Advice | Grist

A Non-Starter?

Ask Umbra on anti-idling campaigns 15
Posted 1 month, 4 weeks ago A Girl Scout troop wants to start an anti-idling campaign, but they're not sure how to combat nervous grown-ups who think turning a car on and off will cause damage. Umbra, floored, gives them fuel for their cause.
TRAY CHIC

Ask Umbra’s video advice on making lunch matter 0
Posted 1 month, 4 weeks ago Common wisdom tells us there’s no free lunch. But you can have a guilt-free lunch, thanks to Umbra Fisk’s recipe for midday munchers everywhere. You won’t have to swallow your pride -- you can eat well, save money, and help this juicy planet we call home.
Ask Umbra’s video advice on making lunch matter 8
Posted 1 month, 4 weeks ago
Let's Make a Seal

Ask Umbra on drafty houses 3
Posted 2 months ago When you tighten up a house to save energy, do you lose the benefits of fresh air exchange? A perplexed couple wants to know, and Umbra breezes in with an answer.
Hitting the Green Carpet

Umbra reports from the Age of Stupid premiere 0
Posted 2 months ago Umbra Fisk talks with Heather Graham, Moby, Gillian Anderson, and others at the premiere of the year's hottest climate film.
Ask Umbra at the Age of Stupid premiere 0
Posted 2 months ago
Interior Monologue

Ask Umbra on that new-car smell 3
Posted 2 months ago An SUV owner wants to get a new ride, but can't stand the fumes in cars fresh off the lot. Umbra sniffs around for tips on quick routes to odor-free driving.
Straight from the Resource's mouth

Ask Umbra on giving advice 0
Posted 2 months, 1 week ago
With school in session, a teacher wants to turn his students into eco-advice givers, but he's not sure where to start. Umbra goes all meta on his ass.
Placemakers

An interview with solar activist Anya Schoolman 1
Posted 2 months, 1 week ago
Three years ago, a group of neighbors in Washington, D.C., wondered if they could bring solar power to the homes in their 'hood. This month they're celebrating their fiftieth installation -- we caught up with one of the ringleaders to find out how they got it done.
FAQ YOU

Ask Umbra on combating climate denial 55
Posted 2 months, 1 week ago
This summer's cool weather has some people scratching their heads and wondering if climate change is real. Umbra explains the difference between one crazy summer and a global trend, and offers resources for understanding the finer points of the climate "debate."
how now, green Dow

Is the Dow Jones Sustainability Index worth a damn? 9
Posted 2 months, 1 week ago
When the finance bigwig issued a recent review of green companies, the press rushed to cover it -- but should consumers care? We ask sustainable-business experts Joel Makower and Auden Schendler to weigh in.
Just Beak Ahhs

Ask Umbra on sex ... chicken sex, that is 14
Posted 2 months, 2 weeks ago
If you eat eggs, are you a chicken babykiller? How does that whole thing work, anyway? Umbra cracks the case.
More, More, More, said the parents

Ask Umbra on big families 48
Posted 2 months, 2 weeks ago
When a woman worries that her daughter wants to have too many kids, Umbra steps in with some familial advice.
Walking the Chalk

Going back to school? Here’s a green cheat sheet 2
Posted 2 months, 3 weeks ago
Whether you're making your first big-kid move to Kindergarten or hitting campus for your senior year, there are all sorts of ways to make yours an eco-education, from non-toxic school supplies to the classes you take.
Ask Umbra’s video advice on greening your campus 3
Posted 2 months, 3 weeks ago
Pop: The Question

Ask Umbra on bubble wrap 6
Posted 2 months, 3 weeks ago
When a recently married fellow wonders what to do with the acres of bubble wrap now surrounding him, Umbra jumps in with a few suggestions.
Shell game

UPDATED: The cruelty of industrial egg-riculture—plus a tasty recipe for your local pastured eggs 10
Posted 2 months, 3 weeks ago
Kurt Michael Friese cooks in Iowa, the state that produces more eggs than any other in the nation. So believe him when he says to avoid flavorless, ecologically troubling industrially produced eggs--and listen to his ideas for cooking with pastured eggs from small farmers.
Sweaty palms

Palm oil, healthy rainforests, and your kitchen 20
Posted 3 months ago
To avoid trans-fats, a lot of folks are looking into palm oil as a shortening for baking. A reader wants to know: Is this the way forward, eco-wise? Lou Bendrick bakes up an answer.
Peak oil

A tasting of five organic olive oils 4
Posted 3 months ago
Homer called it liquid gold, but today it's so ubiquitous that it's lost that precious place in the pantheon. How does exploding olive cultivation wreak havoc on the land, and how do organic olive oils stack up?
Consider the fritter

Beat the August heat with an easy veggie supper 4
Posted 3 months ago
Sure, August is hotter than hell. But what month offers better fresh veggies? April McGreger serves up a fresh take on what to do with 'em. Prepare to fritter some time away.