miken32’s Recent Comments

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  pesticides

  Although bananas do have much lower pesticide residue than other fruits (due largely to their protective skin) the effects of pesticide use at the source make it far from "OK." The real impact of the bananas' weekly pesticide bath is on the workers and the farms. About a quarter of the price of bananas in the supermarket goes towards pesticides.

  Where I live, organic (Dole) bananas are about 79¢ a pound, compared to 59¢ for non-organic. Your pricing may vary, but for me it's a no-brainer.

  P.S. Interesting banana fact: all Cavendish bananas produced today are clones of an original from the 1950s. Bananas are sterile and can't reproduce naturally.On Umbra on organic bananas posted 1 year, 8 months ago 22 Responses

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  Ewww

  Coffee should be had within 20 minutes of brewing, it becomes more bitter and acidic the longer it sits. And microwaving old coffee? Yuck; my mother-in-law does that.On Umbra on reheating coffee posted 1 year, 11 months ago 20 Responses

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  Hmm, fireplaces?

  Don't fireplaces contribute to ground level smog and release loads of nitrous oxides? Are emissions better with a wood stove as opposed to an open fireplace? And would charcoal ash from the barbecue have the same properties as wood ash from the fireplace?

  I'm thinking the answers to all 3 questions are yes, but don't know.On Umbra on fireplace ashes posted 1 year, 12 months ago 6 Responses

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  solar cells vs LED

  I'll second the first post, and surmise that the energy required to produce, package, and ship (from China probably) the solar panels is probably greater than the minuscule energy consumption the LEDs would have if powered by household electricity.

  Strings of a couple of hundred LEDs use only a dozen watts; coupled with a timer, the power draw over the 4-6 week holiday season is going to be minimal. (Compare that to the "traditional" lights you're replacing at ½ to 1 watt each!)

  So I'd go buy some LED bulbs. Or, even better, turn your house solar as suggested above.On Umbra on solar holiday lights posted 2 years ago 9 Responses

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  no Method for me

  We gave Method's dish detergent a try and it smelled really nice but ruined our hands. We then realized that the main ingredient is alcohol, and that pretty much explained it. We're Seventh Generation fans for the most part.On Umbra on household help and homemade cleansers posted 2 years, 1 month ago 14 Responses