EarthTalk Q&A

Reusing greywater—that is, the waste water from sinks, showers, tubs and washing machines—for landscape irrigation may be the next frontier in the greening of the American home, especially if you live in an arid region where water use is restricted. In fact, reusing your graywater may be the only way to keep your lawn and garden healthy without taking more than your fair share of the community’s precious freshwater reserves.

The FDA in encouraging food producers, restaurants and fast food chain to move away from heart-unhealthy trans fats, but the most common alternative, palm oil, isn’t much better for us while also wreaking havoc on tropical rainforests across Malaysia and Indonesia and adding to our climate woes.

Global warming and decades of mismanagement means that wildfires are on the increase across the American West and other fire-prone areas. We can all do our part by learning how to be “fire-safe” as well as by reducing our carbon footprints.

Dear EarthTalk: A recent study showed that Bisphenol A (BPA) was hardly the human health risk researchers once believed it to be. Should I still try to avoid products that may contain it?

While the potential risks of unleashing so many genetically engineered crops into our food supply aren’t known, researchers do think these so-called “frankencrops’ are already wreaking havoc as a result of pesticide resistance.

NRDC offers tips and suggestions on how to track and defend against new and existing polluters in local regions across the United States. Staying informed by attending public meetings, getting organized with likeminded neighbors, and finding experts to support your case are all important aspects of keeping polluters at bay.

Apparently U.S. ethanol producers have a long way to go before the biofuel they produce is actually carbon neutral, and environmentalists warn that we might be better off moving away from it completely.