Grist | Topics | 12 Results

RESULTS		Results 1 – 12 of 12
Headline	Author	Published	Section
Garbage, Man On trash bags	Umbra Fisk	26 Mar 2008	Ask Umbra

Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling, waste (all these topics)

Smolder and Wiser On fireplace ashes	Umbra Fisk	12 Nov 2007	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, What should we do with ashes from the fireplace? I've heard that they're great for the garden and I've heard that they may not be so good for the garden. Are they a good replacement for salt on slippery sidewalks? Janet Allen Syracuse, N.Y. Dearest Janet, Why not make some soap? Here come the holidays, after all. All you'd have to do is run water over the ashes to make potash, boil the potash down into lye, render your o ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling, waste (all these topics)

Consumption Unction, What's Your Function? On reducing consumption	Umbra Fisk	02 Oct 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, If recycling requires energy to turn one's discarded waste into usable products, and "climate solutions take precedence over garbage-production concerns," as you wrote in June, why are we so focused on recycling and not on reducing our initial consumption? Surely this should be at the forefront of the individual consumer's attempts to help the environment, shouldn't it? Consumed wit ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling, waste (all these topics)

MP3's Company On CDs and MP3s	Umbra Fisk	19 Jul 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, As I was carrying a stack of CDs from the car into my home, my sister laughed and showed me the size of her MP3 player, which contains well over 100 times the music at a fraction of the size. Environmentally, which causes less of an impact? I hear that all these (non-recyclable) portable devices are terrible for the environment, and I've had some of my CDs going on (gasp!) 15 years. Downloading seems like it produces less waste, ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, e-waste, green living, recycling, toxics (all these topics)

Laptop Dance On choosing a laptop	Umbra Fisk	18 Jan 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I am buying a new laptop, and I was wondering if all computers are the same energy-wise, or if some brands are better for the environment? Aviva Horrow Philadelphia, Pa. Dearest Aviva, You're already off to a good start, as laptops consume far less energy than desktop machines -- we're talking over 50 percent less. Thin is in. Photo: iStockPhoto. Computer manufacturers have three opportunities to earn their environmental s ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, e-waste, green living, recycling, toxics (all these topics)

IBM Me Up, Scotty On computer recycling	Umbra Fisk	08 Aug 2005	Ask Umbra

Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, e-waste, green living, North Carolina, recycling, toxics (all these topics)

Ay, There's the Stub On recycling pencil stubs	Umbra Fisk	27 Sep 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I'm looking for a place that accepts pencil stubs (one to two inches long) to recycle into new pencils. I've found recycled pencils online -- made from denim, plastic, recovered wood, and paper currency. But what can I do with my stubs? Phoenix Covington, Ky. Dearest Phoenix, All the waste-reduction tips tell you to stop using wooden pencils, but that doesn't help with the ones you already have. Plus wooden pen ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling, waste (all these topics)

Girl on Film On recycling videotapes and laser discs	Umbra Fisk	17 Jun 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I'm a dedicated cineaste, and over the last decade I've built up a large library (around 5,000 titles) of classic films on VHS and old-fashioned laser discs. I have been anxious to start adding DVDs to my collection, with all the extra features they offer, but I've held off because I know that any further expansion of my collection will require me to make more space -- i.e., get rid of a bunch of bulky pla ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling, waste (all these topics)

Doubt of the Benefit On the benefits of recycling	Umbra Fisk	09 Mar 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Some time ago, the public radio program This American Life, hosted by Ira Glass, was about recycling. Glass reported, "Experts agree that we have plenty of landfill space for the foreseeable future." He proposed that recycling therefore did little more than make us feel good. The hapless person he interviewed came up with no better response to that than, "Well, what's wrong with feeling good?&q ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling, solid waste treatment and disposal, waste (all these topics)

Battery FAQ On recycling batteries	Umbra Fisk	28 Oct 2003	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I have to humbly admit that for years I've known that one can recycle batteries, but unfortunately, I've never known where or how to do this. I've been living in Seattle and northern Italy for the last year, and I have a pile of old batteries in each place. If you have any insight into how I might go about recycling them in both the U.S. and Europe, I'd so appreciate it! With gratitude, Meg Seattle, Wash., and Ivrea, It ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, Italy, recycling, solid waste treatment and disposal, toxics, waste (all these topics)

Bamboo Ado On wood floors and solid waste	Umbra Fisk	27 Feb 2003	Ask Umbra
Oh Wise Umbra, We'll be replacing our carpeting with wood flooring, probably from one of the major home stores (Home Depot or Lowe's). Are wood floors a really bad environmental choice if they are made from unsustainably harvested wood? Would I be better off going with a (probably petroleum-based) fake wood floor? Also, is there any environmentally responsible way to dispose of my old carpet? If the nice garbage collectors pick ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green building, green living, green products, placemaking, recycling, waste (all these topics)

The Paper Chase On corporate paper recycling	Umbra Fisk	23 Apr 2002	Ask Umbra
I work for a large corporation that is very wasteful with paper. I am looking for information on whom I can complain to about this so that something will happen. They do not use recycled paper or require any recycling of paper. Beth Dearest Beth, Prepare yourself: The fate of reams of office paper is in your hands. You must be the defender of the discarded draft, the champion of the crumpled wad, the protector of the printer ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, business, education, green living, recycling, waste (all these topics)

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