We’ve covered a lot at Grist this year. From meat month and the Paris climate talks to ghost bikes, beauty secrets, and the real sharing economy, we’ve put plenty of words on these here pages in 2015: Around 2 million words, to be exact, in 4,600 articles. And we had some favorites among those articles — writing that took time and investigation and often required getting out of the office and into the world. Chances are the weather is unseasonably warm where you are, so make yourself a nice, cold Arnold Palmer, stick your feet in a bag of ice, sit back, relax, and enjoy a few of our favorite longreads from the year.
Nick Shapiro
People are still living in FEMA’s toxic Katrina trailers — and they likely have no idea
Heather Smith
This map shows that the formaldehyde-laced trailers went on an odd journey, and our reporter explains why.
With the threat of coal exports, Oakland piles more pollution on a polluted community
Raven Rakia
Two community organizers explain why they’re on the front lines to stop coal exports from coming to Oakland.
Eve Andrews / Grist
A Seattle high school is taking birth control access to the next level
Eve Andrews
Now, it’s easier for a Chief Sealth student to get an IUD than it is to get a Coke.
Grist / Amelia Bates
Willie Nelson: The man, the myth, and what he means to farmers
Darby Minow Smith
The country icon talks 30 years of Farm Aid, pot legalization, and more.
Shutterstock
How human composting will change death in the city
Katie Herzog
The costs of burial and cremation are high, but there could be a better way.
Is there a moral case for meat?
Nathanael Johnson
Philosophers don’t have a strong argument for eating animals. So why do we do it anyway?
Reuters / Lucy Nicholson
The inside story of how the Keystone fight was won
Ben Adler
The fight shows that activists can take on the fossil fuel economy and win.
Grist / Amelia Urry
Coral reefs are in trouble. Meet the people trying to rebuild them
Amelia Urry
From replanting reefs to evolving stronger corals, humans are trying to engineer reefs to withstand climate change.
Grist / Amelia Bates
How do you study an underwater volcano? Build an underwater laboratory
Suzanne Jacobs
John Delaney is taking the internet underwater, and bringing the deep ocean to the public.
Aura Bogado
Homeless Angelenos call the riverbank home. What will happen when El Niño hits?
Aura Bogado
Will climate change spell disaster for this vulnerable population?
What’s the best way to protect forests? That’s a big question at the Paris climate talks
Clayton Aldern
Countries and companies are making pledges to halt deforestation, while indigenous activists are arguing for different approaches.
We just had a record-breaking wildfire season. Is that climate change?
Ted Alvarez
An on-the-charred-ground report of this year’s massive wildfires — and what we had to do with them.
