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| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
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 ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (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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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 ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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Recyclopedia
The Skinny on Recycling |
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09 Mar 2004 |
Daily Grist |
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| Topics: green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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Home Green Home
Green Home-Building Rising in Popularity |
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03 Mar 2004 |
Daily Grist |
| Home Green Home Green Home-Building Rising in Popularity Eco-minded builders and environmental groups in the U.S. are pushing to simplify and popularize the notion of "green building," which encompasses practices and materials that reduce waste and make homes more efficient. Green building -- ranging from landscaping with native plants to using carpet made of recycled soda bottles to recycling cast-off construction materia ... |
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| Topics: green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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Burn Me Up, Scotty
Super-Hot Trash Zapper May Yield Hydrogen |
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27 Feb 2004 |
Daily Grist |
| Burn Me Up, Scotty Super-Hot Trash Zapper May Yield Hydrogen This just in: The future is now. "Plasma torch technology" is gaining acceptance among corporations and governments, and may soon show up at a waste facility near you. Here's how it works: Trash -- anything from municipal garbage to toxic waste to PCBs -- is zapped (at least we think that's the technical term) with a ... |
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| Topics: green living, recycling, solid waste treatment and disposal, toxics (all these topics) |
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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 ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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Make Local Focal
More advice on recycling batteries |
Umbra Fisk |
26 Jan 2004 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I've been turning in my used alkaline batteries at the local drug store's photo department, mine being Savon here in Southern California. It appears they recycle their spent film cans and cartridges, as well as cameras and batteries. At least this is what I have surmised when I have dropped off my used batteries and the attendants have not refused me. It wouldn't hurt for others to do the same. Besides, onc ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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Reheated Leftovers
Umbra Answers Your Still-Smoldering Questions |
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26 Jan 2004 |
Daily Grist |
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| Topics: education, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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The Big Apple of Our Eye
World Trade Center Reconstruction Will Set New Eco-Friendly Standard |
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20 Jan 2004 |
Daily Grist |
| The Big Apple of Our Eye World Trade Center Reconstruction Will Set New Eco-Friendly Standard Reconstruction of New York City's World Trade Center area -- site of the 2001 terrorist attacks -- is set to make a green splash as one of the largest eco-friendly building projects ever undertaken. Under environmental guidelines expected to be released today for public comment, new structures on the massive site (w ... |
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| Topics: green living, New York, placemaking, recycling (all these topics) |
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Cater to Pater
On intransigent non-recyclers |
Umbra Fisk |
15 Jan 2004 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I am a completely eco-friendly person and strive to have my family follow in those footsteps. We have a recycling system -- one my canned-beer-drinking dad refuses to abide by. (Not that I'm criticizing canned beer or my father. Both are good.) He refuses to recycle his cans, and I'm a little tired of digging them out of the garbage. Is there anything I could do to change his outlook on his wastefulness? Rebecca ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, education, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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Widget Jones Diary
On recycling widgets |
Umbra Fisk |
15 Jan 2004 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I am a huge fan of Guinness, often referring to it as Nectar of the Gods. Question is, are the cans with the cool nitrous plastic doohickeys in them recyclable? I've got a bet riding on this with the significant other. Thanks for enlightenment. Melissa Denver, Colo. Dearest Melissa, Yes. Guinness recycling is good for you. That little ball is known as a widget, which is another word for doohickey. It's made of polypro ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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Brew Ado
On beer containers |
Umbra Fisk |
15 Jan 2004 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, My friends and I consume a fair amount of beer, and we're wondering: What's worse for the environment, buying beer in cans or in bottles? Kelly Manitoba, Canada Dearest Kelly, Thank you for giving me a reason to look up the Earth's mineral-reserves map in my atlas. I've learned fascinating things about aluminum and glass and discussed the whole matter with lifecycle analysis experts and recycling folks (including my pal Peke the ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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Ale's What Cures You
Umbra Addresses the Thirsty Concerns of Eco-Friendly Beer Drinkers |
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15 Jan 2004 |
Daily Grist |
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| Topics: education, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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Santa, Baby, Hurry and Recycle Tonight
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Suzy Becker |
16 Dec 2003 |
Ha. |
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| Topics: green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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Green Eye for a Great Buy
Demand Rises for Recycled and Organic Home Products |
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15 Dec 2003 |
Daily Grist |
| Green Eye for a Great Buy Demand Rises for Recycled and Organic Home Products The hot gift this holiday season (in our humble, green-leaning opinion): anything recycled or organic. Demand for home products made from recycled or organic materials grew by 66 percent in 2001 and continues to rise, according to research conducted by New Hope Natural Media in Boulder, Colo. Plenty of niche sellers such as EcoPlanet ... |
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| Topics: food and agriculture, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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If Only Enron Had Known About This
New Erasable Ink Could Be Boon to Office Recycling |
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05 Dec 2003 |
Daily Grist |
| If Only Enron Had Known About This New Erasable Ink Could Be Boon to Office Recycling Invisible ink was once the province of spies, then of children -- and now of environmentalists? Beginning Monday, tech industry giant Toshiba will sell a new, disappearing ink in Japan that is designed to enable easier reuse and recycling. The ink, called "e-blue," can be used in ordinary laser printers as well as in pens, and dis ... |
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| Topics: green living, Japan, recycling (all these topics) |
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Battery FAQ
On recycling batteries |
Umbra Fisk |
28 Oct 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I have to humbly admit that for years I've known that one can recycle batteries, but unfortunately, I've never known where or how to do this. I've been living in Seattle and northern Italy for the last year, and I have a pile of old batteries in each place. If you have any insight into how I might go about recycling them in both the U.S. and Europe, I'd so appreciate it! With gratitude, Meg Seattle, Wash., and Ivrea, It ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, Italy, recycling, solid waste treatment and disposal, toxics, waste (all these topics) |
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The Bottle Let Me Down
Michigan Looks to Improve Its Recycling Record |
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23 Oct 2003 |
Daily Grist |
| The Bottle Let Me Down Michigan Looks to Improve Its Recycling Record When it comes to recycling, Michigan lags behind much of the nation, and state lawmakers say it's time to change that. Yesterday, a state Senate task force proposed spending $50 million to establish a recycling program and ban beverage containers from landfills. Funding for the project would come from a $3 ... |
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| Topics: green living, Michigan, politics, recycling, solid waste treatment and disposal (all these topics) |
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Watching Their Waste
California Passes Cutting-Edge E-Waste Law |
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26 Sep 2003 |
Daily Grist |
| Watching Their Waste California Passes Cutting-Edge E-Waste Law Consistent with its habit of pushing the environmental envelope, California has adopted the nation's most comprehensive law governing the manufacture and disposal of electronics. The law has three main purposes: to speed the recycling of discarded computers and televisions (some 6 million of which await disposal across the ... |
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| Topics: California, green living, politics, pollution and waste, recycling (all these topics) |
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A Real Page-turner
Small Recycled Paper Company Is Making Big Strides |
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17 Sep 2003 |
Daily Grist |
| A Real Page-turner Small Recycled Paper Company Is Making Big Strides New Leaf Paper, a small but fast-growing recycled paper company in San Francisco, aims to revolutionize the paper industry -- a revolution that's sorely needed. Ninety percent of printing and writing paper in the U.S. still has no recycled content at all, says Susan Kinsella, executive director of the nonprofit Conservatree. ... |
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| Topics: commercial and industry organizations, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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The Postman Always Recycles Twice
U.K. to Increase Recycling of Junk Mail 70 Percent Over 10 Years |
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07 Aug 2003 |
Daily Grist |
| The Postman Always Recycles Twice U.K. to Increase Recycling of Junk Mail 70 Percent Over 10 Years The U.S. has finally got a "Do Not Call" registry to ward off would-be telemarketers -- but will it ever get a "Do Not Mail" registry to stem the endless tide of junk mail? Maybe not, but across the Atlantic, the U.K. is taking steps to limit the environmental impact of unwanted mail. At present, ab ... |
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| Topics: green living, recycling, United Kingdom (all these topics) |
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Working on the Chain Gang
California Cancels Use of Prison Labor to Recycle Electronics |
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07 Aug 2003 |
Daily Grist |
| Working on the Chain Gang California Cancels Use of Prison Labor to Recycle Electronics California will no longer use underpaid federal prisoners to recycle the tons of potentially dangerous electronics discarded by state workers. The decision to stop shipping e-waste to prisons came in response to pressure from environmental and labor activists, who also successfully protested ... |
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| Topics: business, California, green living, health, pollution and waste, recycling (all these topics) |
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Let the Games Be Green
Enviros Accuse 2004 Athens Olympic Organizers of Green Failings |
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06 Aug 2003 |
Daily Grist |
| Let the Games Be Green Enviros Accuse 2004 Athens Olympic Organizers of Green Failings Organizers of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens are already getting poor scores from environmentalists, who say the Greeks have missed numerous opportunities to make the games more eco-friendly. Greece won its bid to host the games in part by pledging to protect vulnerable natural and cultural areas an ... |
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| Topics: Greece, green living, placemaking, pollution and waste, recycling (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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