Dear Dot, While Amazon and other online stores are using more recyclable packaging, they all come covered with packing tape and labels. Can cardboard boxes be recycled when covered with all of that, or does that...

Dear Dot, Crystals (or should I call them minerals? or just plain rocks?) have gotten so trendy over the past decade. I’m seeing them at specialty shops, yoga studios, farmers markets, even Nordstrom! While I’m not...

Dear Dot, I wear a lot of cashmere in the winter. I know that might sound snooty, but I do it because wool makes my neck itch. I've noticed that in recent years, I can buy...

Dear Dot, Can you help me figure out how to stop all the catalogs I get in the mail? A terrible waste of paper!   –Virginia, Santa Barbara Dear Virginia, It can feel like something of a mystery in our...

Dot discusses decks from her deck.

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 MacCormack Oak Bluffs Dear Poppy, For too long, the notion...