Michael Coren

New York, San Francisco, Washington

Columnist and Newsletter Writer, Climate Coach at The Washington Post

Climate advice columnist. Writing at The Washington Post. No longer active here. Try: https://t.co/LpPBwR743v

Articles

How to turn your water heater into a battery and ditch the gas company

1 week ago | spokesman.com | Michael Coren

Three years ago, Ted Treadwell turned his water heater into a battery. His home in Santa Rosa, California, had relied on a gas-powered furnace and water heater for a quarter century to stay warm. But as the equipment neared the end of its life, the retired software engineer wanted something new — and to sever his ties to the gas utility. So he chose a system designed by Harvest Thermal. Unlike systems that heat water and air separately, this one does both.
It looks like a golf cart, maxes out at 25 mph and could be your next city car

2 weeks ago | washingtonpost.com | Michael Coren

It looks like a golf cart, maxes out at 25 mph and could be your next city car (washingtonpost.com) It looks like a golf cart, maxes out at 25 mph and could be your next city car By Michael J. Coren 2025061010000000 I turn the key. The touch screen on the dashboard flashes to life. Colored disco lights illuminate inside the speakers. As I smash the accelerator to the floor, the electric motor sprints into high gear, about 25 miles per hour.
How to turn your water heater into a battery and ditch the gas company

3 weeks ago | seattletimes.com | Michael Coren

Three years ago, Ted Treadwell turned his water heater into a battery. His home in Santa Rosa, Calif., had relied on a gas-powered furnace and water heater for a quarter centuryto stay warm. But as the equipment neared the end of its life, the retired software engineer wanted something new — and to sever his ties to the gas utility. So, he chose a system designed by Harvest Thermal. Unlike systems that heat water and air separately, this one does both.
How to write your will in minutes but leave a forever legacy

3 weeks ago | washingtonpost.com | Michael Coren

How to write your will in minutes but leave a forever legacy (washingtonpost.com) How to write your will in minutes but leave a forever legacy By Michael J. Coren 2025060310000000 I know the secret to living forever. Not physical immortality, of course. We're all compost in the end.
How to turn your water heater into a battery and ditch the gas company

1 month ago | washingtonpost.com | Michael Coren

How to turn your water heater into a battery and ditch the gas company (washingtonpost.com) How to turn your water heater into a battery and ditch the gas company By Michael J. Coren 2025052710000000 Three years ago, Ted Treadwell turned his water heater into a battery. His home in Santa Rosa, California, had relied on a gas-powered furnace and water heater for a quarter century to stay warm.
How you can shop for money-saving appliances if Trump ends Energy Star

1 month ago | washingtonpost.com | Michael Coren

How you can shop for money-saving appliances if Trump ends Energy Star (washingtonpost.com) How you can shop for money-saving appliances if Trump ends Energy Star By Michael J. Coren 2025051310000000 What's extraordinarily popular, saves American families about $450 annually and may go away very soon? The Energy Star program. Like roughly 90 percent of the public, you may know Energy Star by its iconic blue stickers on high-efficiency appliances.
Writing to the future is one of the most powerful climate actions you can take

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Michael Coren

For years, researchers and activists believed explaining the science of climate change had the power to rouse policymakers and the public to stop it. It hasn’t worked out that way. Even as an overheating climate ravages the planet, the idea of a world beset by floods, droughts and rising seas still feels like a distant threat for many - affecting other people in other places way off in the future. When alarm does break through, it’s easy to feel paralyzed by the problem.
Column | Climate change is reshaping home insurance. Here’s how to navigate it. - Washington Post

Dec 16, 2024 | washingtonpost.com | Michael Coren |Naema Ahmed |Kevin Crowe

As insurers pass on the costs of rising climate risk, here are strategies to find insurance coverage that protects your home at a price you can afford.
I'm a dad worried about climate change. Here's why I have hope.

Dec 2, 2024 | washingtonpost.com | Michael Coren

My daughter was born yesterday. There are many things I plan to share with her: taking her first steps into the cold Pacific Ocean; hooting back at the owls haunting our backyard; and strapping on a backpack for our first trip into the Sierra Nevada one day. Those, and a million other experiences, I'll relive for the first time. But there are as many things I'm afraid she will never know. The world my daughter will grow up in will have billions of fewer birds flying through its skies.
How climate risky or resilient is your city? Look up where you live. - Washington Post

Nov 19, 2024 | washingtonpost.com | Michael Coren |Naema Ahmed |Kevin Crowe

Climate Coach Climate risk Very low Medium High Very high Low Seattle Boston Detroit New York Chicago Philadelphia Sacramento Washington, D.C. Denver San Francisco St. Louis Norfolk Los Angeles Phoenix Miami Climate risk Seattle Very low Medium High Very high Low Boston Detroit New York Chicago Philadelphia Sacramento Washington, D.C. Denver San Francisco St. Louis Norfolk Los Angeles Phoenix Miami U.S. map showing combined risk of coastal flooding, inland flooding, hurricane, drought,...