Q. Dear Umbra,<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I work <\/p>\n Suffocating <\/p>\n A. Dearest Suffocating,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Is she spraying it into her mouth? Or <\/p>\n But I digress. Let’s say that your coworker is <\/p>\n While aerosol keyboard sprays may be Poisonous alcohol ethylene glycol, commonly used in 2-butoxyethanol, which in high doses can cause OK, time to chat with your <\/p>\n Then suggest these much cleaner <\/p>\n However, since I’ve read that our <\/p>\n Qwertyly, <\/p>\n Q. Dear Umbra,<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n We’re <\/p>\n Donnie <\/p>\n A. Dearest Donnie,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Would that be Highland Park, Ill., or <\/p>\n Anywho, ah, composting—one of my <\/p>\n What is it that appeals to you about <\/p>\n Maybe you like the quick <\/p>\n Nitrogen-richly, <\/p>\n The new Ask <\/p>\n One of my favorite books ever. I I always wondered what happened to Dolly. In I’m delighted to see that she <\/strong> is a real person and made her life in the mainstream culture.<\/p>\n Hooray Dolly for going public, and hooray for Tin House Books for reprinting Bart A.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n A. Dearest Bart,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hooray indeed! I’m excited to begin <\/p>\n Bookishly, Related Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n Ask Umbra on paint that’s better for the planet [VIDEO]<\/a><\/p>\n EIA FAQ on CO2 emissions<\/a><\/p>\n
\nin an office that is fairly environmentally conscious. However, we have a
\ncoworker who religiously sprays keyboard cleaner. How do I confront my coworker
\nwithout sounding like an eco-turd? I’m just not thrilled about becoming
\ninfertile or dying.<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nin Seattle<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nworse yet, into your mouth? Is your coworker’s name Allison the Huffer? One of
\nmy fellow Gristies told me about an episode of A&E’s Intervention—I haven’t the stomach for that stuff myself—in which Allison the Huffer enjoyed getting high by spraying keyboard cleaner
\ninto her mouth.<\/p>\n
\nspraying this cleaner only on his\/her computer keyboard. Allow me to arm you
\nwith a little info-ammunition before you start your crusade.<\/p>\n
\nlabeled “canned air,” they are
\nrarely just that (desperately trying not to use a “full of hot air” pun). Here’s
\nthe chemical soup nozzled straight at your nostrils:<\/p>\n
\nantifreeze. Blech. <\/p>\n
\nreproductive damage in animals.
\n And, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a greenhouse gas more potent in the atmosphere
\nthan CO2. Bonus ick-factor points for causing
\nheadaches and fatigue, and asphyxiation or even cardiac arrest if directly inhaled
\n(ahem, Allison). Double bonus points for the
\nproduction of one of the HFCs, HFC-134a, which requires the highly potent toxin
\ntrichloroethane and puts workers and nearby communities at risk.<\/p>\n
\ncoworker. Might I suggest making cookies first and approaching your comrade’s
\ndesk with baked goods in-hand? These will surely distract him\/her from the
\ndaily cleaning ritual momentarily. Then, after having carefully memorized the
\nabove treatise on the ills of these spray cleaners, explain to your colleague
\nthat you’re simply concerned for his\/her well-being as well as that of the rest
\nof the office and Mother Earth. Casually pick up the keyboard cleaner—no
\nsudden movements—and offer to take care of handing over the offending can to
\nyour local hazardous waste peeps (if your colleague reaches for the can, turn
\nhis\/her attention back to the plate of cookies).<\/p>\n
\ncleaning options for your tidy officemate. First the simple approach: Turn your
\nkeyboard over and give it a gentle shake over a trashcan to get any crumbs and
\ndebris out<\/p>\n
\nkeyboards may actually harbor more potentially harmful bacteria than a toilet
\nseat<\/a> (‘scuse me while I go wash my hands), a deeper clean may be in order.
\nAnd would you believe I just flipped open a copy of InStyle magazine (choice dentist office reading), which
\nactually clued me in on how to do just that: Spray a mix of Dr. Bronner’s<\/a> soap and water on a
\nmicrofiber cloth and gently wipe the keys. A Q-tip dipped in alcohol can clean
\nbetween the keys, and a makeup brush (or reusable keyboard brush for the makeup
\nbrush-less) removes crumbs—perhaps remnants of those cookies you kindly
\nbaked.<\/p>\n
Umbra<\/p>\n
\nconsidering the purchase of a small, electrically powered, automatic composter;
\nthis one is made by NatureMill<\/a>, but I
\nimagine there are other brands. I know composting is good, but is this a good
\nidea?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nD.
Highland
\nPark<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nHighland Park, Texas? How can I make appropriate mentions of your state song,
\nstate flower, or license plate motto? <\/p>\n
\nvery favorite topics. So obvs, Donnie, you’re on board with wanting to compost,
\nbut for those who don’t know, here’s the deal on why you should: An estimated
\n13 percent of the nation’s trash is food. And keeping food out of landfills is
\nimportant, because when it’s in there cut off from air, food releases methane,
\na potent greenhouse gas, as it breaks down.<\/p>\n
\nan automatic composter like NatureMill’s? Perhaps you live in a small urban
\nspace, in which case, allow me to clue you into some less expensive (NatureMill
\nmodels run from $300–$400) options presented delightfully in my video on composting<\/a>:
\nvermicomposting (read: worms!) or countertop composting, in which you just get
\nthe composting party started in a small, odor-containing vessel.<\/p>\n
\nfood-scraps-turned-compost time that the automatic composter offers. I will
\nsay, it’s pretty sweet that in just two weeks time you can get fresh compost
\nwith these babies. And despite the fact that an automatic composter is just
\nmore stuff, it does potentially
\nmake it possible for people who might not be on the composting train (those who
\ndon’t want to live with worms, peeps without a yard, folks without a place to
\ndump their countertop composting) to jump on board. And I will say that
\nNatureMill’s composters only require 5 kwh\/month, about the same as a typical
\nnightlight—it uses the compost’s heat to drive the reaction. Plus, they’re
\nmade from recycled and recyclable polypropylene, food-grade stainless steel,
\nand are meant to last several years. So as far as stuff goes, I’d say it’s not too shabby (aside from that
\nkiller price tag—ouch).<\/p>\n
Umbra<\/p>\n
\nUmbra’s Book Club<\/a> has launched and reading is underway. I’ve been getting
\nlots of great feedback about potential books, discussion points, and our first
\nbook, Possum
\nLiving: How to Live Well Without a Job and With (Almost) No Money<\/a>, and wanted
\nto share one of them from Bart A.<\/p>\n
\npicked up a copy in a used book store maybe 25 years ago and was inspired by it
\never since. I didn’t do all the things that Dolly and her father did, but their
\ndevil-may-care, to-hell-with-respectability attitudes were infectious.<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nfact I wondered if she were real or not. I found it hard to believe that an
\n18-year-old wrote such a great book.<\/p>\n
\nthe book.<\/strong> <\/p>\n
\nbreaking it down on April 6. It’ll be a bulletin-board-style discussion, so you
\ncan pop in and out and give comments, feedback, and questions as they come to
\nyou. And for those that haven’t started reading yet, you’ve still got time—it’s a quick read. If you have books that you think would be a good fit for the
\nclub, hit me up in the comments below.<\/p>\n
Umbra<\/p>\n