Dear Eartha, my monthly utility bills have gone through the roof the past few months. I’m not doing anything dramatically different, so why are my bills so much higher? Is there anything I can do to bring that cost down? I’ve been hearing this question A LOT lately. Chilly weather and a near doubling in […]
Dear Eartha, headlines about the declining Colorado River, and extreme weather being a ‘new normal’ makes me wonder what difference it actually makes to change our lifestyles. Aren’t we all just doomed anyway? Believe me, it’s easy to feel helpless and unmoored when contemplating a future with less water and a growing number of billion-dollar weather […]
Dear Eartha, I love skiing and get outside almost every day during the winter. With that much shredding, I am noticing a lot of wear and tear on my skis and gear. I know it’s not great for the environment to replace equipment every year, and not only that, it can get expensive. How can I […]
Dear Eartha, I’m ready to take my holiday decorations down and don’t want to sacrifice a ski day in the process. What options do I have to easily recycle some of these items? New Year’s resolutions are coming in hotter than our warming climate, so now is the perfect time to add a last-minute resolution […]
Dear Eartha, Santa flies around the world in one night – wouldn’t that generate a pretty big carbon footprint? Just like Buddy the elf says, the best way to spread Christmas cheer is … talking about climate change! I might have taken a few liberties with that quote, but I promise I’m not about to […]
Dear Eartha, As I learn more about recycling guidelines, and what is or isn’t accepted, it seems like I can’t recycle anything in Summit County! What gives? I applaud you for digging into local guidelines. Recycling can indeed be complicated, and answering your question means looking beyond Summit County. Let’s follow the journey your recycling […]
Dear Eartha, I want a real Christmas tree but feel bad about cutting down a tree. As I learn the impact of fake trees, I wonder which is the better choice. To some, nothing is better than the sweet, piney smell of a fresh-cut tree with glimmering lights — LED, of course. For others, the […]
Dear Eartha, I’ve heard opposing views on the best way to use your thermostat for energy savings. Some say it’s better to turn it down when you’re away and others say it’s better to leave it at a constant temperature. Can you help settle this debate? The snow is falling fast, and winter has officially made […]
Dear Eartha, I left my Halloween pumpkin outside overnight and now it’s a rotting mess – and not in the charmingly spooky kind of way. I already compost my food scraps, but can I compost my pumpkin, too? It is officially spooky season. And while gross, scary things are a staple of the celebration, I don’t […]
Dear Eartha, I am so confused by cartons. Egg cartons, ice cream cartons, juice boxes. What exactly is a carton? I feel your pain. My grandma calls cardboard boxes cartons, most juice boxes can be recycled as cartons, and foam egg cartons (yes, they unfortunately still exist) are 100% trash. When we talk about cartons in […]
Dear Eartha, Recently I noticed that some grocery stores offer aluminum water bottles in addition to plastic water bottles. Both are recyclable, does it really matter which one I buy? Despite many of us owning (and occasionally forgetting to bring) reusable bottles, consumption of bottled water is on the rise. In 2020, Americans consumed 15 billion gallons — […]
