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Did Guilt Drive Thoreau into the Woods?
Henry David Thoreau went to the woods because, he wrote in Walden, he wanted to “live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life.” Yet in the book Thoreau didn’t mention the fact that a year earlier, he had accidentally set the woods near his home town of Concord on fire, causing a 300-acre […]
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Not all environmental websites are created equal
I’ve been visiting a wide variety of environmental blogs lately to get my daily dose of information and commentary. I have settled on eighteen feeds that I visit most days, opening tabs to articles of interest from each to be read right away or later in the day. This has given me the opportunity to […]
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An earthy non-prescription anti-depressant
Medical researchers in the United Kingdom have found evidence that “friendly” bacteria found in soil may activate the immune system, produce the brain compound serotonin, and help ward off depression. According to a study published last week in Neuroscience, researchers from Bristol University and University College London found that mice treated with the soil agent […]
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CDC study finds rocket fuel chemical in baby formula
This story was originally published at ProPublica.org. Perchlorate, a hazardous chemical in rocket fuel, has been found at potentially dangerous levels in powdered infant formula, according to a study [PDF] by a group of Centers for Disease Control scientists. The study, published last month by The Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, has intensified […]
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In India, leading a lavatory revolution
Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak displays a beaker of colorless, odorless, pathogen-free liquid manure distilled from human excreta. The fertilizer is created using a low-tech, five-step process that includes sand and charcoal filtering and exposure to ultraviolet rays. Methane is captured and burned as cooking fuel. Kevin Ferguson DELHI, India — Ah, the Sulabh International Museum of […]
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Republicans as defenders of the poor
Last week, the House GOP leadership proposed a budget outline that provides an alternative to President Obama’s. Here’s Citizens for Tax Justice’s [PDF] analysis of how it compares to President Obama’s plan: Over a fourth of taxpayers, mostly low-income families, would pay more in taxes under the House GOP plan than they would under the […]
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Welcome to the new Grist!
This year marks Grist’s tenth anniversary! To celebrate this momentous occasion, we’ve redesigned our site. (We’ll also be passing out glasses for a sparkling organic-cider toast at some point, so don’t run off to the powder room.) The new Grist.org is better organized and easier to navigate, featuring topic areas like politics, food, and climate. […]
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Friday music blogging: K’naan
K’naan is a hip-hop MC out of Toronto, Ontario. (That’s in Canada!) He was born and raised in Somalia, in truly horrific conditions of war and deprivation. He learned to rap — before he even learned English — by imitating the flow of American rappers on bootlegged CDs. His 2008 debut album, The Dusty Foot […]
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Nuclear technology tracks Carribbean pollution
PANAMA (AFP) – A UN agency is using nuclear material and technologies to study coastal pollution in a dozen Caribbean countries caused mainly by oil refineries, its officials said. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is focusing on marine pollution in this project because the sea is vital to the region, accounting for up to […]
