advice
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Ask Umbra on sustainable manufacturing jobs, sexless fish, and matches
Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, I am wondering if you can help me with this question: What makes jobs in sustainable manufacturing “sustainable” (as opposed to just “manufacturing” jobs), and what do employers look for in determining whether a candidate is right for a “sustainable” or “green” job? And while we’re thinking […]
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Ask Umbra on toilet paper, dryer balls, and Twitter
Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, Is it more environmentally sound to throw tissue paper in the toilet or in the trash? I’m disturbed by how much toilet paper is used by one family alone and wonder just what it takes to remove all that paper from the sewage system and from the […]
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Ask Umbra on perfume bottles, wax paper, and alternative beverage bottles
Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, I am a child of the consumer age, but I try to live by “reuse, recycle.” I have a lot of fancy perfume bottles that are now empty. They are very heavy glass, and it seems I read that the return on the energy spent to melt […]
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Ask Umbra on water bottles, gas dryers, and tea lights
Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, Hey! This whole freakin’ deal about aluminum, steel, and plastic bottles is bewildering. I wanted to get a BPA-free Nalgene, but should I buy an aluminum instead? I don’t have or see the use to spend $20USD for a darn bottle. What’s the best way to go? […]
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Ask Umbra on judging greenness
Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, I consider myself to live simply and in an environmentally conscious way. I have been having trouble with those who also are “green” but seem to be smug about it, ostentatious even, maybe hypocritical when judging others who appear “un-green” based on superficial things like my clothes. […]
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Breathtaking last minute philanthropy ideas
Most of us should be giving away more money. (Yes, you should be. If you have any doubt, please stop reading this blog and pick up Peter Singer’s book The Life You Can Save.) And many of us WANT to give but can’t pull the trigger for a host of reasons: basic cheapness (guilty!), a […]
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Ask Umbra on Christmas trees, broken lights, and naughty birds
Dearest Readers, Now that I’m back from convoluted Copenhagen, I find I need a bit of a break. So I’ll be taking some time off to make gingerbread, sip cocoa, and knit myself a new compost bin, which means you won’t see my column next week. But I’ll be here on January 4 — look […]
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Ask Umbra on holiday donations, green magazines, and more
Dearest Readers, I write to you from Copenhagen, where I have come to witness the big climate conference. O the life of a Grist columnist gets more glamorous by the day! Be sure to check out our coverage, and follow my adventures on Twitter. Yes, dear readers, I’ve finally succumbed to the tweet hereafter — […]
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This year, have a Slow Christmas
This post originally appeared on SlowChristmas.org. Recently I have begun to wonder. Just when did Christmas go from this: to this? USB Warmer Seat Cushion The world is a fast place, filled with stuff, so I guess it makes sense that Christmas would reflect that. The […]
