While I think it is about time that, as a country, we begin to seriously consider our consumption and its impact on the Earth, part of the problem I have with the environmental movement as a whole is that some supporters have surpassed a moderate interest and are hovering around in fanatic territory. (You should see some of the outlandish emails I get being on PETA's email list!) When extreme attitudes are expressed in an......

We all know by now that we should be taking steps to conserve gas. We can do things like carpool or arrange our errands so that they are all done in one trip. But a key tip that we can practice every time we drive is this: SLOW DOWN. Many of us have read articles suggesting slowing down, but we are skeptical about just how much we really are saving. Well, according to this article......

Pretty much every media outlet we rely on, mainstream or otherwise, constantly bombards us with "green" topics. Many retailers and manufacturers are moving towards greening their products (though whether they are successful or whether sometimes it is just greenwashing is debatable). These days it is pretty hard to avoid the issue, but sometimes there is just such an overwhelming amount of information, including both scare tactics and sound advice, that we might find ourselves using......

We have all heard the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle mantra more times than we can count. Recycling has long been a topic in the public eye, and of late, so has reducing one's consumption. But somewhere along the line that middle guy, reuse, gets lost in the shuffle. A key part of trying to live a more eco life should be attempting to use what you've got, in new and inventive ways. (Example: recycle old wooden......

This week's New York Times Magazine features an article entitled "Why Bother?" by Michael Pollan (the author of must-reads The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals and In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto). In "Why Bother," Pollan states that the bleakest part of watching An Inconvenient Truth for him was "during the closing credits, when we are asked to . . . change our light bulbs. That’s when it got really depressing.......

Local writer/director/producer Michael Gleason recently sent us a link to his short comic news piece called "Arrgh! Taxes!" which we were planning on profiling today given that it is April 15th. However, one of his other pieces struck a chord with us about a topic near and dear to this column's heart: environmentalism. In his clip "Eco-tistical," he defines being eco-tistical as "someone who is more concerned about looking like they are concerned about the......

This week, take some time to think about how much unnecessary paper we are using up each day. When you see your fifteenth movie of the Philadelphia Film Festival, don't pick up yet another copy of the film guide. Don't print out that third recipe for macaroni and cheese from your favorite food blog, complete with nine extra pages of reader comments. Don't print out the Juno screenplay and re-read again, shaking your head and......

If you would like to become more environmentally conscious but think getting started is a rather daunting task, Sundance Channel's "The Green" might be a good place to begin your quest for knowledge. Beginning tonight, April 1st, Season 2 of The Green airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. and features a block of programming centered around the concept of environmental sustainability. The programming varies, but is anchored by the second season of "Big Ideas for a......

What are you doing this Saturday night? At 8 pm (local time) many people across the globe will be participating in Earth Hour. (Warning: dramatic Jeremy Piven narrated sound clip at that link.) The concept behind the Earth Hour movement is simple: shut off your lights for one hour. Just to see what it's like. To get us thinking. Do we really need to be consuming all of the energy that we normally don't give......

Note: We realize that while not everyone celebrates Easter, hopefully this post can be taken as motivation to make greener choices in preparing for any future celebration or holiday. In these days of the over-holidayization (yes, we made that word up) of everything, it's easy to get wrapped up in the consumerism of it all. It's also easy to go the other way and turn into a big Grinch, not wanting to revel in the......

By now, we have all heard about—and been sufficiently freaked out by—the news that major pharmaceuticals have been discovered in treated Philadelphia drinking water. (Editor's Note: Phillyist originally linked to this story in our news post on Monday.) Antibiotics, anti-convulsants, and mood stabilizers, oh my. While that says too much about the over-medicated state of Americans, our topic here is the water itself. Our first instinct after reading this might be to grab the nearest......

Contrary to what perceptions might be, environmentalism does not always equal extremism. Being environmentally conscious does not mean forsaking your interests and living in a shack in the woods. It is important, though, to be increasingly aware of the impact that you and your actions are making. Yesterday morning, XPN made mention of Jack Johnson's initiatives for "Tour Greening." Jack Johnson is concerned for the environment. But that doesn't mean that he's going to give......

Scary fact: There are 17,000 petrochemicals available for home use, but only 30% of them have been tested for exposure to human health and the environment. Nobody likes scrubbing the bathroom – that in itself is scary enough. But if you stop and think for a minute, you really won't want to do another second of cleaning when you realize the potential damage you could be doing with the products that you've selected. So step......

A column about how we Philadelphians can start thinking about controlling consumption and protecting our world in small increments. One of the more frightening things heard recently -- more frightening than the prospect of another Clinton presidency -- is the fact that there is a vortex of trash twice the size of Texas swirling and growing in the Pacific Ocean. It sounds like something from a science fiction movie called When Trash Attacks!, but sadly,......