Ask Umbra

Grist’s destination for advice on life during climate change. Est. 2002

Past Umbra

  • Watch Annie Leonard’s new ‘Story of Citizens’ video

    Annie Leonard unveiled a new film in the “Story of Stuff” series this morning. Her latest offering, The Story of Citizens United v. FEC, is “an exploration of the crisis of corporate influence in American democracy.” Leonard digs into the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision to allow corporations to contribute without limits to political campaigns. In […]

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  • Ask Umbra’s Book Club: Dive into the big blue

    Greetings readers, As you all know, I am a bookworm of the highest order. In fact, I’m such a bookworm that my compost worms have their own library. I think it’s important to surround them with good literature, but they just keep eating the pages. And so must we all surround ourselves with good matter […]

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  • Ask Umbra knocks off Twinkies organically [VIDEO]

    You’ve heard of knockoff purses, but have you ever heard of knockoff junk food? Michael Pollan’s book Food Rules encourages us to make our own junk food. Yep, eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself. Umbra takes junk food into her own hands and shows how to make […]

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  • Umbra’s top ten Climate Week moments

    Harrison Ford’s new earring, origami rainforests, flash mobs, crackdowns, Survivaball-wear, and so much more! Umbra Fisk does NYC’s Climate Week. Don’t miss her 10 Best Moments from the Big Apple’s climatic extravaganza.

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  • Umbra on food-waste collection

    Dear Umbra, Are any communities collecting food waste — potato peels, meat scraps, corn husks, etc. — for recycling? Is there a market for such material? Wendy S. Far Hills, N.J. Dearest Wendy, Yes and yes. Multiple communities collect food waste, in a variety of ways. Which is great, considering that food makes up about […]

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