Grist | Topics | 9 Results

RESULTS		Results 1 – 9 of 9
Headline	Author	Published	Section
Whence It Came On biodegradable products	Umbra Fisk	11 Jul 2007	Ask Umbra
Dearest Umbra, With biodegradable corn-plastic products like clothes hangers, credit cards, and trash bags, we are led to believe there are good alternatives to plastic that can be thrown out guilt-free. But doesn't all trash get put in landfills that are then hermetically sealed to prevent the bad contaminants from leaching out, but hold in the things that would have been composting otherwise? I thought that was the reason to co ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, green living, oil, recycling, shopping (all these topics)

One Word On oil and plastic	Umbra Fisk	14 Mar 2007	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, How much oil is used to make a pound (or some other comparable measure) of typical plastics? Melody Evans Paris, Ill. Dearest Melody, Ah, Paris. Is it as lovely in the springtime as they say? Yes, Ben, plastics ... Photo: The Graduate (1967)/MGM Your question is a good and tricky one. Let's start with a look at how plastic is made. Manufacturers take simple hydrocarbons from whatever source material they're using -- commonly crud ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, green living, oil (all these topics)

Good to the Last Drop On peak oil	Umbra Fisk	04 Dec 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I have recently been alerted to what many people term "peak oil." I don't know how to characterize my feelings regarding this subject. Obsession might be a good term. I feel that I need to prepare. What do you think? Is "peak oil" another Y2K? Michael Pittsburgh, Pa. Dearest Michael, Who cares if it's another Y2K? Prepare away, my friend. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Eternal sunshine ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, oil (all these topics)

Greasing Their Alms On oil subsidies	Umbra Fisk	03 Aug 2005	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Grist keeps mentioning that the U.S. government gives large subsidies to oil companies, but doesn't go further into what these subsidies are. I can't make a good argument against the government's subsidizing Big Oil if I don't know more about it: Are the subsidies tax breaks, and if so, for what? Are the tax breaks larger than for most other large companies? How biased is our treatment of Big Oil? Christine Hillsboro, Or ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, Big Oil, business, energy, oil, politics (all these topics)

The Rank and Vile On choosing the least evil gasoline company	Umbra Fisk	20 Sep 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Every week I scan the gasoline signs looking for the cheapest deal, while knowing that what I pay in rock-bottom prices may come at the expense of environmental integrity and social justice. I'd like to choose my brand of gas with more conscience. Would you help? I'd love to see a ranking or rating system of the major gasoline brands. It could let us know which ones are meaningfully pursuing r ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, business, energy, oil, placemaking (all these topics)

Waste Makes Haste Answers about thermal depolymerization	Umbra Fisk	10 Jun 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, What is thermal depolymerization? Ann Freehold, N.J. Dearest Ann, A polymer is a large group of linked molecules. We're made of polymers such as protein, eat polymers such as starch, and wear polymers such as leather and nylon. Thermal depolymerization is a heat-driven process that breaks down or transforms polymers into the shorter chains from whence they came: oil. Our planet's automatic transforma ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, oil, solid waste treatment and disposal, waste (all these topics)

Naturally: Gas On home heating	Umbra Fisk	18 Dec 2003	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Can you shed some light (or some warmth) on the most environmentally sound ways to heat one's home this winter? Natural gas over coal and oil for its lower carbon (and particulate) content? What about fireplaces: good or bad? Would burning gas logs be a good alternative to burning real wood? Thanks for your help! Janet Washington, D.C. Dearest Janet, What we cold eco-folks are looking for is a heat source that is clean to prod ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, coal, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living, natural gas, oil (all these topics)

Gear Factor On driving in neutral	Umbra Fisk	28 Oct 2003	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I have a question about getting the most miles per gallon. If you put your car into neutral at stops or going downhill, do you save any gas? My car is an automatic. Jeff Verona, N.J. Dearest Jeff, Another great question we have all pondered. Louisa and her fellow mechanics thought you might save a little gas. Let me be more specific: a very, very small amount of gas. Droplets. In the final cost-benefit analysis, those dropl ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, cars, energy, oil, placemaking (all these topics)

Sin Diesel On diesel engines	Umbra Fisk	15 Aug 2002	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Longtime reader; first-time writer. Love the column. My partner and I recently bought a small station wagon to replace our 4WD pick-up and '83 sedan. After some debate, we chose a turbo-diesel engine that boasts about 45 miles per gallon instead of a gas engine, which gets about 30 MPG. Our thinking led us to choose the higher fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions of the diesel engine, although the gas engine produces fewer par ...
Topics: advice, air pollution, Ask Umbra, cars, energy, green living, oil, placemaking, toxics (all these topics)

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