Grist | Topics | 20 Results

RESULTS		Results 1 – 20 of 20
Headline	Author	Published	Section
The Saga of Fume On exerting yourself in traffic		02 Jul 2008	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I bus, bike, or walk to work 98 percent of the time. I was wondering, when I'm biking (or walking, for that matter), am I inhaling more pollutants than those around me who are emitting them from their gas-guzzlers? Your answer won't change my habits, since I'm not going to drive to work anytime soon -- I'm just wondering if I'm the one paying the price for my enviro-friendly commuting? Thanks for your help! Sara Tucson, Ar ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, bikes, cars, green living, health, public transportation (all these topics)

Splash Animation On kiddie pools	Umbra Fisk	09 Jun 2008	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Regarding your obsession with vinyl, as pertains to summer parenting: Greenpeace's thorough Vinyl Alternatives list indicates that no good alternatives to vinyl kiddie pools exist. Do you think it is worth it to put a huge effort into manufacturing or finding a vinyl-free backyard wading experience? I can't stop thinking about this, and think it merits faking a question. Yours as always, Umbra Dearest Me, What a great questi ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, health, parenting, toxics (all these topics)

Soiled Again On lead and gardens	Umbra Fisk	05 May 2008	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, In your reply to the question about pollution and rooftop gardening, you talked a fair amount about lead pollution. Since gasoline is no longer leaded, and since it's container gardening that wouldn't have any lead paint in it, and surely nobody has lead water pipes any more, why is lead even a concern? Teresa Brenham, Tex. Dearest Teresa, Our ecological history hangs around our necks like a lead weight. Still heavy after al ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, gardening, green living, health, toxics (all these topics)

Ash Ask On burning paper	Umbra Fisk	19 Mar 2008	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, We heat our house primarily by wood, in an efficient, EPA-rated woodstove. My question is this: We recycle all of our paper, paperboard, cardboard, etc., but would it be better to burn it? As it is, we drive it to the recycle center, they ship it off somewhere, it is then processed, then shipped back out as a product. If we burn it, we get some heat, and ashes to spread on our garden. Which is better for paper -- recycling or burning ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, health, recycling, toxics (all these topics)

I Sink, Therefore I Am On tap water	Umbra Fisk	12 Mar 2008	Ask Umbra
Umbra, I was wondering where the H2O from the tap comes from, and where it goes to. Beth Swarthmore, Pa. Dearest Beth, It comes from and goes back to the water cycle, which I've been reading a lot about in Richard Scarry's classic work What Do People Do All Day? The book answers the "where it comes from" question, but Scarry doesn't have so much to say about sewage. Lowly Worm does not get to travel through the toilet. Let ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, health, US EPA, water pollution (all these topics)

My Three Sins On avoiding vinyl	Umbra Fisk	13 Feb 2008	Ask Umbra
Hi Umbra! I've been in denial about vinyl. Blue Vinyl, the movie, got me thinking, but unfortunately I space out and lie to myself. I even have bought those recently popular adult toys that advertise as being vinyl in large unavoidable proclamations on the front of the box and I still managed somehow to think, "It is probably a different process for toys." After reading your article about the LPs, I realized just how bad I have ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, health, shopping, toxics (all these topics)

Do They Suck? On Camelbaks	Umbra Fisk	07 Jan 2008	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Recently, I've started to try to avoid plastics (especially plastic water bottles). For Christmas, my brother gave me a Camelbak-type water bottle. How safe is this? I assume it's as bad as most plastic water bottles. Timothy Kearney Issaquah, Wash. Dearest Timothy, Gifting quandary alert. But does it suck? Photo: iStockphoto Not all plastic water bottles are equal. In a larger context of avoiding plastic, we may occasionally ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, health, toxics (all these topics)

Chem Again On bleach	Umbra Fisk	10 Dec 2007	Ask Umbra
Greetings, I recently was infected with MRSA. It got better. As part of my treatment I'm supposed to use bleach in my laundry and around the house to help kill the bacteria. While I'm brunette, I feel like the stereotypical blonde about bleach. What are the environmental impacts of this chemical? Thanks, Emily Indiana Editor's Note: Oh, how Umbra would love to answer this question -- but she's been kidnapped! Please donate to Grist by 11:59 p.m. P ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, health, toxics (all these topics)

Ghoul, Interrupted On Halloween	Umbra Fisk	22 Oct 2007	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, We really enjoy the community aspect of trick-or-treating but we don't want to give out candy to the little ones, or toxic plastic Chinese toys. Two hundred kids come to our house every Halloween. How do we keep it green, safe, and economical? Jodi McMillian Charleston, W.Va. Dearest Jodi, Two hundred children? How did you keep it economical last year? Let's see, if you were to buy a bag of mini Snickers with 70 in the bag, a ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, health, holiday, parenting (all these topics)

Frigi-Dare On refrigerator downsizing	Umbra Fisk	23 Jul 2007	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Two of our favorite Brit-coms are Keeping Up Appearances and As Time Goes By. It is hard for an American not to remark that in both households, which seem quite affluent, the refrigerator is short, and fits beneath the kitchen counter: nothing so grand as what passes for normal in American kitchens. Do most Brits and Europeans in fact have in their kitchens only counter-height refrigerators? And if so, are they therefore ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy efficiency, food, green living, health, shopping (all these topics)

Ka-Boom On fireworks	Umbra Fisk	02 Jul 2007	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Our family has always lit a fair amount of fireworks for our 4th of July celebration. I would like to encourage my family and friends to find other ways to celebrate due to the CO2 emissions that will result. However, I don't really know how much carbon is emitted. I already have to deal with the fact that many in my family are not taking climate change seriously, so I want to be knowledgeable when I state my case. Donna Elk Grove, Cali ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, climate, green living, health (all these topics)

Message on a Bottle On aluminum bottles	Umbra Fisk	04 Apr 2007	Ask Umbra
Umbra, Are aluminum bottles safer than Nalgene bottles? I'm looking at getting Sigg bottles for my self, wife, and son. Vendor agnostic, are the materials used by aluminum-only vendors safer than those that incorporate Lexan? Chris Webber Seattle, Wash. Dearest Chris, I swear, I pick questions and only then do I notice that yet again I have chosen one from Seattle. It is not a conspiracy. I just wanted a question to go with our r ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, green products, health, toxics (all these topics)

From Pad to Worse On that time of the month, again	Umbra Fisk	10 Jan 2007	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, You mentioned in "Kid Commando" that the "disposable vs. reusable diaper fight is in a stalemate for the foreseeable future." Is the same true for sanitary napkins? Clara Yuan Ithaca, N.Y. Dearest Clara, I haven't heard tell of the debate, frankly. I certainly get several "which is better" diaper questions a month, but yours is the first on sanitary napkins in quite a while. Pe ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, green products, health (all these topics)

Pad Influence On composting feminine products	Umbra Fisk	30 Nov 2005	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, OK, the kitty-litter thing pushed me over the edge. I know you are sick of writing about gross, yucky things, but I had to ask: if kitty litter is compostable, what about biodegradable maxipads and tampons? One of the leading natural feminine-care brands touts their stuff as being biodegradable and compostable. Can this actually be possible? Liz Schlegel Waterbury, Vt. Dearest Liz, I'm not sick of writing about ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, health, waste (all these topics)

The Wheel Deal On bicycle commuting	Umbra Fisk	28 Sep 2005	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, My question regards my daily half-hour (each way) bicycle commute through fairly heavy city traffic. I've been wondering if the benefits (exercise, sunshine, free and fast transport) are outweighed by the negatives (primarily breathing in diesel and other exhaust, but I'd also throw in the risk of almost getting run over, despite the cheap thrills). I am fortunate enough that my alternative would be to take the subway, not ...
Topics: advice, air pollution, Ask Umbra, bikes, green living, health, placemaking, public transportation (all these topics)

A Mandate for All Seasons On the health/environment dividing line	Umbra Fisk	15 Nov 2004	Ask Umbra
Yowza. A few weeks back, in response to a question from a reader named Cassandra about the relative merits of soy milk, I asked your opinion on the dividing line between health and environmental concerns. Cassandra wanted to know if she could continue eating soy, which she considered an environmentally sound choice, without increasing her risk of breast cancer. The health/environment line is always ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, health (all these topics)

Better Latex Than Never On eco-friendly birth control	Umbra Fisk	25 Sep 2003	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I am wondering about the most environmentally safe form of birth control. From what I understand, women's birth control pills put terrible amounts of hormones into the world's waters and cause genetic mutations in fish. On the other hand, constantly using and discarding plastic condoms, including the packaging these come in, does not seem like a great solution. Are there more options out there that would ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, health, sex (all these topics)

Puff the Toxic Dragon On green reasons to quit smoking	Umbra Fisk	15 May 2003	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I want to quit smoking. As if the risks to my health weren't enough, could you help out by twisting that knife of guilt into my tree-hugging heart and give me some environmental reasons to stop supporting the tobacco industry? Cough, wheeze, Elaine Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada Dearest Elaine, I don't care whether you smoke or not. In fact, I think anti-smoking hype is often thinly disguised clas ...
Topics: advice, agriculture, Ask Umbra, food and agriculture, green living, health, toxics (all these topics)

Menstruation Innovation On that time of the month	Umbra Fisk	12 Mar 2003	Ask Umbra
Hey there, Umbra! I have a kind of gross-yet-pressing question for you: Are sanitary products (pads, etc.) environmentally friendly? I would think no, but what do you say? And what can I do about it? Thanks, Jessica Telford, Tenn. Hey there, dearest Jessica, How is it possible that we live in a country where diapers are table conversation and menstruation is considered gross? But no worries, there are many nice flowe ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, health, toxics, waste (all these topics)

A New Day Lawning On lawn and garden pesticides	Umbra Fisk	30 Jul 2002	Ask Umbra
Dearest Umbra, Goddess of Green Knowledge, A few years ago, a farmer friend of mine argued that more pesticides and chemical fertilizers are applied to suburban lawns and gardens than are used in commercial agriculture. I can see how this might be the case, given the massive size of the lawn and garden chemical industry, but I haven't been able to verify this information. Can you help? Ed Hunt Dearest Ed, Supplicant, The l ...
Topics: advice, agriculture, Ask Umbra, gardening, green living, health, toxics (all these topics)

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