Q. Dear Umbra,

Back-to-school shopping season is fast approaching, and item No. 1 on the list is a few new pairs of tights for the winter months. Problem is, almost every pair I bought last year ripped after two or three wearings. I understand these things aren’t made to last forever, but I don’t want to throw out so much clothing (and money!) again this year. Do you have any brands you recommend that are more durable and sustainable? Any ways to repair or reuse torn nylons?

Patricia W.
Naperville, Ill.

Photo by Alison Faith.

A. Dearest Patricia,

I can hear my editor now: “You answered a question about tights? What’s green about that?” Not much, editor. You have a fine, albeit imaginary, point. But this mention of back-to-school shopping reminds me that we should all be thinking about Being Wiser Consumers. (Psst, Patricia: If you want my actual advice about tights, consider skipping the next few paragraphs.)

Q. Dear Umbra,

My father, a lawman, passed away over 20 years ago. A couple of years ago I was going through some old boxes and found 20 or so fairly old bullets. I’m not a gun person and I want to get rid of them safely. I read that some police departments will accept old bullets. I called, but the Houston PD doesn’t, nor did they have a suggestion. I hesitate to put them into the garbage or bury them in the backyard. What if I threw them in a lake? Any suggestions?

Doug K.
Houston, Texas

Photo by Richard Alexander Caraballo.

A. Dearest Doug,

Well. There are recycling conundrums, and then there are recycling conundrums. Yours is one I don’t think I’ve seen before, but let’s see what we can do -- and thank you for being so thoughtful about this choice.

First of all, do not give in to temptation and throw the bullets in a lake. I’m assuming you suggest this because you’ve heard that submerged bullets will no longer fire, but this is not always true. More to the point, our lakes are not repositories for our trash. On top of that, most bullets contain lead -- you can read all about this notorious neurotoxin at the Environmental Protection Agency’s website. Though lead occurs naturally in soil, we humans have made a practice of adding lots more of it to our immediate surroundings, to the detriment of public health.

Lead bullets in waterways can put wildlife at risk and even, some say, threaten water supplies.

Q. Dear Umbra,

I’m moving this summer and we have tons of cutting boards! I might get rid of a few. Are any of the especially old ones (25+ years old) hazardous to my health? Especially the ones I’ve used to cut meat? And which is the more sustainable and healthy choice: plastic or wood?

Tina
Tucson, Ariz.

Photo by Dinner Series.

A. Dearest Tina,

The only thing worse than moving in the summer must be moving in the summer in the Southwest. Just the thought of lugging boxes and bags and ottomans (ottomani?) around in Arizona makes me sweat. I hope you are moving to a cooler place, so you’ll at least have relief on the other end.

But you didn’t ask me to analyze your life choices. Let’s talk about your cutting boards.

We should start by praising the loyal cutting board, in all its unheralded glory. This is one of our most durable household goods. It stands by us through thick chops and thin juliennes, never complaining, rarely breaking, always doing its job. Thank you, cutting board.

Q. Dear Umbra,

We use a dehumidifier in our basement. How can we use the water it collects -- drink it? Use it in the garden? For our pets?

Jean K.
Newington, Conn.

Gray water is safe for inedible plants to drink, but you probably shouldn't try it yourself. (Photo by Shutterstock.)

A. Dearest Jean,

I hereby bestow enormous thanks upon you, for you have given me an opportunity to revisit one of my favorite topics -- the ever-useful, though disgustingly named, gray water. This is an especially pertinent topic during these times of drought and other wild weather.

Gray water, as you might know, is the lightly used wastewater that comes from our showers, dishwashing, laundry, and so forth -- basically, anywhere but the toilet. (That stuff is even more disgustingly known as “black water.”) Water in a dehumidifier counts as gray water too, though it is snatched from the air instead of dispensed from our pipes. Whatever the source, it seems a shame to pour this water down the drain. It is still useful! Despite being gray or grayish! So what can we do with it?

To answer your questions: No, it is not drinkable. For you or for your pets. But it should be okay for watering plants and a few other uses, which I shall detail in a moment.

Q. Dear Umbra,

This fall, I will be going to college. One of the biggest (and most expensive) items on the list is a laptop. My stepmom and I were debating whether it would be more eco-friendly to buy a refurbished laptop versus a new one. Will a refurbished laptop place less demand on rare earth metals and those other nasty resources needed to make electronics, or should I just invest in the newest computer? Please help me settle this debate! I want to be eco-friendly!

Kristen
Chapel Hill, N.C.

Are refurbished laptops the greener way to go? (Photo by Wayan Vota.)

A. Dearest Kristen,

Congratulations -- what an exciting time! And my, how things change: In my day, “the list” included things like “towels and flip-flops for the shower.” Those were essentials.

In fact, speaking of essential, is it crazy to think one could get by at college in the current era without a personal laptop? Is part of our national economic and environmental crisis due to the fact that this country’s 20.4 million college students are expected to buy -- and then forced to dispose of -- a piece of electronic equipment rendered obsolete before they graduate? Are these notions of mine demented?

Demented. So a laptop you must procure, and a laptop you shall have. While I understand your stepmother’s instinct to get the best and bedazzlingest technology, a refurbished model can actually satisfy that need and assuage your eco-concern -- if you do some smart shopping.

Q. Dear Umbra,

We are in the midst of a heat wave. I have a window unit air conditioner in my tiny apartment. There is an "energy saver" option that shuts down once the temp reaches the desired setting (generally 79 degrees), then starts back up again when the mercury rises. It's been so hot that it seems to only take a few minutes till it fires back up. Is this really saving energy?

Emily
Brooklyn, N.Y.

Photo by Jan Tik.

A. Dearest Emily,

With hope, the heat will have broken by the time you read this. But we all know it will rise again, and we'll have plenty more days when we can hear the entire country lean back in its chair, wipe its brow, and mumble, "Hot enough for ya?" Except here in Seattle, where we get approximately one hot day a year, usually the third Tuesday in September.

Before we get to your question, a few eye-opening facts about America's love of indoor climate control: In the late 1970s, 23 percent of American homes had some form of air conditioning; today, 87 percent do. We have become so addicted that 9 out of 10 new homes are built with central air. We spend $40 billion a year air-conditioning our buildings, says the EPA, and cooling our homes accounts for 17 percent of household energy use.

Dearest readers,

Some people celebrate Independence Day with parades, cookouts, fireworks, and reflections on our nation’s grand traditions. I celebrate it by sorting through my inbox to make sure I have answered your most pressing, timely questions -- before they get dustier than Jefferson’s wig. Read on for a new batch of truths, which you might or might not hold to be self-evident.

Q. Dear Umbra,

I love grilling in the summer, but what is the best source of fuel? Propane is yet another gas, and though the containers can be refilled, there is a lot of waste. At the same time, charcoal doesn’t seem like the best bet either. What’s the cleanest fuel for my fire-roasted fun?

Brianna C.
Sacramento, Calif.

Q. Dear Umbra,

Do you have any advice on disposal/recycling of those gel packs that come with our pills/vitamins/shoes/protein powders/etc? Surely just throwing them away cannot be safe (wildlife consumption is my biggest worry) -- is there anything you can recommend? Also, I feel like I am wasting those cotton balls that come in vitamin and pill bottles, too. I surely couldn’t reuse them as cotton balls, could I?

Casie
La Verne, Calif.

Photo by jojomelons.

A. Dearest Casie,

While I admire your instincts and commitment, I wish I could invent a Take-a-Deep-Breath-It’ll-Be-Okay vitamin, mass produce it today, and mail you a case. I can think of a few others who might benefit from this miracle pill, too. I would not, of course, include silica gel or wads of cotton in said packages.

I know those of us who care deeply about the planet tend to worry about throwing anything away, but I also occasionally encourage people to give themselves a break. This is one of those moments. You are lovely to worry about wildlife eating these little packets, but you needn’t: I checked with two people from the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), whose slightly bewildered responses amounted to, “No, not a concern.” We hope the solid-waste authorities there in La Verne are keeping your garbage under wraps, but even if they’re not, my NWF friends say animals would be unlikely to eat silica gel, because it’s odorless. The ASPCA also says silica gel is relatively harmless, unless large quantities are eaten by tiny animals.

In fact, Casie, I think you’ve unearthed the world’s first case of an industry overhyping its dangers, rather than downplaying or denying them.

Q. Dear Umbra,

I live in a pretty nice trailer park with lots of room to grow beautiful organic food. My neighbors spray pesticides at the fence line, and the pesticide drift has poisoned some of my vegetables and the soil. I stopped talking to them the second time it happened. The park manager has told them not to do it. But they continue. How can I stop them from trying to poison me? I talked with the mayor and she didn’t know what I should do, as there are no city laws addressing the problem. And what do I do with the soil and the plants that have been poisoned?

Patricia
Lafayette, Colo.

A. Dearest Patricia,

I am going to let you in on a little secret. There are times when I dole out advice from up here on the Advice Doling Console and I think to myself, “Hmm, easier said than done.” I know this is going to be one of those times, because it is hard to find a confident-yet-not-overly-confrontational way to talk to people about their habits, especially people with whom you share a fence line. But let’s take a look at how you can protect yourself and your veggies.

Q. Dear Umbra,

 My grandparents just gave me a Keurig single-cup coffee machine for my birthday. I would have said no thanks had they asked, but I have to admit that it’s pretty handy. So which is more wasteful: Throwing away the non-recyclable pods, or dumping out leftover coffee from an old pot gone cold? With a Keurig, there’s never any risk of making a pot too large and throwing some out. Since coffee beans are an extremely water-intensive crop to grow, pouring out those two cups is a much bigger waste than it may seem.

Nathan E.
Washington, D.C.

Photo by Patrick Gensel.

A. Dearest Nathan,

This is what our friends on Twitter call, I believe, a #firstworldproblem. You Keurig users worry a lot, and you’ve made this question something of a spring ritual hereabouts. Given the recent surge in sales of Keurigs and their ilk, however, I’ve decided to dive into the brew-haha once more.

Let’s look at the scenario you have identified. On the one hand, we have a nifty machine that uses less energy than a traditional coffee pot. According to a detailed comparison [PDF] from the Energy Star program, estimated annual household energy use for a 10-to-12-cup drip filter coffeemaker is 100-150 kilowatt-hours (kWh), compared to 45-65 kWh for a single-serve coffeemaker. However, your little machine generates untold waste in the form of ridiculously unrecyclable plastic-and-foil pods. It also makes you spend silly amounts of money. Americans bought $715 million worth of K-cups during the last quarter of 2011. That translates to about $50 per pound of coffee, The New York Times helpfully tells us, versus the typical $8-$12 per pound you pay when you buy coffee in bulk.