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Congressional staffers will stop betting on wildfire destruction

We here at Grist mock a lot of people. But we don't always manage to mock some sense into them. Which is why we're pretty psyched about the response to Sarah Laskow's feature story revealing that congressional staffers were making deadly wildfires into a fun office pool: 

McKie Campbell, the [Senate Energy and Natural Resources] committee’s Republican staff director, said the contest has been stopped.

“It will never happen again,” he said in an interview Wednesday. “It was in no way indicative of disrespect for any of the folks who put their lives on the line to battle the fires.”

An easy shell: Sustainable oysters [VIDEO]

On the Rappahannock River off Virginia's Chesapeake Bay, one family business hopes to restore the waterway's ecosystem, one oyster at a time.

Africa’s first green, locavore, gluten-free beer

In Mozambique, home brewing is big -- not because the country is full of mustachioed, fixie-riding expats from Portlandia, but just because it's less expensive. So when brewing giant SABMiller wanted to figure out how to sell beer to people who are already making their own, they had to do it on the cheap.

MIT climate scientist receives frenzy of hate mail

Climate scientist Kerry Emanuel received a flood of threatening emails after a video circulated of him speaking at a climate change conference.

Scientists discover color of galaxy, can only describe it in poetry

We went back and forth on whether this would be relevant to your interests, but it's about the universe and the Earth is in the universe, right? I think that's a non-controversial scientific statement even Rick Santorum would agree with. (Maybe. Does Rick Santorum believe in the galaxy?) Anyway, astronomers have found the exact color the Milky Way galaxy would appear if you were standing outside it, and it turns out it is a color that can only be expressed in poetry.

Scientist blames James Bond for lack of nuclear support

Anti-nuclear campaigners, why do you dislike nuclear power? Is it because of the risk of massive meltdowns? The unsolved issue of what to do with waste? The lack of realistic evacuation plans?

Or is it the influence of a James Bond movie you probably watched at least a couple times as a bored child -- Dr. No?

Critical List: Shale gas could squash renewables; scientists fiddle with photosynthesis

New York City promises to double the percentage of waste diverted from landfills within the next five years.

Increasing shale gas production could squash renewable energy development.

The Obama administration released a draft plan for protecting the country's oceans.

Scientists are fiddling with photosynthesis in order to make biofuel.

Lexicon of Sustainability: Biodiversity vs. monoculture

Grist is beginning a Lexicon of Sustainability weekly series. Check out these artistically altered images from around the sustainable food world.

Honeybee problem nearing a ‘critical point’

Beekeepers from around the country met to talk about the state of the industry, while new information strengthens the case for the role of pesticides in bees' decline.

Kicked to the curb: What my kid (and YouTube) taught me about garbage

Next time you're looking for idle entertainment, check out the garbage truck meme on YouTube. You'll be truly amazed at what Americans throw away.