 Stories About: advice AND Ask Umbra AND green living AND waste
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Garbage, Man
On trash bags |
Umbra Fisk |
26 Mar 2008 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I am attempting to wean myself off plastic bags. I am also aware of the environmental impact of brown paper bags. So we are OK with cloth grocery bags, but can you suggest an alternative that can be used as a trash can liner (that's economical)? Lisa Columbus, Ga. Dearest Lisa, Plastic trash bags ... a Frequently Asked Question that I have never answered. Have I been saving this succulent trash bag question for a special day? No, ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling, waste (all these topics) |
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Fry, Fry Again
On used cooking oil |
Umbra Fisk |
26 Nov 2007 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, It's always nice to look through cookbooks and to watch cooking shows that feature yummy deep-fried food, and I have often been tempted to try and cook my own creations. However, no one ever seems to mention what they do with the used cooking oil, especially after deep-frying. What is the best way of disposing the oil? I do not want to tip it down the sink, and adding it to compost will suffocate the earthworms. Perhaps it' ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food, green living, waste (all these topics) |
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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 ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling, waste (all these topics) |
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Into the Wild
On tossing food waste |
Umbra Fisk |
10 Oct 2007 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I am a college student. I eat a lot on the go. Not fast food or boxed meals, but when I leave my dorm I usually grab an apple, banana, or other fruit/veggie to eat as I walk to my destination. I don't compost, instead I just throw the banana peel or apple core into the bushes. I like the thought that maybe one day my apple core will become an apple, or that my banana peel will help nourish that piece of ground/animals in t ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, education, food, green living, waste (all these topics) |
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Honeysuckle Prose
On burning yard waste |
Umbra Fisk |
24 Jan 2007 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, Your recent column seemed to be discussing mostly the burning of trash. What about yard waste? Each year I pull out tons of non-native and invasive honeysuckle. There is far too much to take to a landfill, and it would take years to rot down if left in some kind of compost pile. I know the burn gives off some CO2, but I honestly don't know what else I can do. Does your "prohibition" extend equally to this kin ... |
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| Topics: advice, air pollution, Ask Umbra, green living, waste (all these topics) |
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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 ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling, waste (all these topics) |
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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, ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, e-waste, green living, recycling, toxics (all these topics) |
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Just Screw It
On replacing light bulbs |
Umbra Fisk |
21 Jun 2006 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I am reluctant to switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs because that means tossing out not only used-but-still-working incandescent bulbs, but also the brand-new bulbs I have waiting in the closet. Is it really a positive effect overall when we're reducing our carbon emissions but adding to landfills? Julie Pittsburgh, Pa. Dearest Julie, Damn fine idea ... don't know why I didn't think of it myself. The gummint sa ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living, waste (all these topics) |
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Cutting the Cord
On cell phones vs. land lines |
Umbra Fisk |
30 Jan 2006 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, In this day and age, when many people seem to be getting rid of their "land lines" in favor of cell phones, I find myself wondering how these two options stack up against one another from an environmental-impact perspective. Doug Quirk Eugene, Ore. Dearest Doug, I have a fairly strong anti-cell-phone bias. I am a cranky lady who believes they are eroding public manners and encouraging various irrespon ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, e-waste, green living (all these topics) |
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Good Nintentions
On video games |
Umbra Fisk |
25 Jan 2006 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, After reading some heart-rending, gut-wrenching articles on global warming, I've decided that I want to do something about it. I've started by vowing never to buy a car, or get a driver's license. But I happen to love video games. Nothing is going to make me stop playing my video games. As I am painfully aware, a consumer lifestyle is what contributes to global warming and the ecocide of our planet, so how can I be an environm ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, e-waste, green living, toxics, video games (all these topics) |
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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 ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, e-waste, green living, recycling, toxics (all these topics) |
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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 ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, health, waste (all these topics) |
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You're Only Humanure
On composting toilets, again |
Umbra Fisk |
21 Nov 2005 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I'm attempting to "green" my home, room by room. I've heard of low-flow toilets, but someone just told me about composting toilets. Do they smell bad? Will my grandmother use it or ask for an outhouse? Thanks for your wisdom! Moira Providence, R.I. Dearest Moira, Excellent, manageable room-by-room plan. What in tarnation?! Composting toilets are basically the technology we should have adopted inst ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, solid waste treatment and disposal, waste (all these topics) |
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Litter Bugged
On kitty litter |
Umbra Fisk |
26 Sep 2005 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I recently adopted a cat, and I am having a hard time deciding what to do with the kitty litter. Is there some kind of green litter that is best to use? Anything flushable and sewage-tank friendly? Or, can I compost the litter -- and what should I use to cover it up with? Kate Graves Nashville, Tenn. Dearest Kate, Just as our eco-children can be diaper-free, it appears our cats can be litter-free. Teach your kitty to use the to ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, gardening, green living, waste (all these topics) |
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IBM Me Up, Scotty
On computer recycling |
Umbra Fisk |
08 Aug 2005 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, Do you have any suggestions for locating a computer-recycling service in the Piedmont area of North Carolina? Janet Fortune Dearest Janet, Frankly, I couldn't even have located the Piedmont area of North Carolina before you wrote. With today's technology, however, such ignorance is no barrier to giving advice. The rest of you, listen up, because Janet's question will be your question some day. Electronic waste is a big ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, e-waste, green living, North Carolina, recycling, toxics (all these topics) |
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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 ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food and agriculture, green living, local food, organic food, waste (all these topics) |
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Fisk Tested, Mother Approved
On conserving water |
Umbra Fisk |
31 Mar 2005 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, Twenty years ago, I lived off the grid and learned how to conserve water. That lesson stayed with me, and it's agonizing for me to witness the cavalier, wasteful treatment of precious freshwater. My elderly mother moved in with me two years ago, and all is lovely and fine, except that she wastes more water with basic household activities than any single individual I've ever seen. Do you have any suggestions on ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, waste (all these topics) |
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Doo-lemma
On doggie-doo bags |
Umbra Fisk |
29 Nov 2004 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, For years, I faithfully brought my canvas bags to the grocery store, leaving plastic bags for the environmentally uninformed. A few months ago, though, I adopted a dog, and I now find myself with a dilemma. I need to pick up all of his solid excrement, and having no compost or any other area for it to go (I live in the city), I need to use plastic bags to take care of it. I hope you have another suggestion for something I can use ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, solid waste treatment and disposal, waste (all these topics) |
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The Brush-Off
On our 'throw it away' culture |
Umbra Fisk |
30 Sep 2004 |
Ask Umbra |
| On our "throw it away" culture By Umbra Fisk 30 Sep 2004 Dear Umbra, I hope I am not the only person who is disgusted with and frustrated by the current "throw it away" philosophy that so many large companies are pushing. Everything from window cleaner to facial wipes is being sold in single-use packages. Why? Don't these companies and consumers realize that, for one thing, landfill capacity is becoming an endangered species? Then there is the toilet brush w ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, waste (all these topics) |
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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 ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling, waste (all these topics) |
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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 ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling, waste (all these topics) |
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Litter with a G
On glitter |
Umbra Fisk |
24 May 2004 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, What is the half-life of glitter and what is the environmental impact of said glitter on the ground? Planet Diva Austin, Texas Dearest Planet Diva, Everyone should know the truth: Write me a question about glitter and I will answer it right away. Glitter floats to the top of thousands of questions and shimmers there, distracting me from analysis of household air samples. Glitter. Glitter is to plastic, glass, and aluminum as san ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, waste (all these topics) |
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The Pen Is Mightier Than the Pollutocrat
Announcing Umbra's latest contest |
Umbra Fisk |
15 Apr 2004 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dearest Beloved Readers, Another turn of the seasons (still four, at last count) has brought us together again on the eve of Earth Day, the moment in the sun for the environmental movement, the fifth anniversary of Grist, and the second anniversary of my ability to freely pontificate into your inbox. It's been a nice, quiet year here in the stacks, though there was a phase upstairs of eating o ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, waste (all these topics) |
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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 ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling, solid waste treatment and disposal, waste (all these topics) |
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Kid Commando
On diaperless parenting |
Umbra Fisk |
12 Feb 2004 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I have a baby on the way. Due to prodding by my wife, I have begun to think about things such as diapers. Babies make a lot of boom-boom, and wrapping it all up in a bundle of plastic diaperness, tossing that in a plastic sack, and then tossing the lot in a landfill seems eco-unfriendly. And reusable diapers are definitely parent-unfriendly, insists my wife. I have seen some all-cotton and paper disposable diapers, but at ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, parenting, solid waste treatment and disposal, waste (all these topics) |
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