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Winnebago-go-go

Green RVs Are Not an Oxymoron When you see a school-bus-sized RV trundling down the road, “eco-friendly” is not the first thought that comes to mind. Surely these beasts are guzzling gas and trailing pollution? Not necessarily so, says a small and growing group of enviros. Even without modifications, an RV dweller uses less energy […]

Stock Gains

Bush Salmon Decision Irritates Both Enviros and Property-Rights Backers There’s a flurry of news today about salmon, which are getting more press of late than the Olsen twins. On the left coast, federal officials announced today that not only will all wild West Coast salmon species retain their protected status under the Endangered Species Act, […]

Memorial Dally

Grist will not be publishing on Monday, May 31, in observance of Memorial Day. The hijinks and hilarity you count on will return on Tuesday. See you then!

Gas Trick Distress

Bush May Ease Environmental Restrictions on Gasoline The Bush administration is responding to higher gas prices by considering a loosening of environmental requirements for a variety of gasoline blends. Commerce Secretary Donald Evans suggested yesterday that such a move could lower gas prices, noting that refineries in some parts of the U.S. are required to […]

Worse Living Through Chemistry

Louisiana Governor Recognizes Multiple Chemical Sensitivities A mysterious and controversial disease linked to chemical exposure is a step closer to official recognition and treatment. Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco (D) recently signed a proclamation designating May “Chemical Sensitivity Awareness Month,” a move that heartened those who suffer from Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. MCS, also called environmental illness, […]

Onward Gristian Soldiers

USDA Rescinds Controversial Changes to Organic Standards The USDA announced yesterday that it will rescind changes to organic food standards made last month that would have cleared the way for use of antibiotics on organic dairy farms, toxic pesticides on organic fields, and more. The changes — first reported in Grist (ahem) — prompted a […]

Parks in Reverse

National Parks Face Deterioration, Budget Shortfalls U.S. national parks are falling into serious disrepair, facing massive funding shortfalls, and being pushed to reduce services, even as another summer tourist season is about to begin. At many of the 388 national parks, monuments, and other sites overseen by the National Park Service, buildings and natural structures […]

Kenaf Already!

As Paper Use Rises, So Do Environmental Woes Remember when computers first became popular and we were told the “paperless office” was just around the corner? Turns out a company’s use of email increases its use of paper by some 40 percent. U.S. paper producers now consume 1 billion trees a year — generating 735 […]

Haiku Enough for Ya?

Our Haiku Hullabaloo fundraiser elicited hundreds of poems from creative Grist fans. We whittled the submissions down to a top 11 contenders, through a semi-scientific process involving repeated syllable counting, unabashed lobbying, and a measure of fisticuffs. (We kid — no interns were harmed in the making of this contest.) Now we need your help […]

Tirana-saurus Wrecks

Albanian Capital Faces Air-Pollution Crisis You may never have heard of Tirana, the capital city of Albania, but it falls not far behind Beijing and New Delhi on the list of the world’s most polluted cities. Hazardous emissions plague the city’s air at levels 10 times higher than those recommended by the World Health Organization, […]