Latest Articles

Notre Dame and Syracuse face off in football and climate change

The Fighting Irish and the Orangemen grapple over gridiron green. Photo: Ashley Braun As a loyal Notre Dame alumna, I feel it’s my duty not only to rally behind my team on the football field, but also to rally behind their efforts at fighting climate change. Thanks to NBC Universal and their “Green is Universal” […]

Don’t be a turkey — show them you care

Whether you’re getting ready to feast on a feathered friend, protest the cruelty of cutlets, or something in between, take a moment to show your loved ones you care by sending a Grist e-card. They’ll never think of Thanksgiving the same way again. Send | Enlarge Send | Enlarge Send | Enlarge Send | Enlarge […]

Who’s to blame for the crisis in the auto industry?

Detroit is in a free fall. Some say it’s their own doing by deciding to push big gas guzzlers rather fuel efficient cars. With that choice, the Big Three maximized their short-term profits but conceded the auto market of the future to foreign companies. There is plenty of blame to pass around. Executives made exceedingly […]

Obama announces economic advisers, stresses clean energy

President-elect Obama continued to stress the importance of clean energy during a Monday press conference in which he officially unveiled his economic team. Returning to themes outlined in his Saturday radio address to the nation, Obama said America “could lose millions of jobs” without “bold action” on the economy. Such action should include steps toward […]

Obama expected to tap Richardson to head Commerce

Various news outlets are reporting that President-elect Obama has settled on New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to serve as Commerce secretary, adding another Clinton veteran to the incoming Cabinet. Richardson was Clinton’s ambassador to the United Nations from 1997 to 1998, and Energy secretary from 1998 to 2000. The secretary of Commerce, according to the […]

Obama appears likely to tap Rep. Raúl Grijalva for Sec. of Interior

Raúl Grijalva. Over the weekend, several news sources reported that Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) is the top name on Obama’s list to head the Interior Department, a job that would put him in charge of federal lands, national parks and endangered species. Grijalva has represented Arizona’s 7th district since 2003, and has racked up […]

PBS’s Now on green jobs

For some reason they don’t allow their videos to be embedded on other sites — luddites! — but if you want to click over and watch it, PBS’s show NOW recently did an episode on green jobs. As it happens, NOW also interviewed Grist’s Dear Leader Chip Giller on the subject. Check it out.

Western Shoshone tribe files suit against gold mine on sacred mountain

Members of the Western Shoshone Indian tribe have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management seeking to stop a just-approved open-pit gold mine from digging up what they say is a sacred mountain in Nevada to get at some 5 million ounces of gold. If the project continues ahead as planned, the […]

Cemetery in Spanish town doubles as solar power plant

A small Spanish town crammed for space has started using its cemetery as the primary site for a solar power plant, affixing solar panels atop many of the mausoleums. “The best tribute we can pay to our ancestors, whatever your religion may be, is to generate clean energy for new generations,” said a solar rep […]

Federal court upholds Michigan’s clean-ballast-water law

A Michigan state law requiring oceangoing ships to keep their ballast water onboard or treat the water to kill any live organisms before discharging it into the Great Lakes has been upheld by a federal appeals court. So far, over 180 different invasive species have made a home in the lakes — many of them […]