Grist | Topics | 329 Results

RESULTS		Results 226 – 250 of 329
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Headline	Author	Published	Section
Bottle Racket On plastic water bottles	Umbra Fisk	02 Aug 2004	Ask Umbra
Several readers have sent in questions about the dangers of chemical leaching from plastic bottles. A composite version: Dear Umbra, I've read some conflicting things about the risks associated with reusing plastic water bottles. For instance, the generally trustworthy folks at the urban-legends site snopes.com have criticized a widely circulated email that claims regular water bottles are not safe for refilling because the plastic ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling, toxics (all these topics)

Fan Attic On whole-house fans and their righteousness	Umbra Fisk	29 Jul 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, We just moved to the steamy climate of Washington, D.C., from the other Washington. Faced with our first experience using air-conditioning to cool our home, we've got some questions about efficiency. The house we're renting has a central AC unit that we can control with a thermostat. It also has a roof ventilation system that circulates air under the roof using a fairly noisy and probably pretty old and ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics)

To Air Is Human On opening windows versus running the AC	Umbra Fisk	26 Jul 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, My friend and I have been having a debate that I hope you can help us settle. What is the rule of thumb when turning off the air and opening the windows? I live in Texas and in the spring we have one or two days in a row that are cool enough for open windows followed by four that are not. Should I open the windows when it is nice only to have to close them again and turn the air on in a day or two? ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics)

Swamp Thing On swamp coolers and their coolness	Umbra Fisk	22 Jul 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I recently visited Moab, Utah, and found that many people there use "swamp coolers" rather than conventional air-conditioning systems. Moab is in a near-desert environment and has frequent water-shortage problems. I'm wondering whether this swamp-cooler method of air-conditioning is really greener than the systems most of the rest of us use, and whether it is depleting the already low water supply in ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics)

Cool Like That On keeping cool without selling out	Umbra Fisk	19 Jul 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Please advise me on the best way to beat the summer heat! I live in a rather steamy studio apartment and thus far have been languishing under fans in front of the open window, lapping up ice cream, and taking many cold showers. I feel a tad guilty about the excess use of water in the pursuit of keeping cool. What's worse -- to sell out and buy an electricity-sucking air conditioner or send lots of cold wa ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living (all these topics)

Icebox, Icebox, Baby On when to retire a fridge	Umbra Fisk	15 Jul 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I love to freeze fresh veggies at their peak of ripeness during the summer. Then, in the winter, I don't have to buy commercially frozen veggies or long-distance transported ones. In order to do more of this, I'd like to move my 1985 refrigerator to the basement and use its freezer entirely for this purpose. I would buy a new one designated Energy Star. Would this end up being environmentally a plus, a minus, o ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, food and agriculture, green living, local food (all these topics)

The Environmentalist's New Clothes Advice on natural fabrics vs. polyester	Umbra Fisk	12 Jul 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I've never appreciated human-made fabrics -- polyester and its cousins invariably feel less comfortable to me than cotton or wool. Until recently, I thought this personal preference also had the happy side effect of making me a greener clothes shopper, since producing natural fibers doesn't involve long chains of polymers. A friend recently claimed otherwise, telling me that the growt ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, fashion, green living, toxics (all these topics)

The Age of Aquariums Advice on buying aquarium fish	Umbra Fisk	24 Jun 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I'm an elementary school teacher and I'd like to get a pet fish for my classroom, but I've heard tales of such fish being caught by eco-egregious means: dynamite blasting, cyanide dumping, etc. How can I make sure I'm getting happy, healthy, sustainably caught fish for my aquarium? Ginger Dearest Ginger, Is nothing sacred? Apparently not cute aquarium fish, which are wooing consumers to inadvertently destro ...
Topics: advice, aquaculture, Ask Umbra, fishing, green living (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)

Bake Your Cake and Eat It Too On getting a job in the 'eco-field'	Umbra Fisk	14 Jun 2004	Ask Umbra
On getting a job in the "eco-field" By Umbra Fisk 14 Jun 2004 Dear Umbra, I'm a conscientious baby boomer who would like to do things to help the planet. I'm simultaneously enjoying a midlife crisis. I have spent more than eight years in college, studying to be a psychologist/chef. Where in the eco-field is there a place for a reformed business owner/computer teacher/chef with years and years of experience in the psychology of women? Dr. Thom Jacksonvill ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food and agriculture, green jobs, green living, local food, organic food, sustainable ag (all these topics)

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

Tour of Beauty On makeup	Umbra Fisk	24 May 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I haven't been reading Grist for very long, so excuse me if you've already addressed this topic, but what are the environmental impacts of using cosmetics such as lipstick, eyeliner, mascara, eye shadow, and especially nail polish? Since becoming an environmentally conscious consumer, I have purchased cruelty-free products, but I have only recently begun to consider the environmental impact of the packaging and the products themselve ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, green products, toxics (all these topics)

Dye Another Day On hair dye	Umbra Fisk	24 May 2004	Ask Umbra
Greetings, O Esteemed Umbra, I decided a while ago that I wouldn't put toxic chemicals down the drain for the sake of vanity. However, I'm a dirty, dirty blond (um, hair color) and was wondering if there is a "safe" way to add some highlights. Besides lemon juice, are there other products or substances that can be used to safely create that sunny look I'd like to have? Dirty Hairy Cincinnati, Ohio Dearest Dirty Hairy, A strand of ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, toxics (all these topics)

The Pill of Chill On environmental stress	Umbra Fisk	27 Apr 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I'm the poster child for a late-twentysomething environmentally responsible adult. I use less than 100 gallons of gas a year, less than 100 kilowatt-hours of electricity a month, less than 20 gallons of water per day, less than 100 therms of natural gas during the winter in Minnesota. I take my garbage out once every two months because nearly everything is recycled, composted, or bought in reusable containers. My ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, ecological footprint, green living (all these topics)

I Was a Teenage Polluter On environmentally oblivious teens	Umbra Fisk	27 Apr 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, My girlfriend's 14-year-old daughter lives with us, and she's the most environmentally oblivious person I've ever met. She makes George Bush and Dick Cheney look like card-carrying members of the Green Party. She throws trash out the car window or tosses it on the street. She never shuts off a light or turns down the heat when leaving a room. She can stand in front of the open refrigerator for 15 mi ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, education, green living (all these topics)

The In-Law That Broke the Camel's Back On environmentally oblivious family	Umbra Fisk	27 Apr 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I am totally frustrated with my in-laws. They know how important it is for us to raise our infant in the least toxic environment we can manage. However, when we go to their house, I have no control over the situation. We arrived there for Easter vacation only to find out that three rooms had been painted and two newly carpeted -- and not with eco-friendly materials! There was also a n ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, toxics (all these topics)

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

Jewel-Use Technology On recycling CD jewel cases	Umbra Fisk	25 Mar 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I've been Googling all over to find a place where I can recycle old CD cases, to no avail. I'm moving soon and would really like to find an environmentally safe way to dispose of these things. Do you know of any place they can be dropped off, or any other alternatives? Melissa Edgewater, N.J. Dearest Melissa, Here's an answer not just for you, but for all those readers who write in with insanely specific rec ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (all these topics)

Table of Contents On post-consumer content	Umbra Fisk	25 Mar 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, So I was sitting there at lunch, eating my crackers, when I spied a recycling symbol and was confused. What is "pre-consumer" content? I mean, if the label is true ("carton made from 100 percent recycled paperboard -- minimum 35 percent post-consumer content"), what is the other 65 percent? And what is paperboard? Kevin Laurel, Md. Dearest Kevin, Pre-consumer content is the stuff picked up from ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (all these topics)

Recyclical Market On the market for recycled material	Umbra Fisk	25 Mar 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, In reference to your polystyrene response: The polystyrene I have seen recently appears with a No. 6 recycling triangle on the bottom. But I've heard there is no market for this stuff, even though our local recycling company claims to want us to collect all Nos. 1 through 7. How can this be? Gail San Bruno, Calif. Dearest Gail, It's a trick. Since recycling became the Next Big Thing in the 1980s, town ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (all these topics)

Export Retort On exporting our recycling	Umbra Fisk	09 Mar 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, While we were cleaning out a family member's house, a neighbor stopped by to see what we were up to. I mentioned that we were tossing "real trash" into the large dumpster and compiling recyclable materials for a trip to the recycling center or metal scrap yard. We don't know this person well, but without him knowing our political persuasion, he stated that recycling is just another segment of the "liber ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (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)

For What Shall It Profit a Man... On recycling profitability	Umbra Fisk	09 Mar 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, My friend has the notion that recycling programs lose money. Where does this come from? I can imagine situations where that could be the case, but in most cities there seems to be plenty of material being recycled to justify the collection infrastructure, etc. And surely there are markets for more recycled content than we currently produce. Why does the myth persist that recycling doesn't make sens ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (all these topics)

The Heat Is On Advice on heating tiny urban dwellings	Umbra Fisk	25 Feb 2004	Ask Umbra
OK, Umbra, I live in a building in Brooklyn where, in typical Brooklyn style, we do not control our own heat. That is, there is no thermostat in our apartment. Thus, our only options for regulating the temperature in the winter are turning off the radiators or opening the windows. Obviously the latter is an absurd waste of energy; I don't want my poor radiator trying to heat all of the outer boroughs of New York City ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics)

Chips and Peanuts On packaging peanuts	Umbra Fisk	25 Feb 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I was wondering whether you could provide me with advice about packaging materials. You see, I was recently married and my wife and I now find ourselves buried under packaging peanuts, Styrofoam, and other such materials, much as we tried to avoid the fate (of receiving loads of store-bought gifts, that is, not of being hitched). What do you suggest we do with boxes and boxes of this post-nuptial detritus? Chip Giller G ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (all these topics)

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