Consumption | Grist

Ask Umbra's feeling tipsy

You never get a second chance to make No Impact—oh wait, yes you do 1
Posted 1 week ago It's No Impact Week! Again! Find out how to reduce your consumption in just seven days -- and see why Umbra is suddenly craving lollipops.
Placemakers

A surprising sneak peek at the clothesline revolution 31
Posted 1 week, 1 day ago Alexander Lee travels the country evangelizing the merits of clotheslines through his organization, Project Laundry List. He says the humble laundry tool can have a real impact on climate and energy -- he'd even like to see one at the White House. So why are so many people vehemently opposed?
Low Impact, No Publicity

Simple people 6
Posted 2 weeks, 2 days ago Certain people get a lot of attention for living simply (ahem, No Impact Man, Sleeping Naked lady). But simple living is all around us, offering inspiration that doesn't come in the form of press releases.
Bring It On

Ask Umbra on her hotness, corporate gift baskets, and more 7
Posted 2 weeks, 5 days ago One question at a time wasn't enough for our dear Umbra Fisk, who debuts a multi-question column this week with advice on taking climate action, greening corporate gift baskets, and recycling receipts.
Flash in the Pan

Ask Umbra on canned and frozen foods 23
Posted 3 weeks, 5 days ago With winter making the selection of fresh produce dwindle, a reader wonders which is the better eco-option: frozen foods, or canned? Umbra digs into the question.
Can't you Hear me noggin

Ask Umbra on bike helmets 12
Posted 1 month ago When a cyclist wonders about the impact of her discarded helmets on the planet, Umbra suggests that she shift gears.
Gwyn Some, Lose Some

Does being hot make your green website hot, too? 3
Posted 1 month ago We take a peek at a crop of eco-sites started by starlets. Ooh, say that five times fast.
Road hogs

NASCAR and the high-octane American dream 11
Posted 1 month, 1 week ago A tour of America's energy landscape would be woefully incomplete without a visit to a NASCAR race, so Amanda Little trekked to the Talladega Superspeedway to get a first-hand view of the action. Don't miss this third installment in our series of exclusive excerpts from Power Trip: From Oil Wells to Solar Cells—Our Ride to the Renewable Future.
The first step is admitting you have a problem

Confessions of a fossil-fuel addict 2
Posted 1 month, 2 weeks ago You are right now completely surrounded by products of fossil fuels, from the screen you're reading to what you're wearing, eating, probably even sitting on. This same revelation sent Amanda Little on a surprising cross-country journey as she tried to come to grips with America's energy system. Read about it in an exclusive excerpt from her new book Power Trip.
Tank and File

Ask Umbra on replacing hot-water heaters 21
Posted 1 month, 2 weeks ago When the parents of three little boys wonder which hot-water heater makes the most sense for them, Umbra sheds light on the issue.
TRAY CHIC

Ask Umbra’s video advice on making lunch matter 0
Posted 1 month, 3 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, 3 weeks ago
Just Beak Ahhs

Ask Umbra on sex ... chicken sex, that is 14
Posted 2 months, 1 week ago
If you eat eggs, are you a chicken babykiller? How does that whole thing work, anyway? Umbra cracks the case.
Pop: The Question

Ask Umbra on bubble wrap 6
Posted 2 months, 2 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.
The Guardian’s 10:10 climate change campaign 0
Posted 2 months, 2 weeks ago
Peak oil

A tasting of five organic olive oils 4
Posted 2 months, 3 weeks 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?
How much is that brainwashing in the window?

Our addiction to cheap stuff has become very expensive, new book argues 24
Posted 3 months ago
Ellen Ruppel Shell, author of Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture, explains the history, psychology, and dangers of the American romance with bargain hunting.
Update: We're Still Screwed!

‘The Great Squeeze’ joins long list of doomsaying eco-films 3
Posted 3 months, 2 weeks ago
The Great Squeeze, a documentary by director Christophe Fauchere (of 2007's film Energy Crossroads), is full of apocalyptic observations, none of which should surprise anyone even vaguely environmentally-minded.
Ask Umbra’s video advice on growing food in small urban spaces 0
Posted 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Two Prongs Make a Right

Ask Umbra on smarter outlets 9
Posted 3 months, 2 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.