Advice | Grist

Just Add Elbow Grease

Ask Umbra on green cleaning 7
Posted 3 months ago
If you don't know the four common ingredients that you can mix to clean just about anything in your home, it's time to find out.
Ask Umbra’s Bee Hugs 3
Posted 3 months, 1 week ago
Ask Umbra’s video advice on bees, honey, and hugs 5
Posted 3 months, 1 week ago
Car-Bon Voyage

Ask Umbra on dream trips 1
Posted 3 months, 1 week ago
A couple looking ahead toward retirement wonders how they'll be able to travel in an eco-friendly way, and Umbra works up a few suggestions.
Fork in the road

Let’s (re)do school lunch 18
Posted 3 months, 1 week ago
It's time to get active in the campaign to improve school lunches, says Chef Kurt Michael Friese.
Jet Smart

Ask Umbra on flying less 17
Posted 3 months, 1 week ago
Is it up to us to fly less, or is it up to the airline industry to get on the stick? Umbra Fisk swoops through the skies with an answer.
It's Pat

A test of six recycled-paper napkins 1
Posted 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Yes, we know, paper napkins are evil and all true greens use cloth napkins or a hankie to wipe up messes. But on the off chance that you keep some disposables around, here's a rundown of which recycled options work best.
Silk Ilk

Ask Umbra on corn plastic 19
Posted 3 months, 2 weeks ago
You've probably seen corn plastic sprouting up as an alternative to regular plastic -- but do you know which eeeevil company makes it? Umbra puts her ear to the ground to dig up the truth.
Liquid Lunch

Ask Umbra on livestock and water 5
Posted 3 months, 2 weeks ago
How much water is involved in meat production, and which other products are dripping with waste? Umbra pours on the facts.
Cat(fish) fight

What’s the dish on farm-raised catfish? 9
Posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago
With the globe's fisheries in trouble and farmed salmon making bad headlines, it's harder than ever to choose safe and environmentally responsible seafood. What about farmed catfish, a reader wants to know? Food sleuth Lou Bendrick pounces.
If you can't stand the heat...

Simple summer salads for staying cool and well-nourished 3
Posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Sometimes, it's just too damned hot to cook. But that doesn't mean you have to submit to convenience foods. April McGreger delivers the dish on easy, filling summer salads.
Go green, save green

How to green your grocery shopping on a tight budget 12
Posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago
It ain't necessarily easy being green in the current economy. Here's how to green your food shopping without emptying your bank account.
Ask Umbra’s video advice on growing food in small urban spaces 0
Posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Micture This

Peeing in the shower goes, um, viral 7
Posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago
As news hits of an ad campaign in Brazil aimed at convincing pee-ple to pee in the shower, Umbra revisits her advice on the very same topic.
Two Prongs Make a Right

Ask Umbra on smarter outlets 9
Posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago
New Zealand has outlets with on-off switches, as do several other countries. Do these power-saving devices exist in the U.S.? And if not, are there similar alternatives? Umbra plugs in to the smart-outlet scene.
Andalucia in a bowl

From southern Spain, the king of summer soups 2
Posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago
When high summer comes, it's time to turn off the oven and reach for the blender. Kurt Michael Friese delivers the goods on gazpacho, a recipe imported from Spain but best made with your local summer bounty.
At Fault

Ask Umbra on power-strip alternatives 8
Posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Hey, so can you use those cute little test-reset buttons on GFCI outlets to turn appliances off and on? Hey, only if you want to risk death, says Umbra.
Sun in the Fun

Ask Umbra on solar pool heaters 9
Posted 4 months ago
A homeowner wonders if it's possible to devise a passive-heating system for her pool, so Umbra dons her water wings and wades in with an answer.
Ask Umbra’s video advice on beating the heat 8
Posted 4 months ago
Triclosan or treat?

Saying goodbye to a common—and toxic—antimicrobial chemical 9
Posted 4 months ago
Remember the '90s, when everyone and their mama became a germ freak and started buying anti-microbial everything? The trend has faded, but the personal-care and home-products industries keep clinging to an anti-microbial chemical called triclosan. A reader wants to know if triclosan should be avoided. Lou Bendrick has answers.