Grist | Topics | 47 Results

RESULTS		Results 1 – 25 of 47
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Headline	Author	Published	Section
A Different Angle On eco-choices	Umbra Fisk	20 Dec 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, While I usually love your column, I have to take issue with encouraging people to eat sushi. This is the second "green" site I have seen that proposes the solution to overfishing is to eat different fish. Saying "of course you can continue to eat at sushi restaurants without feeling guilty" amounts to pandering to people who are concerned about environmental problems but are not willing to make meaningful ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, fishing, food and agriculture, oceans, vegetarianism and veganism (all these topics)

Wake Up, Little Sushi On sustainable sushi	Umbra Fisk	29 Nov 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, My wife and I love sushi, but we're increasingly concerned about sustainable harvesting. Although we treat ourselves to sushi only once or twice a month, it adds up, and we can't help but wonder about the impact. There's no sensation in the world like letting a slab of sashimi salmon dissolve in your mouth, but can my wife and I continue to enjoy sushi without feeling guilty? What can people like us -- environmental ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, fishing, food and agriculture, oceans, toxics (all these topics)

Eat Free or Die On eating locally in winter	Umbra Fisk	20 Nov 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I live in New Hampshire, and I am getting ready for the long, cold winter. I try to eat locally, but with no year-round growing season here and such a dense population, most of the food comes from elsewhere. I was wondering what I could do to reduce my impact during the winter and how I can eat as locally as possible. Do you have any ideas? Diana Durham, N.H. Dearest Diana, Mmm, just in time for Thanksgiving. The ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food and agriculture (all these topics)

Boo-ty Call On Halloween	Umbra Fisk	30 Oct 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, What do you recommend handing out to the trick-or-treaters this Halloween? I would like to avoid the wasteful packaging and additives found in store-bought goodies. I'd bake my own treats, but I doubt parents would let their kids eat anything that's not individually sealed. How can I have an environmentally friendly Halloween? Robin Walla Walla, Wash. Dearest Robin, We are on the cusp of a most intriguing holiday, so I'm happy to ta ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food and agriculture, holiday (all these topics)

The Sweet Lowdown On chocolate	Umbra Fisk	16 Oct 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Although I buy most of my chocolate as fair trade or organic, I was wondering if you might enlighten me on the politics and economics of the chocolate (cocoa) industry. Where is most of it grown? What are the working conditions of those who are employed there? How effective is fair trade in getting to the growers? Just another ethical choco guy Whistler, B.C. Dearest JAECG, What with Halloween coming up, this is a frightfully ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food and agriculture, green living (all these topics)

Pay Watch On farmers' markets and food stamps	Umbra Fisk	19 Jun 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Do organic grocers take food stamps? Do farmers' markets? If not, what do ecologically/health-minded people on fixed incomes do? David Burch South Bend, Ind. Dearest David, Did you know that in many states food stamps are no longer stamps? Plastic cards similar to ATM cards have replaced the paper coupons. Electronic Benefit Transfer, it's called, and it's not dissimilar to a bank card with a finite, monthly re ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food and agriculture, green living (all these topics)

The Scheme of the Crop On ethanol	Umbra Fisk	31 May 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I'm a little amazed by all the bandwagon-jumping going on over E85 ethanol. I wonder if a corn-based fuel can be sustainable over the long term, given the general risks of farming and the disappearance of American farms in the last 20 years. And doesn't anybody remember the great potato famine and the danger of relying on one crop? Before the unsuspecting public spends zillions of dollars buying into the idea of an ethanol-b ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, Big Ag, biofuels, food and agriculture (all these topics)

Oil She Wrote On canola oil	Umbra Fisk	24 May 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I recently saw "organic canola oil" on a salad dressing bottle. I looked up the origin of canola oil, and it looks like it is a genetic modification of rapeseed. I thought organic certification disallowed genetically modified foods. What's the scoop? Tom Grundy Nevada City, Calif. Dearest Tom, Have you noticed yet that May is food month here on floor 2B? Food and plants, in honor of spring -- and to counter last month' ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, food and agriculture, GMOs, organic food (all these topics)

The Price Is Wrong On the cost of organics	Umbra Fisk	22 May 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, How come it's so expensive to go organic? I could swing it by myself by eating a bare minimum of food, but I'm charged with feeding consume-mass-quantity types who favor the traditional American diet, and they eat meat. I would be in debt buying just half the monthly food consumption. One would have to be rich to go organic. MonikkaMarie Jackson Queen Village, N.Y. Dearest MonikkaMarie, The usual answer to your qu ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food and agriculture, green living, organic food (all these topics)

In a Nutshell On organic cashews	Umbra Fisk	08 May 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I work in a grocery store. Recently a customer refused to purchase our cashews because they weren't organic. Does it really matter if nuts are organic? Are they sprayed with chemicals during production? Did the customer have a point, or should she have sucked it up and bought our cashews? Brianna Farmington Hills, Mich. Dearest Brianna, I am shocked, shocked to find that the bland, chewy cashew is the most popular nut in th ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food and agriculture, green living (all these topics)

Bug Me Not On organic pesticides	Umbra Fisk	29 Mar 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Recently, an article in my newspaper stated that federal and state guidelines allow the spraying of "organic pesticides" on organic crops. I thought organic crops were pesticide-free. I am very disappointed to find out that there are sanctioned "organic pesticides" which, with probably little to no independently researched information, may or may not pose a risk to my health. Tell me the paper got it wrong ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food and agriculture, toxics (all these topics)

Rambled Eggs On free-range chickens and eggs	Umbra Fisk	22 Mar 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I just read your column on organic syrup, and you made a comment about the futileness of the phrase "free range." I always try to buy free-range eggs and, whenever possible, the same with chicken. Am I wasting my money? Jeff Pritts St. Louis, Mo. Dearest Jeff, Yes, basically. There is a chance that your egg purveyor uses "free range" in the way that you understand it, but the only way to tell ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food and agriculture (all these topics)

The Sweets Hereafter On dorm snacks	Umbra Fisk	13 Mar 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, As a hall adviser at a college where social activism is valued, I find myself stuck when it comes to entertaining en masse. Sure, I buy from local farms when buying snacks for myself, but when leaving goodies for my hall, putting the ever-enticing winter squash outside a resident's door does not say "midnight snack." Basically, I want to have my candy and eat it too. How can I appeal to the green in me while appe ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, education, food and agriculture, local food, organic food (all these topics)

Buzz Alterin' On coffee	Umbra Fisk	09 Nov 2005	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I am a seriously indulgent coffee drinker. Lately, there have been a ton of "green" coffee shops popping up. I like to support local coffee shops, and I want to believe that they are "shade-grown, fair-trade, organic," but I've wondered if they are being honest. How do I know if they are legit? Claudia Gutierrez San Diego, Calif. Dearest Claudia, Shade-grown, fair-trade, and organic are certifications, not just bu ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food and agriculture, green living, organic food (all these topics)

The Meal World On getting local foods into college cafeterias	Umbra Fisk	19 Oct 2005	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I am a student at Hartwick College running the Grassroots Environmental Club. The college's major cafeteria is run by a large food company that also serves prisons. In a meeting with the director, I was told they have the power to get any food. When I asked if we can get local, organic food, they responded that it would cost too much and be a hassle. How can I convince them that the quality of the ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food and agriculture, green living (all these topics)

Good Bite, and Good Luck On freezing local foods	Umbra Fisk	17 Oct 2005	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I am lucky enough to live across the street from a farmers' market, and I shop there all summer. But when summer's done, the market closes and I am left to buy produce from California. Would it be better for me to buy a small freezer and freeze farmers' market veggies for winter, or to forgo the freezer and buy from the grocery store? Which is worse: long-distance transportation or the juice used by a freezer? ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, farmers markets, food and agriculture, green living, local food (all these topics)

Soy You Want to Be a Vegetarian? On soy vs. meat	Umbra Fisk	12 Oct 2005	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I finally went vegetarian several months ago, and one of my main reasons was the environmental impact of meat production. The other day, however, a friend pointed out that soy foods take a great deal of energy to produce too. So is there really that big of an environmental difference between TVP [textured vegetable protein] and free-range beef? And how does dairy compare? Should I just try to stick to nuts and ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food and agriculture, green living, local food, vegetarianism and veganism (all these topics)

Jug or Not On the perennial packaging dilemma	Umbra Fisk	23 May 2005	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I was recently elected the social chairperson of my subdivision's swim/tennis/social club. Now I'm in charge of party planning for a group of about 150 families. While shopping at Costco, I wondered which is better for the environment: several 128-ounce jugs of apple juice plus many plastic cups, or lots of 6.75-ounce juice boxes that would equal the same juice volume, or the equivalent in 10-ounce plastic bottle ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food and agriculture, green living, local food, organic food, waste (all these topics)

Unholy Cow On leather upholstery	Umbra Fisk	20 Jan 2005	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, It seems everyone is getting leather upholstery in their cars and on their couches these days. Where is it coming from -- the same cows that are being slaughtered for hamburgers, or special cows that are raised for their hides? What is the environmental impact of all this luxurious leather? Sharon Collegeville, Penn. Dearest Sharon, Hides are a byproduct of food-related animal processing. Cattle are large, expensive animals, ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food and agriculture, green living, water pollution (all these topics)

Every Worm Is Sacred On composting	Umbra Fisk	06 Jan 2005	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Can you tell me what is the best and most effective composter for a small urban backyard? Joe Baltimore, Md. Dearest Joe, Sort of. It's ultimately a very personal choice, and one that depends on what you will try to compost and the amount of time you are willing to spend helping the compost along. You may be familiar with the concepts of "aerobic" and "anaerobic" decomposition. Aerobic is better, and co ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food and agriculture, gardening (all these topics)

Fruit Scootin' Boogie On odd fruit	Umbra Fisk	16 Dec 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Yesterday in the grocery store I saw a "golden kiwi." Is there really such a thing? It was over twice the size of a regular kiwi and the familiar fuzz was not there. It was almost as smooth as a nectarine. When I inquired of the produce representative, she told me that it was a "natural" unaltered fruit and that I could taste it if I wanted to. Naturally, I declined. I am very leery of this strange new f ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food and agriculture, GMOs (all these topics)

Soy Story On the environmental impacts of soy	Umbra Fisk	18 Nov 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I'm interested in learning more about the treatment and genetic modification of soy and how prevalent this is. I think a lot of folks choose products such as soy milk because they think they are making a better choice for the earth, as well as themselves. I think this is an overlapping issue and qualifies for your help. Perhaps a slant toward educating us on the state of soy farming and production would be an acc ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food and agriculture, GMOs, toxics (all these topics)

PLU Perfect On the mysteries of produce code numbers	Umbra Fisk	11 Oct 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I recently learned that the UPC numbers on produce indicate whether the item is conventionally grown (beginning with a 4), organically grown (beginning with a 9), or genetically modified (beginning with an 8). I like to buy organic, locally grown produce at my local health food store whenever possible, but recently at a large grocery story I noticed some tomatoes with a UPC number that began with a 3. What ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food, food and agriculture, GMOs, green living, organic food (all these topics)

Soy Meets Girl On the eco-relevance of health concerns	Umbra Fisk	07 Oct 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, As a practicing vegan for quite some time now, I take pride in my knowledge of nutrition and my ability to enrich my body through a varied diet with all the essentials. For the past five years or so, I have heavily relied on soy products for protein and other nutrients. Recently, however, I have heard that soy products increase estrogen levels, which in turn increase the risk of cancer (specifically brea ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food and agriculture, health (all these topics)

Everybody Must Get Hemp On hemp fabric	Umbra Fisk	04 Oct 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, You didn't mention hemp as a fabric alternative. Jordan Marquette, Mich. Dearest Jordan, No, I didn't. Thank you for writing such a concise letter; it stood out among the 4 million other hemp letters and cut straight to the point. I apologize for the omission. Hemp is currently a narrowly available fabric with a prohibitively high cost and a limited fashion palette. That said, it holds a lot of promise as a high-yield ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, fashion, food and agriculture, green living (all these topics)

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