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Heat records melting across the U.S.

The summer of the future is here today. Last week, 1,924 high-temperature records in the U.S. were broken or tied.

Overturning the ‘15% Rule’ Can Expand Distributed Generation

If you haven’t heard yet, there’s a “rule” that precludes distributed renewable energy projects from supplying more than 15% of the power to most “distribution circuits” (part of the low-voltage electric grid that brings power into homes and businesses).  With the rapidly falling cost of solar power, many places in the country are starting to […]

Friday music blogging: David Mayfield

Earlier this year, a friend of mine casually mentioned that he’d been enjoying the David Mayfield Parade album. This friend happens to be a professional music critic, so I tracked it down, despite having never heard a thing about it (and I keep up with new music pretty well). And damn! The album quickly became […]

Watch an engine take itself apart, clean itself, and put itself back together

When your stuff breaks, the world is usually better off if you can fix or refurbish it rather than throwing it out and buying a new one. But that’s hard and not everyone knows how to do it, especially with complicated stuff like engines.

Our coal, such a steal! Peabody Energy’s sham auction goes down

While the media focused on the healthcare decision, the federal government just sold a little piece of Wyoming to a private company for a fraction of its worth.

Boxer blinks, OKs a train wreck of a transportation bill

After months of wrangling, the House and Senate have settled on a final transportation bill. It's not pretty.

Me, on the radio, talking climate, media, EPA, and stuff

Yesterday I appeared on the radio show On the Green Front, talking about various and sundry things including my TEDx talk, the federal appeals court ruling in favor of EPA, and the paucity of environmental news sources. Before me came Roz Savage, who’s paddling solo across various oceans to raise awareness of climate and whose […]

Coal plants: Filthy, dangerous, and now a terrible investment!

Ignore the industry's wheezing protestations: The days of affordable coal-fired power are over, and a new Sierra Club report shows how, social and environmental damages aside, new coal plants are just lousy investments.

Featured Friend: Regina A.

Each month, we showcase one of our beloved Friends with Benefits — folks who have donated to support our work. Want to take your relationship with Grist to the next level? Just donate any amount to join the fun.  Regina A. “Over the past few months I’ve developed quite the obsession with Grist because of the great […]

Crying Over Colorado

Reading the piece below by Julia Olson made me cry. One of the big memories of my childhood is a one-month vacation trip my family took when I was 14 years old, driving from Lancaster, Pa. to Colorado and staying in Manitou Springs, just outside of Colorado Springs, for two weeks. Now, Manitou Springs is […]