exclusive: Woods performs “It Ain’t Easy” — in the woods
Watch Brooklyn band Woods perform an exclusive, intimate rendition of their song "It Ain't Easy," at Pickathon 2014.
Toyota is giving away its tech secrets for hydrogen-powered cars
You thought fuel cell vehicles were dead? So did we.
Don’t panic! Fukushima radiation just hit the West Coast
It took more than two years, but the ocean-borne radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi plant is finally detectable on U.S. shores.
Maybe your grandkids will live to ride California’s high-speed rail
The controversial, costly rail project is going to happen for sure. Politicians should stop trying to sabotage it and work on getting it right.
Could the GOP-controlled Congress actually raise the gas tax?
A few Republicans and conservative groups are calling for a hike in the tax to pay for roads and other transportation infrastructure.
This Republican believes in climate change. Too bad he’s a convicted felon who’s leaving Congress
Michael Grimm was one of a precious few Republican politicians who actually accepted the science of climate change.
Hold up, maybe don’t sprinkle all that chlorpyrifos on your toast
Surprise! This pesticide is nastier than we thought, says the EPA.
The USDA might tell Americans to eat less beef for the sake of the environment
It turns out that what's healthier for humans is also healthier for the climate.
How the suburbs could go from rot to rad
With decaying housing and falling revenues, inner-ring suburbs built in the 1950s are becoming the newest slums. But where there are protests, there's hope.
Obama to veto Keystone XL bill
President Barack Obama is planning to veto a bill that would force approval of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline.
U.S. taxpayers could have had a $600 million stake in Tesla
And other misadventures from the growing profusion of federal loan programs.
California Gov. Jerry Brown gets more ambitious about tackling climate change
He's calling for 50 percent of the state's electricity to come from renewables by 2030, and for a big cut in gas consumption by cars and trucks.
Beef: Still what’s for dinner, still controversial
Are cows destroying the climate? And is grass-fed even worse than grain-fed beef? We take a look at "Defending Beef" by Nicolette Hahn Niman.
2014 was officially the hottest year ever
The Japan Meteorological Agency released data confirming that 2014 was the hottest year globally since record-keeping began.
NRDC’s new president gets serious about diversity
Rhea Suh is among the first non-whites, and one of only a small handful of women, to serve as chief executive of a large U.S. environmental group.
Gas is only cheap because we haven’t raised taxes in 20 years
A gas tax that fully corrected for the social impact of car reliance would upend life as we know it.
Anchorage, Alaska, is so hot right now
For the first time in recorded history, temps in Anchorage didn't drop below zero all year. Alaskans are freaked out.
Smart meters could inspire better energy habits, or make you hate your roommate
Smart meters, used unwisely, will sow discontent rather than inspiring better energy habits, says science.
When it comes to naming craft beers, there’s a perfect legal storm a-microbrewin’
There are so many craft beers that microbreweries are now fighting over names.
Leave it to West Virginia to confuse its students about science
The state board of education is introducing nonsense into teaching guidelines for climate change.
Congress will soon approve Keystone, say Republicans
The new GOP-led Senate is pushing the pipeline as its first priority this year. Will Obama respond with a veto?
How can I keep my cat’s fur from coating my house?
A reader is tired of lint rollers and cat fur. Umbra sheds light.
Here’s the right way to make transit and density work in the suburbs
Bethesda, Md., a suburb of D.C., is a great example of smart growth. Let’s hope the state’s new GOP governor doesn’t screw that up.
This new app takes a swipe at China’s worst polluters
The interactive map shows, in real time, exactly who is spewing smog.
Gas prices are way low, but U.S. oil production to grow in 2015. What gives?
A worldwide glut of the crude stuff should mean less oil drilling in North Dakota, right? Wrong.
These maps show your city’s best-trod running routes
Oceans, rivers, lakes -- one look at these beautiful maps of smartphone data show just how much we love to run next to bodies of water.
The new year means more healthy food — and junk food, apparently
While we toss in seaweed chips and gluten-free bread into our shopping carts, we forget to let up on the Cheetos.
Personal rapid transit: The future of public transportation, maybe
A new personal rapid transport system called skyTran could revolutionize urban transportation. Or not.
Need to borrow a chainsaw? This app can help
Peerby connects folks in need of bike pumps and folding chairs with the neighbors who have them.
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