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| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
Big League Ew!
On chewing gum |
Umbra Fisk |
26 Jun 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I shudder at the triviality of the question, but so far nobody I've asked has been able to provide a satisfying answer. So here it is: Is chewing gum biodegradable? Can I spit it on the compost instead of sticking it under the chair? Would green stalks sprout from the gum-spot-riddled sidewalks if we didn't trod them down? I hope you can finally reveal the secret of what is the core of the matter, besides spearmint and sweetener ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food, green living (all these topics) |
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Trophy Case
On reusing trophies |
Umbra Fisk |
26 Jun 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, You are my only hope! I need help with trophies. Not trophy boyfriends or bass fishing trophies, but a large collection of wood and metal trophies that I have accrued due to a high school career rife with geeky accomplishment. My mom, who has graciously housed these trophies up 'til now, has finally wised up. Instead of looking upon the trophies and dreaming that her daughter will one day be a neurosurgeon, she now understands ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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Cellout
On cell phones |
Umbra Fisk |
26 Jun 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, After many years of idealistic holdout, I have finally decided to own a cell phone; changes in my lifestyle have made the benefits too heavy to be outweighed by the detrimental effects. However, I would like to minimize the impact of my decision (brain tumors notwithstanding), so I am searching for the most long-lasting, recyclable, Earth-friendly cell phone I can find. Does such a thing exist? Where can I get one? Is "Earth-frien ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, e-waste, green living, toxics, waste (all these topics) |
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The Corrections
Reader responses on family cars, the internal combustion engine, and more |
Umbra Fisk |
11 Jun 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dearest Readers, How I enjoy your letters! I'm sorry I'm unable to answer them all; lest you fear that they vanish into the void, I assure you they do not. I read each and every one of them down here in Stacklandia. I must in particular thank those of you who write in to correct, amend, or expand on issues I address in my columns. Almost without exception, those perspic ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, cars, fuel efficiency, green living, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Plane Text
Advice on driving vs. flying |
Umbra Fisk |
28 May 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Hi Umbra, I'm wondering if you have any numbers comparing the fuel efficiency of flying versus driving the average car for the same distance. Also, how does carbon dioxide production compare for the same trip? Steve Loomis, Calif. Dearest Steve, Flight blight? Here's what I can find so far, courtesy of the Rocky Mountain Institute in beautiful Snowmass, Colo. Single-occupancy automobiles produce 0.91 pounds of carbon dioxide per ... |
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| Topics: advice, air pollution, Ask Umbra, cars, fuel efficiency, greenhouse-gas emissions, placemaking, travel (all these topics) |
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Give a Hoot, Don't Scoot
On scooters |
Umbra Fisk |
28 May 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I was thinking of buying a scooter with the idea that (in addition to being fun) I would be using a more fuel-efficient means of transportation on days when the weather was good. Then I got the edition of the Daily Grist telling me how dirty motorcycles are. Now I'm worried: Are scooters the same? I'm talking about a Vespa-type thing. Please tell me that's not as polluting as a Harley! Thanks (even if the answer isn't wha ... |
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| Topics: advice, air pollution, Ask Umbra, fuel efficiency, green living, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Gnarly Davidson
On motorcycles |
Umbra Fisk |
28 May 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I recently read a claim that "motorcycles produce far more pollution per mile than your typical car, truck, or SUV." Is that true? I've got a friend who's currently making her (bad-ass) way across country on a Harley -- 60 mpg, baby -- and we are both curious about the environmental impacts compared with a car. Billy Brooklyn, N.Y. Dearest Billy, Bad news for your friend and her bad behind. If she's getting 60 miles ... |
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| Topics: advice, air pollution, Ask Umbra, cars, energy, fuel efficiency, green living, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Vantastic
On minivans |
Umbra Fisk |
28 May 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, We have a six-year-old daughter, a three-year-old daughter, and -- surprise! (well, not completely) -- a new baby girl due in the next two months. Our fuel-efficient car cannot fit two car seats and a booster across the back seat, and according to Washington state law ("six-years-old and 60 pounds"), my petite six-year-old will remain in her booster for some time. I've been looking into minivans but am discouraged by their poo ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, cars, energy, fuel efficiency, green living, placemaking (all these topics) |
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No Way, Solae!
On engineered soy products |
Umbra Fisk |
15 May 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I don't know if you'll have time to answer this question, but while purchasing 8th Continent soymilk my husband noticed that there was Solae in it. After some research on the Internet, we discovered that Solae is made by DuPont and is a genetically engineered soybean, but we were unable to find anything negative about it. Do you know anything about Solae and if it is dangerous? Sincerely, Heather Anne Sacramento, ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food, food and agriculture, GMOs, green living (all these topics) |
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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 ... |
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| Topics: advice, agriculture, Ask Umbra, food and agriculture, green living, health, toxics (all these topics) |
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Dairy Godmother
On milk cartons |
Umbra Fisk |
15 May 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Hi Umbra, I don't know if the same thing has happened in the U.S, but here in Canada the milk industry has undergone a massive shift to using different containers. Once, you could get plastic jugs or cardboard cartons with fold-back lids or plastic bags. But now, the most commonly available container is a revised carton. It has a plastic spout, as if pouring with the other kind were too hard. Can you tell me which of the containers has th ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food and agriculture, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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Administrophic
On the Bush administration's environmental record |
Umbra Fisk |
30 Apr 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I hope you can answer this or direct me to someone who can. I am a member of the local Williamson County Democratic Party. I would like to print up a leaflet to distribute to the public at our next gathering on April 26 and 27 that shows just what the present Republican administration has done to our environment. Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Tracie Rou ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, elections, politics (all these topics) |
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Urine Luck!
On peeing al fresco |
Umbra Fisk |
30 Apr 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, If I am going to pee outside, is it more environmentally sound to squat in the back yard where the pee salinates the soil, or next to the road where the liquid runoff can enter sewers, or in the woods where there are no ornamental plantings to disturb, but there might be snakes? Cop-a-squattingly yours, Sarah M. Howeville, Vt. Dearest Sarah, I strongly suspect that this question may be some type of prank, but our motto her ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, water pollution (all these topics) |
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Rat Combat
On keeping compost rat-free |
Umbra Fisk |
30 Apr 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Hi Umbra, I live in Providence, R.I., and I have a basic composting bin; it's about three feet tall, made of black plastic with ventilation shafts on all four sides and on top, but it has no bottom. I want to set this up in my tiny side yard for my neighbors and me to use. However, we have a big rat problem here and I am afraid all this delicious, rotting food will attract them. Is there any way to keep a rat-free compost bin in a ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, gardening, green living, wildlife (all these topics) |
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Compostmodern
On composting toilets |
Umbra Fisk |
30 Apr 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I grew up in a house built in 1812. Until 1962, we still used an outhouse that was built with the house. My mother said that when she was a girl (in the 1920s), a man used to come around and clean it out each year, but it was never done in my memory. The seats were built about 10 feet over the debris and it never seemed to fill up. We did put lime (the kind you buy for your garden) in it. Some people now use outhouses wher ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, waste, water pollution (all these topics) |
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The Envelope Please...
On anti-environmentalists |
Umbra Fisk |
22 Apr 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Sequin-Wearing Award Ceremony Audience, Folks, we have a winnah! That's right: The results are in from the first annual and perhaps only "Cheer Us Up the Weather Is Godawful and We're at War" contest. We know the weather is beyond our control, but let us all work fervently to limit the possibility that we could have this contest again. If you get what I mean. But, eager readers, back to the matter at ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living (all these topics) |
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Disposal Proposal
On garbage disposals |
Umbra Fisk |
27 Mar 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra: When my garbage disposal died recently, I replaced it with a clever new design that uses no electricity (just water pressure), but it led me to wonder which is really kinder to the environment: putting kitchen waste in the disposal or just trashing it? I compost whenever possible, of course, but there are always scraps that are mixed with animal fat and shouldn't be added to a compost pile. How does the damage of this o ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food, solid waste treatment and disposal, waste (all these topics) |
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Pee Ditty
On paper towels vs. hand dryers |
Umbra Fisk |
27 Mar 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, As an environmental science instructor, I'm often asked which is the better choice when drying one's hands in a public restroom, assuming both options are available: paper towels, with their associated disposal issues, or hand dryers, with their use of electricity, much of which is wasted. What's the answer? Curious in Iowa, Dawn Dearest Dawn, Patient multitudes have written repeatedly with the insistent query: &quo ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy efficiency, green living, waste (all these topics) |
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Word to the CUUWIGWW
On what to call anti-environmentalists |
Umbra Fisk |
27 Mar 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I am having a problem with the word anti-environmentalists. It seems to me to make these people out to be the good guys for opposing environmentalists. Don't we need a term that better describes people who trash the environment for profit? Say, enviro-rapist? Maybe something a little more civil? Jim Deerwood, Minn. Dearest Jim, Congratulations! Your question has been chosen for the First Annual and ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living (all these topics) |
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In Loco Parentis
On making your parents' home eco-friendly |
Umbra Fisk |
12 Mar 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I am a teenager and so I live with my parents. We recycle paper and some other products (mostly milk containers), but I don't think our house as a whole is very eco-friendly. Since I'm not in charge, I can't really go out and buy new appliances or anything like that. Should I try to convince my parents to do things like switch the type of light bulb we use, or are there other things I can do to help ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, education, green living (all these topics) |
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Little Bundle of Consumption
On having kids |
Umbra Fisk |
12 Mar 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Wonderful Umbra, I truly love your column. You should give humor lessons to the rest of the Grist staff. My question concerns the environmental consequences of the decision to reproduce or not to reproduce. Your answer to Genevieve pointed out that the two biggest actions we can take to support a healthy environment relate to transportation and housing. Why do you not consider reproduction the biggest action we take that ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, parenting, population (all these topics) |
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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 ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, health, toxics, waste (all these topics) |
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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 ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green building, green living, green products, placemaking, recycling, waste (all these topics) |
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Burden of Roof
On eco-friendly roofs |
Umbra Fisk |
27 Feb 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, Our roof is getting pretty old and starting to fall apart. It's one of those asphalt-shingle roofs that most houses have these days. Before we call the roofing company, I'd like to know what's the greenest kind of roofing material to use. Metal? Cedar? More asphalt? I'm sure lots of other readers would like to know, too! Thanks, Wally Bubelis Seattle, Wash. Dearest Wally, Like other readers, you may need a drink or t ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green building, green living, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Paint Cans, Paint Can'ts
On dealing with lead paint |
Umbra Fisk |
27 Feb 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Wise One, We have a conundrum. Our house is covered with cedar shingles, which some dope painted, presumably with toxic or lead-laden paint. The paint is flaking, and we need to either get rid of it completely or treat the flakes and paint over them. What is the least toxic (to our family and home environment), affordable way to either strip or repaint? Thanks, John Missoula, Mont. P.S. Bonus: Is there any reason no ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, toxics (all these topics) |
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