SAGE Archives

2012

Frozen concentrate or straight-from-the-carton: Which juice uses less energy to produce/ship/store?

Asked by Jan Yaegar
How bad are pets for our environment? How much would a cat or dog cost if you had to buy an emissions certificate?

Asked by Gerald
Which is better, cloth or disposable diapers?

Asked by Katie Cooke
I have heard that the production of soy is actually quite bad from a sustainability point of view. As a vegetarian, what are my best options in terms of soy products, or if not soy products, what are other good alternatives that provide the protein that soy does?

Asked by Marc Evans, '10, MA '11
Once and for all, I'd like the answer: Paper or plastic?

Asked by Jerry Adler
How much of what goes into public "recycling" bins actually gets recycled? Doesn't contaminated recycling get thrown in the trash, and aren't most public recycling bins contaminated by the occasional, accidental piece of trash?

Asked by Dayle Kotturi
I was in need of some new first-date conversation topics and I became curious over this question: from birth to age—oh I don't know—17, is a boy or a girl worse for the environment? What are the differences between male and female impacts on the environment?

Asked by Chris Fedor, '10, MS '11
Increasingly, people do not marry, or marry later in life. What is the environmental impact of a single person? Is it true that the increase in single households means a larger environmental impact and that living with a family is more environmentally friendly? If so, how can singles diminish their footprint on the environment?

Asked by Domenico Nesci
There is a great deal of movement toward electric cars. There are also efforts to create cars that burn natural gas (or use it to power fuel cells). Is it better from a GHG or energy efficiency standpoint to use gas to make electricity to power a car? Or is it best to just burn the gas in the car directly?

Asked by Roy Johnson, MBA '86
What is a good way to measure one's daily water use? Is there a gadget to attach to one's faucets to measure how much water is being used?

Asked by Cris Gutierrez, '77, MA '88

Student authors welcome your queries on sustainability and the environment.

SAGE answers are researched and written by upper division and graduate students enrolled in an environmental journalism course.

Learn more »

Community

Activities

Resources

News & Views

Volunteering

SAGE Archives

2012

Need Eco-advice?

About SAGE

SAGE Archives