advice
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The surprising benefits of seasonal eating
In Checkout Line, Lou Bendrick cooks up answers to reader questions about how to green their food choices and other diet-related quandaries. Lettuce know what food worries keep you up at night. Your food or mine? Lou, I am curious about any benefits of eating seasonally — the foods or products that are traditionally […]
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A review of disposable eco-diapers
We got you covered. After having my first child this summer, I learned one thing right off the bat: The only thing I craved more than a good, long nap was a good, strong nappy. I had heard tales from other parents of astronomical blowouts, but not until I was faced with my own filial […]
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How to make a meal from your market basket
Turning market treats into good eats. On a recent trip to the farmers market, I found a mountain of leafy greens of all different hues and textures. I couldn’t resist buying four varieties: rainbow chard, red Russian kale, an Asian green similar to spinach, and escarole. Cooler weather also means the arrival of […]
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Umbra on straw-bale homes
Dear Umbra, Do you recommend building straw bale homes? And/or can you insulate an existing home with straw bales on the outside of the home and then finish it using siding, wood, or stucco? I wonder why this renewable, economical, and easily available resource is underused and undervalued … am I missing something? What do […]
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Google offers two Halloween tools to cut household energy costs
Photo: sascha First a tool to prevent drunk emailing; now this: The smarties at Google have put together some treats in time for Halloween so you won’t be tricked by household energy waste. A list of ways to lower your energy bill includes tips to save water, cut heating costs, and reduce appliance electricity use, […]
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‘Global warming comes from within’–Is heat at the Earth’s core the real cause of global warming?
(Part of the How to Talk to a Climate Skeptic guide) Objection: We all live on a thin crust that floats on a huge ball of molten iron, and at its core, the Earth’s temperature is over 5000 degrees C! It’s pretty far fetched to think a few parts per million of CO2 can have […]
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Umbra on deflecting eco-insults
Dear Umbra, Whenever I pick up a piece of trash a friend has thrown on the ground, or ask them where their recycling bins are, they call me a dirty tree-hugging hippie. This doesn’t bother me, since I know I shower daily and am happy to admit to hugging trees every so often, but they […]
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From Iowa’s apple orchards, a delicious heirloom and a recipe for stuffing
This column is an excerpt from Friese’s new book A Cook’s Journey: Slow Food in the Heartland. Truly scrumptious: the “red delicious” apple’s heirloom antecedent. Photo: Kurt Michael Friese One cool spring morning about 1880, a farmer in Madison County, Iowa, named Jesse Hiatt was walking the rows of his young […]
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Umbra on eco-themed Halloween costumes
Dear Umbra, Every year my friends and I throw a big Halloween party, and I had the amazing idea of dressing up as Sarah Palin. Unfortunately, I just found out that’s currently the most popular costume in my city (and most likely the U.S.), so I’m thinking about tipping my hat to my love of […]
