Some of my most controversial, infamous, and still-talked-about Facebook posts of all time involve something that seems to draw opinions from even the most reserved people I know: expiration dates. Many people believe that the “sell by” or “best by” dates stamped on food are the end-all, be-all, definitive line between “safe” and “not safe” for food, and in almost every case that is not accurate.
On this, the second anniversary of Radical Moderate, we will be looking into the traditional second anniversary gift: cotton. It is one of the most widely produced textiles on earth, with farms spread across multiple countries. Unfortunately, it usually requires a lot of land, water, and chemicals to produce. This post will look into consumer options and how to make the most responsible wardrobe choices.
After a month of immersive research into various lifecycle impacts of aluminum, steel, and asphalt shingles, we have come to a decision that incorporates product affordability, energy efficiency, ecological impacts, and recycling feasibility. I am confident that we made the best decision, and I am looking forward to the fact that I won’t have to think about roofs again for the next 50 years.
One of my favorite grad school projects was identifying and quantifying the various resource and energy inputs needed to create everyday items. While trying to figure out the break-even point between multiple disposable coffee cups and one reusable travel mug, I became hooked on trying to understand the factors at play in each decision I made moving forward… and the quest continues with my roof.
As we approach November, we’re getting exposed to more and more BS in political campaigns. Fortunately, this is also the perfect time of year to make use of fertilizer to improve your lawn. This week we will look at the pros and cons of organic and inorganic fertilizers, focusing on one in particular that I’ve used on my lawn for years.
In honor of the vacation we are currently enjoying, this post is about an amazing invention that is pretty standard across Japan and almost absent in America: the bidet. These devices are touted as more resource-friendly and bum-friendly than toilet paper, but the topic still seems to be avoided in polite conversation. And that’s what I’m here for – to do research and mention unmentionables.