[OKC] The Green Lantern: Dim Bulbs, Old Clothes, and Hairballs

[Miles, Karen]

the green lantern 


Dim Bulbs, Old Clothes, and Hairballs


Three questions in one column.


By Nina Shen Rastogi
Posted Tuesday, June 8, 2010, at 6:50 AM ET 

________________________________

Here are some quick answers to questions from the Lantern's inbox.

Do I save electricity when I use a dimmer switch on my lights? Or am I
using the same amount of electricity no matter where I have it set?

Unless your dimmer dates to the 1970s, it will save some energy. The
more you lower the lights, the less power they use-although the savings
won't be as large as the reduction in brightness. (At a light level of
50 percent, you'll be using more than half the electricity.) (continued
in article on-line)

Can you recycle clothes? 

Yup. Textiles that are still relatively intact can be cut up into wiping
rags, which are sold to gas stations and paint shops. Ratty clothes are
shredded, and the resulting fibers can be used in things like carpet
padding or soundproofing insulation. Some fibers, like wool, can be
re-spun, re-dyed, and re-woven into brand-new clothes.  (continued in
article on-line)

What's the most environmentally friendly way to get rid of the hair from
my brush or comb? In lieu of trashing it, I've been flushing it down the
toilet, but something tells me that can't be right. 

Trust your instinct: The toilet is not the proper place for hairballs.
First of all, it could lead to clogs in your plumbing. The wastewater
treatment plant, in turn, will just try to screen out your hair and
truck it off to the landfill along with the Q-tips, condoms, and other
sundry interlopers that get flushed every day. (continued in article
on-line)

Is there an environmental quandary that's been keeping you up at night?
Send it to ask.the.lantern at gmail.com
<https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=ask.the.lantern@gmai
l.com> , and check this space every Tuesday. 

Like Slate on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/Slate> . Follow us on
Twitter <http://www.twitter.com/Slate> .

Nina Shen Rastogi is a writer and editor in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Article URL: http://www.slate.com/id/2255772/

 

Copyright 2010 Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive Co. LLC

 

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