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Articles by Yolanda Crous

Yolanda Crous is a Grist contributing writer based in Santa Barbara, Calif.

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  • How many washed-up reality stars does it take to screw the environment?

    According to Ecorazzi, Kelly Osbourne became a mite confused last Thursday night en route to a party for Dita von Teese. Said party was being held at the same venue as Elle magazine's "Green Bash," and the Spawn O' Ozzy ended up on the wrong red carpet.

    Her reaction when she realized her mistake? "Screw the environment."

    Get in line, Kelly. Get in line.

    Yolanda Crous Culture

  • Sea-dweller stops McConaughey in his tracks

    The recent discovery of Irukundi jellyfish off the coast of Fraser Island, Australia, has stopped production of Fool's Gold, a sure-to-be-Oscar-contender starring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. The teensy-tiny toxic creatures ("no larger than a thumbnail") are usually found only in northern Queensland, but -- you guessed it -- warming temperatures seem to be pushing the deadly (and we mean deadly) critters south.

    The upside: Now that global warming has deprived the world of the wacky romantic-comedy stylings of Matt and Kate for a few whole days, maybe the administration will finally have the motivation it needs to do something about global warming.

    Yeah. And maybe Matthew McConaughey will finally go a whole day without taking his shirt off in public.

    Yolanda Crous Culture

  • … especially at an auto show

    Possibly in an attempt to convince attendees that a green auto show actually can be sexy, the UK's Eden Project named their eco-car fiesta -- wait for it -- "the Sexy Green Auto Show."

    Luckily it seems to be living up to its moniker with an abundance of tempting auto treats, from a Volkswagen that gets 72 mpg to a racing car that can run on a 50 percent blend of jatropha nut biodiesel.

    And god bless 'em, I saw zero scantily clad babes in the show's program -- just a whole lot of carbon fiber and flex-fuel engines. Now that's sexy.

    Yolanda Crous Culture

  • Light for your rights

    So last week, my roommates were out of town. And just before they left, one of their cars was broken into and slightly trashed. Alas, this simple act of vandalism has ushered in a new era of paranoia in the house -- and in the twisted funhouse that is my brain.

    Needless to say, I did not sleep well while I was alone in the house. Lord knows, I could have used this stylish and oh-so-practical nightlight made from recycled cans. Its tiny beam of yellow brilliance would have shone a bit of happy reality into my nasty nighttime imaginings.

    Next time, I suppose.

    Yolanda Crous Culture