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RESULTS		Results 1 – 25 of 45
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Headline	Author	Published	Section
Belt Experience Umbra on car seat recycling	Umbra Fisk	23 Jun 2008	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, What do you recommend for child car seat disposal or, better yet, recycling? Near as I can tell, options include giving them away to someone who needs them (a pretty discouraged practice) or sending them to Oregon or Colorado where a couple of renegade recycling programs are working to resolve this huge issue. I am about to become a parent, and we just bought a new car seat (bad, I know). I'd love to know if you ha ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, parenting, recycling (all these topics)

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

Nasty Namaste On toxic yoga mats	Umbra Fisk	24 Mar 2008	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I own a yoga studio and our mats are wearing out and in need of replacement. What's the best alternative for buying new mats? And if I do get new mats, what's the best option for disposing of the old ones: donate to one of the many organizations that provide yoga for people that can't afford the usual yoga studio rates? Or spare them the toxins and send the mats to the landfill, or my gosh are they possibly recyclable? Help! ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, green products, recycling, sports, 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)

Quick and Dirty On paper plates	Umbra Fisk	28 Jan 2008	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Maybe you can help settle this dispute between my husband and me. He likes to use paper plates for quick/short meals like toast in the morning, cheese and crackers in the evening, etc. He claims that he's saving energy by not having to wash a dish. (We have a new energy-efficient dishwasher and an on-demand hot water heater.) I say he's wasting paper unnecessarily, and besides, I hate seeing paper plates all over the place. Wh ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, ecological footprint, energy at home, green living, recycling (all these topics)

Brush With Destiny On paint disposal	Umbra Fisk	17 Dec 2007	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, A friend of mine is a painter. He is concerned about the environment and has been trying to find out how to dispose of his paint buckets, extra paint, and other supplies in a way that is eco-friendly, but he's come up with nothing. We live in Chicago, and you would think that a huge city like this would have places to dispose of these kinds of things ... any advice? Erin Chicago, Ill. Dearest Erin, Uh, this question is r ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling, toxics (all these topics)

Buzz Kill On Jell-O shots	Umbra Fisk	05 Dec 2007	Ask Umbra
Greetings, A very important discussion among my colleagues this week: is it better to purchase reusable, petroleum-based products (plastic) or to use paper disposables? Specifically, we're talking about Jell-O shot cups. A recent (and brilliant) invention is this little plastic shot cup with a twistable ring inside. Ostensibly, a flick of the wrist will free even the most stubborn Jell-O shot and allow hours of fun. Some of my friends have argu ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food, funnies, green living, recycling (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)

Jeepers, Creepers, How'd Ya Get Rid of Those Sneakers? How to recycle athletic shoes, iPods, mattresses, and other oddities		06 Nov 2007	Grist Feature
Grist's Katharine Wroth and Chip Giller appeared on NBC's Today show on Tuesday, Nov. 6, telling Meredith Vieira how to recycle some of the odd and awkward items that you can't put out in your curbside bin. Athletic Shoes Got a pair (or a pile) of old sneakers that are too gross and grotty to give to charity? Nike will recycle any brand of athletic shoe through ...
Topics: advice, green living, recycling (all these topics)

There's the Tub On reusing bath water	Umbra Fisk	10 Sep 2007	Ask Umbra
Hi Umbra, My new (to me) house has a somewhat larger than standard bathtub with jets. I rarely have time for a bath, but last night took the opportunity to indulge. I had a nice soak, in water heated by solar energy, but then I had a tubful -- perhaps 50 gallons? -- of relatively clean water that I would like to use on my currently thirsty trees, the only way I can justify an occasional indulgent soak. How can I get the water from m ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (all these topics)

Whence It Came On biodegradable products	Umbra Fisk	11 Jul 2007	Ask Umbra
Dearest Umbra, With biodegradable corn-plastic products like clothes hangers, credit cards, and trash bags, we are led to believe there are good alternatives to plastic that can be thrown out guilt-free. But doesn't all trash get put in landfills that are then hermetically sealed to prevent the bad contaminants from leaching out, but hold in the things that would have been composting otherwise? I thought that was the reason to co ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, green living, oil, recycling, shopping (all these topics)

Wrapper's Delight On wrapping creatively	Umbra Fisk	18 Dec 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Due to my procrastinating nature, I once again find myself in the position of having to wrap what seems like hundreds of gifts in wasteful wrapping paper, only to have it torn apart and thrown away the very next day. I'm a proponent of the "reduce, reuse, recycle" philosophy, but during the holidays, wrapping my gifts in the Sunday comics doesn't say "mindful conservationist" so much as it says &q ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, holiday, recycling (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)

Counter Measures On countertops	Umbra Fisk	24 Jul 2006	Ask Umbra
With the home remodeling boom, we keep wondering: what is the best countertop choice? We've gone through a couple homes since getting married, and are now considering building our own. Laminate, Formica, butcher block, concrete, granite, plastic, composite, tile ... they all have their own durability merits and drawbacks, but from creation to home health, which is the friendliest? Leonie Mowat and Greg Overley North Las Vegas, Nev. Dear ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, green products, recycling (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)

Tape of Good Hope On recycling tapes and videos	Umbra Fisk	17 Jul 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, What to do? I'm a child of the late '70s, and one of the last to remember what it was like to exchange a mix tape at age 15. Now I'm hitting my 30s, and realize I still have that Color Me Badd tape. I really want to chuck it, but don't have the heart to put it in the trash. What's a girl to do? Where can I send my shamefully-bad-taste-in-music tapes? Patricia O. North Plainfield, N.J. Dearest Patricia, Hey, s ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (all these topics)

All Up in Your Grill On recycling foil	Umbra Fisk	12 Jul 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Summertime grilling is in full swing at our house, but I am wondering what the ecological cost is of all that aluminum foil we're using in place of our regular pots and pans. Sure makes for great clean up, but it is not recyclable as aluminum cans are. Sandra Liebe Paris, Ill. Dearest Sandra, I hate to be the one to point this out, but it's a little rude to say you're barbecuing all the time and not invite me. I'm use ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (all these topics)

Textile Messaging On old clothes	Umbra Fisk	05 Jul 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I promise that I searched the archives before emailing you, so hopefully you haven't already answered this question. I'm wondering about the best way to dispose of old clothes and shoes -- the tired, well-loved, and much-worn items that thrift shops really don't want. I wear my clothes until the bitter end, and then I just don't know what to do with them. Old T-shirts make great rags, but then what? Carrie Doring Seattle, W ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, fashion, green living, recycling (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)

When the Rubber Hits the Road On recycling condoms	Umbra Fisk	09 Jan 2006	Ask Umbra
For the sake of argument, how does one recycle condoms? Unused they are plastic of some sort? I know it's a bit silly, but don't you just hate to have to flush them and all the water that goes with? Flavia S. Milan, Italy Dearest Flavia, In brief: condoms are generally made of latex and are not recyclable. (Though the actual recyclability of Milan condoms may be a question for the Milan Recycling Bureau, not yours trul ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling, sex (all these topics)

Knob Appeal On architectural salvage	Umbra Fisk	14 Sep 2005	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, We recently replaced the doorknobs in our place, so we have a fistful of old yet working doorknobs I'd hate to just toss. What to do with this and other perfectly good hardware? R.B.M. Arlington, Va. Dearest R.B.M., This answer goes out to you, but also to all your fellow home remodelers out there. One person's old doorknob is another's period-restoration item, as the adage goes. Don't knock it. You can, of course, try t ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, business, green living, recycling (all these topics)

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

LeSabre Rattling On car disposal	Umbra Fisk	27 Jul 2005	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, My wife and I are making plans to purchase our first hybrid vehicle and need to properly dispose of our current car -- a 1989 Buick LeSabre. My question is, what is the best way to get rid of it? It is old and has a lot of miles on it. I suppose the dealer may take it off our hands for a very small trade-in amount -- at which point, they will probably just send it to the scrap yard. What are the odds of it getting properly re ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, cars, green living, placemaking, recycling (all these topics)

Bag Lady On reusable recycling bags	Umbra Fisk	27 Jan 2005	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I am the cofounder and current president of the Recycling Club at R.L. Paschal High School in Fort Worth, Texas. We have started collecting cell phones and plan to donate them to Verizon, since they refurbish and recycle or sell them. With the money they make, they buy new ones with airtime for (in our town) ladies at the Women's Haven shelter. We plan to start recycling plastics too. I need a bag for all this paper. Anywa ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, education, green living, recycling (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)

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