Latest Articles

Did Germany screw the planet by deep-sixing its nuclear plants?

Germany’s phaseout of nuclear power was a boneheaded move that has wreaked havoc with its power grid and cost consumers dearly, and it will hurt the planet by leading to more coal-fired power, says a feature by Aaron Wiener in The New Republic. But wait, says Grist’s own David Roberts! Germany did no such thing! […]

Hasbro Turns Over a New Leaf, Steps Up For Rainforests

One of the world’s biggest toy makers is no longer playing around when it comes to deforestation. In June, Greenpeace research showed that many popular toys — like Barbie dolls and Transformers — were being wrapped in paper packaging linked to rainforest destruction. Our investigations showed paper from Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), a notorious […]

Amtrak using beef-based biofuel

Like Joe Biden, Amtrak now runs on beef tallow. America's rail company just replaced 35,000 gallons of diesel fuel in one of its 3,200-horsepower locomotives with biofuel derived from the stuff, and reports that the experiment resulted in no ill effects for the train, and lower than usual emissions. That doesn't mean using beef-based biofuels […]

Obama will make final determination on Keystone XL

Obama has announced that the buck on Keystone XL will stop with him. This image is kind of wishful thinking — it's nice to imagine that Obama will just slice through all the conflict-of-interest BS that's currently going down with TransCanada and the State Department, but the likelihood is that this will not end well. Still, […]

Girl Scouts can now win ‘locavore’ merit badges

Dust off your old sash, because you could be eligible for the Girl Scout "locavore" merit badge. (It means you only eat the cookies that your neighbor's kid sells, right?) Here's how you earn your locavore badge: Explore the benefits and challenges of going local Find your local food sources Cook a simple dish showcasing […]

Kids in polluted cities show cognitive deficits

In New York City, for all its wonders, it's not uncommon still to hear the childless pronounce that they "could never imagine raising kids in the city." Turns out they might have a good reason for that. Although kids who grow up in cities have a certain worldliness about them, raising urban kids does have […]

The kitchen of the future runs on leftovers

The kitchen of Philips Design's "Microbial Home" turns food waste into compost and cooking gas. Organic waste gets thrown in a "bio-digester," where specialized bacteria processes it into methane gas to fuel the range. Then the remaining solid matter is turned into compost. So the peelings from a potato might provide the heat to cook […]

The power of the people, organized

On Monday, Oct. 31, speaking about a possible permit for the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, President Obama’s press secretary Jay Carney told the press that “this is a decision that will be made by the State Department.” On Tuesday, Nov. 1, speaking during an interview at the White House with a reporter from Omaha, […]

Critical List: Keystone company calls route change ‘unconstitutional’; Perry hates Iowa

The Keystone XL company thinks changing the pipeline's route could be unconstitutional. Rick Perry appears to want to piss off Iowa. He's against ethanol and now wind subsidies. Fracking probably caused an earthquake in England. Michael Mann, one of the Climategate scientists, is still fighting off groups that want access to his email. Levi Strauss […]

Confessions of a former Big Food executive

Photo: Casey V. PhotographyA few weeks ago, I learned of a relatively new blog about food industry deception, but with an interesting twist. The blog’s author is Bruce Bradley, who spent over 15 years as a food marketer at companies like General Mills, Pillsbury, and Nabisco. He has since, in his words, “become more educated […]