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U.N. climate summit kicks off in New York; Bush preps for his own climate meeting in Washington

Al Gore, Arnold Schwarzenegger, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and lots of other bigwigs and heads of state are gathering at U.N. headquarters in New York on Monday for the most high-level climate summit ever, but one world leader will be noticeably absent: George W. Bush. The meeting is intended to build […]

Friday music blogging: John Vanderslice

John Vanderslice is a Bay Area singer-songwriter, once with the band mk Ultra but now a solo artist. He also occasionally helps produce albums in the much-acclaimed recording studio he founded, Tiny Telephone. The studio uses only analog instruments and recording, but Vanderslice dirties the sound up with tons of distortion and effects. He calls […]

Peruvian residents fed up with mining

Big Mineral has made big investments in Peru, where the government has leased some 45,000 square miles of Andean highlands for mining. But Peruvians are getting fed up. When residents of a town called Rio Blanco took an unofficial vote on Monterrico Metals’ plans for a $1.4 billion copper mine in their backyard, 95 percent […]

This week in ocean news

• the European Union closed the bluefin tuna fishing season in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, calling the stocks "exhausted" ...
• a developer proposed dredging up 2.6 million cubic yards of sand from the ocean floor in order to build an artificial beach in Nantucket. The developer will replace the 105 acres of seabed habitat with 28,000 concrete railroad ties over 60 acres ...
• A New York coastal manager told the state government that its 3,200 miles of coastline were in danger from pollution and overfishing. "New York was born on the waterfront, and its future depends on managing those resources," he said ...
• Australian authorities detained 61 crew members of six illegal fishing boats. A catch of trepang, a sea slug, was found on board one of the ships. It was thrown back into the water ...

Charges reinstated against company that allegedly exposed small town to asbestos

The long-running legal battle over whether chemical company W.R. Grace knowingly exposed thousands of residents of Libby, Mont., to asbestos has taken an upswing: an appeals court has reinstated environmental and conspiracy charges against the company, which were thrown out by a federal judge last year. Next stop, trial; if convicted, Grace could be fined […]

An eco-entrepreneur’s advice on kid-proofing your cleaning supplies

Photo: iStockphoto As a practically perpetually pregnant person — I’m a mom of three and have been either pregnant or breastfeeding for 10 years of my adult life — I’ve needed to make my surroundings clean in a nontoxic and green way. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no snooty domestic diva. I strongly believe cobwebs […]

Everglades still polluted, says EPA analysis

Pollution in the Everglades remains significant despite billions of dollars spent on cleaning and restoring the park over the last decade, according to new analysis from the U.S. EPA. On the bright side, erosion has stabilized and mercury levels in the tiny mosquitofish have dropped; on the, um, not-bright side, mercury levels still accumulate in […]

Wal-Mart to sell its own brand of compact fluorescent light bulbs

Giganto-retailer Wal-Mart announced today it will roll out its own brand of compact fluorescent light bulbs in nearly 75 percent of its U.S. stores by the end of the month. The company plans to price the energy-saving bulbs cheaper than the brand-name CFLs they carry, offering a four-pack for about $7.58, comparable in price to […]

Shout-out to Grist donors

Grist reader, donor, and prize-winner (See? We really do give that stuff away!) Irvin Smith of Rochester Hills, Mich., sent in this adorable photo of his son and nieces eating ice cream out of the ice-cream maker he won. A big, public Grist thanks to Irvin.

As I was looking at the photo, I thought to myself: Self, what a fabulous opportunity to give props to all our wonderful donors. So thank you, Grist donors! We are but a humble nonprofit, and without your generosity, we'd all be sitting here in the dark.

If you're reading this and it moves you to donate a few bucks, know that we'll spend it wisely on organic beer for the staff more of the same feisty, witty journalism you know and love.

Comforting words

One of the ideas we’re trying to weave throughout this series is this: you don’t have to be perfect. I had a long conversation last night with a marine biologist in Hawaii for the plastics story, and he felt strongly that parents are too hard on themselves — and on each other — when it […]