| | | | | Welcome! This week, awe-inspiring sunsets, a diamond in the "ruff" and all your burning recycling questions answered. But first, did you catch my Climate Coach chat last week? I'm answering your questions live on The Washington Post's website every month. You can find the first chat here. | |  | | Americans aren't great at recycling. Only about 32 percent of municipal solid waste ever makes it to the blue bins, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates. It can be hard. It's confusing. We're loaded with questions. What do we do with all those plastic bags? What about packing peanuts? Do I need to clean out peanut butter jars? And my favorite: What's the worst thing I can put in my bin? On the last question, it's probably deer and alligator carcasses, according to a recent interview I had with AMP Robotics, a firm helping cities recycle waste in states such as Ohio and Florida. Batteries are supervillains too, especially lithium-ion ones, which spark fires. To answer these questions and more, The Post has produced an interactive, "You're probably recycling wrong," to help you sort it out. Take the quick quiz, click on the items and finally understand when and how to recycle — or not. | |  | | Take heart. A new wave of technology that includes high-speed robotic "pickers" powered by artificial intelligence promises to make recycling easier and boost America's flagging recycling rates. In the meantime, writes The Post, "if you know some key answers, you can improve your recycling no matter where you live." *** Also, do you buy secondhand stuff online? I'm exploring how to use the internet as the ultimate Everything Store for used goods. I want to hear from you. | |  | | Buying an electric vehicle isn't easy. For many, it's a question of whether to buy or wait, as I explored in my column. If you are in the market, The Post's climate and business reporters have assembled a comprehensive guide comparing the price, battery range and estimated environmental impact of the nation's top-selling EVs. Here's the lowdown on electric sedans, SUVs, trucks and hatchbacks, like the new Mini. | | | What's the most awe-inspiring weather? Not storms, rainbows or blue skies, but sunrises and sunsets, writes The Post's Kasha Patel. Looking at a sunset or sunrise can be an extra boost for your emotional state, research suggests. "That even includes sunsets on paintings or screen savers, too," she says. Though they surely can't beat the real thing. | | | People watch a sunset from Jockey's Ridge State Park in Nags Head, N.C. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post) | | Nivi Achanta is not alone. Your stories poured in this week after my column about how an engagement bike changed Nivi's life. When Liz was offered a diamond engagement ring, she proposed a backpacking trip to Europe with her husband instead. "Nonconformist to this day," she says. She's celebrating her 56th anniversary this year. Caeli wrote to say Nivi's story rang true for her marriage: "My husband and I got mountain bikes instead of rings when we were married in 2007," she wrote. "Now we renew our vows with bikes!" And sometimes, we don't need any object at all. "I can attest to the fact that De Beers Group isn't the only company who sells us stuff we don t really need," wrote Ronnie, who lost his wife of 42 years in December. "I'm sitting in a house full of stuff that I never really needed. If you find someone who truly loves you and you love … you are beyond rich. The Beatles were right: All You Need is Love." | |  |  | | I'll leave you with Patricia, who picked Diamond in the Ruff as her engagement gift. "My now-husband had no idea what he was getting himself into when I stopped during a hike to hug someone's 'teenage' Leonberger pup," she wrote. "I looked up at Carlos and said, 'I'd have no problem saying no to a diamond ring, but I'd have a hard time turning down one of these.'" | | | Diamonds are in the eye of the beholder. In this case, it's 160 pounds of pure canine love. | | Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here to get The Climate Coach in your inbox every Tuesday and Thursday. | | See you next Tuesday, Michael Coren, Climate Coach | | | | | | | | | |
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