Dear Pablo,

I was excited to hear that Chevy plans to debut an electric car in 2010. But then a discussion with a friend got me thinking: If the electricity used to charge up an electric car is created by burning fossil fuels, is it better to stick with a gas-powered car with good fuel economy?

It’s true that most electric cars get their electricity from the grid, which, in many states, is made up mostly of electricity from coal-fired power plants. In areas where the power comes mostly from hydro, wind or solar, your electric car would be virtually emissions-free. (Any electric-car owner can achieve this by installing a solar carport at home.) (more…)

Dear Pablo,

If you want to have the smallest impact on the environment when you go, which do you choose: cremation or burial?

At first I thought this topic was too morbid for my upbeat and positive column. But then I received an almost identical question a week later and I realized every one of my readers has something in common, namely they all die someday. And since most people are reading this column because of their care for the environment (or to deny climate change and proclaim that the world is flat) it follows that my readers want to not only live green but die green. (I ought to copyright that.) (more…)