Earth Talk

Dear “Earth Talk”: Where can I find green-friendly office products and back-to-school supplies? — Taylor Howe, San Francisco, Calif. Environmentally friendly school and office products have been available for decades from specialty suppliers, but in recent years many recycled kinds of papers, pens, pencils, toner cartridges, binders, folders, and desk accessories have become ubiquitous in […]

Dear “Earth Talk”: Are there environmentally friendly car waxes, washes, and bug removers? — Graham Berg, Portland, Ore. Conventional car waxes, bug removers, and other auto-detailing formulas work because they contain strong chemicals. Unfortunately, these synthetic substances — including glycol monobutyl ether, a registered pesticide, and the petroleum derivatives naptha and cosmoline — can irritate […]

Dear “Earth Talk”: I’ve been told that automobile air conditioners are bad for the environment. Why? And what part of the air conditioner is bad? — Susan Vogel, Somerville, N.J. The harmful effects of automobile air conditioners can be directly attributed to the leaking of CFC R-12, one of a number of cooling ingredients patented […]

Dear “Earth Talk”: Why is it bad for the environment to release balloons into the air? — George Young, New York Given that what goes up must come down, balloons released into the air — whether by accident or in large quantities at events — eventually end up as trash on the ground or in […]

Dear “Earth Talk”: Aside from wind power, which seems to be gaining in acceptance, what are some other promising sources of nonpolluting renewable energy? — Bianca Hoffman, Bridgeport, Conn. Wind power certainly has been in the news lately, with wind farms sprouting up across America from California to the Atlantic seaboard. By the end of […]

Dear “Earth Talk”: What exactly constitutes “ecotravel” or “ecotourism”? — Jeannette Peclet, Norwalk, Conn. Although tour operators and travel agents around the world may tout their trips as “ecotours,” environmentally conscious travelers take a variety of considerations into account when determining whether any given excursion qualifies as such. The International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as […]

Dear “Earth Talk”: Many hotels now ask guests to reuse towels and not request new sheets every day as a way to save water and energy. What other eco-friendly trends, if any, are taking place in the hospitality industry? —Jenny Baker, Bozeman, Mont. Asking guests to reuse towels and keep sheets for more than one […]

Dear “Earth Talk”: What are the implications for Montana’s Glacier National Park if the glaciers there keep melting? — Oliver Ryan, New York City The glaciers for which Glacier National Park is named are melting away as a result of increasing global temperatures in recent decades, attributable most likely to global warming. A century ago, […]

Dear “Earth Talk”: What environmental and health issues, if any, are associated with cut flowers? — Olivia Clark, Seattle, Wash. More than half of all cut flowers sold in the United States at florists and supermarket chains are imported. Holland is the largest source; several Latin American countries, including Colombia and Ecuador, vie for second […]

Dear “Earth Talk”: Nuclear power seems like such a clean and cost-effective alternative to burning fossil fuels. Why are so many environmentalists against it? — Paul Franklin, Missoula, Montana Unlike fossil fuels, nuclear power spares us the carbon dioxide that promotes global warming and the airborne pollutants that cause respiratory harm. But the technology does […]

Dear “Earth Talk”: I recently heard the term “conservation medicine.” What does it mean? — Steve Falbo, San Francisco Conservation medicine (sometimes called “conservation health”) is a relatively new field of research that studies the links among human health, animal health, and the environment. One of its major fields of study is the emergence in […]

Dear “Earth Talk”: Which types of household products are most likely to cause chemical sensitivities? — John Morgan, Somerville, Mass. Household products trigger chemical sensitivities in hundreds of thousands of Americans every year, yet few people make the connection between their skin rash or sneezing and the bottles and cans stored beneath their kitchen sinks […]