Dear Dot, My longtime partner and I are planning to get married. I don’t usually go for a lot of the conventional stuff but we have decided to give each other rings. I’ve heard some nasty...

Dear Dot, In my town, we have curbside paper/cardboard recycling, but we also have municipal composting that accepts paper/cardboard. Is it better to recycle paper or compost it? —Nikki Dear Nikki, When I first considered your question, I...

Dear Dot,  I never know what to think about the sustainability certification labels on various products. Are they reliable?  –Michael Dear Dot, I recently bought a piece of FSC-certified furniture from Pottery Barn. That’s a win, yes? –Victoria Dear Michael and...

Dear Dot, After almost two years of staying put during COVID, I flew to California to see friends and family on JetBlue. The captain proudly announced that JetBlue had a carbon offset program so that the...

Dear Dot, I know the old fake Christmas trees are awful, made of petroleum products and the souls of children. But what about the new fakes, made of recycled plastic bottles? They’re good, right? —Max, Vineyard Haven,...

Dear Dot, Do I need to purchase a special wash for fruits and vegetables, or is it enough to give them a good rinse with water?  -Will Dear Will, For many years, I made my own fruit and veggie...

Dear Dot,  I am feeling hopeful. I've dispensed with plastic baggies to preserve food, and upped my game on recycling. I buy organic, and try to get out of the market without too much plastic, and...

Dear Dot, I can’t afford a new electric vehicle. Is there a way to make my internal combustion engine more energy-efficient? Does it matter what grade fuel I use? -Poppy Dear Poppy, For too long, the notion of...

Dear Dot, Ads for laundry strips have been showing up in my Facebook feed, touting their eco-friendliness. Do they work? Also … what are laundry strips? –The Laundress  My dear Laundress, The data gods with their dark magic algorithms...