Author Archives: Richard McKissock

Guide to Drinking the Best Alcohol for the Environment

What’s the best alcohol for the environment? Beer, wine, whisky, vodka, cider? Unfortunately, there isn’t one easy answer. But there is a path to drink a more environmentally friendly booze. I’ll show you that path by presenting the factors that make your favorite drink more or less earth-friendly. There’s a plethora of information here, including the debate between bottles and cans. This is your guide to drinking the best alcohol for the environment.

Here’s the path to drinking the best alcohol for the environment. Continue reading →

Torg Brewery: A Passion for Good Beer from an Environmental Background

Torg (Old Norse) – town square or plaza, a traditional space for community gatherings.

In a time when breweries are pushing the envelope, creating and redefining beer styles with flavors, high alcohol content, dryness, sweetness, etc., I was intrigued by Torg Brewery, who brews good approachable craft beer. You can see it in their mission statement. Most breweries have a story and/or a mission, but most of them don’t state it so eloquently.

With a focus on creating that perfect balance between malt and hops to craft a truly friendly, quaffable beer, it is Torg Brewery’s pleasure to serve our patrons the rich complexity and marvelous flavors that water, grain, hops, and yeast combine to create.  Continue reading →

Bridger Brewing: Environmental Background, Beer, Art, and GABF

Hyalite APA at Bridger BrewingThere is often a connection between good craft beer and the environment. It can be supporting causes, reducing energy and water, or waste reduction through recycling and composting. For Bridger Brewing in Bozeman, MT it began with an environmental professional who turned his passion for good beer into a great brewery. But that wasn’t the first or even second thing that attracted me to their brew pub near the campus of Montana State University. Continue reading →

What are HCFCs and Their Connection to Costco and International Diplomacy?

Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) are liquids or gases that are most commonly used in refrigeration and air conditioning. Break it down and it’s a compound made of hydrogen, chlorine, fluorine, and carbon. They were developed for and are used as a less ozone-depleting substance (ODS) than chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). You’ve probably heard of CFCs, the ODS that were phased out years ago. HCFCs are considered Class II ODS, which means they have less potential to destroy the ozone layer than Class I ODS, such as CFCs. HCFCs are being incrementally phased out, leading to a complete HCFC phase out by 2030.

HCFCs are a problem when they leak into the atmosphere during manufacturing, use, or disposal. They are a very powerful greenhouse gas, which contribute to climate change. Continue reading →

Thoughts on the LSAT from an Environmental Scientist

I took the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) out of curiosity. Yes, that’s right, curiosity. Curiosity about the test. Curiosity about the law profession. Curiosity about whether I had something in me that would click with this test. Maybe it was because I’d recently done well on a 4 hour professional certification exam. I jumped into the land of LSAT and got a glimpse into a field that I didn’t know much about. And I liked it, somewhat. Here are my thoughts on the test, the logistics of the test, preparation, and dipping my toes into the world of law school admissions. Continue reading →

The Return of Front Range Ski Life

Front Range Ski Life is a series that highlights a group of Colorado skiers and snowboarders living along the Front Range. In non-Coloradoan terms, that means we live at the base of the Front Range Mountains in Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, or Colorado Springs. I created Front Range Ski Life during the 2008-2009 ski season. It was a lot of fun making episodes like Resort Slackcountry and Zen and the Art of Skiing. But I let it go into hibernation for the past decade. The time is right wake it up and again share the Front Range Ski Life.  Continue reading →

Yogurt vs. Oatmeal for the Environment

Do you eat oatmeal or yogurt for breakfast? Is your choice dependent on taste, diet or another factor? Is that other factor the environmental impact? I recently swapped out my yogurt for oatmeal to try something new. Then I looked into the comparisons of yogurt versus oatmeal beyond taste. First, the health impacts and then the environmental impacts. There’s a plethora of information on the health debate of yogurt versus oatmeal. I provided links at the bottom for you to make your own health choice. So who wins the environmental impact battle of yogurt vs. oatmeal? Continue reading →

The Interesting Mundane Work That Keeps an Environmental Scientist Engaged

What are the details that keep your work interesting on a day to day basis? I’m not referring to the big stuff – your passions, working with good people, great cafeteria in the building, etc. I’m thinking about the interesting mundane work and small details that keep you engaged. I have countless small details that make work enjoyable. But I feel I’ve been missing them lately. I haven’t been seeing the trees in the forest. So I’m going to deliberately focus on those interesting details that bring life to the work of an environmental professional. And maybe some big ones as well. Continue reading →

Blog Break and March Madness Review

Glacier National Park

Sorry I can’t blog right now. I’m off doing a few other interesting things. I’ll be back soon.

I’m in the midst of a break from writing the blog until later this year. When I return, I’ll share some of the exciting projects I’m working on. In the meantime, here’s a few recommended articles from the archives. They’re less read as the “Popular Posts” but just as informative and fun. If you’re a sports fan, and March Madness fan in particular, I produced a series of March Madness preview shows in March. Here’s two of them. How did their predictions hold up? How was your bracket? Enjoy.

Environmental Professionals are Jedi

Interview with Dr. Scott Sampson, famous paleontologist know for his role on Dinosaur Train

Swimming in Contaminated Water

Joseph von Faunhofer’s Toxic Death, Highlighted on Cosmos

Continue reading →

The Most Iconic Smokestack of the West

smokestack

The Kennecott Garfield Smelter iconic smokestack.

The Kennecott Garfield Smelter smokestack is the most iconic smokestack of the west. That’s right, an iconic smokestack. It’s iconic because you can’t miss it. It’s huge! At 1,215 feet tall, it’s the tallest free-standing structure west of the Mississippi River and the fourth tallest smokestack in the world. Standing 18 miles west of Salt Lake City, it seems to be in the background wherever you around in town. It’s prominent when flying in and out and it begs for your attention when you drive west along I-80. The smokestack is part of Kennecott’s copper mining operation. The smelter processes the copper concentrate and acts as a waste heat to power generating plant.  Continue reading →