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You’ll Be Fine, Yogi

Yellowstone-area grizzly bears lose Endangered Species Act protection The U.S. Interior Department will remove Yellowstone-area grizzlies from Endangered Species Act protection, putting management of bears that live outside the park in the hands of state officials in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. And by “management,” of course, we mean killin’. The region’s bear count has swelled […]

Major reductions and a paradigm shift

Yes, a major reduction in fishing subsidies (currently in the tens of billions a year), the establishment of property rights over the ocean commons, a massive reduction in overall catches, and, as this amazing article in National Geographic makes clear, we need an entirely new way of thinking about the ocean. That is, we need a paradigm shift with respect to how we view marine ecosystems. Read the article and let the journey begin ...

Readers write in about lucky bastards, “clean coal,” disparaging veggie burgers, and more

  Re: Somewhere, Stalin Is Chuckling Dear Editor: I am sorely disappointed and disgusted by Grist’s use of “humor” to report the mine explosion in Siberia. Yes, coal is dirty and coal-mining practices are terrible. But neither of those facts gives you the right to blatantly minimize the value of the 106 lives lost. It’s […]

Hogwarts and All

The seventh — and, alas, final — Harry Potter book goes green Is Draco Malfoy green with envy, or is it just the paper he’s printed on? With only 121 days until the last Harry Potter book hits the shelves (not that we’re counting), U.S. publisher Scholastic has partnered with the Rainforest Alliance to green […]

You Mean Bombing Doesn’t Help?

Four years of war has not improved Iraq’s environment After four years of U.S.-led war and the two Saddam-ized decades preceding it, Iraq’s water, land, and air are in rough shape. “The Tigris and Euphrates rivers are essentially open sewers,” says Azzam Alwash of Nature Iraq, who also says clean-up is needed on over 500 […]

The Goracle

Gore gets a warm welcome on Capitol Hill, and a few heated exchanges Al Gore got a superstar reception in Congress yesterday when he made the case for sweeping federal action to fight global warming. Politicians from both sides of the aisle welcomed him back to his old stomping grounds and listened intently as he […]

Umbra on peeing in the shower

Dear Umbra, Is it suitable to justify peeing (urinating) while showering in order to save a toilet flush? Any health issues to your feet or shower algae growth? Luke WhistlerBrisbane, Australia Dearest Luke, If I told you that my editor picked not only this question, but also the previous question about organic likker, what would […]

But the Franken-mozzies will still bite … and their eyes glow red in the dark!

Genetically-engineered mosquitoes that cannot transmit malaria could help stop the spread of the illness, according to a report in the The Guardian and other publications.

It Must Have Been Our Rippling Pecs

Outside magazine features Grist, Grist says, “Aw, shucks” The green issue of Outside hits newsstands today, and you’ll never guess who’s in it: us! Complete with pictures of our chainsaw-wielding prez, the article has the inside scoop on our wit and charm, our punny headline process, and why we’re a “gateway drug” (oh, we’re blushing […]

Karen Bowman, environmental-health nurse, answers questions

Karen Bowman. What work do you do? I have the best job in the world! I’m president of Karen Bowman & Associates Inc., a nurse-owned firm that provides occupational- and environmental-health services to the global community. How does it relate to the environment? The company designs and implements cost-effective, sustainable solutions that enhance health and […]