Ask Umbra

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

Past Umbra

  • Umbra on cane toads

    Dear Umbra, I’m currently studying in Australia. I was recently in Queensland, where as you probably know, cane toads are a huge problem. There are over 200 million of the toxic toads, and this invasive species has been killing off native wildlife and just in general causing lots of problems. In fact, they have huge […]

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  • Umbra on graduation gifts

    Dear Umbra, The recent question about a senior gift to the school got me wondering: what are some green gift ideas for graduates? Misty Boyd Tahlequah, Okla. Dearest Misty, Cash. You could help them set up a retirement account. With this answer, I think Grist will have covered most gifting opportunities: Valentine’s Day, weddings, babies, […]

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  • Umbra on watering the yard

    Dear Umbra, Thanks for your good advice about water conservation. You failed to mention the largest (unnecessary) water user in most U.S. homes: outdoor plant watering. While Grist readers may be eco-wise enough not to water their plants, nor even entertain the possibility of managing a green lawn, there may still be a few closet […]

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  • Umbra on home heating

    Hi Umbra, My fiancée and I bought a house in October. We plan to green the house up as best we can, and one of our first projects will be how we heat the house. Since we didn’t have any money after buying, we had to limp through this winter with an oil-powered steam boiler […]

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  • Umbra on baby gifts

    The first step is to know what you want.

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