Grist | Topics | 235 Results

RESULTS		Results 201 – 225 of 235
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Headline	Author	Published	Section
Tank You Kindly On tankless water heaters	Umbra Fisk	26 Jan 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, While you were warning folks to plan ahead for a potential water-tank failure, I thought you should mention the natural gas heat-on-demand systems that they should use to replace their tanks. Last spring, when our 50-gallon tank decided to give our basement floor a thorough cleaning, we had to scramble to find an energy-efficient alternative. First, we had trouble finding a plumber who knew how to install the new ene ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics)

The Tao of Stove On wood stoves	Umbra Fisk	26 Jan 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, When you suggested that someone may want wood heat because it "makes you feel like a country stud," you made an erroneous assumption -- that your audience is entirely urban. Here in Skamokawa, Wash., many a mile from the nearest natural gas line, the choices are essentially wood or electricity. In September, my family installed a Blaze King wood stove, which uses a catalytic converter to convert smoke to heat. Not on ...
Topics: advice, air pollution, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics)

The Green Elephant in the Room Whitman highlights Republican rift on environment	Amanda Griscom	14 Jan 2004	Muckraker
Whitman has her say. On Monday, former U.S. EPA Administrator Christie Todd Whitman published an uncharacteristically opinionated commentary in the New York Times lamenting the Bush administration's disregard for moderate Republican viewpoints. Though gently worded, the op-ed stands as the closest thing Whitman has made to a confession that she abandoned her post over an ideological cla ...
Topics: energy, energy efficiency, Muckraker, politics, US EPA (all these topics)

Aqua Delve-a (Sorry) On water heaters	Umbra Fisk	18 Dec 2003	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I have a question that's been nagging at me for some time. Since I have a water heater inside my house, any waste heat from the water heater contributes to heating the house. Does it still make sense in terms of energy savings to put an insulating blanket on the water heater? Kurt Littleton, Colo. Dearest Kurt, Getting tanked. Photo: PNNL. After space heat -- that is, heating your entire home -- water heaters are the l ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics)

Thermostatic On turning down the thermostat	Umbra Fisk	18 Dec 2003	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, My housemates and I are engaged in an ongoing argument about the heat (gas) in our somewhat old house. I argue that for the minimum eight hours that we are out of the house during the day, we should turn our heat down to at least 62 degrees. They argue that we should leave it at 68 at all times, because it takes more energy to heat up the house later when we all arrive home. Not surprisingly, we can't agree about a ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics)

Naturally: Gas On home heating	Umbra Fisk	18 Dec 2003	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Can you shed some light (or some warmth) on the most environmentally sound ways to heat one's home this winter? Natural gas over coal and oil for its lower carbon (and particulate) content? What about fireplaces: good or bad? Would burning gas logs be a good alternative to burning real wood? Thanks for your help! Janet Washington, D.C. Dearest Janet, What we cold eco-folks are looking for is a heat source that is clean to prod ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, coal, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living, natural gas, oil (all these topics)

Hail Magnetron! On microwaves	Umbra Fisk	17 Nov 2003	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, We recently bought a new (to us) house and acquired a microwave oven. Having gotten this far in life without one, we figured we wouldn't use it all that much. Ha. We use it all the time. It's just so much faster than heating things on the stove. I do wonder, though, which is more energy-efficient. Is it more eco-friendly to heat milk for a minute in the microwave, or five minutes on the gas stove? And is there anything to the pe ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, food, food and agriculture, green living (all these topics)

The Freon Market On supermarket coolers	Umbra Fisk	17 Nov 2003	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Every time I go to the grocery store and see meats, dairy products, and other products displayed in open-air refrigerators, I get a little miffed and wonder if this isn't a huge waste of energy and a tremendous cost to the supermarket as well. Do supermarkets make more money having their products in open-air rather than closed-door displays? Delos Chapel Hill, N.C. Dearest Delos, If you've ever made an impulse purchas ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, business, energy, energy efficiency, food and agriculture (all these topics)

Defrost Cost On car heaters	Umbra Fisk	28 Oct 2003	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, My friend and I have a bet going that I hope you can settle. She thinks that running the heat in a car in the winter is "free" -- that is, it doesn't use additional gas. As a conservationist, this pleases her greatly. However, I think that turning on the heat does use additional gas if you are using the defroster. Can you settle this for us? Thanks! Sama Denver, Colo. Dearest Sama, You win. But I fear this is a wager wi ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, cars, energy, energy efficiency, green living, placemaking (all these topics)

Lights Out The Bush administration lets a profitable energy-efficiency program lapse	Amanda Griscom	02 Oct 2003	Muckraker
As of yesterday, Oct. 1, the most successful program in U.S. history for improving energy efficiency in federal buildings is toast. The demise of the Energy Savings Performance Contracting program is no insignificant matter, seeing as how the federal government is the single biggest energy-user in the nation. Taxpayers spend $4 billion per year to power 500,000 federal buildings nat ...
Topics: air pollution, Alaska, energy, energy efficiency, Muckraker, oil and gas drilling, politics (all these topics)

Scrub Tub On dishwashers	Umbra Fisk	25 Sep 2003	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I'm in the market for a new dishwasher, one that uses as little water and energy as possible and still gets that flatware sparklin' clean. But I don't have a lot of dough to blow on appliances. Any thoughts? Dean Orem, Utah Dearest Dean, I really can't say enough about Consumer Reports and its online archives of product reviews and ratings. The subscription is worth the $4.95 per month. An Energy Star-bellied dishwasher. Photo: U.S ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics)

Master of Her Green Domain Hollywood Couple Builds Eco-Friendly Hideaway		31 Jul 2003	Daily Grist

Topics: celebrity, energy efficiency, green building, green living, renewable energy, solar thermal power (all these topics)

Come on Baby, Fire My Light		04 Jun 2003	Daily Grist
Come on Baby, Fire My Light Compact fluorescent light bulbs, those money- and energy-saving improvements on the old-fashioned incandescent variety, are extraordinarily popular in Wisconsin. About 12 percent of all light bulbs sold in the state are CFLs, a figure that trounces the national average of roughly 1 percent. That's thanks largely to Wisconsin's Focus on Energy program, which educates h ...
Topics: energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, news, Wisconsin (all these topics)

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

Lighten Up And other words from readers		29 Jan 2003	Letters
Write your own letter. Re: Always a Big Turn-off, Ask Umbra, by Umbra Fisk Dear Editor: I just read Umbra's responses to the lighting questions and must tell you that I have heard significantly different answers. I was informed that it does indeed take more energy to turn on a florescent light and that if you were going to be returning to a room in 30 minutes or less you should leave the fluorescents on. If it was a standard light bulb, t ...
Topics: energy, energy efficiency, Letters (all these topics)

The Illumin-Naughty On mercury in compact fluorescent lights	Umbra Fisk	16 Jan 2003	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Here in Texas, where it is very hot in the summer (granted, we deserve to be in hell for having produced George Bush), some of us have been enthusiastically switching our light bulbs to cooler compact fluorescents. Is this a bad thing due to the mercury they contain? Lisa Smithville, Texas Dearest Lisa, Thanks for your question, as it will allow me to keep shedding light on the compact fluoresc ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living, mercury, toxics (all these topics)

Always a Big Turn-off On turning off fluorescent lights	Umbra Fisk	16 Jan 2003	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, You'd be so proud of us! We just had an hour-long meeting about conservation and environmentalism here in our office. In the course of our discussion, the topic of leaving the lights on came up. I am a religious light-switcher, meaning I turn lights off in the bathroom or wherever they're left on. One of my colleagues was under the impression that it takes more energy to turn fluorescent lights on a ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics)

A Man, a Plan, a ... And other words from readers		19 Jul 2002	Letters
Write your own letter. Re: Alternative Energy Crisis, Powers That Be, by Amanda Griscom Dear Editor: The author takes the position that the Bush Energy Plan is solely focused on "Big Oil" and "King Coal," particularly with respect to tax breaks lavished on various forms of energy. Here are the facts: Value of the tax incentives for oil and gas proposed in the Bush Energy Plan: $0 Value of the tax incentives fo ...
Topics: energy, energy efficiency, Letters, politics (all these topics)

Natural Born Watt Killers		18 Jun 2002	Daily Grist
Natural Born Watt Killers Are you one of those people who obsessively turns off lights and other electric appliances when leaving the room? If so, it might be time to look for a job with the State of New Hampshire, where Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D) is now offering up to $10,000 to state employees who devise innovative ways to cut the state's annual $18.5 million energy bill. The initiative was born out of a long ...
Topics: energy, energy efficiency, New Hampshire, news (all these topics)

Foresight Is 20/20		07 Jun 2002	Daily Grist
Foresight Is 20/20 California state regulators unanimously approved a measure yesterday that will allow Golden State residents to save up to 20 percent on their electric bills by conserving power. Beginning in July, households that use 15 to 20 percent less electricity than they used in 2000 (before the energy crisis) will receive an additional, proportional ...
Topics: business, California, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, legislation, news, politics (all these topics)

Off With Their PCs! On computers	Umbra Fisk	04 Jun 2002	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I normally turn my computer off when I leave the office. However, I was recently told that the act of turning on a computer requires more energy than is saved by keeping it off from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. The person said that it is better to let your computer go into "sleep" mode and just wake it up when you get in. Is this true? Thanks, Bryna Dearest Bryna, Simply putting the computer in "sleep" mode will not ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics)

David Friedman, Union of Concerned Scientists		12 Oct 2001	Dispatches
David Friedman is a senior analyst with the clean vehicles program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. UCS educates and works with the public to advocate for environmental solutions based on the best scientific understanding. The Clean Vehicles Program develops and promote strategies to reduce the adverse impacts of the U.S. transportation system. Dispatch: 1 \| 2 \| 3 \| 4 \| 5 Friday, 12 Oct 2001 DAVIS, Calif. When I can squeeze time away on Fridays, ...
Topics: air pollution, cars, Dispatches, energy efficiency, hybrids, politics, Prius (all these topics)

David Friedman, Union of Concerned Scientists		11 Oct 2001	Dispatches
David Friedman is a senior analyst with the clean vehicles program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. UCS educates and works with the public to advocate for environmental solutions based on the best scientific understanding. The Clean Vehicles Program develops and promote strategies to reduce the adverse impacts of the U.S. transportation system. Dispatch: 1 \| 2 \| 3 \| 4 \| 5 Thursday, 11 Oct 2001 BERKELEY, Calif. It's late in the afternoon and I ju ...
Topics: air pollution, cars, Dispatches, energy efficiency, hybrids, politics, Prius (all these topics)

David Friedman, Union of Concerned Scientists		10 Oct 2001	Dispatches
David Friedman is a senior analyst with the clean vehicles program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. UCS educates and works with the public to advocate for environmental solutions based on the best scientific understanding. The Clean Vehicles Program develops and promote strategies to reduce the adverse impacts of the U.S. transportation system. Dispatch: 1 \| 2 \| 3 \| 4 \| 5 Wednesday, 10 Oct 2001 WASHINGTON, D.C. Meetings, meetings, meetings. Toda ...
Topics: air pollution, cars, Dispatches, energy efficiency, hybrids, politics, Prius (all these topics)

David Friedman, Union of Concerned Scientists		09 Oct 2001	Dispatches
David Friedman is a senior analyst with the clean vehicles program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. UCS educates and works with the public to advocate for environmental solutions based on the best scientific understanding. The Clean Vehicles Program develops and promote strategies to reduce the adverse impacts of the U.S. transportation system. Dispatch: 1 \| 2 \| 3 \| 4 \| 5 Tuesday, 09 Oct 2001 WASHINGTON, D.C. This morning's task is to write a th ...
Topics: air pollution, cars, Dispatches, energy efficiency, hybrids, politics, Prius (all these topics)

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Stories About: energy efficiency