Ask Umbra
Grist’s destination for advice on life during climate change. Est. 2002
Past Umbra
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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 water conservation
Dear Umbra, Your general drift has been to get us to focus on the big stuff instead of the little paper-or-plastic issues. So what’s the big picture of household water use and overuse? I have a clothes washer and a dishwasher, I wash dishes in the sink, I take showers and flush every time I […]
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Umbra on peeing in the shower
Dear Umbra, Is it suitable to justify peeing (urinating) while showering in order to save a toilet flush? Any health issues to your feet or shower algae growth? Luke WhistlerBrisbane, Australia Dearest Luke, If I told you that my editor picked not only this question, but also the previous question about organic likker, what would […]
