Latest Articles

Living off the grid: SUPER FUN

You know that fantasy you have where you move to Maine, go off the grid, and raise your children to know what nature and good old American values are like? Well, one family is living that fantasy, and writing about it for The New York Times.

All summer, Craig and Susannah Hopkins Leisher have been living with their three sons in a cabin in the Maine woods.

South Pacific islands are in water crisis

Man, Tuvalu just can't catch a break. The island nation is getting slowly submerged by climate-related sea level changes -- and now, in addition to having too much water, they have not enough water. Tuvalu and nearby Tokelau have declared water emergencies because of fresh water shortages; they're relying on bottled water for drinking, but some areas have no more than a two-day supply. Samoa is starting to ration water as well. Maybe they can get some from Fiji.

Critical List: E.U. could ban tar-sands oil; solar industry ‘a real mess’

Yesterday, an E.U. commission got behind environmental standards that could keep tar-sands oil from being used in Europe.

Another nuclear reactor in Japan shut down.

Clean energy investments can only go so far in keeping China's emissions down. The country will meet its environmental goals in the short term, researchers say, but it’s growing too fast for its emissions to stay manageable for long.

Can you build a house for less than a Macbook?

MIT challenges architects to design a house that costs $1,000. Here’s how one student came tantalizingly close.

Sen. Lamar Alexander on making bipartisan energy progress

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) tells Grist why he's crossing party lines to slash energy company subsidies and pour money into cleantech research.

Food Studies: Rethinking obesity, from Chris Christie to Catherine of Siena

A food studies student reads about the "fasting girls" of Victorian times, and rethinks the contemporary debate over morality and diet.

Chow-to: Tomato escarole soup with saffron [RECIPE]

A great way to use up the last of your garden tomatoes.

How environmental and women’s groups can work together

Green groups and women's health advocates used to butt heads over population, but they're increasingly finding common ground in their support for family planning.

City Limits: 'Urbanized' underestimates the allure of the 'burbs

The creator of Helvetica produces Urbanized, a gorgeous, smart, and slightly out of touch ode to the city.

Jerry Brown wishes we could treat clean energy like we treat stuffed lions

California Gov. Jerry Brown (whose full first name is Edmund, who knew) has reached across the aisle for the sake of dead mountain lions. Now he'd like to gently suggest to the California senate that things like clean energy might be almost as important.