Grist | Topics | 157 Results

RESULTS		Results 126 – 150 of 157
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Headline	Author	Published	Section
Green Washing?		19 May 2003	Daily Grist
Green Washing? With eco-friendly marketing all the rage, companies are increasingly exploiting the term "organic" to sell their products -- regardless of how good those products are for consumers or for the environment. That's especially true when it comes to soaps, shampoos, conditioners, scrubs, lotions and the like, whose labeling practices (unlike those of food products) aren't regulated by any government or independent a ...
Topics: green living, toxics (all these topics)

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 ...
Topics: advice, agriculture, Ask Umbra, food and agriculture, green living, health, toxics (all these topics)

Europe Paean		21 Apr 2003	Daily Grist
Europe Paean Major American corporations may be getting off easy on environmental regulations in the U.S. these days, but they're being forced to toe the line in Europe. Rules adopted this year will require all electronics manufacturers doing business in European Union countries to eliminate use of lead, mercury, and other heavy metals from their products, ...
Topics: European Union, globalization, green living, politics, recycling, toxics, United States, waste (all these topics)

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

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

Deplored of the Rings On wedding rings	Umbra Fisk	12 Feb 2003	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Help! I am getting married soon and I need to know what I should do about rings. I know that mining for metals and gems is very destructive, and I am also concerned about supporting civil war in Africa through a diamond purchase. Is my only environmentally friendly option to forgo the engagement and wedding rings? Thanks, Kathleen, Oakland, Calif. Dearest Kathleen, Good for you for caring, and congratulations on you ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, mining, toxics (all these topics)

Have a Heart		12 Feb 2003	Daily Grist

Topics: education, Environmental Working Group, food and agriculture, green living, toxics (all these topics)

We've Got Mail		29 Jan 2003	Daily Grist

Topics: Antarctica, education, green living, toxics (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)

The Best Defense On staying sane in a mad world	Elizabeth Sawin	12 Dec 2002	Global Citizen
A Czech friend of mine sent me an email during the recent NATO summit in Prague as American fighter jets stood by and riot police filled the streets. "Sometimes," she wrote, "I feel as though the world has gone mad." Her words spoke my own thoughts so clearly it was as though I were reading a message I'd sent to myself. Quiet riot police. Do you sense it too -- the recklessness of this moment? H ...
Topics: climate, energy, green living, toxics (all these topics)

Drag Your Computer to the Recycle Bin		05 Dec 2002	Daily Grist
Drag Your Computer to the Recycle Bin In an abrupt departure from past policy, high-tech giant Hewlett-Packard has announced that it will support California legislation requiring computer manufacturers to pay for safe disposal of electronic waste. In October, HP used its considerable clout as the world's largest maker of personal com ...
Topics: California, China, commercial and industry organizations, green living, health, pollution and waste, recycling, toxics (all these topics)

Just Spray No On fruit sprays and organic food	Umbra Fisk	26 Nov 2002	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, The tangerines I bought recently had this on the label: "Thiabendazole and/or orthopenylphenol and/or imazalil used as fungicides, and coated with food-grade shellac based wax or resin to maintain freshness." Presumably the shellac stays on the skin and does not affect the fruit, but what about the other products? What are these products and do we know what the impact of spraying or putting them on the ...
Topics: advice, agriculture, Ask Umbra, food, food and agriculture, green living, industrial ag, organic food, toxics (all these topics)

Wick-ed Witches On candles	Umbra Fisk	31 Oct 2002	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Recently, nature-conscious religions such as Paganism and Wicca are getting a lot of attention. This is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, such religions inspire love for the environment and have spawned many eco-nuts (myself included, I admit). However, although most of the common practices seem to be eco-friendly enough, I'm concerned about some of the incense and candles being burned. I've heard a lot of nasty rumors about these ...
Topics: advice, air pollution, Ask Umbra, green living, religion and spirituality, toxics (all these topics)

When the Fish and Chips Are Down		22 Oct 2002	Daily Grist
When the Fish and Chips Are Down Farmed salmon is coming under fire for the dangers it may pose to human health and the environment. A government study in the U.K. has found that salmon from fish farms is the most contaminated food sold by British supermarkets, beating out all other seafood, as well as meats and vegetables. Every sample of farmed salmon tested in the study contained at least three to ...
Topics: fishing, green living, health, toxics, United Kingdom (all these topics)

One Giant Spring for Mankind		01 Oct 2002	Daily Grist
One Giant Spring for Mankind Last Friday marked the 40th anniversary of the publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, the book that galvanized a generation of environmentalists and catapulted the movement out of the margins of American culture and into the political spotlight. The book also resulted in real policy changes: "Silent Spring" was a major factor in the creation of the U.S. EPA and led to the banning o ...
Topics: green living, toxics, US EPA (all these topics)

Deft Pallet On wooden pallets	Umbra Fisk	06 Sep 2002	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I've scrounged some old wooden shipping pallets for garden projects -- compost piles and raised planting boxes. They appear to be untreated wood, but I'm feeling paranoid. Is there any way to know? Do companies that make pallets routinely spray them with any preservatives? Thanks, Jim Dearest Jim, Great nations consider your humble garden pallets to be of vital economic importance. As world trade expands, the global market ofte ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, gardening, green living, toxics (all these topics)

Sin Diesel On diesel engines	Umbra Fisk	15 Aug 2002	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Longtime reader; first-time writer. Love the column. My partner and I recently bought a small station wagon to replace our 4WD pick-up and '83 sedan. After some debate, we chose a turbo-diesel engine that boasts about 45 miles per gallon instead of a gas engine, which gets about 30 MPG. Our thinking led us to choose the higher fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions of the diesel engine, although the gas engine produces fewer par ...
Topics: advice, air pollution, Ask Umbra, cars, energy, green living, oil, placemaking, toxics (all these topics)

Weed Creed On weeding	Umbra Fisk	30 Jul 2002	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, We moved into a suburban neighborhood in Ft. Collins, Colo., last year and I began my usual organic gardening practices. I created a beautiful flower garden in our front yard, but I still receive complaints from my neighbors because I refuse to apply herbicides to kill the dandelions and other weeds in the lawn. At least they are all green and neatly mowed! My scientific explanations about the dangers of herbicides and pesticides and th ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, education, gardening, green living, toxics (all these topics)

A New Day Lawning On lawn and garden pesticides	Umbra Fisk	30 Jul 2002	Ask Umbra
Dearest Umbra, Goddess of Green Knowledge, A few years ago, a farmer friend of mine argued that more pesticides and chemical fertilizers are applied to suburban lawns and gardens than are used in commercial agriculture. I can see how this might be the case, given the massive size of the lawn and garden chemical industry, but I haven't been able to verify this information. Can you help? Ed Hunt Dearest Ed, Supplicant, The l ...
Topics: advice, agriculture, Ask Umbra, gardening, green living, health, toxics (all these topics)

Clothes Call On clothing	Umbra Fisk	30 Jul 2002	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, My nephew says that new clothes and other apparel that come from foreign countries are treated with toxic chemicals to avoid various types of fungal or insect contamination, and upon arriving at the loading dock of your favorite wanker-mart, they are ripe to toxify the air, your skin, your eyes. He worked on such a dock and had to wear a respirator and other protective devices to avoid dangerous levels of exposure to the stuff. So I ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, fashion, green living, toxics (all these topics)

Dry Upheaval		03 Jun 2002	Daily Grist
Dry Upheaval As if Colombia needs any more bad news: The war-torn nation's water supply could be reduced by as much as 40 percent over the next 50 years due to deforestation and other degradation of fragile high mountain ecosystems, according to Carlos Castano, director of the country's Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology, and Environmental Studies. The pa ...
Topics: Colombia, deforestation, food and agriculture, green living, toxics, water pollution, wilderness (all these topics)

They'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Gold		29 May 2002	Daily Grist
They'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Gold What if the environmental movement could do to gold what the animal-rights movement did to fur -- convince the public that far from being a badge of success, it is a symbol of cruelty and vanity? Some environmentalists would like to do just that, and they've got the facts to back them up: Gold mining leads to cyanide contamination in water sources, w ...
Topics: green living, mining and drilling, Nevada, toxics, water pollution (all these topics)

Hot to Rot?		14 Feb 2002	Daily Grist
Hot to Rot? The U.S. EPA announced this week a two-year phase out of an arsenic-based preservative used to pressure-treat lumber against rot and insect damage. The treated wood is popular for use in fences, decks, and playground equipment, and its manufacturers and vendors -- including Home Depot and other building-supply stores -- currently face a class-action suit for an alleged failure to adequately warn ...
Topics: business, green living, health, toxics, US EPA (all these topics)

Nema-toads		13 Nov 2001	Daily Grist
Nema-toads A federal appeals court upheld a Vermont law last week requiring manufacturers to label items that contain mercury. The 1998 law, the first of its kind in the United States, was challenged by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association on behalf of companies that produce fluorescent light bulbs containing mercury. NEMA argued that labeling the products would be too expensive and that Vermont's sha ...
Topics: green living, recycling, toxics, Vermont (all these topics)

Getting Their Goats		20 Aug 2001	Daily Grist
Getting Their Goats The busiest ski resort in the U.S. is using goats instead of herbicides to get rid of weeds on its slopes. After the goats eat their fill, the Vail resort in Colorado is seeding the areas with native plants to fight off alien weeds. The goats are owned by Lani Lamming, who rents them out for $1 per day per goat, plus the cost of shipping. Lamming's company, Ewe4ic Ecological Services, has been in business for four y ...
Topics: green living, toxics (all these topics)

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